What's New? SO MUCH

Last week I ran into a friend who I hadn't seen in a few months and she casually asked "What's new?" Usually, a person just says "not much," and the conversation moves right along. Well, guess what? A whole lot of stuff is new for me right now.

On July 1st, two friends and I bought a yoga studio (exciting and totally new-to-us adventure). Then, my dad had a major surgery and was in the hospital for two weeks (now he is continuing to heal and recover at home). Then, we got a new cat when our neighbors moved away (he is an awesome cat).

So, I haven't really been blogging and now you know why. In fact, I really haven't been that interested in kitchen time. I've been eating things like nectarines, ramen, take-out, carrot sticks, etc. About the the fanciest thing I've made in the last month was opening a can of refries, adding some fresh salsa, and steaming some broccoli to mix in. Nothing too glamorous, folks. Nothing all that "blog-worthy."

Still, I managed to snap a few pics along the way - to give you some sense of the action:

Hospital Food!  (iphone pic!)

I spent a pretty good amount of time at the hospital while my dad was there - and ate lots of snacks, PB&Js, salads, bananas, and drank about 1,000 cups of coffee... To my surprise, there wasn't that much vegan food available in the cafeteria. The dish pictured here was my best score at the hospital: Tofu with Curry Sauce and Braised Chard with Garlic. All for $4.20! The food in the cafeteria was super cheap! Wow. I was so excited. Plus, it was actually really yummy.

 The next day, I went back down to the cafeteria, full of visions of tofu and veggies - and the only vegan thing available that day was steamed broccoli. Sigh. At least I like broccoli!

Our garden has been slowly chugging along - despite the fact that I've only watered it about 4 times this year. This was my first official batch of tomatoes for the summer. The first batch of tomatoes is always such a special and momentous occasion... full of promises for what's to come. This year I am growing about 6 or 7 different varieties, including a few that are really brand new to me. Pictured here are Early Girls, Sungold Cherry Tomatoes, Isis Candy cherry tomatoes, and one beautiful Green Zebra tomato!

 Francisco!

And now, the pictures you've actually been waiting for! Our new cat!

Believe it or not, I had a whole post about Francisco in the works, before he was even our cat. He's lived next door to us for about 2 years... and we have been falling in love with him the whole time. Check out his awesome kitty thumbs!

He is such a sweet and special cat. He's a big boy, with a tiny little meow like a newborn kitten. We would always find him hanging out in our driveway, looking for gophers, enjoying the sun, or just looking for cuddles. It's a long story, but when our neighbors moved - we got to keep their cat! They aren't bad people who abandoned him or anything sad like that... I think they just realized that we would provide a more stable home and care for Mr. F.

He's super smart, curious, naughty and funny. Already in the two weeks we've had him, he broke my little ceramic cat statue by shoving it off the bookshelf, spilled the doggie meds all over the sink (we have since relocated them!), climbed up the window and opened it and escaped in the middle of the night, and so on! Also - he has a two-tone nose! See that dark spot on his nose? It's cute!

 At first, he was pretty freaked out. He and our other cat Yummers are getting along reasonably well... but he is still quite wary of our biggest dog, Dottie Bonkers. She loves to stare and sniff at him... and he has yet to figure out that he can just swat her in the nose. That will be a great day when he learns to fight back! In the meantime, he has found this little spot in the closet, and he knows he can always retreat to safety when he needs to.

Lately though, he is finally starting to settle in and relax. I love this super cute way that he stretches out his back legs. It is ridiculous and awesome. I really love him, but no one in the world loves him more than Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats does.

This is Mr. VE&T's Francisco imitation - which happens about 6x per day.

Also, even though I haven't been much in the mood for cooking lately, I AM gearing up for VeganMoFo next month. I have a nice idea for a theme, and I hope to do it some justice. Let's hope I get some kitchen mojo back in the next two weeks!