Sweet?

Waiting to pick up a prescription at the drugstore, I had some time to check out this year's Valentine's Day card gimmick: Candy in the card. Cute! I thought. But this is perhaps a project better handmade, as government requirements interfere with the romantic experience of reading a Valentine's Day card. Observe:Nice cover. And look, candy, I wanna tear it right open! Hey, look, there's a "Net Weight" statement right there on the front. Too bad. And you turn it over...

There's a bit of a buzzkill.

You open it and your eyes fall on a sticker in the middle, which, as bon appetits! go, is a little cold:

But you're not done yet. There's quite a bit more to know about that half-a-handful of hearts, not all of it yummy-sounding, and then? A warning:

...and on the back, another warning. Swallow carefully:

Aaaannd, we'll leave you now with a little bad news: you'll need extra stamps! Still have to squeeze in that ugly barcode, too! Happy Valentine's Day!

Ach, But The Scots Are A Hardy Bunch

Leave it to the Scotch Heath to be blooming in January. The blooms are white, so they just look like a dusting of snow. I really should get it a little witch hazel tree to keep it company.

Atomic Snowflake

As I was taking down the Christmas and Chanukah cards this morning, I noticed a familiar shape on this pretty laser-cut card from our friend Ellen.
What do you make of this?
It can't be a snowflake, because it has eight points. Hm. Perhaps it's a sly reference to Santa's secret power source?

A Happy New Year (With Cats!)

It was a sunny, freezing cold New Year's day, which we spent, for the most part, reading. I did make a field trip in the late afternoon to refresh the troops at Maison des Chats. Surprised not to be greeted at the door by Legs, I soon found out why; he was still recovering from his last night's celebration:
(okay, really he just likes to watch the water go down)

Molly was unperturbed by my presence, and remained immobile on her makeshift throne.

While Clark, the determined one, was in the basement keeping his New Year's resolution to spend more time with the spinning machine: