Day of Thankfulness and not so Traditional Cooking!

Thanksgiving is almost here and I have to still run around and get a few more items to complete my shopping list. It never seems like there is enough time probably due to my little habit of time mismanagement! We are having a smaller crowd than usual this year which required only one 15 pound turkey. Last year we had two turkeys and my husband and his friends Vinnie and Lenny thought it would work out better if we roasted them on the gas grill outdoors using the rotisserie. Some how they manage to tie up both turkeys at the stake which weighed in at 30 plus pounds! It certainly would have made any boy scout proud they way they wrapped and knotted the unsuspecting poultry to it's spike-let! I had my doubts but was doubly assured this would work fine! As the big birds struggled to make their rotation over the grill I watched skeptically from inside with my Dad. A few minutes had passed when my father calmly stated " I think you have a fire out there!" Well sure enough flames where shooting out of the bottom of the Weber! "Fire in the hole!" I shouted! The men sprung to action! Extinguishing the fire they examined the charred turkeys. They had admitted ( a difficult thing for men to do! ) that the weight was too much and they skin was the accelerator in this case. They removed the birds and salvaged what they could. One was refurbished to go back on the rotisserie and since the oven was busy with other dishes of the day there was a back up plan for turkey number two. Vinnie had brought with him one of those Ronco Rotisseries. You know the ones that use to be on the infomercials hawked by Ron Popeil. They work pretty well for what they are. However they are made to accommodate a large chicken at best. In order to get this unwilling bird in there the legs and wings had to be amputated. Ouch what a sight! " Oh well" I thought "they are always enough sweet potatoes and green bean casserole to fill folks up with!" With a little faith and holiday magic the two turkeys were cooked ( maybe not to perfection! ) and were on the table with the rest of the goodies. I could swear I could taste something like charred skin but I ate it with a smile! Hopefully this year will be less eventful though we have Ozzie now so no telling how dog versus turkey will turn out! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Uga Vll goes to the Dog House in the Sky!

It was in the news yesterday that Uga Vll passed away unexpectedly! Uga is the famed white bulldog, University of Georgia mascot. He was only four years old! His owner Frank "Sonny" Seiler said " Uga woke up Thursday morning and did not seem to be feeling well." They have an on call veterinarian who immediately came to the home and took Uga to the veterinary hospital but alas too late! It is believed he died from congestive heart failure. Uga has been the mascot since he had to fill the shoes of his father in August 2008. He was the school's winningest mascot with a 87 - 27 record. He was a dignified and well behaved bullie that roamed the sidelines with his little "G" jersey. A replacement has not been announced yet and a wreath will be laid on Uga's doghouse in the stadium. Ozzie has not yet applied for the job but since he is red and white that would probably exclude from consideration. Besides Ozzie is a Rutgers fan anyway! I am sure that Uga was much more than a mascot. He was a beloved pet and he will surely be missed!

Dancing Dog Debut

I came across online this morning an English Bulldog named Deezel that is just amazing, at least by bulldog standards! He participates in agility testing and freestyle dance competitions! I can't even get Ozzie to walk to the corner just to relieve himself on the fire hydrant. Bulldogs just don't do competitions like that! He must have a gene from a Lab or Collie in him! I wouldn't want to make Ozzie feel bad about himself but the likely hood of him doing any of these stunts, well you have a better chance at seeing me run in the NYC marathon next year! Now if they had canine competition for snoozing on the couch or the most prolific pooper then Ozzie may have a chance of wining! Sorry ole dog you will never be a contender like Deezel but you will always be in a champion in this household!

Check this bullie out!

http://dog.org.es/bulldog/deezel-english-bulldog-incredible-dog

Ozzie's Faux Poo !

What a beautiful weekend here in NJ we had! On Saturday we met a group of good friends in the city to stroll around the Village and have dinner at a Argentinian steakhouse. It was an all day event and since our son was not going to be home at all we had to arrange for our neighbors, Al and Clare to doggy sit Ozzie! Now they really like Oz and have watched him once before when we went to a wedding! I felt a little guilty about asking then to sit again but my husband assured me that they don't mind and would be happy to do it! So around 2:00 in the afternoon we brought him over with all his doggy paraphernalia. We thanked them profusely and made a quick exit while Ozzie was distracted! The plan was for then to have him until around 9:00 PM when they would drop him off home and we would arrive shortly after! Well we got home and everything seemed to go as planned. Ozzie was waiting for us shaking his little rear in bulldog glee! There was a little pee pee on our oriental rug but we have now resigned that this happens when we go out. ( Time to buy wee wee pads! ) I went out on Sunday and wanted to get them something to show our appreciation. I got them a gift card to the local Chilli's figuring going out for a bite to eat is always enjoyable. I went over there with thank-you card in hand and rang the bell. Clare answered and I asked her how it went for them yesterday. She replied that Ozzie may have worn out his welcome! "oh no" I gasped, "Did he pee on your floor?" " No worst!" she said " he pooped in my dining room!" They ran out for a short moment to her daughter's house. They wanted to bring their granddaughters over to play with Ozzie. I bet that was a nice surprise to come home to! I apologized profusely for the mess my dog made as I handed the card to them. " You didn't have to do that" said Clare. Oh yes I did, especially now that I know my dog relieved himself of number 2 on your carpet! I walked home my head hung in shame! When I got in the house I shouted to my husband " Guess what your dog did! " "Yikes he did not!" was his reply after he heard the ugly news! "Yes and now we will either never leave him alone for more than a hour or have to find new doggy sitters that don't mind the occasional dog doo disaster! In all this Ozzie laid on the floor, head tucked in between his paws trying not to look at either one of us! Ozzie has to know this is not a way to influence people or make friends. Maybe in the dog world this is an acceptable practice and maybe a compliment of sorts. In the human world this just doesn't fly! Oh Ozzie why do you do the things you doo-doo!

All I Need is the Air That I Breath.......

Last night was a struggle for my olfactory senses! Given the fact that Ozzie was tooting up a storm while he slept! I know that Bulldogs are infamous for their flatulent abilities. Ozzie was always the occasional tooter. Letting one out at the most inappropriate moments! Saturday night was like a symphony of sorts! I think my husband was giving the Oz some competition as well! I thought for sure they would find me asphyxiated in my bed the next morning! You have to really love the bulldog, between the gas and the snoring at night. It makes him a challenging dog to own! Though Bulldog fans would not have it any other way. They are so charming and appealing you can forgive them for a whole slew of sins! Well excuse me now while I go open some windows and air the place out! Cleaning the canvas sort of speak for Ozzie's next work of fart!

The Pirate and the Wolfman

Monday morning finds me reeling from my weekend sugar high. Just like a methadone program for heroine addicts I am stepping down and eating only one bag of Raisinets for breakfast! Halloween was fun with unseasonably warm temperatures near 70 degrees! Ozzie had a blast giving out candy to the kiddies! He was dressed up as a pirate, we called him Captain Le Woof! The pirate hat lasted about 5 seconds, definitely too small for his big head! Though he finally surrendered to wearing the cape which made him look very dashing! Parents delighted at taking pictures of the Oz with their kids! ( maybe I should charge them next year..hmmmm?! ) I think on Sunday Ozzie was wondering were all the kids went as paced back and forth by the front door?! My husband didn't really dress up but insisted on wearing his pumpkin beret! He looked like a homeless man with a pumpkin on his head. Good look dear! Though I must say if we were giving out prizes for best family costume it has to go to my son Will. He purchased a Wolf-man makeup kit from a local year round costume store called "Fun Ghouls". He was down in his room for 2 hours applying the makeup. When he came upstairs I gasped! I barely recognize him! It was Lon Chaney Jr reincarnate! Ozzie thought Will was his long lost brother! Any how on to the next holiday. That would be Thanksgiving but it seems the stores have forgotten about it totally and have fast forwarded to Christmas! I don't even want to think about Christmas shopping yet but if I was smart I would! Well for now let me think about what to do with all this leftover candy first. I should insist that my husband take it in to his office for all his co-workers (maybe except for the Raisinets! ) Well let me continue to think about it!

Rainy Days and Tuesdays Always Get Me Down!

It is one of those rainy days where if you don't have to be somewhere you are better off just hunkering down and reading a good book while baking some cookies! Ozzie seems to feel that way today. I can't seem to motivate him to do much of anything! He just got off of the couch only to wander over to his blanket in the office. I tried to entice him to play with his rope and rubber bone! No go! Maybe he is perfectly content and I should just leave him the heck alone! Yawn! Hey Oz move over and let me lie down too! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Beach Blanket Bulldog

Sunday was a beautiful Autumn day, just ripe for getting out and enjoying the weather and the stunning Fall foliage! My husband Mark and I took a ride down to the Jersey shore with Ozzie to attend the 5th Annual Belmar Beach Bulldog Bash! Wow talk about Bulldog overload! It was a great day on the beach and the folks from the MidAtlantic Bulldog rescue sponsored the event! Ozzie was greeted by dozens of his brethren of all sizes and colors! What a great opportunity to get together with other bulldog owners and talk bull! Ozzie if not the biggest bulldog was one of the top three in the weight category! Only to be over sized by one that was 78 and 82 pounds respectively. Ozzie also had his first taste of sand and surf. Daring the waters edge he got his paws wet and so did we! Talk about photo opt! I took a few but it was challenging with my camera! ( this is a hint for my husband to get me a new one for Christmas !) A lot of folks seemed to be charmed with Ozzie as he casually walked the beach and inspected everyone. One man with an impressive camera set up asked if he could photograph Ozzie. He was doing a full glamor shoot of the Oz and yes Ozzie was loving it! Work it Oz! One rescue who I had read about on the MABDR site was there! His name is Louie. Louie is a precious 2 year old white bulldog that was retrieved from an awful situation down in Louisiana. Two of the rescue co-founders, Kathy and Joann drove all the way from NJ to bring him back. He was found tied up with wire around his back legs resulting in severe injury! They brought him to a veterinarian up here who treated him and today he is good as new except for the remaining scars on his legs. Louie and his new mommy where there and it made me thrilled to see how happy he was! We walked away Sunday with new bulldog friends and a content but tired Ozzie. I also walked away with some sand coated dog poop on my shoe. Something I didn't want to take with me! Oh well until next years bulldog beach bash take care all you bullies!

Dirty Dog No More!

Well I took Ozzie to be groomed yesterday for the first time since we had him. His only bath with us was the outdoor version with the garden hose! Since the weather no longer allows for it I decided to take him to our local Petsmart where they have grooming facilities. When I dropped him off he didn't look too happy but went in to the "salon" willingly. I asked the gal at the desk how long would he be. I thought it be an hour at the most and I would just peruse the aisles of the DSW shoe outlet next door! " Oh it will take at least 3 hours. Leave us your cell phone number and we will call you when he is ready." Whoa, I had no clue it would take so long. After all he is short haired and there is no clipping involved?! Okay I guess but I felt bad to leave him there for that length of time! I went about my day and around 3:00 I thought "Wow he's been there since 12:30 so why don't I mosey on down." When I arrived I went inside and asked the gal at the desk if Ozzie was ready yet. She told me that he would be another hour! What were they doing to him in there? Shiatsu message, botoxing his wrinkles away?! She explained to me they had to make sure he was perfectly dried. Hmm he doesn't have a long coat like an Irish Setter but he does have a lot of surface area! Alright, I ended up wandering the store and made a few purchases ( they really know how to make money off a shampoo?! ) So finally at 4:30 he was "fini"! As they brought him out from the back room he looked relieved to see me! " He was a good boy!" assured the groomer. At least he didn't smell like the back end of a horse any more! Ozzie made a made a rush for the door only to be sidelined by the cashier who gave him a biscuit for all his troubles. "Okay" he thought " maybe I will stay for another moment or two!" "Come Oz, lets go!"I pleaded. I had enough of Petsmart for one day! He immediately relieved himself outside. I guess that pee was well deserved! As I was pulling him to the car a women stopped and commented "What a handsome boy"! Ozzie wasn't wasting anytime in showing off his newly coiffed fur. "Yeah lady I am handsome all the time, just now I smell better!"

Brisket Bomb and Balloon Boy

I am waking up this morning to the faint smell of brisket that permeated my house yesterday. Not that it's a bad thing, I actually think it is a comforting smell from some comfort food. It would of been the perfect meal for a rainy Sunday afternoon but the culinary gods had their own plans! I purchased a lovely piece of brisket, 1st cut, from Fairway. It was 3.5 pounds of stunning beef! I was going to take that baby home and give it, its proper due! I decided to use my crock pot for the cooking method. So after seasoning and browning it in a pan I plunked it in with broth and red wine for it's cooking journey. Five hours later ( cooked on high setting ) I proudly pulled it out of the pot. As I sliced into the meat I noticed it resisted some! Hm not a good sign. I turned out to be as tough as shoe leather though the gravy was tasty and so were my garlic mashed potatoes! I am not sure who to blame the crock pot or me. Either way I think the winner in all this is Ozzie since he will be the recipient of some of the fallen brisket! I guess we couldn't just help watch the saga of the balloon boy on TV these past few days! Shame on the Heene family for pulling this hoax and exploiting their kids. It was truly out of the mouth of babes when their son, little Falcon, blurted the truth on national TV. I guess it's not all their fault, we do have an appetite as a society for these reality types who seek fame for doing nothing more than being a little wacky than most folks. I thought maybe a good publicity stunt for my blog would be to call the local news station and tell them my car is missing and coincidentally so is my English Bulldog! I could tell them I believe he took it for a joy ride and does not have a drivers license! Considering the charges that the Heene's face maybe its not such a good idea but it definitely would draw some traffic to the blog. Oh well better think of something else. In the meanwhile I need to redeem myself in the kitchen. Maybe hot-dogs and beans tonight, I can't mess that up! Can I?

Sounds of Silence

I have removed the music selections from my blog due to several requests. Apparently "Who let the dogs out?!" bombards you when you arrive at the blog and most folks are not sure how to turn the music off (?) so I eliminated it. I rather you all have quiet thoughts than be annoyed by George Thorogood screaming to you that you are bad to the bone! Meanwhile I am quite tired from my 3:30 AM adventure. I originally got up to go to the bathroom where on exiting the powder room I knocked over a glass bottle of Bath & Body Works hand lotion that landed directly on my pinkie toe! I stifled every curse word known to man and that is when my boy Ozzie awoke from his snoring slumber. He gave me that why don't' we go potty look since your up?! So it was the backyard for me as I hobbled there with my swollen toe! Of course he delights in taking his time and stopping to chew on a fallen branch for a bit. Again I stifle every curse word know to man as I wave a dog biscuit around to entice him back inside! Thanks Ozzie, I didn't realize how cold it gets now that time of the night! We were looking forward to this Saturday since it is the The 5th Annual Bulldog Bash on the Beach at Belmar, NJ. It is an event sponsored by the MidAtlantic Bulldog Rescue where we adopted Ozzie. The only reason I say were is because the weather calls for rain and wind from a Nor'Easter that is headed our way. I will have to check for a rain date. I think it is probably a bull dog over load type of day and of course my camera is not working! This may give me time to get a new lithium battery for it. The camera is an Oylmpus and it's least 5 years old. The technology on it is now old school. Though my husband insists that it is still good and will not upgrade to a new model! I am sure he still has his first Brownie camera somewhere in the attic too! I am looking forward to seeing Debbie's new bulldog Diamond that she recently adopted after the passing of Knuckles! She looks like a real cutie and I will post her picture so you all can get a glimpse! I guess this weekend we will just honker down and catch up on some reading and a movie or two! Or maybe I will just catch up on some sleep!

Costume Quest and Candy Dangers!

I went the other day to one of the local Halloween stores that have been popping up in buildings that fell victim to the economy ( i.e. Circuit City, Tower Records ). I saw that there were few costumes left in the XL size category so in my desperation I grabbed a Yoda costume for Ozzie. I brought it home and my son Will and I tried it on him. Well with it's dangling fake arms and robe etc it was just too much costume and distraction for Oz! He attempted to bite the arms and wiggled his Yoda ears off. It was a good laugh for us! I guess that it is not going to work out! I have until the 15th to return it only for something else in the store. What that something else is I have no idea! That brings me to the subject of Halloween treats. As we are well aware that the day is going to be a candy bonanza and we have to keep a watch on the forever famished bulldog who will eat cardboard if it looks enticing enough! You may already know that chocolate can make a dog very ill, but there is another candy culprit that is very dangerous to dogs and cats. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is used in sugarless gum and candies. When ingested by dogs and cats it causes a dangerous surge of insulin. At high doses it is believed to be toxic to the canine liver. Depending on the amount used in the product between 8 to 10 sticks of gum can kill a 65 pound dog. This dangerous drop in blood sugar can cause overall weakness, lethargy, loss of coordination and total collapse! Veterinary treatment needs to be seeked immediately! I found a pack of sugar free gum on my son's coffee table downstairs and almost had a conniption! Will is now fully educated on the dangers of Xylitol and how crazy his mother can be at times! ( I guess I went off a bit! ) Anyway I just wanted to pass that bit of knowledge along and I will now go back to the costume quest for Ozzie. Any suggestions out there?!

Back on the Blog Again!

Sorry I have been away from the blog so long! We had a little computer malfunctioning going on and my husband took it to a friend of his who is an IT specialist to have some PC doctoring done! Turns out we has 165 viruses that were bogging us down that had to be cleaned out! How you get that many viruses I don't know! Certainly if it was human it would of been in the ICU with a very dim prognosis! Anyhow it's up and running and better than before! To get back to last week when we were leaving Ozzie with our neighbors, Al and Claire for the evening. We took him over around 3:00 PM and stood there chatting in their living room for a moment. He knew that this whole set up was strange and that we were definitely up to something! We quickly exited and ran into the car as not to lend ourselves to long goodbyes. It turned out he was very good for them. He amused himself with their cat YoYo who he curiously sniffed and promptly was swatted in the snoot! Then as YoYo went up the stairs Ozzie followed him. I guess he wanted to play and YoYo wanted no part of it! He did his usual there, eat and sleep! Al could not get over how quickly he would fall into a deep sleep and snore away like an old man! Guess Ozzie felt right at home and he was invited back so that is a good thing! I am still searching for a Halloween costume for the Oz. I should of ordered the pirate costume because now it appears they are all out of XL's. I have been to a couple of "Halloween" stores and they seem void of large dog costumes. Even the pet stores just seem to cater to the small doggies. So if you are a Maltese or a Chihuahua you have plenty of options! I need to step up my search this week or Ozzie is going to end up being a pumpkin! Mark and I stopped by the organic pet store on Sunday just to take a look see. It was stocked with big selection of natural chew products. They were mostly dried up tendons and trachea's of some poor ole farm animals. Supposedly better than nasty rawhide. We picked up for our little man a long twisted tendon of sorts called a Bully Jr Spring wrap. Just the name sounded right! Well we got that bad boy home and Ozzie thought he seen heaven! He quickly went to town on it making the ends of it soft and stringy and full of dog spittle. After 20 minutes of gnawing at it he got up with his prize still in his mouth and went to the back door. I stupidly thought " how is going to pee with that in his mouth?!" I let him out and he marched down the stairs to the corner of the yard. He proceeded to dig away in an attempt to bury it. Perhaps to save for another day of nirvana gnawing! I called for Mark to go get him and the now soggy muddy Bully Jr Spring wrap. Well it was pretty much a done deal and Ozzie's face was covered with dirt. I guess for five bucks it was worth the 45 minutes of happiness that beamed out of our best friend!