Monday, April 30, 2012

Light


I love the light of spring and summer.

 I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact that there IS light after 4 pm.

Or the smell of fresh cut grass.

Or the fact that there are other people out and about doing out and about things.

I think maybe I am an optimist because I can recall distinctly saying, "__________ is my favorite season!" ---For EVERY season! This usually happens at the beginning when the seasons are changing.  (I am quite sure that I like the change, maybe more than the season....?)

We just came back from Dairy Queen with Lionel where I ordered a Doggie Sundae for him for the first time going through the drive-thru (usually they just give him one once we pull up to the window....a little splash of ice cream with a milk bone stuck in it.)  Today is the day we learned that it is called a Pup Cup.

Love it.  Love the light. Love today.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Sometimes......

There are so many things I want to do in my life and I don't know how to begin.

Do you ever feel like that? Like you are almost overwhelmed by all the possibilities? I mean, I guess that's a good thing, right? It still sucks to feel overwhelmed...... but maybe it is a positive kind of overwhelmed??

I dunno. Someone one more plain spoken might just tell me to just flippin' choose one option and start. Or in an even more straightforward manner: "s@/t or get off the pot!"

But then I am back full circle. I am all about action.....after some extensive stewing.....and that's the problem. How do I choose what to start? What if I choose wrong? How do I JUST START?

Today...."start" seems like a loaded word.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

How to Make Homemade Dog Food

The Wee One is big.  Like....195 pounds big at the last vet visit with Dr. Cindy.  Weighing him is a challenge because he is too long for step on scale so it takes a lot of maneuvering to get all four wheels on the platform.  So....we are gonna say "around 195-ish".  Whatevs....he's big.  He weighs more than me and if he ever figured out that he could pull ME around by the laughable canvas leash....I dunno--yikes.

Established: He's Big.  In order to get big, he has to eat. And not exercise a lot.  Not unlike Sumo Wrestlers' plan, I imagine.  He's still got some puppy in him, so he moves quite a bit, but in short bursts and then....done.  It is also not unusual for him to lay down, flop on his side and remain there while we are "on a walk".  In quotes because it is really more a meandering than an organized walk.  LOTS of sniffing and lollygagging.

The third most often made comment: "How much does he EAT?!?!"  (First: "What kind of dog is that?"  Second: "Is that a dog or a horse/pony/bear cub/calf?"  This is not a lie.) He eats.  He eat a lot more than a Pomeranian.

I make most of his food.  Two reasons: Firstly, the larger the breed (Mastiffs belong in the Giant Breed category) the shorter the life span.  5-7 years, 10 if we are really lucky.  So, I make his food so I can have hope that we will see the longer, rather than the shorter, end of the lifespan range.

Secondly, the cost.  IF the first reason is most important above, then we are not going to get Cheapo Dog Food.  The specialty brands for Giant Breeds are few, but they do exist.  We still give him commercial kibble and have found that Holistic Select fit well for us.  They had a Giant breed puppy formula that we started with and then just transitioned into the adult formula.

It ain't cheap....50 bucks or so for a 30 pound bag.  If he is eating 4 cups of kibble TWICE a day, that bag is not lasting very long.  It was 5 cups when he was growing.  Christ.  That is a lot of money.  Worth it, to be sure, as the Wee one is pretty important to us. So, we try this.

This makes enough for a week's worth of wet food.  To a serving of this we add a cup of kibble at each meal.  The cast of the show: chicken, barley, rice, veggies, pasta.  That's it.




Chicken: It is the cheapest and often whole chickens are the cheapest....but if I can get it on sale at least cut up a little---maybe some split chicken breast, I snap those up.  I need about 4.5 pounds of meat, so I look for a 5 pound chicken.

Barley: Bought in bulk.  Whatever is on sale at the co-op. 2 Cups.

Rice: bought in bulk, 25 pound bags....my mother-in-law has been sweet enough to get this for us at Sam's Club. 4 cups, sometimes I add a little more.



Pasta: Barilla doesn't get as gummy as Creamette which is generally cheaper than Barilla.  But when my grocery store has a stock up sale, I stock up.  And by stock up, I mean 20 boxes for 20 bucks.  I go through a box of pasta maybe every 2-3 weeks making food, so I can usually bridge from sale to sale this way. 2 cups.

Veggies: Almost anything....typically, Sweet Potatoes when they are on sale.  A good size one is more than enough for one batch.   I have also just used frozen mixed vegetables, green beans, apples, spinach, carrots make a frequent appearance....really, whatever is cheapest or on sale at the grocer's.  4 cups are needed.





If I have a whole chicken, I will remove the skin, take off the thigh/drumstick portion and then split the breasts.

I have to make it in two pots, so this makes dividing the amount of meat equally between the two pots.


Each pot, with all ingredients added gets 14 cups of water.  I have the humongoid Pyrex measuring cup that can double as a mixing bowl to measure this.


I had a pretty good size sweet potato that was just under 4 cups, so I added in an apple that was sitting out. I leave the seeds out as I think I read somewhere they have toxic dealies for dogs.  

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally so the stuff on the bottom doesn't burn to the pan.


When all is done, I remove the meat and put it in my Pyrex measuring bowl to cool a little and give the rest of the mixture a little more cooking time to get rid of some of the liquid if needed.  It can still have some liquid that will firm up the finished product once cooled.  That makes it easier, and cleaner, to eat.

I have also boiled or roasted the chicken ahead of time and let it cool completely to ease the meat removal.
Once I have removed the meat, I add it back to its pot and stir.

I have a bunch of Tupperware stuff that is stack-able for the fridge.  If we had a smaller dog that didn't eat through all this in a week, we would freeze it.  It does freeze well; you also have to remember to thaw it out in time or face the wrath of a hungry dog trying to eat a Popsicle....which we have done in the summer
.........outside.

All told, I get enough for 7 days worth of food for him.  Each container holds 3-4 cups.  Sometimes I have 12 containers, sometimes I have 15 containers.  Meh.  I don't worry about it too much as it will all even out in the end.

That's it.  I love the Wee One and he loves this food.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Which of These Items Is Most Relevant to This Summer?





The urn on the let that holds the doggie treats for the household?

 Nope.  We are not getting another dog.

The alarm clock from the 30s?

Nope.  Not going to sleep my way through the summer nor am I going to time travel.

But I am going to travel to where I bought the Turkish Coffee Maker....I am going to Turkey for two weeks in July........SQUEEE!!!!!! Got picked to go on an Educator Cultural Trip given by the Turkish Cultural Foundation and Turkish Airlines.

We will be visiting many of the places that I have visited on previous trips. But now...It will be the first time to see Turkey through a Teacher Lens and how I can use what I gain in knowledge and artifacts in my classroom.

I can't wait to get my packet of information.  Cannot wait!!!




Saturday, April 7, 2012

Cocoony.

This is today.  Dreary. Chilly. Cocoony.
It makes you want to put on some comfy clothes that may or may not have seen better days.....you aren't going out in this, so what?
After a week off for Spring Break, the weather matches my mood.
Not in a Dreary Chilly way....more in a contented, relaxed, at peace sort of vibe.
It makes you want to do putter-y-time-consuming-but-low-overall-maintenance type deals.
Like make the Wee One's food for the week.
Or....I dunno....not do dishes right away.
Or do naughty things disguised as healthy things.
Granola?  Good for you.
All the granola? Not.
This is seriously that good of a granola. I love it so.
It does not always return the sentiment.
The Wee One might have the right idea for today.
Enjoy your day!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Awkward?

Uhmmm...hi. Hi. This is awkward. Not awkward like junior high flirting, but...you know AWK-ward. It's been a while. I've been absent. I decided to try and figure "It" out. What I was doing, where I was going, what I wanted, meow, meow meow.


 "It" is still decidedly un-figured out.  So what.


 Then....I felt awkward. Like.....I've been gone so long, how do I jump back into this deal? Pretend I wasn't gone? "Oh, hey, so I forgot to tell you yesterday, I mean last year, that....."


 Or...how about: "Let's play catch up about everything that I missed telling you about for more than the last year! FUN!"    Most of it? In the grand Scheme of Things? No big.


So.

There.

Then......I just came back. I was composing blog posts in my brain on my morning walks and the Awkward-ness kept me from posting them. Stupid. Whatever. I'm back.  (AC/DC playin' in my head right now....) A little Repentant. Pretty Excited. Normally Loosey-Goosey. Just how I like it. Shiny Raccoon Baby as ever.