Transitioning

Now that Maggie can eat meat again, I'm trying to reintroduce dry dog food into both her and Mollie's diet.  It's not working out so well, they've been used to eating the LD Prescription Diet canned food.  They liked it, and they are turning up their little doggie noses at all my attempts to get them to eat "regular" kibble now.

I have all kinds of samples of exotic sounding dog food from the pricey dog food store, today they're having Surf 'n Turf, which they don't especially like, either.

The lady at the pricey dog food store gave me a package of frozen raw diet to try.  Oh dear, it was raw duck, raw salmon, raw chicken, formed into patties with some kind of mystery veggies.  BLECHT!!!!  It grossed me out so badly, there is no way I could feed it to my little fur kids.

The experts say to let them go hungry, that they will eventually eat.  Well, that's not going to work around here.  I can't stand to see those sweet little faces pleading with me for food, while I force them to get hungry enough to eat something they don't like.  I certainly wouldn't want to do that, so why should I expect them to?

Out of desperation tonight, I tried mixing a spoonful of applesauce with the Surf  'n Turf, Mollie scarfed hers right down, Maggie kind of nibbled at hers, she pretty much just danced around it.

So I'll keep searching, I will find something Maggie likes, it may just take me awhile...

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Doesn't this look yummy?  I was listening to Sirius Radio this morning, Martha Stewart channel, and they were talking about how good this is.  I posted the recipe on Jan Can Cook for you.

Here's the QUICK CLICK...

Jan's Fraktured Nursery Rhyme

There was a little old girl
Who had a little big curl zit
Right in the middle of her forehead nose...

And it was sore, it was very, very sore
And when she looked in the mirror, it was HORRID!!!

Oprah's Tribute to Solomon...

Regardless  of how rich and powerful you are, there are things in life that over which you have no control.  Oprah has lost two dogs this year, her Cocker Spaniel, Sophie, last March, and two weeks ago, her other Cocker, Solomon.  For all of us that have loved and lost a dog, we feel her pain.

Her tribute to him is so touching.  You can link to it HERE.  What a beautiful soul he was...

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State???

Lots of speculation in the news that Obama is going to make her Secretary of State.

I think she deserves it, I've always thought she should have been the Veep, but then I've always been a Hillary supporter...

Ahhh, and I promised no more politics, sorry just had to throw my two cents worth in about this.  The woman has stamina, and fortitude, you've gotta give her that, even if you aren't a fan...

Those were the days....

This week I Tivoed Pillow Talk and Lover Come Back.  And that's what I'm doing this dreary Friday evening, watching Pillow Talk.

Doris Day was wearing a peignoir in the opening scene (peignoir is a long outer garment for women usually sheer and made of chiffon. Peignoirs are usually sold with matching nightgown,negligee or panties but are often worn with no underwear.) Now that's a blast from the past, peignoir, I had to Google it to remember how to spell it. 

Doris Day was just the best, her old movies were awesome, a perfect thing to watch in Heavensville on a rainy evening...

I bet a lot of you are smiling right now, you remember these great old movies, too.  Here you go, if you want to relive it a bit, too, oh isn't YouTube just the greatest thing???

Can you guess???

I'm on a roll with the jokes today....

Carlene sent me this, it's a goodie...

I've often been asked, ' What do you old folks do now that you're retired?'

Well...I'm fortunate to have a few friends who have chemical engineering backgrounds, and one of the things we enjoy most is turning beer, wine, rum, rye, and vodka into urine.

And, we're pretty damn good at it too!

More funny stuff this morning...

Little Bruce and Jenny are only 10 years old, but they know they are in love. One day they decide that they want to get married, so Bruce goes to Jenny's father to ask him for her hand.

Bruce bravely walks up to him and says, 'Mr. Smith, me and Jenny are in love and I want to ask you for her hand in marriage.'

Thinking that this was just the cutest thing, Mr. Smith replies, 'Well Bruce, you are only 10. Where will you two live?'

Without even taking a moment to think about it, Bruce replies, 'In Jenny's room. It's bigger than mine and we can both fit there nicely.'

Still thinking this is just adorable, Mr. Smith says with a huge grin, 'Okay then how will you live? You're not old enough to get a job. You'll need to support Jenny.'

Again, Bruce instantly replies, 'Our allowance. Jenny gets five bucks a week and I get 10 bucks a week. That's about 60 bucks a month and that should do us just fine.'

Mr. Smith is impressed Bruce has put so much thought into this. 'Well Bruce, it seems like you have everything figured out. I just have one more question. What will you do if the two of you should have little ones of your own?'

Bruce just shrugs his shoulders and says, 'Well, we've been lucky so far.'

Mr. Smith no longer thinks the little shit is adorable.

Yearly Exam

Went to the doctor for my yearly physical. The nurse starts with certain basics.

'How much do you weigh?' she asks. '135,' I say.

The nurse puts me on the scale. It turns out my weight is 180.

The nurse asks, 'Your height?' '5 foot 4,' I say.

The nurse checks and sees that I only measure 5'2'.

She then takes my blood pressure and tells me it is very high.

'Of course it's high!' I scream. 'When I came in here I was tall and slender! Now I'm short and fat!'

She put me on Prozac. What a bitch.

A Great Dog Story....

Lindsay sent me this, oh my, does it ever tug at your heartstrings. 

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!          

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.' Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.          

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys. Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box. 

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact ,she was just sure it was fatal.  She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him.  The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.          

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.     

   
Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom.  Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap. Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called.  It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.    When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned!  While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.  He had covered her with his love.         

Mary forgot about dying.  Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. 

Lucky?  He still steals treasures and  stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

        Remember....live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.   

    
If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God .

Boar's Head Bologna, you sometimes really can go home again...

I've written before about my childhood love of  Blue Bell Bologna.  How I used to buy it at Marlin's Department Store, wrapped in white butcher paper, tied with string, it cost 59 cents a pound, and the butcher, Noel Duckworth,  would scrawl the price on the paper with a pencil that he kept perched behind his ear.  The garlic smell was so strong you could smell it thru the  wrapper.  When you opened the fridge at home, the aroma of it would envelop your senses, it was totally intoxicating, the pungent, garlicky smell of that wonderful bologna....

The company is long gone now.  I have tried many other brands over the years, but none ever tasted as good as Blue Bell.  I had given up all hope, I was doomed to eat Fat Free Oscar Mayer Bologna for the rest of my life, totally bland, totally tasteless, but only 25 calories per slice.  *sigh*

I had read online about Boar's Head Bologna and how good it was, but I was never able to locate it until yesterday.

Hubby and I were out for a drive, we stopped at a butcher shop in a neighboring town, and there in the case, front row center,  was an unopened log of Boar's Head Garlic Bologna.

I snapped up a pound in a New Yawk minute, had it sliced thin, like the old days, they slipped it into a zip locked plastic bag, unlike the in butcher paper of my childhood, and when the cashier rang me up it was $5.19.  Oh, how the times have changed in the last fifty years.

I couldn't wait until I got home to try it, hubby bought me a package of Club Crackers, I slowly unzipped the bag, OMG, could it be, could it???  It smelled just like the Blue Bell of my childhood, when I reached in the bag and touched it,  it wasn't slimy, or wet like bologna is today - I took a bite, my eyes got big as saucers, and I fell instantly in love.  It tasted exactly the same, EXACTLY!!! Finally, after all these years, I'd come full circle.  Hands down, the best $5.19 I ever spent.

And today, when I opened the fridge, the smell assaulted my senses, just like it did in the old days.

Mary, if you're reading this, you need to look for it, also.  I'm sure you bought it at Marlin's Store as a child, too.

It's a gift, it really is, that Boar's Head Bologna.  I haven't even checked the calories on their website.  Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind and go for it.  Know what I mean, Vern???

Jan here, doin' the fat and happy dance...

Poor hubby…

To say that LC has an emotional  attachment to his recliner is putting it mildly.  The man adores his recliner, he climbs into it, puts up the foot rest, his feet wriggling in anticipation of the relaxation to come, he flicks on the remote, oftentimes with a dog in his lap, sometimes both of them, and he’s a happy man. 

It’s made of brown distressed leather, and he takes really good care of it, cleaning it regularly with leather cleaner, and after years of daily use, it molds perfectly to his body now.  He was a late bloomer to the recliner, not discovering the joy of it until he was well into his 50’s.  I’ve never understood the fascination, it’s never been my thing.  No Mr. and Mrs. chairs in this household.  No Siree…

Well, let me tell you, today the man is totally traumatized, TOTALLY…  I was in the living room reading last night, and I heard this desperate animal moan from the den.  “Ohhhhh noooooooo,” he wailed, “my recliner broke.”  I finish my chapter, my book was far more interesting than investigating a broken chair, I saunter into the den to find him in the floor, the recliner on it’s side, no it didn’t fall over, he frantically turned it over to peer into the guts of the thing.  He had his trusty flashlight, his screwdriver, he was feverishly disassembling it, the M&M’s were beside him, lending moral doggie support.  “The lever is broken, it just twisted into and broke”  he declared, somber faced, his body sagging in defeat.

Well, it was Jan to the rescue, reminding him that his recliner had a lifetime guarantee on it’s parts, so, after spending a restless night, we were off to the furniture store this morning to tell them his sad tale of woe, and lo and behold, they were able to order him a new lever at no charge!  It will be here in 9-10 days.

I don’t know how he’s going to survive in the meantime.  He may have to take to his bed until he gets it fixed….

Geezy Pete, men are so silly about the strangest things…

It was one of those simple things that I talk about so often...

Maggie was running laps in the living room tonight, she was pouring on the steam, running as fast as her little Yorkie legs would take her,  round and round the sofa she went, fur fanning out at the sides of her face, blowing in the breeze.  Her breath was coming in short little puffs, she was starry eyed, having the time of her life…

And this is what I was saying to her -

"Run, run, fast as you can!
Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!

I kept repeating it, and she got so caught up in the excitement, I finally had to grab her and hold her to calm her down.

I was laughing as I held her close to me, she was licking my face, it was one of those unforgettable life moments….

The Gingerbread Man was always a childhood favorite of mine – here’s how the whole story goes…

Once upon a time there was a little old woman and a little old man. The little old woman thought she'd make a gingerbread man. She rolled out the dough, and cut out the shape, and she put raisins for his eyes, and peppermints for his teeth, and put icing on his head for the hair. Then she put him in the oven, and when it smelled good, she opened up the door to take a peek and
--- Yooop!---
out jumped the gingerbread man.
"Stop! Stop, little gingerbread man!" said the little old lady. "I want to eat you!"
"No!" said the little gingerbread man. "I can run away from you!"

"Run, run, fast as you can!
Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"
And away he ran!
He ran till he got outside, where he saw the little old man. And the little old man said, "Stop! Stop little gingerbread man! I want to eat you!"
And the little gingerbread man said: "NO! I ran away from the little old woman, and I can run away from you too!
Run, run, fast as you can!
Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"
and away he ran!
He ran till he came to the pigsty. And the pig said
"(Oink Oink)-- Stop! Stop little gingerbread man! I want to eat you!"
But the gingerbread man said, "NO! I ran away from the little old woman, I ran away from the little old man, and I can run away from you too!
Run, run, fast as you can!
Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"
and away he ran!
He ran till he came to a house. And in front of the house was a dog. And the dog said, "STOP! Stop stop stop stop stoooooooooop! Little gingerbread man! I want to eat you!"
But the gingerbread man said, "NO! I ran away from the little old woman, and the little old man, and a pig, and I can run away from you too!"
Run, run, fast as you can!
Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"
and away he ran!
He ran till he came to a field full of cows. And the cows said,
"Mooooo! Stoooooooop! Stoooooooop little gingerbread man. We want to eat you!"
But the gingerbread man said, "NO! I ran away from the little old woman, I ran away from the little old man, and a pig, and a dog, and I can run away from you too!
Run, run, fast as you can!
Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"
and away he ran!
He ran till he came to a river. And next to the river was a fox. The fox said, "Hello little gingerbread man."
The gingerbread man said, "HELLO! I ran away from the little old woman, I ran away from the little old man, and a pig, and some cows, and I can run away from you too!
Run, run, fast as you can!
Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"
"But," said the fox, "I never run. And I don't want to eat you!"
The gingerbread man said
Run, run, fast as you can!
Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"
The fox said, "Run all you want, I'm not going to chase you. But-- I would like to ask you a question."
The gingerbread man said, "What?"
The fox said, "How do figure you're going to get across that stream without getting wet? I mean, if you get wet, you'll get soggy, right?"
The gingerbread man didn't say anything, but he looked very thoughtful.
The fox said, "I've got an idea."
The gingerbread man said, "What?"
The fox said, "I'm going to swim across, right now. If you want, you can hitch a ride on my tail."
The gingerbread man said, "OK," and grabbed the fox's tail. The fox started to wade into the water.
After a few steps, the fox said, "Oh, little gingerbread man. The water is getting kind of deep. I'm afraid you might get wet. Why don't you climb up onto my back?" The gingerbread man looked, and said, "Gee, the water is getting kind of deep, ok," and he climbed up onto the fox's back.
After a few more steps, the fox said, "Oh, little gingerbread man, the water is getting even deeper, I'm afraid you might get wet. Why don't you climb up onto my-- neck?" The gingerbread man looked, and said, "Gee the water is getting kind of deep, ok," and he climbed up onto the fox's neck.
After a few more steps, the fox said, "Oh, little gingerbread man, the water is getting even deeper, I'm afraid you might get wet. Why don't you climb up onto my-- head?" The gingerbread man looked, and said, "Gee the water is getting kind of deep, ok," and he climbed up onto the fox's head.
After a few more steps, the fox said, "Oh, little gingerbread man, the water is getting even deeper, I'm afraid you might get wet. Why don't you climb up onto my-- nose?" The gingerbread man looked, and said, "Gee the water is getting kind of deep, ok," and he climbed up onto the fox's nose.
And the fox went-- SHLLLURP!-- and that was the end of the gingerbread man.

It's that time, Christmas Favorite Things.....

It's time to start thinking about our Favorite Things for the holidays.  I love to ask all of you each year what your favorite new things are, and then publish your responses, usually the last week of November.

So put on your thinking caps, and send them to me in an email.

I'll give you a tease for one of my favorite things this year, and it's a great one, girlfriends...

Okay, I've been a fan of Susan Branch forever.  She has this whimsical, quirky style of writing and drawing that is often imitated, but never duplicated.  She's the best, in my opinion, when it comes to originality in illustrating books, all of her work is done by  hand, no fonts, ladies, it's all her handwriting. She has wonderful books, great pajamas, labels, tea towels, stickers, a plethoria of unusual items are sold in her shop online.  if you aren't familiar with her work, you really need to check her out.

A few years ago, she came out with a line of scrapbooking papers and stickers.  Our local Michael's had a whole kiosk full of her things, and I loved browsing thru them.  I got the idea to make both boys a Recipe Scrapbook, using her designs for Christmas.  It was quite an undertaking, as I had to make two original copies of everything, but they were a huge success, my guys have loved them, they have all of our family favorites in one book, and they use them constantly.

I'm on Susan's newsletter mailing list, and this year she introduced her Recipe Scrapbook  Binder.  It comes with pages, stickers, recipe cards, everything you need to start creating memories for your family.

The price of $19.00 is a huge savings, I had several hundred dollars in my guy's collection when I did theirs, as I had to buy everything individually, and then buy the binders.

So, if there is someone in your family that you would love to give a special memory to this Christmas, there is plenty of time to start your own scrapbook.  It doesn't have to be finished by Christmas, in fact, these things are never finished, you just keep adding to them year after year.

CLICK HERE to see her wonderful scrapbook, and if you want to be in for a real treat, CLICK HERE and browse her entire site.

She has given me permission to use her Pumpkin Cheesecake in my Christmas Recipe Collection.  I'll have this posted before Thanksgiving, some of you might enjoy making her cheesecake recipe for the holidays.  It sounds yummy, with a Gingersnap Crust, Rum, and a Bourbon Praline Topping.  It was featured in her Autumn Book that I had bought for V a couple of years ago, she copied the recipe and brought it to me last week, so I'll get it posted soon. 

Meanwhile, check out her scrapbook, I wish you could see pages of the ones I did for the guys, they turned out really well!

~ jan

Betty White, just the BEST!!!!

I was watching a Tivoed episode of Bonnie Hunt today and Betty White was the guest.  She is absolutely, positively, precious!!!!  I found it on YouTube, there are several parts to it, but if you have some free time give this a watch.  She is just fantastic.  You will just want to hug her,  she’s so adorable!