Monday Morning Ramble

Sleep has eluded me.  I have to wonder why I am bright-eyed at 4 AM, after only three hours of sleep.  Good thing I am a firm believer in naps.

I glance around my living room as the sunlight begins to stream in.  In one corner, next to a window is an overstuffed chair.  It serves to hide in the corner behind it, two stacks of buckets from the bakery, waiting for me to fill with rice and beans and sugar and flour.  But that's not why I keep that ratty piece of furniture.  It is Kizzy the cat's chair.  The front and side of one arm have been shredded.  Kizzy has claws.  There is a cat-sized indentation at the top of the chair back.  Kizzy likes to sleep there, and when awake, likes to keep watch on whatever is going on outside of the window.  How she can sleep there and not slide off is beyond me, but she does.  I wonder if it is a sign of senility, to keep a disreputable looking chair just because the cat loves it.

I gripe about being awake so early, but truth be known, I love the early morning hours.  The breeze flowing through my open windows is cool.  The street below is quiet.  The cars with folks on their way to their jobs and the delivery trucks have yet to make an appearance.  The birds are singing their little hearts out.  Sometimes Kizzy joins me in watching the sky turn from black to blue to pink and gold.  Or maybe she is trying to figure out how to get one of those birds.  But that would require expending some energy.  Unless a bird had a death wish and landed on her head, Kizzy isn't going to get excited.  About anything.  Lazy cat.

Sometimes I wish I were more like the bloggers who cook fabulous meals and share recipes and photos.  I find, at those times when I am honest with myself, that I eat for two reasons.  One is because I truly love a particular dish, so I don't mind the fuss and bother it takes to prepare it.  But mostly I eat for the second reason, which is that a body needs fuel.  I suppose that if I didn't have so many other interests I might be willing to spend hours chopping and dicing and sauteing.  I don't mind doing all of that when I am preparing food to be pressure canned for later use.  But I find that I would rather be sewing or crocheting or scrapbooking or researching family history than spending time cooking elaborate meals for myself.  Or maybe I am just lazy.  I haven't quite decided.

Enough rambling.  As long as I am not going to sleep until afternoon nap time, I might as well finish up the few chores I have left over that didn't get done when I was sidelined.  The grocery store has hamburger on sale this week and tomorrow I want to get enough to can.  Canned hamburger is one item I love to have on my shelves.  I can it in pint jars, which is just right for adding to hot dishes or spaghetti sauce or for making Sloppy Joes.  And I want to do a few jars of meatballs in mushroom gravy.  Those are really good over rice or potatoes.  And they make a quick, easy meal for those times when I am busy (or lazy).