riverECHO

BJ’s mom, Jean, spent two days over Christmas with her sister and family in Buhl. On her drive out of Teton Valley on the snow covered roads she saw a small kitten run across the road. She didn’t think anything of it until she saw the same kitten sitting in the middle of the road in the same spot on her way back home two days later. Her animal saving instinct stopped the car and picked up the mostly frozen kitten and took it to the local vet. They thawed her out over night, ran a few tests, and then called Jean to tell her they couldn’t keep her and asked if Jean wanted to take her in before they gave her to the animal adoption center. Jean asked us if we would mind having another cat around and we knew she had already formed a bond with her. Jean chose the name “Chili” for her . . . partially to go well with “Salsa” and partially because she was quite chilly when she found her. Chili now lives in a large cage in the living room in Victor and has yet to warm up to Scooter, Jean’s terrier, but has been loving the daily bathing rituals from Salsa. Last night, as we were chatting with Jean over skype, we watched as Salsa jumped up onto the table right in front of the webcam on Jean’s computer, blocking most of our view with his big belly, and began licking little Chili, who Jean was holding in her arms, until he was satisfied that she was well bathed. I never would have thought Salsa would stand to have another cat in the house but obviously I was unaware of his desire to be a big brother.

After meeting the latest member to our family last night, we looked outside and saw a dark ominous cloud building over Queenstown. We decided to pack up our swim suits and spend a few hours at the local indoor swimming pool. Our arms started burning after the first lap so we didn’t last long but it was a nice way to get some exercise for the day. The pool also has a lazy river and two huge waterslides. It costs extra for the slides but I’m sure we’ll be willing to fork it over on the next rainy evening. We returned home and made Vindaloo curry, what has become a favorite for us when we cook at home. I would love to say we make it from scratch and that it is just as good as when we buy it from a local Indian restaurant . . . but that would be a big fat lie.