random thoughts

I have always loved these little coloured balls of sprinkles - non pareils

Ah yes ... random thoughts, but then most of my thoughts are random and likely a symptom of spending so much time alone, drawing and hanging out in my own head.

Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

1 box of favourite chocolate cake mix
1 package lite cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk chocolate (or dark) chips
favourite homemade (preferably) chocolate frosting.

Mix cake batter following instructions on the box, beat cream cheese with egg and sugar, fold in chocolate chips. Line a muffin tin with pleated paper cups. Spoon cake batter to the half way point of each cup, add a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese mixture and top with another tablespoon of cake batter. Muffin cups should be only 2/3rds full. Bake at 350 for about 20 mins. Cool on a cake rack and frost with your favourite frosting & decorate as you please.
Makes 24.

I made these once or twice for my elderly neighbour Jean and she mentioned the other day how much she loved them ... so it was time to make another batch. I give almost all of them away or else I would have 8 cupcakes for my dinner - not good.

Laundry

I think that there is nothing that I enjoy more than hanging laundry outside on the line -most often with Bleet meowing at my feet because he's so happy that I've come outside into his world, except maybe ... sleeping in a bed, newly made (always with help from kittens Gus & Ver), with fresh sheets just off the line. Or reaching for a shirt from the closet, burying your face in it and breathing in that amazing fresh smell of outdoors.

Spiders

My yard this time of year is filled with spiders, their beautiful intricate webs everywhere. I happen to love spiders so I'm quite thrilled. I could have been an entomologist as I find insects of most varieties fascinating and I love to watch them go about their daily business.

Do you ever wonder... when you accidentally bring a spider (or ant or earwig) into the house in your laundry basket or on fresh cut flowers and upon noticing it gently put it back outside, but usually far from where it originally came from – (I wonder) is it difficult for them to find their way back, does that become a monumental journey, do they even try or do they just start a fresh life in the new spot that you've just deposited them?