Category Archives: Pet

Internet, Finally

Posted on April 2, 2009 | 1 comment

I’ve been tethering to a third cell phone and using Bluetooth to connect to my AT&T unlimited data usage minutes. Finally I can just flip on the monitor and am good to go. Yesterday was particularly painful as it was slower than dial-up and I couldn’t write anything. Who has time to write anyway?

It’s raining in the mountains, duh, we’re in the mountains. It just started raining here a couple of minutes ago. After the cable/modem guy came and Zoe was nutty for him (who knows, 20 years ago I may have been nutty too) so has finally slept.

Cable guy told me what I was seeing out our windows. We’re facing S/SW. I can’t take photos for you right now because I can’t even see the tops of the mountains. To the west is the Olympic Center from 2002 with ski jumps (yes I can see them from inside), luge and more. Right in front of us is The Canyons. Further West is the front side of Park City, and behind that the bald mountain is Deer Valley.

Tonight it’s ye olde spaghetti and meatballs. Tomorrow I’ve enough for mac and cheese and a nice salad. I’m making bacon and eggs for breakfast. With toast, Lemon Zinger tea and orange juice.

It’s so nice to have Internet on demand again. The ducks are taking their evening dip into the rivulets (not really streams but I’m no expert) and it’s really interesting to see them come and go. Now larger groups are arriving. It’s wonderful that this land went to the Preserve. I’m so interested that when I’m finished with boxes and taxes I may consider volunteering there or at the local animal shelter.

I found (online) Zoe’s frozen raw food less than a mile away, got one bag. I believe her dry food is only 2-3 miles away so that’s good. I can’t wait for Spring and Summer and Fall here. It’ll be gorgeous.

Please keep reading, commenting and cooking. I have to test the state of the cookware here, starting tonight with a simple meal, Jim’s favorite.

Cheers, Dee

p.s. Zoe and I did move in together on Monday but that was just because Jim was at work. When I re-read the post it looked like we may have separated, that is not the case. D

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Posted in Editorial, Pet, Utah

Spaghetti Carbonara

Posted on March 28, 2009 | Leave a comment

It turned out just fine! While I was boiling the pasta, I mixed three eggs with grated romano cheese (I bought a grater and luckily my favorite silicone spoonula was halfway out of a box in the car so it was put to use. I seasoned the eggs with tiny packets of salt and pepper from the hotel and restaurants we’ve eaten at this week.

I bought already cooked microwave bacon and re-heated and crisped it then ripped it into small pieces (please, don’t get me started on the knife quality here, luckily I brought my own.)

Doing some reading yesterday, I found out that one town we’re looking at to live has a zero tolerance policy towards dogs in cars. Remember that it’s thirty degrees outside and we crack the windows and the sun roof for Zoe. We are not allowed to leave her at the hotel, we are prohibited from taking her to restaurants, even on an outdoor patio where it’s freezing cold. Now our car will be forcibly entered and Zoe impounded if a police or animal control officer spots her alone in our car watching us eat in a restaurant in the window ten feet from us.

It appears that Big Brother is watching, indeed. You ought to see Kansas State Troopers. I don’t know whether they have cameras on the Interstates as I saw no planes buzzing nearby. I saw five Troopers in less than four hours in the State. Three passed us going gangbusters to target one specific car, and they got their man/woman every time! The first Trooper I saw shortly upon crossing the State Line was helping a woman put gas in her car. And the last one I saw near entering the State of Wyoming was helping a family change a flat tire.

How did we not get caught speeding? Diligence and cruise control. The speed limit was seventy in Kansas. I set my car’s cruise control to 68 and Jim set his at 72. All for now. Cheers! Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Pet

Snow Angels

Posted on March 24, 2009 | Leave a comment

Yesterday morning I took Zoe out and the roads and grass were covered in wet, heavy slushy snow. She didn’t know what to do at first, then started cavorting like a pup. After she finally did her business I took her in and dried every inch of her with a towel.

She looked out the hotel window and barked at the snow. While our room was being cleaned we met a woman with four small children who loved Zoe. She watched them play in the snow outside, making snow angels. Last night more kids were down below building a snowman.

We’re facing a courtyard and the Wasatch mountains. Unable to see the mountains all day yesterday, I look forward to the opportunity of seeing them when the sun comes up today. There is a pool and hot tub and I thought both were closed for winter. The covers roll up and the intrepid skiers here for the last days of the season open them up every night, even in the snow.

Today I hope the weather holds out while Zoe and I find a place to live. A week of hotels is enough and we need a place to call home, even for six months. The good news is that I may have a few more weeks for winter stews, and a grill for Spring and Summer meal planning. I’m thinking of a boned, butterflied leg of Lamb Robert.

If I just mention what my brother calls “Sheep Bob” he may be on the next plane. Who knows, he’d already asked for a weekend stay in Chicago and we’re considerably west of there, now!

Zoe’s “snow” angel, but she’s been a good sport during this move. She thrives on routine, hers, but has really been a trouper for us as we change gears. Cheers, Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Pet, Travel

Clouds and Zoe

Posted on February 27, 2009 | 2 comments

A couple of nights ago the clouds rolled in over the city and I’d have better shots without the roadway lighting. Oh, well, so be it. Zoe likes the highest place or warmest place to sleep, so here is the Usurper in paradise, in the middle of the night, in my sleeping space.

The Clouds Roll In

The Clouds Roll In

Zoe The Usurper

Zoe The Usurper

Thanks for reading and participating in this blog. It wouldn’t be here without you. Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Pet

The Pet Diaries

Posted on February 26, 2009 | Leave a comment

Cooking for Two

Peanut butter sandwich
over the sink
Of love or loss
There was nothing to think

Then my sister
sent me a cat
five weeks old
Imagine that

I could take care
of something
but a plant

Before Cable in NYC
We watched PBS
in Brooklyn

A gift from God
I named him Nathan
We needed food, there
Was no seitan

No cat experience
Should have bottle-fed
But he was a fighter
And so I said

I’d build a mouse
and that I tried
Fancy Feast he ate
And so I lie

Every year
he’d get Fancy Feast
On birthday and Christmas
It was the least

I could do for my guy
The Nate-Man
Smoked salmon not
A fan

Go figure.

The Pet Diaries 1
DAC 2009/1997

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Posted in Editorial, Pet

Amazing Grace

Posted on February 23, 2009 | 5 comments

I just heard the Joan Baez live version of this, check out iTunes, and she engages the audience miraculously. Whether or not we’re church-goers Joan shows an amazing voice that touches the heart.

There’s another Grace, adopted on Saturday by our friends in Austin TX. We used to take care of their dog Gus, who was an incredible dog.

Grace

Grace

Her mom was Angel, and she is an English Labrador Retriever. I believe she has a wonderful life ahead of her with our friends. Gus was trained to visit veterans at the VA. When arthritis kicked in, he learned to swim and did so for therapy. He was a fantastic dog that we had the luck to meet and care for on occasion.

Gracie comes in to a loving and stable home. Yes, she will be spoiled, but with love and not food.

Puppies especially, and pets in general, need a great deal of love and care. Many people are not ready for that responsibility, bear witness to the countless relinquishments and needless killing of perfect pets. Or more likely, imperfect pets for imperfect people, as long as the imperfections go the right way. After all, that’s how one chooses a spouse. No person, dog or cat in this world is perfect. If our imperfections work together, it’s a match.

So, if a dog doesn’t work out for you, get a Betta fish. Small bowl, feed once a day. Easy. If you’re single and want to attract a mate, a dog is the perfect magnet. If it’s yours it’s yours for life and not just to get the girl. Otherwise borrow someone’s Lab or Golden and take a run on the beach. And clean up after him!

I’ve gone a roundabout way to welcome Grace to a larger family than you know, nationwide. Sometime perhaps our Zoe can visit the tree of my former dog Chani, a tree all the neighbors bought for the City in her memory. We’re all scattered, most of the original set of dogs are gone now but we remain friends through a common bond and struggle.

Cheers and have a great evening. Dee

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Posted in Education, Pet, Uncategorized

We Love Puppies

Posted on February 17, 2009 | 1 comment

Our friend is getting her female Lab pup this weekend and we can’t wait to see photos and, if we’re still in TX, meet the pup soon. I’m so happy for them. It’ll be a lot of work on her part for house-training et al but they’re both great with dogs and this puppyhood will be a photographic extravaganza then the dog will grow up and work for a living. Treats, anyway, at a VA.

Another friend, who is local, is “interviewing” a pup who sought shelter at a new neighbors just prior to IKE. The pup is about six months old and well cared-for. Our friend already has an uber-cool cat so they have a play date coming up.

I wanted to tag this “recipe ideas” but don’t think cat or dog should be on anyone’s menu, at least tonight. Hey, this is the news according to Dee, and I’m a pet lover, gimme a break! I’m starting to dread a house in the country because of the number of dogs and cats that would be dumped upon us. In the rural areas there are few options for such animals and it doesn’t seem adoption is one of them which is why they were dumped in the first place.

At my highest count in a 600 sf place I had one dog and two cats. That’s it. No room for a boyfriend. And I volunteered every weekend for shelters and other humane animal endeavors, including spay/neuter clinics. I can’t take in everyone who comes to call. But I don’t have to worry about that right now. There’s enough with the economy and jobs. Keep your chin up, Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Pet

Keys

Posted on February 17, 2009 | 5 comments

Our next door neighbor moved away a couple of weeks ago. A few years ago she adoped a “Katrina” rescue dog and I offered to walk him at lunch time on weekdays and also learned he was terrified of thunderstorms, which we get a lot in TX, so I’d bring him over for the duration so he could burrow under my down pillows.

Someone is moving in tomorrow and I realize I have the key, so looked on my key racks (two, imagine that) and I had a couple of other neighbors’ keys as well so turned them in. When I first moved here I learned that the people who live here “trade” for dog-sitting. I took care of one neighbor’s dog once a day for two months before she returned from an overseas gig and we finally met – we’re now fast friends! For three years I collected keys and took people’s dogs out or over here for a weekend, all for free. A couple of years ago an emergency came up and Jim and I had to go away for a few days and I called ten people who I’ve helped numerous times without them EVER taking Zoe. Everyone turned me down, so she had to board at the vet’s. So I quit taking care of other dogs, except my neighbors but only in thunderstorms.

Years ago, in another location, my neighbor always called with an emergency, that he’d be working late or such, and wanted me to take care of his two wonderful Aussies. A couple of years after he moved away, there was a knock on my door from the new condo resident. “Do you have a screwdriver” he asked. “What kind?” “Both.” I asked what he was trying to do and he said he forgot his keys and needed to jimmy the lock.

I asked if he’d ever changed the locks then sheepishly added that the former owner gave me his key. I apologized and gave it to him. Five minutes later there was a knock on my door. He was giving me the key back. I told him he should keep it. He said “no,” that he misplaces his keys from time to time and would knock on my door if there was a problem. It happened a couple more times during my tenure there.

I’m making pizza tonight. The dough is rising now and I have peppers and mushrooms prepped and sauteed. All I need to do is separate the dough, form it and let it rest, slice pepperoni and put the mozz through the food processor. I’ll freeze the cheese and shredding disc for about fifteen minutes beforehand. Mozzarella gets extraordinarily gummy. As it is, I had to buy pepperoni from one store and cheese from another. Last time I got the really expensive mozz at the specialty store it was very salty and I’d rather it be more bland so that the vegetables and pepperoni can shine.

Hope you’re cooking your loved ones a fantastic meal! I made pizza because I already had peppers and mushrooms in the frig (so they’re “free”). Tell my brother that I knew I didn’t have much flour so went out and bought 5#, and when I took out the flour canister there was already a 5# unopened bag behind it. Oops. Cheers! Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Pet

Tagged

The Newest Kid

Posted on February 12, 2009 | 2 comments

This was a surprise, and naming opportunity goes to our nieces and nephew.

New kid on the block

New kid on the block

Jim appeared top of a blog today, his first! He’s been doing some woodworking research over the weekend. I know I enjoy it when WordPress features my blog in different categories.

We’re hanging in there, awaiting interviews and offers. Then we’ll see where we end up next month. Scary, exciting, and a lot of work to move if it comes to that. If I disappear for a couple of weeks I’ll try to give you a heads-up first. But I’ll be back with goats and, if what I hear is correct, goat cheese in the next few months, so stay tuned to the Dee channel. Cheers! Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Pet

Here’s to Stump!

Posted on February 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

I saw him last night on the Westminster dog show and saw him as a great-looking dog, a Spaniel with the legs of a Dachshund. It’s great to have an old guy (ten years) win.

While not into breeding or showing or that whole deal, I love to see certain dogs prance around a show ring, on TV.

Stump is a Sussex Spaniel. It turns out he lives nearby. So should Houston have a homecoming parade for Stump? Personally, I think he should be a feature of the Trail Riders going along the parade route to open this year’s Rodeo. I may be able to help with that. Cheers, Dee

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Posted in Editorial, Pet, Uncategorized