Quote for the Day

Be the kind of person your dog thinks you are. 

A gratitude journal - they really work

Oprah Winfrey has long preached the benefits of keeping a gratitude journal.  My thoughts on that were - I know what I'm grateful for, why bother to write it down?

I'm currently reading a book, "Build the Life You Want" by Arthur Brooks and none other than Oprah Winfrey.  It's not another feel good book, but based on scientific facts, it points out how even when times are tough, you can find things to be happy (grateful) for.

So I tried it.  Yes, I know what I am grateful for.  But when you write everything down, day by day, you will be amazed at just how much you have in your life that is good.  Or another way of putting it, if you concentrate on the positives, rather than the negatives, your perspective changes and you are in better shape to deal with what needs fixin'! 

Kabobs on the grill

First time cooking outside this year!  I especially love the kabob baskets.  It was always hard for me to use skewers.  When I try to turn the skewer over, to cook all sides evenly, the food spins back around.

Most of you know, I love all kinds of cooking and the warm weather brings out the smokers and the grills.  There are few things more enjoyable than sitting with a glass of wine, the smoker slowly cooking a piece of meat to perfection, and leaning back in my chair to gaze at the white puffy clouds against a blue sky.

I've been smoking meat for ten years or more.  It just came naturally to me.  I read books, watched You Tube videos, talked to other, more experienced smokers and I am proud to say I have never ruined a piece of meat.

 

A possible new venture. . .

 When you think of it, many times when life seems unfair and doors keep getting slammed in your face, that is a good thing.  It's God's way of pointing you in the right direction.

I retired some years ago.  The office politics and extreme mindset of the leadership wore me down, probably more than I realized.  A handful of jobs since just didn't go right.  Not only the jobs themselves, but I went to many interviews and didn't get the job.  Although I present myself well and, in some cases, even overqualified for the job, time after time I was not selected.  Age discrimination is alive and well folks, believe it.

Recently I was at home, my mind wandering about any number of things, certainly not about finding the right job.  One of my dogs walked over to me, put her head on my knee and looked at me with "those eyes"!  I've often said my dogs control me with their eyes!

That's the first I remember of a new idea going through my head.  I love dogs. . . if I see a dog, I just have to get my hands on it and talk to it.  Then I thought of a trip coming up and the need to board my two.  When I called my usual kennel, they were booked solid.  In a state of panic, I began calling different kennels.  In my opinion, there are only a few quality boarding kennels in my area.  The prices are sky high.  I don't even want to think about what I am paying for the kennel that I chose for this trip.

Still staring at Morgan's eyes looking up at me, it hit me!  Why not open an in-home dog boarding and dog day care business?  I stumbled onto a website online that features in-home day care right here in my town.  It's kind of like the Etsy for dog boarding!

Of course, I would have to limit the number of dogs I take in at one time. . . right now I'm thinking no more than two customers at a time, but I would not have the overhead that the commercial boarding kennels have.

There is much thought and planning that needs to go into this before I go live, but it does seem encouraging.  I posted on our neighborhood facebook page to judge interest.  With only a little over 200 people on the page, I was pleased with the response I got.  Almost all of them spoke of the extreme prices they pay to board their dogs.  I believe I can charge less and still make a reasonable profit.

Let's see where this goes.  One step at a time.  Laugh if you want, but I truly believe God had a hand at that moment in Morgan coming to me, resting her head on my knee and looking at me with those eyes!

The Ice Storm of the Century - 1991

People who were in Rochester, New York on this date 33 years ago will never forget the Ice Storm of the Century.  There are ice storms and there are ice storms!  

Being a sound sleeper, the crashing trees and tumbling power lines went on overnight unbeknownst to me.  Just before dawn, the phone rang.  When I answered, a friend asked, "Are you all right?"  

"I think so" was my answer.  "Is something wrong?"

Hundreds of thousands of people were without power, many for weeks.  Even though many mutual aid power companies made their way here to help, there was just monumental damage.  My home had no power or heat for over a week.  We slept with thermal underwear and all the blankets we could gather. We cooked on a Coleman camp stove.  If you went to the store for food or supplies, they were working with flashlights and could only accept cash.

Schools were closed for over a week.  My sons were in high school.  The school organized a large group of kids to go around removing debris from neighbors' yards.

Letting my dogs out caused ice to stick to their paws and they tracked blood into the house.

Yes, those were bad times.  But we persevered and survived.  I don't remember any deaths being reported due to the storm.  When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

Lost in books

It's no secret I love to read.  Give me a stack of good books and I'm happy.  I keep lists of books I want to read.

That's the problem!  Not long ago I began reading a series of Detective Quinn novels, by Lisa Regan - she has written 18 to date.  I made it through book 5 and discovered another book I wanted to read, and another!  Never turn me loose in a library or on Amazon's book section!  I find books on Amazon, then go get them from the library.

I ran across a novel from the Gilded Age, An American Beauty.  Wow!  That one captured me, page after page.  And that author has another one I must read - The Second Mrs. Astor.

This morning I made a quick trip to the library to return two books.  I decided to check their small cabinet of books outside, a sort of community library where you take whatever you like and add books that you no longer want to keep.  The Great Alone. . . that title caught my eye.  Kristin Hannah - the author - who is she?  Never heard of her.  Checked her out on Amazon.  How is it I never heard of her?  She's written quite a few books I simply must add to my list, stories from World War II, the Great Depression, and a young idealistic nurse who chooses to join the military and finds herself in the jungles of Viet Nam.

I like too many genres and time frames from history.  I like the simple stuff - Nora Roberts and Danielle Steele - and things with more substance - John Jakes, historical romance, thrillers, biographies, and the list goes on.   I probably shouldn't classify Danielle Steele as "the simple stuff."  Over the years, she has increasingly written more books with substance.  

When my twin sons were little, I insisted they read books.  I didn't specify which books, only a book that interested them.  Michael was okay with that. . . then there was John.  I finally gave up on him.  But I am proud to say, today, much older, even with hints of gray in his hair. . . he reads a lot!  On occasion, I have passed on books to him that I owned that he actually enjoyed reading!

Now back to my latest book, Hidden Riches by Nora Roberts!

                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                             

Juicing

If you aren't into juicing, you should be!  Juicing is a way to get more vitamins and nutrients and it is pure nutrition.  No preservatives, no additives, just good healthy juice.

This serving above is made from beets, apples, carrots, cucumber, and ginger.  Sometimes you may look at the list of ingredients in a juicing recipe and not be excited.  But all the flavors come together to make a refreshing drink.

There are dozens of good quality juicers on the market.  The masticating ones are the best.  They extract more nutrients.  I've been happy with my Tribest Green Star Elite.  Had it for quite a few years now.
 

The Winter Blahs

There was a time when I enjoyed winter in the North Country. . . I was an avid downhill and cross country skier.  Over a number of years, back in the 80's and 90's and early 2000's, I spent a week in the Adirondacks, snowshoeing, skiing, just having a wonderful time with friends.

These days, I'd rather curl up on the couch with a good book, with the dogs cuddling next to me.

I saw an electronic sign today while running errands, "Spring is 40 days, x number minutes, and x seconds away."  That got my heart beating!

Looking around my house, I realized I'm down to just one house plant.  Little by little over months, the few others I had died.  So I made a trip out to the Garden Factory on the west side of town.  I bought 3 house plants.  I planned to buy a Wandering Jew and a Purple Passion, two of my favorites.  They were out of those but expect to get a new shipment early next week.  The three plants I bought were small.  I like to buy them small and watch them grow.    One plant, in the picture above, is in my living room.  The Spider plant is hanging in the kitchen.  The third one I haven't decided where it will go yet.

Just a small thing as going shopping for new house plants went a long way to boost my spirits.  And tomorrow is one day closer to Spring!

 

A Gem from Betty White

Butterflies are like women.  We may look pretty and delicate, but baby, we can fly through a hurricane!

Sourdough Mindset

Okay, let me start at the beginning.  Thirty years ago, I wanted to learn to make sourdough bread.  I researched everything about making the starter.  Just when I thought everything was going great, we had an ice storm and were without power for over a week.  Needless to say, the starter died.

I am otherwise an exceptional cook and baker.

Several other times over the years, I tried again.  Somehow the Sourdough Gods were against me.  My ego was crushed.

Now I've got the urge to try again and THIS TIME, come hell or high water, I will succeed!

I found a good sourdough support page on facebook and I've scoured YouTube videos.  I'm going to try to make my own starter from scratch.  I will give it two chances.  If neither works, I will swallow my pride and buy a dehydrated starter from King Arthur Flour.  I think one reason I may have failed, I've learned recently you should use filtered water and not tap water, since most of us have chlorine water in our towns.

I've always loved to cook and bake.  But it's more than that for me.  Have you seen the price of a quality loaf of bread in the grocery store?  And so often a loaf has already started to go stale by the time I open it up.  I yearn for that soft, fresh taste of bread right out of the oven.  And who doesn't just love the "tang" of sourdough?