Avoid Purr-plexity of Disposable K-cups

Let us all just face this right now:  my human is a coffee addict and that's all there is to it.  She once confessed that she sometimes dreams about sucking on coffee beans.

I know.

But let's move on.

She has expressed a desire for a Keurig-type coffee maker to use in her trailer when she travels.  The idea is that she can make one very good cup of coffee, brewed directly into her stainless thermal flask, and can then sip on that said beverage without having the mess of a pot to deal with or a filter to throw away.

But the drawback is the expense and environmental consequences of those plastic K-cups.  Ever notice how even the most squeaky of enviro-types manages to fly *their* private jets while critiquing others about their carbon footprint?

Well.

None of THAT for MY human.  It's either figure out the sensible way to do it, or not do it at all.

To that end, to meet her coffee bean sucking... I mean, coffee drinking goals while traveling, she has ordered the "Caffe Verde Reusable/Refillable K-cup Filter Starter Kit" offered by The Friendly Barista.

The nice thing about this starter kit is that it includes a "carafe" filter as well, sized for 4-6 cups of coffee.

The filters are stainless steel for longevity, and top-rack dishwasher safe.  Ah, so.  No more paper filters to throw away.

Environment, you're welcome.

My human is still shopping for the perfect coffee-maker.  She does not want a huge system for her travel trailer, and has been tempted to try the more compact knock-offs advertised at discount stores.  While she explores reviews and feedback on these machines, she would appreciate any comments or insights those who have experienced the smaller coffee makers might provide.

We will report back once we've been able to make use of these charming little items, which we received at a discount in return for our thoughtful review.

In the meantime, stay out of those personal jets and take up bicycling.

Easy for me to say, writing from under the bed.  But that's just what I do, so get over it.

Sincerely,
Miss Emmy Dickins
Premier Lifestyle Consultant

Purrfectly Cute Little Cocktail Shaker

Well, it has been a while since Miss Emmy has had anything to say.  However, lately she realizes she has been falling behind on her very important job as lifestyle consultant, so she once again began to advise her human on how to improve her life.

Of course, I continue to maintain my counseling sessions from underneath the bed, but I do believe I've advised her well in this circumstance.

I suggested she obtain the Premium Cocktail Shaker Set by Shikshook, and it seems this has been a great boon to the household.  The package was received with great excitement and everyone (except me, of course) gathered around to see what was inside.  This is what was included:

This is a very pretty cocktail shaker.  The stainless steel is very polished, it has two pourer outer thingies for liquor bottles, and two measure thingies as well.

It also comes with a pretty black velvet bag for storing:

And a sweet thank you note from the sending people:

These nice Shikshook people also gave us access to 100 recipes for cocktails (I wanted to try all of them right away, but my human thought 100 cocktails might be too much all in one session).

Although I want to keep this pretty thing under the bed with me, my human says she wants to keep it in its velvet bag and take it with her when she travels in her little trailer.  (I know nothing about this trailer, since I don't approve of travel as a lifestyle, so I cannot remark on this dubious decision, except to say that the Shikshook shiny bits would have been fun to keep with me here in the dark.)

I'm experiencing a bit of a snark, because I haven't had even one cocktail.  That said, I can't complain.  These nice people sent this pretty shaker to us for free so we could examine it carefully and decide if we liked it or not.  Although I don't get to keep it with me under the bed, I decided it's pretty neat and I approve of it purrfectly.  

Posted with great sincerity by your premier lifestyle consultant (writing from under the bed).

Stay real, peeps.

Miss Emmy Dickins

Emmy's human has odd bathing preferences

There's obviously little Miss Emmy can do about this . . . she has tried on numerous occasions (in fact, numerous times DAILY) to demonstrate the beauty of the tongue-bath.  Is there nothing more elegant than a long extension of one's hind leg as you tongue-stroke, stroke, stroke upwards to your toes?

Correct.  You understand what I mean.

Yet, this human continues to splash about in a big watering dish, making use of that liquid which is only useful for lapping delicately from a bowl (preferably cut crystal), and only on rare occasions IMHO.

Now she comes home with these photos, extolling the WONDER of this contraption.

This monstrosity sits on a deck hanging off the edge of a steep cliff and is open on three sides.

Now.  Really.  Miss Emmy is really all for Bathing With an Audience.  She does so DAILY.

But this location offers scant opportunity for admirers to view the production.  It really only offers the opportunity for the bather to lie back in that tub full of water and stare out.  

At.  This.

I mean, who would want to do a thing like THAT?

I have to say that Full Blame must be placed on the shoulders of that Individual of Very Bad Influence, Missy Gayle.

Missy Gayle

You can see just by looking at her what a devious individual she is!

She's another one of those incomprehensible females who has chosen to Keep a Husband.  

(As everyone knows well, the most sensible female behavior is to have many husbands and have them often -- and then send them yowling on their way over the back fence.  I mean, how else are we to manage our time-honored mandate of overtaking the world with many many many kittens?)

So, if any of the Full Blame is to be shared, we must slap it (perhaps with a bit of claw) on the shoulders of the male who constructed this monstrosity -- which appears to be directly responsible for driving my Human nearly bonkers with imbecilic envy.

This entire episode has so stressed my system that I've had to retire to my abode under the bed.  I have curled myself into a tight ball and have wrapped my tail around my nose.  

I realize it has been nearly a year since I've had a single thing to say here, and it may be another year before I get over my snit.

Ah me.  What a world.

Delicate Drier Tutorial

Miss Emmy’s human is often behind on her laundry.  And when she does get around to washing her delicates, she’s frustrated by the mess required to set up the drying rack in her laundry room, which protrudes into the traffic area as well as crowding Miss Emmy’s royal dining area.

In the interest of hygiene (which is always of foremost feline concern), Miss Emmy devised a solution to this delicate dilemma, and instructed her human to enact it thusly.



Gather the following materials:

• 1 wooden coat hanger
• 12 wooden clothes pins (found at the $1 store) 
• Super Glue or White Glue

Measure the clothespins out across the hanger at regular intervals.
For this hanger we spaced our pins about  1.25” apart.
Then we glued the pins to  the hanger, starting next to the hook.

We first tried using super glue, hoping that it would speed completion of the project (since we had delicates washing and Miss Emmy preferred not to have her dining dishes crowded again).  However, the super glue was not successful with every pin.  The clothes hanger was not entirely flat, so it was difficult to get a solid seal for all pins.
 
Therefore we opted to use the white glue, which would require at least 30 minutes to dry.  However, it held very well, and within an hour we were using our new Delicate Drier for Miss Emmy’s human’s unmentionables. .

   Notice that we are able to hang these from a long hook on the pegboard in the laundry room (which also organizes our frying pans and tools – but that’s another post for another time).

If you have ever used one of those collapsible plastic driers that opens out in numerous spokes, you’ll remember that it’s impossible to hang one of those in a confined area.

We are happy with our Delicate Drier because it doesn’t take up a lot of room, and we can carry everything into the closet and keep it hanging neatly while we put it away . . . something we could not do with the old plastic item.  

We’ve decided that our Delicate Drier will make Miss Emmy’s human’s laundry days much easier . . . what do you think?

(By the way, notice the petite tension rod which resides just inside the closet door.  It’s also handy for hanging just-ironed clothing or for assembling an outfit for the day.  Miss Emmy even has an improvement on THIS system, but again, that’s another post!)

What ideas do you have for making laundry day easier?