I have always known I was an animal lover. As a child, nothing elicited more excitement than knowing it was time for the newest issue of Cat Fancy magazine to arrive. Looking at the pictures of all the beautiful cats and kittens, I believed that as an adult I would own 100 Egyptian Maus.

Once a year, sometime in January, my aunt Ida emails to ask if I’d like to place an order for scallops. I mentioned no-brainers twice in last week’s column about chocolate cake with bourbon in it. This is another one.

It’s no secret that I love chocolate cake. I also love whiskey, as evidenced by my love of Manhattans.

While returning home along Route 1B from my morning coffee break at the Waltz lunch bar, I have noticed all the tree cutting and clearing of land at the entrance to the Lincoln County Rifle Club. The activity started us both thinking how fast time goes by.

Last week I interviewed the owners of O-Cha, soon to be Racha Noodle Bar, in Damariscotta. I talked to Job; his wife, Em; and his sister, Jib, about their new restaurant, and Em mentioned a dish she had developed that will be served at Racha: spaghetti curry with a green curry sauce.

How about this January weather we’ve been having? One day you see snow, the next day it’s gone. One day it’s wind chill of negative 5 degrees, the next day it’s 50 degrees. At least our days are getting longer.