Happiest of Birthdays to miribilist! Have a wonderful day!

(wow, it's been yoinks since I updated, I know...)

I buy birdseed, suet, etc. (actually squirrel food, though it's called "bird food") at Wild Birds Unlimited. With my last purchase, they gave me a little bag of birdseed saying that it's a tradition in some countries to sprinkle birdseed on your doorstep on Christmas Day for good luck.

I did not get birds, but I did get squirrels! THREE fat minions of Lord Nutsy feasted on the "bird" seed, which I hope translates into good luck anyway.

The kitty boys were ENTHRALLED. So very enthralled that they ignored my twisting the lid off a jar of chicken treats - normally that brings them running! They were so fixated on the Up Close And Personal view of the bushytails right under their noses on the other side of the sliding glass door. Neville was quivering in excitement, and Jack wanted to leap right through the glass door! I think I might have to put some walnuts on my doorstep tomorrow, to give the kitty boys some more fun!

Lord Nutsy, the kitties, and I wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy Solstice!

I mentioned to yaaresse that I had found a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake bars, and I was looking to try out the recipe this holiday season. She wanted the recipe - so here it is!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars (from "Best Ever Christmas Cookies" by America's Test Kitchen)

1 15-oz can unsweetened pumpkin puree
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or you could substitute your own blend of spices)
1/2 tsp. salt
15 graham crackers, broken into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup plus 1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. ground ginger
8 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 lb. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature

Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 13 x 9 inch baking pan with foil; the edges should overhang to make a foil sling (for lifting out the cheesecake). Grease the foil.

Combine pumpkin, pie spices, and salt in saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 6 to 8 minutes). Let cool for one hour.

Process graham crackers, 1/4 cup sugar, and ginger in food processor to fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse until combined, about 5 pulses. Sprinkle mixture into prepared pan and press into even layer. Bake until just starting to brown (15 to 18 minutes). Let crust cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat cream cheese and remaining 1 1/3 cups sugar on medium-low speed until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add lemon juice, vanilla, and pumpkin mixture; beat until combined. Increase speed to medium, add eggs one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Pour over cooled crust and spread into even layer. Bake until edges are puffed and center is just set (45 to 50 minutes). Let cheesecake cool in pan on wire rack for two hours. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or overnight, up to 24 hours). Using foil sling, lift cheesecake out of pan. Cut into squares/rectangles. Devour!

I wanted one last chance to use my cool jack o' lanterns icon!

I mentioned that I was going to pass out glow sticks and glowy squishy spiders for Halloween this year. Well, it rained quite hard earlier on Halloween day, and between that and it being a Friday, I think most of the parents decided to take their kids to a structured event. (We have lots of those in my area, including a "Harvest Festival" for people whose religion frowns on Halloween...yes, we have some ultra-religious folks here in the Bay Area, just not a lot of them.) I wound up getting about four trick-or-treaters! But they loved the glow sticks. And the great thing about leftover glow sticks and spiders is that they will keep until next Halloween! No wasted treats, yay!

In other news, I had in_the_blue over for Meet the Kitties and lunch. All the kitties except Jack came out to say hi, and they all loved in_the_blue lots! Anastasia was especially friendly. I think they knew a cat person when they saw one! in_the_blue brought a kitty toy - a dragonfly on a wire - and Neville was enthralled. Then we went out and had Japanese food for lunch. A great time was had by humans and kitties!

I've been up since 4 AM (yes!) because of the time change, so I will probably end up going to bed early, but I do love having that early start.

I forgot to shut my bedroom door last night and thus was woken up at ass o'clock by Jack and Dany. Jack just HAD to make biscuits on my sleeping form, and Dany (who has been put on a Catkins diet) was HUNGRY and wanted food NOW and one does NOT keep a Khaleesi waiting for her breakfast.

Tonight I'm closing the door AND wearing earplugs.

I have decided that I am going to pass out glowsticks and glowing squishy spiders this Halloween instead of candy. Why? First of all, I don't want candy in the house because I will eat it, and I'm trying to cut down on my junk food intake. (Cookiepalooza does not count!) Second, I feel bad for the kids with food allergies or who just can't eat candy, so I want a nice non-candy treat to pass out. Third, any glowsticks that don't get passed out will keep until next Halloween, which I can't say for candy!

So, to that end, I ordered a bunch of glow sticks and squishy spiders from the Oriental Trading Company. Now all I have to worry about are arachnophobes!

And an excuse to use my Christmas Catelyn icon early!

Last night, I dreamed that Sansa Stark killed Littlefinger. Or rather, she got someone else to do it for her, and laughed and laughed.

I hope this comes true.

Meanwhile, I'm taking a walk around the block every morning to get some fresh air and exercise, and to see my FitBit light up with that green smiley face at 5,000 steps. I hope I can eventually get in 10,000!

Lately, my mail has been arriving as late as 7 PM. Grar. I think I might have to complain to the post office. I know mail delivery time depends on where you are on the postal route, but sheesh, I want to get my mail BEFORE, not AFTER, supper.

I've always gotten my mail fairly late as long as I've lived here - but, 4 or 5 PM is acceptable, 6:30 or 7 is not.

Daenerys has asthma, so I give her a kitty inhaler (Albuterol, like what human asthmatics use) with a kitty mask that goes over her nose. After she gets her inhaler, all the kitties get their favorite chicken treats. Dany tolerates the procedure well because she knows that treats will follow.

Neville always gets so excited when I get out the inhaler because he KNOWS that he will get chicken treats (which he goes NUTS for) after Dany gets her kitty meds. It's so funny that he's all, "yeah! My sister's getting her inhaler, that means TREATS!" He watches me administer the inhaler to Dany and then he starts purring when the treats come out.

Here is the cutest little boy in the world (well, one of two, the other is Jack), all curled up in the kitty condo: