Yes I realize it's useless to complain at this point! So another 18 inches of snow ...yea! I must admit that it looked pretty after the sun came out and everything was covered with a fresh white blanket of new snow. Then the shoveling began! Not pretty! Though with all this shoveling I am building up my triceps quite nicely! Ozzie just doesn't know where to go to do his business with all of the mounds of snow in our tiny back yard. I have been negligent in my poop pick up duties ( ha doodies! ) and now I will have to wait for the Spring thaw to pick up what is lurking under the layers of winter's fury!Since the weekend calls for some flurries and continued cold weather it might be refreshing to go to a nice dinner with friends and enjoy a bottle of wine. I have found a website titled "A Dog's Life" that not only carries dog goodies but human goodies as well. Everything can be customized with your dog's (or cat's) picture on the labels. I was interested in the wine where you can order a Cabernet or a Chardonnay labeled with your pup's photo. I was thinking Ozzie's mug would make a good label for a nice hardy Zinfandel. Wouldn't it be the height of sheik to whip out a bottle of wine with your Fido on the front?!Here is hoping that you all have a warm and wonderful weekend!Cheers!
I haven't posted a pet peeves piece in a while. Not that there hasn't been annoyances in life as of late, just none worth reporting. I feel that since you are all dog lovers out there (some cat lovers too) and are consumers of pet toys that you might be interested in this. I purchased a toy yesterday from Petco for the Oz. I was attracted to it because it was made out of "natural" materials. The fabric was 100 % cotton and the rope was 100 % sisal. What is sisal you say?! I was unsure of it what the heck it was until I looked it up. Wikipedia defines it as a stiff fiber derived from an agave plant that is used in making rope and twine. So with that being said I considered it a eco- friendly pet toy choice while appearing to be sturdy in construction. I brought it home to my playful pup. He and his dad played with it for a total of 5 minutes until it was destroyed. What the heck?! I usually get at least a week or two out of these toys! Disappointed I examined the remains and reached for the packaging it came in. The product was produced by Planet Petco, made with sustainable natural resources, no added chemicals or dyes. Even the packaging was made from 80 recycled paper. With all this effort to be a natural rustic toy how could they have gone so wrong? I examined the package more closely. I soon found some explanation. On the bottom in tiny print was the words "Made in China". Sigh..it figures.! As soon as this weather clears up ( maybe in April sometime) I will go back to the Petco and return this item. I will also let them know that perhaps they should first test their natural products with natural dogs.
As I write this post big fluffy flakes are falling from the sky. I would usually admire the beauty of the moment but since this winter we have had more than our fair share of it I will pass! Yesterday temperatures were in the single digits to start off with and then hovered in the teens for the rest of the day. If the cold wasn't bad enough we woke up to discover that the pipes in our basement bathroom froze over! That was a first! We have lived in this house for six years and have never experienced that! I guess it just has never been this cold before. Brrrr, global warming my foot! Ozzie doesn't complain about the cold, though it makes him do his business in the back yard a bit faster than usual! Yesterday he actually sprinted back in after he completed his morning constitutional! I guess unless you live in Florida it's hard to think warm thoughts! Hang in there all!
Yes another snow event has hit the North East leaving behind for us another 4 inches of fluffy white snow. Never a bad thing for Ozzie who reveled in it this morning making first tracks in the white stuff! I on the other hand just looked at it as an opportunity to dig out my car and complain about how the town plowed me in again! Though I must admit that the fresh snow does look pretty since it does a great job of covering up the other foot of old dirty snow that was on the ground! Enough complaining about the weather! This weekend are the playoffs for the AFC championship and the Jets for the first time in 40 years may well be on their way to the Superbowl! My Uncle Hank was an ardent Jets fan. He never gave up cheering them on loss after loss. I regret that he is no longer with us to witness this triumph of sorts, but knowing Unc he will watch from a seat on the fifty yard line up there somewhere! It will be a perfect set up to make a pot of chili this Sunday. Here is a crock pot recipe for a Turkey chili that I make that is quite good. ( You will never say "Where's the beef?" with this! ) It's so easy that even Ozzie could make it! "Sorry Oz no chili for you big boy!"
1 (16) oz can of white beans ( cannellini or navy beans) rinsed1 (16) oz can of black beans rinsed
2lbs of round turkey, browned and drained1 large onion chopped1 green pepper chopped1 red pepper chopped2 cloves of garlic minced
3 tbsps of chili powder
1 tspn of cumin1 tspn of black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 tspns Tabasco
2 (14.5) oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
Some cilantro and shredded cheddar or Monteray Jack cheese and low fat sour cream for topping.
Put all ingredients in crock-pot and set on high for first hour then reduce heat to low to cook for 5 hours. You can also do this on top of the stove in a dutch oven or large heavy pot.
Enjoy and go Jets!
Well I think I have the weather covered with the title of this post! The tri-state area again is hit with layers of winter precipitation that is leaving everyone weary! Except maybe for Ozzie who always looks at it as a fresh start to create more yellow snow! I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce a new line of homemade healthy treats and dog food made by our friends Monty and Patrick. As you may recall they were Ozzie's foster family for a short while when we adopted him. They have a pack of pups of their own that have become their discerning food testers for a wonderful selection of top notch foods for dogs. ( That is them in the photo, Rocky and Adrienne are the pugs, Ruby the English Bulldog and Frankie the Frenchie. Too cute! )Take a moment to visit their website and check them out! You will be delighted to see they offer a variety of treats that have human grade ingredients and many wheat/gluten free options!I know Ozzie will be gobbling threw what we have left and we will be ordering more!Drive safe everyone and pray for Spring!http://www.pawfectlyhealthy.com/
Did you ever have one of those mornings when nothing went right? Yes indeed that is what happened to me this fine morning! First it was Mr Coffee that did not cooperate. Apparently it wasn't situated in its exact spot under the brew hole ( I just made that up, not sure what the technical term is for that)! I walked into the kitchen to find coffee and coffee grounds all over the counter and the floor. The kicker for me was that my husband was in the kitchen making his lunch at the time and didn't notice anything amiss! Was that on purpose or just coffee maker ignorance?! Arrgh! After mopping the mess and feeding the Oz I settled down to enjoy my newspaper ( which was wet with coffee! ) I had given Ozzie his bullystick and he started happily chomping on it. I then was alerted by choking sounds in the living room to find that Ozzie had gagged himself on the bullystick and threw up his breakfast on the rug! Ugh! Not to go unmentioned yet another round of snow outside! Ah truly the winter of my discontent!
Why can't I be more like Ozzie! Nothing gets him upset! He is the master of cool! Except when it comes to my son Will, who lately has been the subject of Ozzie's misdirected aggression, but that is a story for another day. I still have another round of cleaning on the rug to get the smell out thoroughly. Here is hoping you all have a better weekend than my morning!
The holidays have zipped past us and now the winter doldrums loom before us! It's hard to find anything to get excited about. What holidays are out there in the months ahead? Hm...there is MLK day and Presidents day and not to leave out Valentines day but none of them have the food, the parties, the presents that were Thanksgiving through New Years! Plus the weather is chilly and wearing a sweater and fuzzy slippers in the house is a permanent part of my wardrobe. I must say Ozzie is making the best of it but is decidedly bored. Good thing he doesn't have thumbs or he be in the refrigerator all the time noshing! There is snow in the forecast for this weekend and with it comes a chance to eat a new batch of fresh snow. Our backyard snow has become pretty raunchy looking over the past 2 weeks.
I think I just heard the deafening sound of Ozzie sighing on the couch. Hang in there buddy, Spring can't be that far off ......can it?
