Simply Sunday and Countdown to Turkey!

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is almost upon us! The national holiday where we all give thanks for nature's bounty and the family and friends that we share it with! This year may be more dear to those who have had their lives turned upside down (literally) by Hurricane Sandy! We are having the holiday here at Ozzie's house with a good size group of family and friends.

The menu is pretty much predictable, turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, green beans etc. There are "no bones about it" though that the menu presents some dangers to our pets. Once again the food of the holidays will present perilous situations, and we really have to be on guard!

Turkey bones are a major no-no, they can puncture, scrape or cause blockages to their stomachs/intestinal tracts. The skin from the bird is very high in fat and eating that can lead to pancreatitis  in dogs. Here is a list of 10 things to avoid giving your dog and or cat during this feast of thanks.

So what can we give  our canine pals to enjoy while we are all noshing away on Thanksgiving dinners?! I came upon this recipe from Rachel Ray who regularly whips up cuisine for dogs. It's called "Who are you calling turkey?!" Patty. It can be made from your leftovers and sounds like a winner to me.

As usual keep an eye out for Uncle Fred who is constantly giving hand outs when your back is turned!

To follow are Ozzie's obligatory pictures with the turkey hat! Sorry about this Oz, but your so darn cute in it!

"This totally takes away my dignity! Besides, I hate turkeys! They are big fat stupid birds!"

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Simply Sunday and Saluting Veterans

It's been almost 2 weeks since Sandy has hit the North East and there are still people without power and heat. I think that it turned into such a massive storm that the utility companies were not prepared enough?! I know that I would be really upset if I was still sitting in the dark! Especially Ozzie who wouldn't be able to watch his favorite TV shows..."Dancing with the Stars", "The Dog Whisperer" and "Fox News". Hopefully everyone will back on the grid this coming week! 

Ozzie and I would like to thank all the Veteran's out there who have served, who are still serving and those who made sacrifices beyond what us civilians can imagine. For those who made the ultimate sacrifice, our condolences to them and their families!  

"I was thinking about joining the Marines but somehow my weight was an issue!"

Thoughtful Thursday and Aftermath of Sandy

Sandy came roaring in on Monday and really packed a wallop for the NY/NJ area's. The Jersey shore was really hard hit with tidal surges of water that swept away parts of boardwalks in communities like Seas Side Heights and Point Pleasant. We were without power since Monday night and it was not fun. You really get a sense of what life was before power and believe me its not pretty. We finally got power restored to our neighborhood last night and what a sense of relief. The temperatures were dropping into the low 40's (F) and I was walking around with my coat on trying to think warm thoughts,... Bermuda, Bahamas..! But fortunately the power tripped on around 9:45 PM and so did the heat! Yea! Ozzie was probably getting use to life without lights.
A tree from our neighbors yard split down the middle with a good chunk of it crossing our back yard into our neighbors pool. We were lucky that was the worse we experienced. Some folks in the area lost a lot more. Halloween was postponed by Governor Chris Christie and rescheduled for Monday November 4th. I am sure a lot of kids were disappointed but with all the down wires and trees it was just to risky to be roaming the streets!

In the meanwhile life will slowly creep back to normal while services are restored and areas that were hard hit get cleaned up. Ozzie will patiently wait for trick or treaters on Monday and enjoy the much taken for granted light and warmth!

My thoughts and prayers go out to all who suffered losses from the storm!

"Where are the trick or treaters?"

"A common sight in the neighborhood."