LONG time since I posted

I won this awesome basket of DOG GOODIES, then gave it to a dear friend 'cause she just adopted a pet rescue

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December the ONTH!

The Popover recipe re configured…what a bust that was!

However the Apple Pies were YUMMY

With Thanksgiving just barely over we head to the BIG ONE.

Our Thanksgiving was fabulous.

What could be more enjoyable than having family together?

Hectic, sure is BUT man the fun HECTIC makes...

puts a spring in my step to be sure.

Food smells permeated the home, homemade ice cream,

Joe’s Green beans, Sweet Potato Goodness, special YUMMM there,

gravy and dressing; store bought frozen turkey.

Still love to watch the cranberries POP…such fun in the kitchen for sure.

The ICE CREAM MAKER of ALL TIMES!

Christmas Goose is in the freezer, NO not one of ours…

Old but a tried and true recipe

Perfect Ice Cream making causes a STIR at our HOME

The Store Bought Turkey

The tree has been picked out, now to ready the PROPER location in the home. Ah the smell of fresh pine…

HEAVE HO

Lovely LIVE Bird!

Slate preforming in front of the dogs

Gentle touches

Home Sweet Home

NOW

Time to get the inside decorated and begin to surreptitiously drag out from hiding places gifts to be wrapped.

DOG DAYS

It has been a grueling five days. Starting May 16 we discovered our new puppies had PARVO.

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Not only THIS, but it has rained almost daily and the temperatures have been cool. Spirits with overcast, cloudy rain swollen clouds make for LONG days

Gardening and general outside work has been inconstant, but progress can still be measured.

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A mini vacation is clearly in order. With that said blogging SHOULD resume to what ever NORMAL is sometime next week. By then Pictures of the Babies are hopeful.

Mom “Jazzy” is doing QUITE well in gaining some needed weight and getting more active…She and George are becoming fast friends. Parvoviral infection has become a disease almost exclusively of puppies and adolescent dogs.

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This Site has answers to many of people’s Questions! Parvoviral infection must be considered as a possible diagnosis in any young dog with vomiting and/or diarrhea. With proper hospitalization, survival rates approach 80%. Still, there are many myths and misunderstandings about this virus, how it is spread, and how to prevent it. The purpose of this web site is to clear up these misconceptions and provide the public with an accurate information source

WHERE DOES VIRUS COME FROM? ~

WHY ONLY PUPPIES? INCUBATION The virus enters the body through the mouth as the puppy cleans itself or eats food off the ground or floor. A minuscule amount of infected stool is all it takes. There is a 3-7 day incubation period before the puppy seems obviously ill.A puppy that has NOT shown obvious improvement by the 4th Day of treatment does not survive.

OURS began showing Improvement less than 24 hours into the medication routine.

Exercise

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Your puppy should be considered contagious to other puppies for a good month so it is important to “play it safe” by restricting trips to the park, obedience school or other neighborhood areas. If your puppy is less than 16 weeks of age, he/she should not be allowed in public areas until the vaccination series is fully completed.

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Other Pets Cats and humans are not susceptible to canine parvovirus infection. Adult dogs that have been vaccinated are not susceptible, either. Puppies, however, are at risk. If your sick puppy was indoors only, wait at least one month before any new puppies come to your home. If your sick puppy was outdoors, remember that it can take 7 months before the virus is eliminated from soil. (Freezing will preserve the virus so that any time, during which the ground is frozen, that time does not count in this 7-month period.)

Now we can SIT a bit and begin to enjoy our new family ~~

Be back next week with pictures of the puppies in the SUNSHINE!

As we approach Mother’s Day Jazzy is on my mind…

Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends - but only one mother in the whole world. ~Kate Douglas Wiggin

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Jazzy and the veterinarian SIGH I guess I sweated bullets for nothing… ~~ As I write today’s blog the puppies are in their Playpen eating…it is raining outside soooooooooooo the Playpen is now my office…SIGH ;)

My Sweetie took Jazzy to the Vet’s last evening, I patiently waited, and waited, and waited………………………………. Finally I see him coming down the driveway, was she still in the car? Had something gone wrong? OH the wait is a killer for sure. He drives into the football field [a term we have labeled the side yard…] My Sweetie gets out, leans back in the car and says,” Come on Jazzy.” I am relieved she is with him. All sorts of things went through my head the longer the Vet visit seemed to take… “Well, what did the Vet say?” I queried?

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“Vet said we have a dog.” AARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH sometimes men are …….. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

~

At any rate here is the good news!

While Jazzy is only 40 pounds [typical weight for her at her age should be 55 to 60 #], she has been given all her shots, and is due for a booster in three weeks. We will be holding off spaying her until she gains weight. She was a perfect Lady I was told, in the car, on the table as well as getting her shots… As we sat outside last evening enjoying a lovely spring evening we learned something new about Jazzy…I honestly believe she has never seen ducks or geese, at apparently she is apprehensive of the cats…SO FAR. Our youngest son found out she will play fetch with a yellow squeaky toy…SO some training has happened in her life…now to re tune it. Again she needs time to adjust to better health, her new life and us. We chastised her behavior with the cats. We told her it was OK about the ducks and geese…the peaceable Kingdom here works for us… And she SURE knows she is NOT allowed on the sofa! George is not allowed on the sofa either… Is it not entertaining how we all differ in the rules on our homes? Whether it be children, cats, dogs etc?

Frost

And Traditions

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Ah as I sat in my Nook this morning I could see a light skimmer of frost over all the bushes, trees and the water saturated ground from last weeks flooding. It was magnificent My Sweetie bopped into the Nook and mentioned as well how beautiful it was out there. “ Are you going to take some pictures?’ he queried. I smiled.

First things first… 1. Had to wake up TOTALLY. 2. Feed George 3. Feed the outside cats 4. Let the Kittens out for a romp 5. And THINK about the next move I should make.

This week has been something else. Of course this time of year IS hectic. Now that the Stockings have been found and the Angel is atop the tree things seemed to be getting better.

I still have not had the time to get the Embroidery thread, nor do some last minute shopping… UN encumbered from needs of others I am squirreling myself away to accomplish STUFF!

Here is the picture of the WVU Felted Door Decoration, still needs more “things” sewn on. Then to complete the College Football Excel Sheet… enter my picks, then enter the other participants. Heyya the First College Bowl Game is TONIGHT! Utah vs. Navy; Dec. 20, 9 p.m.; ESPN HD; San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl!

Oh yes Football and HA HA, me! This too is a family tradition and a fun one at that.

George and Willow got into the Act; I took 80 pictures just of them ;)

I did manage to get the homemade gifts that we give to some of the local business people in our town. I just finished actually. This year I mixed the Dry ingredients for

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Gingerbread Waffles *** Recipe at end of Post @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

What I will do with the Waffle Dry Ingredients is add the information for the wet ingredients in the Gift bag. The people to whom they are given have an opportunity to share with their families whenever it suits them.

@@@@@@@@@@@ No ordinary breakfast, gingerbread waffles are an easy indulgence and best served with tangy sour cream and tart lingonberry preserves (although, truth be told, they're delicious with any type of berry jam). For a special touch, use a heart-shape waffle iron.

@@ I might cheerfully add, just doing that has my Christmas Spirit topping the charts. @@@@@@@@

I remember years ago when I was a little Girl, Daddy would leave a Fifth of Vodka out for the Waste Management people… Mom on the other hand always added homemade bread or cookies. Think Mom was sorta against the Vodka, But bottom line the bottles were always gone as well as the food and a hasty note left saying MERRY CHRISTMAS and Thank You.

Gingerbread Waffles

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Ingredients Makes 10.

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2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 4 large eggs 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving 3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses Lingonberry preserves (or other berry preserves), for serving

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Directions 1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs, butter, milk, sour cream, and molasses in a medium bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, and whisk until smooth.

2. Heat a waffle iron. Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each mold, and cook until golden brown. Serve warm waffles with sour cream and preserves.

Copyright 2007 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

As promised ~

Remember several days ago I mentioned Doug, Holly and Gus? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here is the low down. Here it is getting ready for the next Holiday that is now less than a month away. First and foremost is deciding what kind of a tree we shall get. For more then twenty-five years we have chosen rooted trees. While one of our considerations is Growing Christmas trees provides a habitat for wildlife.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Did you know Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850?

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Other types of trees such as cherry and hawthorns were used as Christmas trees in the past.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OK I bet you have figured most of this out already… Gus is giving you Raised eyebrows…?

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The history of the Christmas tree! It's generally believed that the first real Christian Christmas tree dates back to 8th century Germany. Boniface, an English missionary, introduced a decorated fir tree in homage to the Christ Child.

~~~~~~~~~~~ Balled-and-bur lapped or container-grown Christmas trees can be planted out as landscape trees after Christmas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This year we chose Douglas!

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Douglas Fir – Pseudotsuga menziesii – good fragrance; holds blue to dark green; 1” to 1 ½” needles; needles have one of the best aromas among Christmas trees when crushed. Named after David Douglas who studied the tree in the 1800’s; good conical shape; can live for a thousand years.

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Pseudotsuga menziesii is one of the world's most important and valuable timber trees plus a favorite Christmas tree. It is a major component of the forests of western North America and has been successfully introduced in the last 100 years into many regions of the temperate forest zone. Horticulturists recommend doug fir as a "great" tree to plant as an ornamental in the northern U.S. states. Because of a uniform pyramidal shape when young, it is also a preferred Christmas tree. Douglas-fir is not a true fir and has been a taxonomic nightmare for those trying to settle on a genus name. After changing names on numerous occasions the present scientific name Pseudotsuga menziesii now uniquely belongs to Douglas-fir. The unusual cone is also unique with, forked, snake-tongue-like bracts extending from each scale. The tree is one of the dominant trees in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and up the slopes to medium altitudes. It has the largest latitudinal range of any commercial conifer native to western North America.

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Douglas fir are liked for their dense bushy shape and fine soft green needles. They have a distinctive pine-like scent, and that fragrance seems to last through the entire Christmas season.

OK, so what about Holly? Aka Ilex opaca, the leaves are typical of our image of a Christmas holly -- thick and dark green, with spiny edges. The berries are red and produced on female plants in the fall. They last through much of the winter, attracting birds. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Well there she was just hanging out at the Garden Center looking like she needed a good home. So we got a wee one to plant with or close to Douglas after Christmas.

~~~~~~~~~~~ Birds like blue jays, cedar waxwings, robins, mockingbirds, red-bellied woodpeckers, and wild turkey, eat the berries of American holly as do mammals such as raccoon and deer. These berries are also an important food source in the winter for songbirds. In return, the birds carry holly seeds from the berries to new areas.

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For sure my Sweetie and I like that. In past years I have transplanted three Holly’s from the woods and they have thrived. Just seemed the thing to do this year getting another one. An article by H. E. Grelen: Commented about the Pilgrims and how this tree ~ “…reminded them of the English holly (Ilex aquifolium), a symbol of Christmas for centuries in England and Europe (13,26).”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A carol like the Holly and the Ivy to have survived over the years especially during the stern protestant period of the 17th century. The Holly and the Ivy have always been taken indoors during the winter the hope being that the occupants would survive difficult conditions just like the hardy Holly and the Ivy. The colours of the Holly and Ivy, green and red are traditionally associated with Christmas. The author and composer of the Holly and the Ivy remain unknown.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Holly and the Ivy : Lyrics and Music

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Play Music !

OK now for GUS! On our way home with the trees in the pickup we stopped next door to deliver some mail that was mistakenly left in our mailbox. My Sweetie drove though our field and left me to attend to Douglas and Holly. ~~~~~~~~~ I sat there watching this man jaunt toward our neighbors, and noticed a new dog there. Ummmmmmmm guesss they have another dog. Before long my Sweetie is lopping toward the truck assisted by the HUGE dog that appears to maybe be a Blue Tic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Picture Link!

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It is said that the color of the modern Bluetick Coonhound is a clue that the breed is a descendent of the French stag hound called the Grand Bleu de Gascogne. It is also believed that other ancestors of the breed include the English foxhound, curs, and several breeds of other French hounds. The mix was crossed again with American hounds which created a dog that offered more endurance and good cold-trailing abilities. Originally, the Bluetick Coonhound was classified as an English Coonhound, but the Bluetick breeders diverted from English breeders in the mid 1940s.

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Bottom line I was thinking GADS ZOOKS, etc. Gus, as was the name on his dog tag took my Sweetie for a Semi run to one of our spare kennels. I sat and beamed knowing what a kind and loving person I share my life with. So we have another dog, if the owner cannot be located…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As luck would have it, through my Sweeties attention to homeless animals…we located the owner. Fact it was a neighbor that we affectionately call His Ed ~Ness. YES Gus was a pet rescue for Ed and his wife, they had only had the dog less than a month and this was the third time GUS wandered off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The departing words when Ed came to get Gus were: “he already ate Ed.”. Ed chuckled, “well that just saved mw 5 pounds of food right there.” Of course thanks and great to see you and Merry Christmas to all of your family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ok now go Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PS Tuna is slowly coming out of shock…

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George is Happy Gus found his family!

I finished it!

“laughing gas”

Yup I just cast off the last stitch. I breathed a sigh of relief… Next step is to take the ends of the yarn and slip them back into the project. Last step will be to block it prior to sending.

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I will tie the loose ends in on Saturday… ;) because I have worked on this, my first baby blanket during all of the WVU football games. Seems fitting and proper I finish it on the day our regular season is over.

************** Not that doing so will insure we win, just a good story my Niece might one day tell her daughter.

********************* Picture of that once it is blocked. One of the most important skills for knitters to learn is blocking knitting. Blocking refers to the process that makes knitted objects square and even. Blocking knitting is vital to making sweaters fit right and to making blocks for a project all the same size. As they say the Finishing TOUCHES.

***************** HA HA another Football term BLOCKING. Snickering.

********************************************* I figure Game time is the perfect time for the project to RELAX, as for sure I will be on pins and needles. Sat, Dec 1st, 2007, ESPN, 7:45 PM Home game against Pittsburgh. The 100th Backyard Brawl!

************************************** Then there is the story about Douglas and Holly as well as meeting GUS.

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Today the dentist, while always difficult for me to endure, today the nitrous got a tad out of hand…

*********************** Nitrous oxide (also called dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula N2O. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anaesthetic and analgesic effects. It is commonly known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its non-medical use as an inhalant drug. It is also used in motor racing to increase the power output of engines. ********************* Well my motor was racing MANY RPM’S

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Got a good snort of the stuff and thought I heard my answering machine go off. WOW what a trip. Not only that but before we all knew something was amiss, I swear I could smell Sushi

****************** It gets better, I think. I had to pop into a shop for another item, and while I was there the owner and his son and I discussed the placement of the Christmas tree in his shop. During the 2 hour lovely chatty visit the son said. Now remember this is a young man that recently returned from Iraq, and I have seen him grow up.

*************** YUP SUCKER on my forehead…

**************************** Just Say N2O HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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It seems Josh cannot keep his year old cat in his apartment, because the landlord wants to up his rent significantly a year…damage prediction…

************************* Wellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tomorrow afternoon, we will open our home to a spayed female that I believe is a longhaired light brown named TUNA. Neat name we shall keep it.

************************** As for Doug, Holly and GUS will tell about that tomorrow.

The TAIL/TALE of the New River weekend

While my sister-in-law and I visited my daughters /her nieces, my Sweetie, Phil and SAM took off for the New River for a relaxing chance to drown some worms, AKA Fishing camping and canoeing …just kidding there Sweetie…;)

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These are some pictures of their trip and a lesson learned about “Swimtail”.

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But now about “Swimtail”! As you see from the pictures SAM is one handsome dog. As is with any Labrador the “urege” to swim is second nature to this breed. AAAt some point when they guys were ready to bed for the night Sam was showing some distress, not wanting to move, when touched to locate any possible problems his hind quarters were especailly tender.

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After an earlier departure, because of SAM, and a fast trip to Richmond and the Vets office this was what had occurred. The otter-like tail and webbed toes of the Labrador retriever make them excellent swimmers. Their interwoven coat is also relatively waterproof, providing more assistance for swimming. The tail acts as a rudder for changing directions.

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Yup SAM over did the swimming. Thankfully a few days of now swimming and all is well that ENDS well [pun intended]! A Labrador that undertakes significant swimming without building up can develop a swelling or apparent kink known as swimtail. This can be easily treated by a veterinary clinic and tail rest.

The modern Labrador Retriever is among the oldest of the modern "recognized" breeds; according to the American Kennel Club, pedigrees exist back to 1878. The Kennel Club recognized the Lab in 1903. The first registration of Labradors by the AKC was in 1917; many English dogs were imported post World War I and these formed the foundation of the American variety.

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Good-tempered, very agile. Excellent nose, soft mouth; keen love of water. Adaptable, devoted companion. Intelligent, keen and biddable, with a strong will to please. Kindly nature, with no trace of aggression or undue shyness. - UK Kennel Club standard

Looking content~~~~~~

Divided interests?

So cute they are both looking in the same direction

SAM

The New River is home to many species of freshwater game fish including bass, trout, walleye, muskellunge, crappie, bluegill, carp, or flathead and channel catfish.

Despite its name, the river is considered by some geologists to be possibly one of the oldest rivers in the world, between 10 million and 360 million years old. According to local folklore, it is considered to be second in age only to the Nile River and thus the oldest in North America. However, the ages of rivers are very difficult to establish with precision; as the wide range of possible ages for the New River demonstrates, there is no established ranking of the ages of major rivers. The New River flows in a generally south to north course, which is against the southwest to northeast topology of the Appalachian Mountains and the west to east flow of most other nearby major rivers especially in Virginia and North Carolina. This peculiarity may mean that the New River's formation preceded much of the surrounding landscape, although again this hypothesis has not been proven beyond doubt.

The New River, a tributary of the Kanawha River, is approximately 320 mi (515 km) long, flowing through the states of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia in the United States. Much of the river's course through West Virginia is designated as the New River Gorge National River. The New River is one of the American Heritage Rivers of the United States.

For sure not the foods we sampled…;)