Sunday

My life is so dull, I can't even come up with interesting titles to my posts! It would probably make sense to write only when I have something interesting to say - but I've got used to writing every day during the lock-down, and it's kind of my way of keeping in touch with family and friends. I'm not much one for phoning, skyping, whatsapping ... I've never been good at staying in touch. It's always been agonising ...

The only writing I'm proud of, are the articles I wrote for my newsletter - which were fueled by a need to overcome ignorance and desperation for contracts. And the short stories I wrote so many years ago ... which are now lost, I'm afraid.

In my day, there were only two means of staying in touch: telephone and letters. Long distance calls were prohibitively expensive, so one wrote letters. I never did very well with those ... each letter was an agonising effort. But since it was the socially accepted duty - I did my best.

These days, there are so many media ... it's really rather ironic that the one I find myself most comfortable with is this. And with everyone making up their own rules, which is the 'correct' media to stay in touch ... well, this is the one I'm comfortable with. And at my age, I'm done conforming to meet everyone's expectations.

And yet, this is not WHY I first started this blog! Five years ago! At the time, I thought it would be a good way to start writing again, and could lead to means of an income ... after all, I do have wisdom to share. I also had some grandiose idea of capturing and sharing some of my deep thoughts.

In the end, though, I ended up simply writing my daily routine, my mippies, my garden ... nothing grandiose, just dull, probably boring, every day activities. No grand wisdom. Occasional rants. And I'm actually quite content with that. I tend to flit from interest to interest, never developing any lasting obsession, nor expertise in any.

Getting on to my current mono-mania: meal planning. I think I've come up with a solution. In winter Eintopf and in summer Stir-fry. My 'stews' have been Eintopf, anyway - Eintopf is simply a German word for cooking everything in one pot. Ein Topf = One Pot. I just need to work on my vegetables - when and how to add them. I watched a video during the load shedding last night and learned just how much I can improve my meals.

Only problem is, that I want to cook for a whole week ... and even Eintopf should not be kept more than 3 days. I've been cooking on Sundays, and re-heating three times ... then Thursday's and Fridays, taking some quick-fry out of the freezer.

I keep running into the same problem: lack of freezer space! I really, really want a separate freezer! I'm still torn between an upright and chest freezer. I really prefer an upright - so much more convenient! But a chest freezer is simply better. Especially with all this load shedding, because it keeps frozen food frozen for longer when the power is off.

Well, I'm sitting here, over thinking the hell out of everything ... doing nothing. Typical, eh?

I got off my rear and into action. I've fried the pork - it's so tender, it doesn't need stewing. So, I've pre-fried it, and now I'll separate which to use to stew, and the tender parts, I'll bag and freeze - for a quick stir fry.

Mippies water fountain was down to a trickle ... poor mips have been unhappy, and it's been irritating me, as well. This time, I took it apart completely - pulled out the pump and took that apart as well. THAT is where the worst of the gunk had accumulated. Now it's sparkling clean.

I've now cooked the beef, and cleaned the kitchen again ... and look what I found in my bedroom:

We've had a busy day - the neighbour's cat already chased Janey all the way to the top of the fridge, I've had to cuddle, pick up, roly poly on the lawn, keep Ziva off the kitchen counter ... it's been busy. Same as yesterday, actually. Mippies spend a lot of quality time with me - every weekend.

When I stepped into the lounge, I found the neighbour's cat on top of my bookshelf! WTF? And Smeagol? Is sunning himself on the front lawn ... 

Okay, it's getting weirder: I just stepped into the kitchen and found Smeagol AND the neighbour's cat on the counter eating mippies kibbles!

This is my kitchen. These are not my cats! Smeagol is the black and white cat in front, and in the back, that's the neighbour's cat. The two of them are howling and growling at each other! I've chased the neighbour's cat out, at least a dozen times now - and no, I'm not exaggerating! I chase him out, he runs around the house and comes right back in ... through the bedroom window, through the front door, back door ...

Funniest thing, Smeagol wouldn't leave! He even let me almost pick him up! I was able to lift his front legs off the floor - but then lost my nerve.

I tried luring him out with food, but ended up feeding him in the kitchen. When I went to clean the litter boxes, he finally chose to go outside. Right now, he's having another howl-fest with the neighbour's cat ... I don't know how much longer this is going to continue!

They got into a fight, I walked up to them and finally the neighbour's cat left! Smeagol walked at my heel, just like Mewthos normally does! 

I got mippies inside and now I'm running my bath. Janey is on my lap. Again.