Everything Sirious
Definitely a five star bake, and pretty easy at that. This recipe came from Sarah Kieffer’s The Vanilla Bean Baking Book (highly recommend), pg. 39. With the exception of an orange and maybe the bittersweet chocolate, it has ingredients probably sitting in your baking pantry. It does require a little dough rolling but minimal; also ten minutes in the freezer at one point. It made 8, next time I might cut them smaller and double the amount. Just delicious!!!
What a great story. I loved this because: a), the writing. Very well written with the description and the dialogue. b) the story – a quirky hard to believe story that is c) historical fiction which is just plain fun and my favorite when you are reading about something that really happened and has clearly been well researched. Great book, great job.
It was 2004 and the Siamese Rescue Center (SCRC) had been in existence for six years. Initially a small Center in Virginia where all the cats were housed, SCRC had by this time expanded to numerous East Coast states, thanks to a myriad of fantastic volunteers who stepped up to help in a variety of ways. Whether it was pulling cats from a shelter, fostering them until they found a home, transporting them to that home, or interviewing applicants, SCRC was impacting the eastern third of the US, evaluating, rehabilitating and placing cats in homes throughout 15 states.
Enter Teyla.
Teyla came into our program in the Florida area and was fostered by a vet, a wonderful woman who not only vetted cats for us, but helped in many of the other ways listed above. Found as a stray kitten, she was adopted by an older couple after only a month in the program.
Fast forward to 2017; Teyla was 13 years old. The husband had passed away and the wife was entering a nursing home and was no longer able to care for Teyla. Without anyone to take her, SCRC’s safety net was activated and Teyla was brought back into the rescue program so that we could work our placement magic once more.
Teyla went to stay with one of our experienced foster moms, Rinn, where she could have a room to herself as she adjusted to a new environment. Having been an only cat her entire life, we knew it would take her some time to become accustomed to rescue life, and finding a foster spot for her where she didn’t need to be caged and could be housed by herself was key. Over the next 280 days Rinn worked hard with Teyla, but she was one angry mess. Swatting and hissing, she wanted no part of humans, let alone other animals. All possible medical causes for her anger were checked; Teyla just was a very unhappy camper at having lost her home and family.
After 9 months with Rinn, we decided that a change of venue might help the situation, and brought her here to the Center. Experience had shown us that if a foster cat was not doing well after a significant period of time with one foster, changing locations sometimes did the trick. In January of 2018 Teyla began her extended stay here at the Center. She was given an entire bank of cages (nine individual cubbies that connected with each other) where she had the option to stay sequestered if she wanted to be by herself. At the same time, one door was always open so that she could come out and interact if she felt like it. While it was clear she was not keen on other cats, the room was large, the population was small, and no one bothered her. She remained hissy and swatty, but by late summer I was able to get in several very quick head scritches when I put down her tray of wet food. I had to withdraw my hand quickly, however, or blood would be drawn. Progress was frustratingly slow. Teyla remained uninterested in making friends with humans or cats, and maintained what I would term a ‘semi-feral’ state of mind. In the 20+ years of having rescue cats, she was by far the angriest cat we had seen.
January of 2019 came around. Teyla had now been back with Siamese Rescue for 573 days and the progress was minimal. She certainly did not fall into the category of adoptable. It was time for another move, and this time we wondered whether she was really best suited for a sanctuary – a situation where she could live out her life without human interaction (unless she wanted it). The down side of sanctuary living was she would be around a lot of other cats. It was not ideal, but given we were making so little progress, the option had to be considered.
And then along came Chelsea, a cat whisperer. Chelsea had buckets of rescue experience and had been one of our fosters for quite some time. While she had a houseful of cats, she did have an empty finished basement where Teyla could stay. Certainly a better option than a sanctuary if she was willing to give Teyla a try. Why not, what could it hurt, she thought. We readily agreed.
From there, the progress was impressive:
Month one – Teyla sniffs hands but bats if Chelsea tries to pet her.
Month two – Teyla accepts pets on head, but gives a smack if you try to touch her body.
Month three – She is sleeping next to Chelsea when Chelsea sleeps in the basement.
Month six – Teyla can be picked up and moved, but will still smack unless she initiates the contact first.
Month seven – Teyla becomes a lap sitter.
And then, and continuing into present day, take a look at this picture. You just never know. It has to be the right situation – the right person, the right environment, and a good dose of time. But even those cats with a face of trauma https://siriouslysiri.com/2022/01/12/the-face-of-trauma, if you can find the magic scenario, and you can wait them out, their heart just may heal.
One of my newly preferred authors, The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is a solid coming of age story set during WWII, loosely based on the families of Jews that hid in the Eastern European forests during the Nazi occupation and how they survived the challenges. While it took me a little while to get engrossed in the story, once the premise was established it was a book I couldn’t put down with both a good twist and some good opportunities to reflect on what’s important and who your family is. Five stars for the Forest of Vanishing Stars.
You know, I wasn’t going to give this a five star rating until day 2. NOW it’s five star. Don’t get me wrong, I love peanut butter, so much that I eat it every day for breakfast. But I rarely bake with peanut butter – no idea why not, it’s just not been a popular ingredient in my recipe repertoire. But this cake, day two, wow. And day one was not too shabby.
I am not finding it on her website, but it came from her cookbook, Sally’s Baking Addiction (pg 73). This is a dense but delicious peanut butter cake that is one layer and doesn’t rise much, topped with a very thick, very fudge-like chocolate frosting (the recipe makes more than you need for the cake, so you end up with some yummy leftover to use on something else). You do have to be careful not to overcook the cake (pay attention to her note to cover the cake half way through the baking so it doesn’t brown too much); I also needed 8-9 TB of heavy cream in the frosting vs. her 6TB. Use a good quality cocoa powder (note, I recently learned that Dutch Processed Cocoa and Natural Cocoa are totally different and really not interchangeable in recipes, although I’m sure I’ve done it before) – good article at https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/types-of-cocoa-powder-recipes-article. Like I said, day 2 is amazing. (Next time I wouldn’t grid the drizzled peanut butter and simply stripe it I think).
Sammi! SAMMI! Come out from under that bed! Honestly, Sam, enough is enough. We’ve been through the same thing every day for the month and a half you’ve been here. It’s not going to get any better if you stay hidden 24/7. You really must get a hold of yourself.
Sammi was not an easy one. As a matter of fact, in all the residents we’d had here, she was one of the toughest nuts to crack. Couldn’t get her to open up one bit, could barely get her to share a snack. And look you right in the eyes? Forget it. Always staring away, eyes awash with terror. Fled if you approached. Daily therapy sessions were getting us nowhere. This gal was going to be here for the long haul.
Sammmm. It’s okay, I didn’t mean to raise my voice. Honestly. It’s just that, well, I’m so frustrated. We walk down this path every day. Nothing changes. It’s still just me, trying to be your bud, and you’re so frightened of it all. Try to relax. Just give it a shot. You don’t even have to look me in the eyes, you can stay curled up in your ball with your eyes tight shut if you like. But talk to me. Tell me what’s up – or down – or any which way for that matter.
I was met with the same thing as yesterday – the day before – and the day before that. Every muscle tensed – ready to flee at a second’s notice. Yet I thought I saw a twitch – or was it just wishful thinking?
Come on, Sam. Start anywhere. Tell me about the day you were born. Your first home. Can you remember that far back?
Silence. But another twitch.
What about your parents? What were they like? I crouched down and peered under the bed, only to be met by the largest, saddest puddles of blue water I’d ever seen. My heart tore without having heard a word.
Sam? I shifted my bony hips into a more comfortable resting position. Sam? I’m here, I won’t hurt you. Share with me. I want to be your friend, but I can’t do it without knowing more about you.
And then it came. The Niagara Falls of stories. And the blue puddles spilled everywhere.
I was an unplanned pregnancy, resulting in an unwanted birth and then just plain unwanted. As if that wasn’t bad enough, my second go round was an after-thought, without much, if any, pre-thought, for I was one of many. Too many in a small place, and bottom of the totem pole. I spent my entire life, hour after hour, waiting, watching, perched carefully where I could see in all directions, for you never knew. You always had to watch your back – and your front for that matter. Unpredictable was putting it mildly. One moment all would be quiet, and you’d take a deep breath. The next, out of nowhere, screeches and screams, a blur of voices and bodies, of blood and urine, and things grew dim – hidden under the bed or in the closet, ears and eyes covered, searching for that internal safety net. Blankets over my body, eyes tightly shut, ears scrunched closed, I could be safe; safe from the unpredictability and irrationality of the world. There it was just me, and I could take care of me, I just had to stay strong, had to have faith in myself, had to keep protected. Never let anyone in, never trust anyone, for even those closest to you could erupt without a moment’s notice. You’re born alone, you die alone, you’ve got to watch your own back.
Flying through the air. Voices. Objects. Terrified. Hunkered down, blankets over my head. Can’t see you, you can’t see me. No one will know. Closed up inside, safe, safe inside my head. Don’t let anyone in. Don’t open your eyes. Don’t listen. Quiet. The quietest breaths possible. Not a move. Stay very still. No emotion. Nothing helped. Just shut down – shut tight – keep safe. Safe. Hold on for dear life. They’ll find you if you’re not careful. Better move. Find another spot. In the closet, in the very back. It’s dark. That’s good. Secret. Safe. Holding tight. But have to pee. Bathroom is far. Far across the chaotic terrain. Can’t hold it. Got to go. Will just go here. Shhhh. Don’t tell. Got to move. Wet and uncomfortable. Under the bed, quick, dash! Look out! They saw! They’re in pursuit. Angry, raging, grasping, ripping at you. Hold on, dig in, oh please please PLEASE! Stop! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it, don’t hurt me, please! Curl tight in a ball. Protection, protection. The pain. The knives, they slash, they cut. Over and over I somersault. And then. The ground shakes. Heavy boots. Harsh voices, yelling, glass exploding by my head, shiny glistening fragmented spikes snowing everywhere. They disappear. I meld to the bedpost, becoming one, searching deep inside for the path of safety – the one that takes me away. There it is, I can just see it. Close those eyes and ears tight, sink down, down deep, look, look hard, reach out, you can just grasp it if you try. Reach, reach, and hold tight, don’t move, don’t breathe, it’s inside, you’re alright, you’re alright, hold on, you’re going to be alright…..
A five star! Despite having a touch of sci fi in there!
Typically I’m not a sci fi fan at all. Anything that stretches the believable can turn me off quickly. But Ms. Chamberlain, who has written lots of other books (another five star: Necessary Lies) was convincing enough that this was a book I couldn’t wait to pick up again, while, at one point (the main twist) I sat and stared at it, terrified to pick it up again. Perhaps not something to read while you are pregnant, the story takes place in the 1970’s when a pregnant girl is informed her baby has a terminal disease and her brother-in-law, a physicist, knows that in the future there are medical advances that can treat this disease. I’ll leave the plot there, but it was definitely a book I couldn’t put down!
Late to the gate in making this due to holidays and snowstorms, but well worth the wait. There are a number of recipes out there for this; we used https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/buche-de-noel-yule-log/. Definitely delicious. Sally’s stuff never disappoints.
For the cranberries, you only need 1/2 a cup berries; for the final toss in sugar, you also only need 1/2 a cup. Once we did the final toss, we placed them in the freezer to chill (vs fridge) to save time.
The cake itself was delicious and worked well. The meringue mushrooms were well worth doing, don’t skip the cocoa dusting. Follow directions closely for baking the mushrooms and once cool, store in airtight container. For the whipped cream, we skipped the Frangelico and hazelnuts and used Amaretto instead, no nuts. This is a two day recipe; we started the cranberries, made the mushrooms and ganache and cake on day one (two + hours); day two we finished the cranberries, assembled the mushrooms, made the whipped cream filling and assembled the cake (1+ hour). This easily serves 8-10 people. Don’t skip the chilling times. (Our serving platter needs work.) Super yummy.
If you google Italian Rainbow Cookies, you’ll find a number of different recipes – I chose the one from www.tastingtable.com. While I rarely bake with food coloring, as it doesn’t feel natural, this recipe requires it (1/4 tsp) to make the layers pop. The result is very impressive looking, with the taste not far behind. The recipe calls for a 9×13 pan (well actually three of them, although I used the same pan and baked three times) – it seems to me a slightly smaller pan would have been better, as I found it tough to spread the batter thinly enough to meet the edges. (Although, in hindsight, you trim all the edges off, and the batter is thick enough that it sits in place, so perhaps it doesn’t matter.) The amount of time to make these is a bit misleading as you do need to refrigerate for several hours, or overnight; add in if you are using only one pan, you have to triple the amount of time allotted to baking. (Note: If you use one pan over and over, for rounds 2 and 3, spread your batter on the parchment and THEN put it on the pan, otherwise the pan is so hot that the batter won’t spread properly.) The key tastes (almond, raspberry and chocolate) come shining through, so make sure you use a good quality almond paste, a good quality raspberry jam (I chose seedless – Wilkin & Sons) and a good quality chocolate, otherwise your taste is compromised. I used a fork to stripe the top, adding just that touch of fancy. All in all, both a fun and fairly easy bake!
In Part 1 (https://siriouslysiri.com/2021/12/27/out-of-the-box-experiences-part-1/) we talked about some of the medical and physical aspects of litterbox misbehavior, and honestly, when working with a cat with litterbox issues, I am always hoping the issue is dislike of the litter or dislike of the box location – a quick change and the problem is solved. Start with the easy, possibly the most obvious – get medical issues checked out, and if you get an all clear, move on to the physical aspects of litter type, box type and location – as these can be easy fixes. If, however, one has ruled out these things, then we need to delve into the emotional aspects of litterbox misuse, a much more complex matter.
In this post, we’ll look at several psychological influences – human/cat interactions, dog/cat interactions, and finally, cat/cat interactions. Keep in mind that there may well be more than one of these conflicts at play. (In one of my next posts, I’ll discuss single cat issues, including litterbox).
Human/cat interactions: In many of the litterbox scenarios we encountered, the cat belonged to one person, who then partnered with another person: the cat becoming third fiddle. If the newest family member happens to love cats and makes a concerted effort to become buddies with the cat, things can often work out. If not, the cat may feel jealous they are no longer the priority and may express their dislike of the situation via litterbox issues. This becomes a tough scenario to resolve, simply because the new human in the equation must, again, not only like cats, but be really vested in establishing a close relationship with the cat. Becoming the cat’s caretaker (feeder, toy person, treat-giver) is one way to endear oneself to the cat. Additionally, it is important to be sure the cat is not excluded from situations or time slots that used to belong to them – for example, not closing the cat out of the bedroom, if, for years, the cat was allowed to sleep with its person. The same scenario can occur with the birth of a new baby, diverting attention away from the cat. Just as one should do when having a second child, be sure to pamper the cat, who was there first, with lots of time and attention in order to avoid any problems with jealousy.
Dog/cat interactions: While a few cats may be terrified of dogs due to previous bad experiences, most cats can learn to coexist with a new canine presence – provided the dog does not torment the cat. It goes without saying that chasing, nipping, barking at or cornering the cat in any way shape or form is not going to make the cat happy. If one is adopting an older dog and bringing it into a cat household, make sure the dog is cat-tested prior to committing to the dog. You may also want to have a friend bring their dog for a visit so you can judge your cat’s reaction. If it’s a young dog, training the dog from the start as to how to behave around the cat is important. Be sure to provide the cat with places to go that the dog cannot get to – gating off a room or providing plenty of cat trees for the cat to climb in order to be out of reach of the dog. Of course, making sure the dog is not guarding whatever location the cat has chosen is key, and ensuring the cat can get to their food, water and box is also obvious. Suffice it to say, if the cat feels threatened by the dog in any way, they are very likely to choose alternative locations for elimination. Additionally, a cat that is baseline terrified of their own shadow is very likely to be terrified of a new dog, so think twice before adding more animals if your cat has a victim/pariah personality. Remember, when it comes to pets, you are the one choosing the makeup of your furry household – the cat has no say in the matter – so plan carefully.
Cat/cat interactions: This, I feel, is where many of the litterbox issues stem from, and I’ll start with something we talked about in Part I. If you have multiple cats, and you are experiencing litterbox issues, you must, you must, you must – have multiple litterboxes in multiple locations. The two most common reasons we found that cats did not want to use the box in a multi-cat household were a) that the box had already been used by another cat (remember the porta-potty scenario) and b) the cat was afraid to use the box because either it was being guarded by the bully cat, or the use of it resulted in being ambushed by the bully cat. If you are thinking that you don’t have space for more litterboxes (for whatever reason), then you shouldn’t have multiple cats. The number one reply we found when counseling adopters who were dealing with litterbox issues was that they didn’t have the space to add more litterboxes – yet they were able to add more cats. That doesn’t work.
Ideally you have done some matchmaking of cat personalities when you added additional cats to your household, so you don’t have a bully/pariah cat situation. (An article on matchmaking coming soon). Perhaps the personality pairing was unavoidable (you couldn’t tell as a kitten what the cat’s personality would be like as an adult, you combined households which involved combining pets) and you have one cat that is dominating the other. Realize that cats develop their feeling of security by establishing a territory that belongs to them. If I asked you which locations in your home are key to your sense of security, the answer is likely to be where you sleep, where you eat, or where you eliminate. Not having a comfortable place to do one of those three things is very stressful. Cats want to be able to sleep undisturbed by others. They want to know their food and water are easily found and available to them when they are hungry. And they want to be able to eliminate on their own time, in their own space, without feeling threatened. If you only have one litterbox, and it is down a dead-end hallway, a victim cat may be unlikely to use it, as they know there is no escape if they get cornered. By offering multiple locations, you make it difficult for the bully cat to guard them all, and increase the possibility of a stress-free litterbox experience. (Putting a collar with a bell on a bully cat will also help alert the victim cat to his whereabouts).
Realize that cats are very clean creatures. And while they certainly may have preferences as to the type of litter and box, for the most part they prefer to eliminate somewhere that is clean, comfortable, and smells nice. Sure, this means that if you have a cat that is prone to litterbox issues you may not be able to leave clean clothes laying in a pile, but this is one of the changes you may have to make for your feline roommate.
There is no doubt, not all litterbox issues are solvable. Sometimes the circumstances are such that they are unavoidable given that life sometimes puts us in less-than-ideal situations. Too often, people don’t want to make the changes necessary to solve the problem; if you want to keep the cat, it is likely to involve some adjustment on your part. There are, however, times when considering responsible rehoming may be justified. The key here is the word ‘responsible’ – there are right ways and wrong ways to rehome: dumping the cat outdoors or giving the problem to some unsuspecting person is not the way to go. More on that in another post.
If your cat is having out-of-box experiences, take a step back to assess the situation. Is the cat healthy? Cats are stoic, and medical issues are often invisible to an untrained eye. Is the litterbox area clean, pleasant, comfortable and safe? Is there tension in the household, be it interspecies, cat vs. cat, or the cat and a person? The more upset you (or someone in the household) becomes by the inappropriate elimination, the more likely the cat’s level of unhappiness will increase. Hopefully with some effort, a willingness to change things around, and thinking like a cat, you will be successful getting the cat back into the box.
