Tux

Here are the promised pictures of Tux. He's wearing a make-shift leash, because he keeps trying to leave. We suspect he'll settle down once he's used to his surroundings, though.

Mrs. Katzadowski and Tux

Winter in Canada isn't particularly kind to cats, even the wild, crazy ones that Bobchi* keeps around.

Of course, she didn't really "keep" them in any sense of the word; it was more like she offered them a corner of the shop to sleep in when they were in the neighborhood. Mangy, beat up, and unkempt, you never saw them most of the time; they were far too busy off in the bush having kittens and fighting with the other cats. Even when one of them did come wandering in, it would display, for all intents and purposes, the noncomittal attitude that it was his idea in the first place.

They'd never, ever let you get near them -- not that you'd really want to. All the fighting didn't do much for their looks; most of them limped, one was missing an eye, and they were all scratched up pretty badly. Imagine a mangey crew of cat pirates, and you'd have Bobchi's cats. It was no real surprise, then, that none of them made it through the viciously cold winter.

Once spring came, Bobchi set about restocking her supply of mousers. First, she called her nephew, Donald. He has a whole raft of wild, crazy cats like she used to have, but they turned out to be too wild and crazy for him to catch. Then a neighbor told her about an older couple who had found a stray cat that they were hoping to find a home for.

It arrived Thursday morning, personally chauffeured in a black satchel like a visiting dignitary. He's a sleek black and white tomcat, and is nothing like his predecessors. They were crazy and mean, he is gentile and friendly. They hissed and spat when they saw you, but scratch him behind his cheeks, and he purrs like a tractor engine.

"We didn't name him," the couple told us. "You'll have to think of something." After some deliberation, Julie suggested "Tux".

Tux took an instant shine to the farm, and especially Shiloh. He spent the afternoon following us around hoping to be petted, playing with Shiloh, and relaxing luxuriously under the trees.

We've fixed a temporary place in the garage for him, and we'll be thinking of a way to keep him warm and dry this winter. Here's hoping he lasts a lot longer than the others.

*We recently decided that we had too many grandmas (Mrs. Fiddler and her mother both answered to "Grandma"), and thought it would be a good idea to start calling them different names. Since Katherine Komadowski is Polish, we've started calling her "Bobchi", which is Polish for "Grandmother".

p.s. I'll post pictures of Tux later today.

Stew Chicken

This is a recipe that I made up, and it's delicioso!

1 whole chicken skin off and cut in pieces in a bowl
Marinate chicken with soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper
Fry the chicken til done, then transfer to stew pot
Add 1 can diced tomatoes
Add 1 onion chopped
Add about 3 tbsps of soy sauce and a couple shakes of Worcestershire sauce
Add water til it's covering the chicken and let simmer

You might have to add more salt. You can also add 1 habanero pepper without seeds chopped if you like it hot. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice, use the gravy from the stew for topping. Enjoy!

-Julie

Mainiacs in Government

After years of deliberation, our Founding Fathers created a unique system of government with checks and balances, so that no one body has more power than the other and freedoms are protected.

To which Maine responds, "Thanks, but no thanks," and takes steps to change all of that.

Maine’s House of Representatives voted this week to merge itself with the state Senate, creating one unicameral body, with the goal of saving taxpayers $11 million each two-year legislative session. Maine state representative Joseph Wagner called the state Senate a "colonial legacy" of the state’s early days, in which the upper chamber was "a council of [the state's] wealthiest landowners." Opponents say it removes an appropriate check and balance from the state government.

If the plan goes forward, Maine would become the second state, behind Nebraska, to have a one-chambered legislature, and the umpteenth to use the economic crunch as an excuse to make silly and irresponsible decisions.