Good night.

Today Niall and I had relaxing afternoon at our wonderful neighborhood coffee shop, Metropolis.

For once in my life I didn't want caffeine, so I opted for the lovely Hibiscus tea. 

It was a pretty great date.

I've been thinking of the Chicagoland bees. I hope some of them are staying relatively warm and surviving. Last year, I had the chance to start volunteering with the beekeeping program at Garfield Park Conservatory. This conservatory is an amazing place and I have learned so much. Inspiring and exciting. 

My friend recently drew my attention to this illustration by Hannah Rosengren:  

"Plant These to Help Save Bees"

I absolutely love this print and plan on having it hanging in my home one day. 

It's nice to think about spring right now.

If you have a cat in your life, I highly suggest you purchase a Da Bird wand toy. Cats absolutely love it! When in motion, it looks like a bird flying through the air and is very exciting for our feline friends. 

It is also wonderful for cats to stalk. 

And sometimes even hold onto for awhile. 

One of my 2014 goals is to spend more time making Cassius' life stimulating. A big way to do this is through playtime. It is easy to get caught up in life and not give him the quality time he needs. Of course all cats need playtime with their humans, but I think this is especially true of single cats who don't have any other cats or dogs to pal around with. Interactive playtime is a daily necessity for Cass. And quite fun for me too!

I love Tuesdays when I get to hang around home - cleaning, cooking, padding around - with Cassius nearby the whole time. I hope Cassius likes it too. 

Coldest day since Niall and I  moved here all those years ago. Steam coming off the lake. 

We have the sweetest Christmas tree up this year. We have gone to the wonderful Gethsemane Garden Center for the past few years to pick our special tree out. I'm savoring the last few days with this warm view in our living room. I love coming home, plugging the lights in, and curling up on the couch with Cass and Niall next to the tree. What a cold night- how fortunate I am!

Such a snowy, busy day. The temperature is dropping to -14 or so, with wind chills of about -40. Bitterly cold- colder than it has been here since Niall and I moved here ~11 years ago. I hear that it hasn't been that cold in 20-30 years. Grateful for warm home and heart.

On my meditative walk to work this morning I spotted this lovely tree. I had Wayra, my favorite four year-old friend, over tonight. We ate hummus, drank tea, told each other stories, and read the classic and wonderful books Madeline & Oh, The Places You Go! (I'm so glad I still have these beloved copies from my childhood on my bookshelf).