In the lion's den

So, we have a leather couch with recliners on either end (awesome), and it's right by a pair of sliding glass doors and isn't supposed to be in direct sunlight, so during the day we cover it with a blanket. The cats *love* this. Geronimo loves to nap under the blanket, either on the couch (less common) or on the carpet just in front of the couch. This is one of his dens. We call him "The Big Lump" when he does this, or when he crawls under the covers on the guest bed for a nap. Most of Mirando's napping is out in the open, although sometimes he lays down on my pillow and if it's cold, we tuck him in. We're really not supposed to disturb Geronimo when he's in his den, but I risked my own safety to bring you an exclusive wildlife photo (okay, I just turned the flash on and stuck the camera under the blanket and only took one picture).
The outside of the blanket. Geronimo's under there:

Under the blanket:

Mirando on top of the couch:

And, because I know you were hoping, here's Mirando after we've tucked him in:


Knitting: I'm making progress on the 4 Ply Cotton baby blanket. It's sort of made up of squares, kind of, and I've finished three using less than one ball of yarn, so I shouldn't run out (there are 16 "squares" and I have 6 balls of yarn). I might do a border at the end if I have enough yarn. I like it so far, but I'm not at the tricky bit yet, either. I hope it comes together well. I've already ripped out a few false starts before I really got my vision for the blanket down.

Writing: I'm in a very low productivity phase. I've managed some revising, but I'm still at 25,000 words, 5 chapters. I'm having difficulty starting Chapter 6, so I think it's time for a deadline: Chapter 6 is due Friday, June 2.

Reading: I'm reading Death in Lacquer Red by Jeanne Dams (who wrote the Dorothy Martin series. It's the first in her Hilda Johanssen series that takes place in turn-of-the-century (19th, that is) South Bend, Indiana. Hilda is a maid in a wealthy household. In the foreward, Dams says that much of it is based on historical South Bend, and so far it's interesting. Hilda has found a body in the hedges, and now the police are interviewing everyone because it turned out to be Somebody Important. The hierarchy among the servants is well-done, and the animosity between the rich family and the police. Sort of an American Gosford Park.

I've been a little annoyed about this New York Times Book Review "Best Novel of the Last 25 Years" thing. I'll spare you my whole rant on the subject, but if you want to read it, it's here. I just don't see how you can boil 25 years of fiction down to a single novel. Grrr.

Cooking: Nothing of note. Oh, we did make calzoni with Pillsbury pizza dough the other day (we had it left over from camping--I normally make my own dough, I promise!). They were really good, but I'm not sure where I wrote the recipe. If it turns up, I'll post it. It was ricotta, mozzarella, mushrooms, and spinach for me/pepperoni for Matt.