A whimsical reminder

 

Forever Rely On God

Overcoming life's obstacles

I'm a mentally strong person, capable of overcoming those roadblocks everyone deals with from time to time.  But the last week threw me into a tailspin.

I will be taking a trip in a few weeks and made my airline reservations months ago to get a better price versus waiting till closer to the trip.  When I tried to access my airline app to get information I needed to reserve a car rental at my destination, the app would not accept my password.  After several attempts to resolve the issue that got no results, I went on the airline website.  When I couldn't do anything there, I clicked on the button asking for technical support.  Thinking I was still on the airline website, I found a tech support chat line.  The cost was $1.00 "fully refundable" the page stated.  After a lengthy chat session with a person whose name indicated he was most likely not an American, I had gotten nowhere.

I felt I needed to walk away for a moment to clear my agitation.  My next step to was to call the airline directly and speak with a live - English speaking - person.  She was helpful and finally realized the page I had been directed to for tech support was NOT the airline page.  She told me this airline would never direct a customer to another site other than their own.  Now THAT really annoyed me. 

When I checked my debit card account, I found this tech support operation had charged me $55.00, aside from the $1 I had expected, and furthermore this charge would recur monthly.  At this point, I was beyond upset.

My bank told me that because I had used a debit card, I could not dispute the charge until it appeared on my account, not just a hold.  Meanwhile, I discovered my laptop had been hacked.  All manner of horrible thoughts crossed my mind.  What personal information had this person found on my computer?  Did they have access to my travel itinerary?  I clearly was not thinking clearly and went into a state of extreme anxiety over this.  

My bank suggested canceling my debit card and they would issue a new one with a new account number.  Fine, but that could take days.  I carry little or no cash with me, instead rely on my debit card.

I dropped off my laptop at a computer store that I have used before and know to be reputable.  Yes, I had been hacked and it would be a 48 hour process to repair and since we were going into the weekend when they were not open, it added time to being without my computer.

Where does this all end?  This just was not fair.  I have always followed common sense procedures for trying to prevent things like this from happening.

In total despair, I turned to God.  I am a strong Christian and my religion is a big part of my life.  I asked God to help me through this problem and to bring me peace.  Today things started to happen.  My new debit card arrived by express shipment and I got my laptop back from the shop.  I was able to access the airline app on my cell phone and change my password there.  Thank you, God!

I made it to March!

Ugh, it's March already and we are almost done with this harsh winter of 24/25.  There was a time, in my younger days, when I loved winter in the North Country.  I went downhill skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing.  For many years, I spent a week in the High Peaks of the Adirondacks with friends.  Those were the days!  I've climbed several of the 46 High Peaks in the winter.  There are so many memories from those days.  But one I will cherish for the rest of my life.  My friend, Nancy Lauterbach, and I spent a long weekend in the Keene Valley area of the Adirondacks.  With the help of our Inn keeper, we left a car at our finishing point and she drove us into Lake Placid to the start of our day.  We cross country skied the Jack Rabbit Trail all day long.  I don't remember how many miles we covered.  But I do remember it was one of the best winter days I have ever had.  It was such a pleasant day on the trail, excellent snow and weather conditions.  We stopped at a ski touring place for lunch and that hot bowl of chili was just what we needed on a cold winter day.  We mostly had the entire trail to oursselves!  In the afternoon a man and his Black Lab passed us.  I don't know who was enjoying the trail more, that man or his dog!

Now that I'm older, well okay, I admit, I'm a "senior citizen," those things are in my past.  I'd rather curl up on the couch with a good book or watch a movie, or any number of things that can be done in the warmth of my home!

Compared to the last several years, this was a particularly rough winter, temps well below average, strong winds, snow. . .

But now we are into March and even today's temps in the teens can't take away my excitement!  Soon I will be firing up one of my two smokers to smoke a piece of meat.  And my annual cousins' reunion isn't too far off.  Bring on Summer!!!

An unexpected change

I love smoking meat. . . been doing it for over ten years now and never ruined a piece of meat.  Before I got into it, I knew nothing about it other than the wonderful meat you can get from smoking in your backyard.  So I did my research and learned a lot.

I have always ordered wood chunks from an online retailer who was top notch.  They had fruit wood that you can't find elsewhere.  And their wood was stored indoors, eliminating piles of wood left outside subject to bugs, bird droppings, and other unpleasant situations.  They are going out of business.  The owner is retiring.  Panic set in!

After searching online, I think I have found a reputable vendor.  You can't stockpile wood for more than 6 months or so as it loses its quality in flavoring the meat.

I'm a fair weather smoker so over the winter - and this winter has been particularly harsh - my two smokers sit dormant.  Hopefully in another month or six weeks I can fire up one of them.  Nothing is finer than sitting outside by the smoker taking in the wonderful aroma coming from my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker!  Even my neighbors enjoy the smell!

If you love great tasting meat - roasts, chickens, baby back ribs, briskets - get into smoking meat.  It is easy and with just a little knowledge, you can experience the thrill of this hobby.  And I highly recommend the Weber Smokey Mountain smoker.

The car wash

Going through the Delta Sonic car wash in Rochester is an unexpected joy!  Winter is hard on cars in the North Country.  Salt is a necessary evil on the roads.  It is needed on the roads to cut down on ice.  But it is rough on cars, causing rust.

The Delta Sonic is a premium car wash.  In addition to cleaning the car, they put a coat of wax to better preserve the metal.  And they spray a rust inhibitor to the bottom of the car.

Today, with the long line of cars waiting to go through the 4 lanes, it took me a little over 10 minutes to reach the tunnel once I pulled off the road.  Approaching the tunnel, you make sure all windows and doors and securely closed, take your foot off the brake, and put the car in neutral.  Then you sit back and enjoy the show!  The sights and sounds can lull your mind into a sense of peace.  I find myself, for the moment, forgetting about the rat race of the world.

Someone recently asked me if I had every taken my dog through the car wash.  No!  Not sure how Bailey would react!  She may settle down for a nap, or she could go nuts over this new experience!

Homemade dog food

Everyone knows how much I love dogs and how important my dog(s) are to me.  Currently, I only have Bailey, my 9 year old Labrador Retriever.  Bailey never learned that she is just a dog. . . to her way of thinking, she is a human with all rights and privileges therein!

Morgan, my 12 year old Lab who passed away several months back, had terrible allergies in her final years.  Apoquel, an expensive medication for allergy in dogs, was no help.  My vet recommended Purina Pro.  That was some help but not entirely.  Morgan got to the point where she was lethargic and had no joy in life.

Bailey showed no signs of allergies or other maladies while Morgan was alive.  Soon afterwards, she developed bad skin irritations.  She scratched herself raw, even to the point of bleeding.  I incorporated coconut oil into her food and that offered some relief.

After a great deal of research and thought, I am gradually switching her to a homemade diet.  Even though Labs tend to have a stomach of "cast iron" it is best to gradually switch to a new diet.

A homemade diet is not a matter of mixing up human foods, with the notion of "what's good for me is good for Bailey."  It is MUCH more than that!  I am keeping a food journal of everything I give her each day to see what works for her.

A good friend who has owned championship Labs for years, feeds her dogs a raw diet.  I tried that quite a few years back but ran into the difficulty of being able to get all the ingredients I needed.

While I can't go into all the things I have learned so far in this post, here are a few recipes and important facts I do know at this point:

Foods that are bad for dogs:  avocado, grapes, onion, garlic, corn on the cob, processed meat, raisins, chocolate, and citrus fruits.

Breakfast idea:  1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/4 cup chopped apple with peel but not the seeds, 1 tablespoon ground flax seed.

Dinner:  1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken, 1/2 cup chopped sweet potato, 1 tablespoon unsweetened plain yogurt 

Of course, you adjust the amounts above according to your dog's size.

Here are two of the books I read that I think are excellent resources:

Homemade Healthy Dog Food Cookbook by Scott Meier

The Forever Dog Life by Becker and Habib

 

Smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving!

It was an early start to the day this morning getting the smoker prepped for the turkey!  My first time smoking a Thanksgiving turkey.

Something to be excited about!

It will just be me and Bailey (my Lab) for Thanksgiving Day.  There will be a delayed Thanksgiving dinner with my son and daughter-in-law and family after Thanksgiving.

Every year I keep saying I'm going to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving.  But when the snow flies and the thermometer plummets, I lose interest in firing up the smoker.  NOT THIS YEAR!!!  I bought a small turkey and the weather doesn't look too bad (for this time of year).

Before daylight this Thursday morning I will begin the preparation for my first smoked turkey!  It's a 12 pounder so no need to start the night before like you would with a much larger turkey.

Mmmm!  I can just taste it now!

The Barefoot Contessa

I have long been a fan of Ina Garten and own some of her wonderful cookbooks.  Recently I read her newly published memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens.  This woman is phenomenal!

From what little I knew about her, I assumed she lived a charmed life.  Wrong!  She grew up in a home with strict, authoritarian parents.  She was in a dead end job in the government in Washington, DC that brought her no joy.  But she had the tenacity to go after what she wanted in life, despite any risks along the way.  By chance, she saw an ad for a small bakery for sale in Long Island, the Barefoot Contessa.  In a leap of faith, she bought the business and overcame multiple obstacles to grow it into a big success.

You don't have to be a passionate cook and baker to appreciate this book.  It is a story that speaks to all of us.  Early in their life together, she and her husband, Jeffrey, traveled to Europe "on five dollars a day!"  They dreamed of someday coming back to Paris and that someday came years later when they bought an apartment there.  

If you are looking for a feel good, inspiring book to read, this is the one!

Look what I saw in the Home Depot parking lot!