Kitty Adventures

So, a year ago, when we took the cats to the vet, she told us to start brushing their teeth. We laughed and laughed, but bought a kitty toothbrush and toothpaste. A year later, we still had not worked up the courage to try the brushing, but at this year's vet visit, she brought it up again (and also wants us to have their teeth professionally cleaned...for $200...per cat!), so we decided to suck it up and give it a try. It started out okay--Matt put a little toothpaste on his finger for Mirando to try, and he loved it. So then we put toothpaste on the brush, and he started licking that. But then we tried to open his mouth and brush his teeth, and he backed up and started swiping at us. Geronimo, sensing something unpleasant was up, hightailed it under the bed. He is just too smart. So, we're trying again tomorrow. Fun, huh? Never a dull moment around here.

Speaking of kitty adventures, the guys had a great catfit/play fight last night. There's never any of the yowling you associate with cat fights--they're completely quiet. They tear around the apartment and pounce on each other. Every once in a while, one of them gets a claw stuck in the other's head, and there are sounds of protest as the claw is tugged free, but they aren't trying to hurt each other. But there's often flank-biting and such, and last night we noticed this:

Mirando has a big tuft of Geronimo's undercoat fur hanging out the side of his mouth!

Last night we went to a Laotian restaurant. If you're in Madison, it's Lao Laan Xang. You could order everything with a spiciness level of one to five stars. One was timid, two was careful, three was adventurous, and five was Native Lao. There was no four :) I think they were trying to make sure no one who couldn't handle it got a five! I like spicy food, so I went with the Tofu in Spicy Peanut Sauce with three stars. It was fantastic, and a lot like Thai food. Also, nice and sinus clearing. And mmm...spring rolls and Thai iced tea. They do a good job of making it clear what on the menu is vegetarian, too, often a problem for me in Thai restaurants due to the abundance of fish stock, fish paste, oyster sauce, and such. Matt had Shrimp Mango Curry with two stars and really liked it.

Knitting: The end of the sleeves is in sight! Only about a half inch left, then the seaming and the button band and collar. Rain--heh heh. Colin Firth will have to wait till tomorrow. I didn't have time today. We have a barbecue to go to at 4:00, and Monsters, Inc. was on television. We love that movie.

Writing: I did some tinkering out on the porch this morning, and I now have six chapters. I have one more scene to write, and a major change to chapter 3, then I can keep moving forward. It is SO MUCH FUN to write a murder mystery. Even when I have tricky revision to do, or have to go back and add in scenes, it's a really enjoyable experience.

Reading: Still on Harry Potter! Reading book 2 again in light of what you find out in book 6 is pretty cool.

Cooking: I made the fantastic French toast again this morning, and we ate out on the porch. That stuff is so good.