The cat came back...[the day after] the very next day!

Thank you Horse of Course and Adventures for your comments and concern. It truly was a terrible two days and I'm sorry I didn't update you right away, I had a lot of work to catch up on!

In typical feline sensibility, Tonka showed up at the back door at 11:30 pm Saturday night. Recall that he escaped at 11:30pm Thursday. I suspect he thought it was funny.

My mom was staying the night with me and she went into the kitchen to get some water before bed. She looked out the patio door into darkness and thought, wouldn't it be cool if Tonka showed up back there. She looked away, did some stuff, glanced back and saw his face in the window. Thinking maybe she was imagining it, mom opened the door. Tonka sauntered in like everything was normal. Are you surprised?

I stated in the comments that Tonka is not very cuddly. He loves attention and being pet, but with all four paws on the floor. When my mom called me and I saw him, I scooped him right up and cuddled him so much. I think he was glad to be home as he didn't struggle at all. He just let me love on him and purred SO loud.

He was dehydrated and hungry but otherwise looked good. He was also very tired! I later discovered a small cut on his chin which I cleaned up and I'm sure it will heal just fine. Whew!

Little brat probably knows the neighbourhood better than I do now!

Sleepy Sunday with Roasted Duck.

It was another really hard day around here ;)



Hazel was clearly feeling the stress.





Tonka also needed a "time out". He is our chameleon kitty, it's weird how well he matches the carpet, isn't it? We used to have taupe walls in one apartment and when the light was right, Tonka looked identical.



Now, it's been way too long since I've done a food post! Tonight's dinner was Roasted duck served with plum sauce and green beans (aka haricots vert).

First, to eliminate some of the fat from the duck, I boiled it for about 15-20 minutes. You can do it longer if you like. This also helps shorten the roasting time. Of course, ducks float, so it's useful to weigh it down with something!

We prepared root vegetables (carrots, turnips & onions) and put the duck on top. Inside the duck cavity, I placed many garlic cloves and several wedges of lemon. It was then roasted at 350F for about 1 hour. It could have roasted longer.



Unfortunately, it was too much for the vegetables and they were not very good. It is rare that I mess up so badly that it's inedible. Oh well! Next time I would add them to the roasting pan about 30 minutes before the end of cooking time.

The duck itself was very delicious.



I then warmed up some homemade plum jam and added a small amount of Chinese 5 spice and a splash or two of apple cider vinegar. This was served on the side.

Paired with simple steamed green beans, it was a very nice meal!