Love Is In The Air

How do I know this? Because it's Valentine's Day. Duh! And because two of my kitties, two arch-enemy kitties, are sleeping together so peacefully. They're showing some luv to each other on this wonderfully [commercialized] romantic day. See >>>>

{hey, now that I'm looking at this pic without an "editing eye", I can see that they're actually making a 'heart shape'...sort of} The amazing thing about these two "non-love birds kitties" is that they REALLY ARE ARCH-ENEMIES! Really!! I know it's hard to believe looking at this photo. But they are!

Sam, the white & charcoal grey 'Tomcat' kitty, and Meka, the Lynx-point Siamese kitty, are both Alpha type cats. Meka is "older & wiser and should automatically be respected by others", according to his belief. While Sam is a big-headed, girthy, young, "submissively aggressive" kitty.

Back in the summer I literally had to spray these two a**es with a garden hose, while they were about 25-feet up in the branches of one of the Pine trees in my yard. And the intense stream of cold water did NOTHING to stop them from fighting! Yes, two big a**es! And now look at them. Pfftt...

I just have one thing to say, they had better behave when they are outside this summer or I WILL post this photo all over the Internet, with a very unsatisfactory caption!

Moving on....

We had a [delightful] snow storm yesterday. {yay} I don't care for winter's cold. My fingers & toes freeze unbearably if I'm outside longer than 15-minutes. So any outdoor activities, walking, snowmen building with my Grandkids, etc., is very limited for me.  But snow on the other hand, I enjoy a really good snowfall. The kind where you just keep saying, "Wow, look at how deep it is". The kind of depth that is right up to the chest & tummy area of my over 100lb. German Shepherd - Alaskan Malamute mixed [couch-potato] pups. Which, by the way, their backs are approximately 3-feet high. So yeah, that's deep snow. And the kind I like. For at least one snowfall per winter. {then it can be spring}

So yesterday, while my hubs was [enjoying himself like a 12-year-old] making paths throughout our yard and our elderly neighbor's yard with our snow blower (our yard is a certified wildlife habitat, I feed wildlife daily, so the paths are really handy), I was out for a quick stroll hike trudge through the awesomely over-my-knee deep snow to enjoy the peace & quiet of nature. 

I regret not bringing my digital SLR with me. Because my cellphone camera sucks! But alas, that's all I had to use to capture winter's beauty. Here's some wintry landscape pics >>

Please ignore the low-quality of the pics; again, my cellphone camera is nothing like "the real thing". These shots were taken on a walking trail near my home. And in my yard. The old brick building is, I believe, in the process of being restored. It is at the end of one part of the walking trail. There are several old brick buildings in this area. I'm not sure, but since they are close to the railroad tracks, I'm guessing they had something to do with miners and the railroad from years ago. They are pretty cool buildings though. When I was still offering portrait photography services I shot many senior portraits, family portraits, and model photography inside & outside of these buildings. They have character....

And now for a Valentine's Day goodie for my readers. Since "love is in the air" today, I'm guessing that romance will be in the air for many this evening. So here's an easy, simple, and quick recipe to help keep 'your fires burning bright'.

'Some Like It Hot' Massage Oil

What you'll need:

- small pot

- 1/4 cup olive or almond oil

- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (depending on how "invigorating" {hot} you'd like your oil)

Add the olive oil to a small pot. Heat slowly on a stove top. When the oil begins to warm, add in the cinnamon, and stir thoroughly. Continue to heat, on low, for 30-minutes, stirring frequently. Be sure to break-up any clumped cinnamon. You want a smooth oil, with no clumps. After 30-minutes of heating slowly, remove the pot from the stove. Allow the oil to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, pour oil into a glass container through a sieve, to prevent any solid clumps from entering the container. Cover tightly and store in a dry, cool, dark area. Shelf life - 2-months.

How to use:

Use sparingly, a little goes a long way. This oil can be used for back massages, neck massages, feet massages. Just DO NOT use this massage oil in 'sensitive' areas!!! Enjoy!!

♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥