Local Love

At home I serve the kind of food I know the story behind. -- Michael Pollan

First off, a little blog business: I've picked up a couple new followers -- but no new comments were posted, so if I'm not following your blog and you follow mine, would you comment here please so I can rectify that?

Thanks :-)

So, we went to our local "New Hampshire Store" yesterday -- not the real name, but what we call it. It's basically a shed with refrigerators inside and heat. They stock only local foods and I just completely enjoy going there. Yesterday I got some veggies (grown in a greenhouse in Maine), hamburger (grass fed, grain finished on a ranch in Louden, NH), organic amaranth and quinoa from a farm in New Boston, NH and shrimp from off the boat in Rye, NH.

I'd directed one of my agility friends there -- we'd been discussing food, and I could tell she felt the same as I did about local foods. She went in and had loads of fun, but had seen the unique jams they had (garlic jelly, pepper jelly, etc) and asked the lady if the person who made the jellies had tomato jelly.

So the owner called.

The lady who makes the preserves said she'd be happy to make some, but would need to wait until tomatoes were in season in the summer for best flavor.

How cool is that? Can't get that kind of service from your chain grocery store.

I might have to try making tomato jam this year. Just for something new.

In other news, at beginning agility last night one of the other dogs came in with kennel cough (yes, CAME IN, which really annoyed me). The owner said he got it the same weekend as Dakota, so I have to assume they got it from the same place. Probably from someone WHO BROUGHT THEIR SICK DOG IN EVEN THOUGH THEY KNEW IT WAS SICK.

:::grumble:::

The instructor didn't make her leave, but did advise everyone that the dog had kennel cough so they could choose to stay or not. I would have asked her to go home.

Today is cold. Really cold. Like negative numbers cold. It's going to warm up a little one the sun is really up, but right now it's brutal. I hated making poor Dakota go outside to do her business.

Come on spring.

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You Are Balanced

You are an expansive and open-minded person. You want to experience the world without judgment. You are energetic to the point of being athletic and sporty. You like to move! You have a good sense of humor. You are easily amused, and others find you to be quite amusing. You are optimistic and always expect the best. You put misfortune in perspective.

The Watercolor Blot Test

Blogthings: We'll Tell You The Truth... Someone Has To!

HA - only about 25% right. But I do love teal.

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Smart Dogs and Weird Dreams

Poisons and medicine are oftentimes the same substance given with different intents. ~Peter Mere Latham

I dreamed last night that I was running my daughter in agility. There were hurdles and obstacles all around a room, only the hurdles were too high and she kept knocking them over.

Freud would probably have a field day with me.

Tonight is agility night, and we have to go because DD promised to run another woman's dog while she was on vacation. This means I have to leave my dog behind and go to agility without her. I already feel terrible and don't even want to think about the look on her face when we shut the door and drive off without her. It's almost as if we're committing doggie adultery.

Speaking of Dakota, she's on antibiotics and hates the pills. They're pretty small, so I've tried hiding them in bits of food, but last time she had pills she bit into one in the middle of a chunk of meat and now suspects anything I give her. So the last two days, I've just been sticking them down her throat and using a liquid syringe to give her a little water to make her swallow.

The result of that? As soon as I open the cupboard with the pills, she hides. Never mind that I have her food (she gets the pills at her meals), never mind I bought her roast beef, never mind any of that. The cupboard opens, she leaves.

There are days I hate smart dogs.

So, now I'm going to have to remember to get her pills out in the middle of the day... just leave it sitting out somewhere an hour or so before her meals. Though I'm a little afraid she's just going to eventually stop eating.

I had a friend whose dog wouldn't take pills for anything, until her mom accidentally dropped one on the floor and the dog pounced and swallowed before she could pick it up. From the moment on, her mom would pretend to be making some meal at the counter and then "accidentally" drop her meds on the floor. Worked every time.

See -- dumb dogs rock.

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You Are Silver

You are down to earth and unpretentious. You don't feel like you need to show off, and you're very secure with your place in the world. You are understated and elegant. You carry yourself with poise, and you're more known for what you don't do than what you do. You can fit in anywhere from a country western bar to a black tie gala. You are adaptable and adventurous. You are blind to social class and background. You see people as who they are ... not as where they came from or how much money they have.

Are You Silver or Gold?

Not sure about the elegant part, but the rest is pretty right on.

This and That

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. - Philip K. Dick

So, Dakota went to the doggy doc yesterday and definitely has kennel cough. It's a mild case (her tonsils are inflames and her lymph nodes are swollen, but it's not in her chest and lungs), but she still has to be kept away from other dogs for ten days. I don't know who's going to be more upset by this, her or me. I really depend on her playtime with other dogs to get her wiggles out. Walks with me are fun, but not exactly as stimulating as playtime. Oh well, it is what it is.

We had ice yesterday morning and then rain the rest of the day. We did lose power for a millisecond -- just long enough to make me have to reset all the clocks in the house and to freak DD out. She was watching her school DVD and had just hit the pause button on the remote when the power shut off. She thought SHE had done something! LOL...

Speaking of DD, she's been experimenting with wire-wrapping on her jewelry. Her first tries weren't very good, but I think she's getting much better. Check it out:


Those earrings are actually listed on her site (you can click on the photo to see more pictures). This necklace isn't yet -- I just took the pix yesterday, but I thought she did a great job (she even wire-wrapped the "eye" loop):



She's also starting to experiment with creating her own "findings" -- the earring wires, head pins, eye pins, etc. We need to invest in some more tools, but we're waiting until her business picks up again. She's donating three sets to the Brenda Novak auction, and I'm trying to think of ways to get the DistinctivelyDD name out there. All suggestions welcome :-)

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You Are Chocolate Syrup

You are both powerful and vulnerable. People are drawn to your delicious contradictions. You are patient and loyal, but you can also be determined and sensuous. You get yourself into sticky situations at times, but you have the grace to recover beautifully. You can be passionate to the point of being possessive. You come on strong.

What Ice Cream Topping Are You?

About 75% right...

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Slip, Sliding Away ....

"The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be" - Marcel Pagnol

It's been an interesting few days. First, weather: Snow Friday -- a lot. Well over a foot. Snow Sunday -- more than they expected. Easily 6 - 7". Today? Ice, Ice Baby. Ugh.

I know spring is around the corner... I just wish it would hurry along. I keep seeing posts on Facebook about people putting in their gardens. I am green with envy.

Funny thing, though, some critter came out and ran around in the snow last night. When I took Dakota out, there were little trails everywhere! I wonder what it was, and what it was doing?

I need to take Dakota to the vet today, too, so I hope the ice changes over to rain early. It's supposed to do so after lunchtime. I won't drive in ice. Snow is bad, but ice is downright deadly.

Those of you whole are friends with me on Facebook already saw that Dakota seems to have kennel cough. She started on Saturday -- sounded like she had something stuck in her throat. But she did it over, and over, and over all day long. Then she woke me early on Sunday coughing. Though she didn't do it much the rest of the day (we kept her quiet) we need to take her in to the doctor.

Here's what kennel cough sounds like, for those of you with dogs:



Was incredibly busy all weekend, but did try to visit some of you. I'm SO behind, but am trying to work my way through the many hundreds of posts in my reader. Hopefully today I'll be able to do so.

How was your weekend?

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You Are Sledding

You are a very self-aware person, but you never take yourself too seriously. You have an ironic view of life and yourself. When things get tough, you can get philosophical. You are easygoing and easy to please. You love to break out of your comfort zone. You are too much of a generalist to specialize in anything. There are many fields you dabble in.

Are You Skiing, Sledding, Skating, or Snowboarding?

About 50/50 ...

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