I’ve two hints for anyone wanting to adopt a herding dog:
1. Never do anything fun once. If s/he likes it the first time, it’s routine; and
2. Never change the routine.
Jim came home about five o’clock this afternoon to have dinner, get snacks and beverages for his team, and rest up a bit. He left at 10 p.m. to roll out some software. Zoe (the herding dog) is upset and has spent the last two hours looking out the front window for Jim to return. He changed the routine!
Neighbors just adopted a lab/border collie mix a few weeks ago. Should’ve got the dumb one!!! We should have, too, but we love our girl.
Note to Ms. Trish: Zoe was so upset you left that she shredded a tissue, something she hasn’t done since she was a pup.
As to dinner, yesterday I made a lovely cauliflower and cheese soup. I blanched (usually steam but don’t have my equipment) a head of cauliflower and made two cups of bechamel and added a few ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, with salt, pepper, nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne. Buzzed the drained cauliflower with a bit of chicken broth from Zoe’s stash and mixed them together in a pot and warmed it through.
I served it with seeded artisinal bread, not home-made, with Black Forest ham and cheese sandwiches. It’s wonderful to have guests and catch up on old times but I understand a local restaurant t-shirt that says something like “my life is your vacation.” We live in a wonderland every day of the year and want family and friends to enjoy our time here as much as we do. Ms. T even saw the ermine! I’ve only seen the winter one three times. The summer one used to live in our hot tub and poach his extra prey next door.
Seldom does dog Zoe leave my side. I know she’s not in bed upstairs, she’s at the front windows looking for Jim. I can’t sleep either, he’s changed my routine. Cheers, Dee
Cooking with Dee 