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By Amber, on December 20, 2011, at 10:10 pm My father is probably the only one who will laugh at that.
Anyway, I have spent the evening laugh-crying at DamnYouAutoCorrect, as I like to do every so often, so tonight instead of content I have some photos that I took at an orchid show a few years ago in New Jersey. I’m a big fan of orchids, so the chance to go see hundreds of varieties in one room was amazing. We bought a beautiful cattleya from that show, but sadly it didn’t last. We have had great success with a couple orchids here in Houston — they love the humid bathroom. I wish we could just fill the house with them!
Have you had any luck keeping orchids? Have a favorite variety?
By Amber, on November 30, 2010, at 10:00 pm This is only our third winter in Houston, so I still find the seasonal changes here really weird and disorienting. We’re on the eve of December, and a third of the leaves are still green, a third are gone, and a third are changing colors. Mentally, I’m approximately here, season-wise:
 Not Texas.
 Also not Texas.
It was 50 F when I left Toastmasters tonight. I passed someone waiting at a bus stop, wearing a puffy, calf-length winter coat, a knit hat, and a scarf. (I’m not quite that wimpy, but I’m not that far off, either.) And yesterday it was 80 F. I was recently wondering where the heck all the hangers had gone and realized that they’re ALL in my area of the closet because I currently need both sweaters and short sleeves on a weekly basis.
I like our mild winters here in Houston, but as far as I’m concerned, the 80-degree days could give it a rest until March. I need the closet space and it would help me get in the mood for Christmas decorating!
 Definitely not Texas!
(If you’re curious, all of the pictures were taken in Holmdel Park, just a couple miles from where we lived in New Jersey and one of our favorite places to spend a Sunday afternoon in those days.)
By Amber, on August 8, 2010, at 9:59 pm These are an old favorite of mine (stolen from Quaker), from when I lived in NJ and used a hand-me-down hand mixer to satisfy my need for baked goods. They take no more than 15 minutes of prep time (10 if you’re in a hurry). I used to make them at least twice a month (it’s a miracle that I didn’t burn out the motor in the hand mixer) and a 9×13 pan never lasted long. A coworker in NJ called them ‘hobbit bars.’ They are so dense and delicious that they could potentially eliminate the need for chocolate chip cookies. Yeah, they’re that good — especially warm.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 cups uncooked oats (any kind but I like old-fashioned)
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup nuts (optional — I never put these in!)
Heat oven to 375F. Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, milk, vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, salt; mix well. Add oats, chocolate chips, nuts.
Spread in ungreased 9×13 pan, bake 30-35 minutes (err on the side of under-done, or they may become too chewy).
Around here, we like to eat them for dessert, and then again for breakfast. It’s okay because they have oats in them!
By Amber, on April 15, 2010, at 10:47 pm Barring some miracle, Julia seems to be telling us that she is ready to go. We will spend tomorrow saying goodbye, and then our vet (who is fabulous, by the way, in case you ever find yourself in possession of a Houstonian kitty) will make a house call.
I told you a little about Julia before, but indulge me and I’ll tell you more. My sister and I found her at Petsmart over the Thanksgiving holiday of 2002, not long after I’d graduated from college. I was living at my parents’ house in VA but had just accepted a job in NJ. Obviously I was going to need a cat, and when we saw her, we knew she was the one. We called my then-boyfriend and bribed him into agreeing to keep her until I moved into an apartment. I filled out the application and heard back from the sponsoring rescue within a day or two.
I requested that they groom her before I picked her up, and there was some kind of fiasco that kept delaying it. Finally, she was mine!
so skinny!
I think I drove her up to PA that same night, to her temporary home. I visited on weekends until I moved to NJ (my boyfriend thought I was visiting HIM, ha!), and then I brought her over.
My apartment was underneath a man who sold drugs and abused his girlfriend. It was not the best environment for a nervous cat (or her owner), but we kept each other company and she kept me sane. At first, she would wait until I was asleep and then climb up onto my hip. Before long, she would go to bed with me and stay on me or next to me all night.
There were growing pains, though. Julia is a very particular cat. The food and the litter had better be just right, or you will find out that they are not. As much as I loved her, I had some times of serious frustration. I was encouraged by at least a couple people to start over and try again. My aunt, a big pet lover, said that “there are lots of good kitties out there.” But I knew she was a good kitty, we just hadn’t figured each other out completely.
When I bought a townhouse in a quiet neighborhood, she was obviously happier, but some of her issues persisted. I figured things were as good as they were going to get, and learned to work around her. No rugs. No unsupervised bedroom time. I developed the ability to smell fresh cat pee from a different floor of the house (some people have more useful talents, but this one is mine).
Mark is a dog person and was never thrilled about living with my neurotic little cat, but his superior housekeeping skills brought some much-needed order to her life. It was like things clicked. They even developed an appreciation of sorts for one another. When we moved to TX, to a much larger home, the transformation was complete. She became a much more mellow cat, comfortable with rules and even interested in visitors.
I’m sure Mark will never be fully converted to a cat person, but he has come to love her for who she is, and to appreciate what a cat can contribute to a household. He has taken extraordinary care of her (and me) this week, administering subcutaneous fluids and feedings and even a bath (THAT is love, my friends). When she leaves us tomorrow, it will be with all the dignity that a cherished companion deserves, and there will be a considerable void in our home.
 “We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan…” -Irving Townsend
By Amber, on March 23, 2010, at 10:00 pm Last weekend I had to resurrect a thermal and a hoodie as Mother Nature took one last unexpected parting shot, but I think we are in the clear now. However, we’ll soon be traveling to DC to see my parents and enjoy the National Cherry Blossom Festival. I was looking back at my Cherry Blossom Festival pictures from 2007 and 2008 and noticed that I had a coat with me (and that was before I moved to Texas and got really soft about temperature), so I guess I’m not completely done with those winter clothes for the season, but it will be worth it.
 Don’t be fooled by the t-shirt; he shovels snow in a t-shirt.
 Across the tidal basin from my favorite memorial.
Around this time of year we would also start visiting our favorite park in New Jersey to look for signs of spring.
The arboretum was spectacular in the spring:
 I prefer living in Texas, where I can complain if there is one cold weekend in March, but there are one or two things I miss about the mid-Atlantic (just not the winters!). I’m looking forward to our trip.
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