Freemotion's food journal: Expanding the gardens, pics p 53

[freemotion]

Wow! Amazing double....triple....or is it quadruple....tasking!!! That is how I do things, in a flurry, and as many things as I can going at the same time so I can have the next few days "off."

I, too, hope to get to my dining room....stripping paper, repairing the ceiling (had to drill holes in it to let water out in one of our major roof leaks!) and painting, also sanding and painting the stairs and fixing the post at the bottom, all of which are part of the dining room.....this winter.

My poochie's name is Gunnar. He is named after a FEMA SAR dog named Gunner that I massaged at Ground Zero in 2001 as part of a team of volunteers....we were forbidden to work on dogs, as that is illegal in NY unless under a veterinarian's observation.....well, the owner of the dog was a veteran, so I guess that is close enough! I came home from that week desperate to get a dog of my own for the first time. I figured a poodle would be a better first dog for me than a Rottweiler, which Gunner was! Unfortunately, I ended up with a dog that is WAY smarter than I am, so I spent a LOT of money and time with trainers, trying to hang onto a shred of my sanity. It was all worth it. He is a wonderful dog. He was given the nickname "remote-controlled dog" by friends because he is so good, and his commands are hand signals.

Hope your doggie is doing ok.....did you say bloat somewhere?

 

[reinbeau]

Forbidden to work on dogs? Massage? Why on earth?? I always give doggies nice hip massages, I massage their shoulders, they seem to love it, especially the older ones, the ones with arthritis, like me

 

[freemotion]

Forbidden because I am a professional, and NY allows animal massage in a professional capacity only through a vet's office. Our licenses were good for people as per President Bush for this special situation.....so as a pro, I was under certain restrictions, more than a dog owner would be.

 

[big brown horse]

Forbidden because I am a professional, and NY allows animal massage in a professional capacity only through a vet's office. Our licenses were good for people as per President Bush for this special situation.....so as a pro, I was under certain restrictions, more than a dog owner would be.

Well that is a strange loop hole! Glad you were there to help those poor souls at ground zero. I'll bet that memory is etched into your brain forever. My cousin donated his time and dump truck (hey, I tried to tell you that I come from high class!) and he is still haunted by the images he saw. He also has changed for the better since that experience...he drove from WI to Mississippi to help out with the Katrina victims too...he and his big truck have found a new calling. I'm so proud of him!!

I love the name Gunnar! Poodles are very smart...they are at the tip top of the chart when it comes to smarts. St. Bernards are down there at the very, very bottom holding everyone up. Thats ok, they are snuggly and stand in for extra blankets in the winter.

Don't know if I mentioned bloat, but yep, that is what happened, or tried to happen. Thank Goodness we didn't need surgery, she passed the junk she ingested (dont ask) after 3 days!! She had to eat the "bland" diet of rice and chicken breasts..shh, don't tell the vet that she also got glops of kefir too to off set the antibiotics she had to take.

How long until your poo's bottom is better? What color is he? Did I mention I love poodles? That is going to be my next dog I think, I am tired of all this hair and slobber!!!

 

[freemotion]

BBH, missed this in the craziness that has been my September and will continue through October....Gunnar is a black miniature, oversized, and cute as a bug. I am glad your SB is doing better....G's tuckus is much better, and is now worth an ounce of pure gold! We will have to wait and see if it was a one time fluke or not. So far, so good!

I am up North right now, helping get my folks house ready for market this week. I saw something wonderful....my dad showed me the pillow he uses, it was made by his mother at least fifty years ago from feathers from her own flock. She made my parents a pair of pillows for their wedding, and my dad still uses his. It is still a wonderful pillow.

I remember staying at my Memere and Pepere's house many, many years ago and since other relatives were visiting at the same time, my family of five shared one bedroom. My sister and I slept on quilts on the floor, my brother must've been in the bed with my parents, as he was quite little.

At that age....I was 5, maybe?.....I loved little treasures like pretty rocks, interesting leaves, and especially feathers. That first night, I discovered a bit of a feather sticking out of the seam of my pillow, so I tugged and it came out. It was so pretty, and there was another.....and another....and like a box of tissues, each one I pulled brought another one a bit through the seam.

I had quite a pile that I hid under the bed.

Mom found it in the morning. Boy, was she ticked!!! (Pun intended ) Memere was ok with it....dad says nothing bothered her, she was very relaxed and calm. I plan to try to get those genes to express themselves more strongly in me!

Now my dad will be saving feathers for me, and I will save some from the three roosters we will process eventually. I will be making my own pillows, no matter how long it takes to save enough feathers!

 

[freemotion]

Made some cornbread last night, and just finished off the last piece...that is why I don't bake! No self control! I made it NT-style, with fresh-ground corn, and a combination of soft white wheat and kamut. Butter and kefir in it, too. Yummmmmmm..... We had it with leftover General Tso's chicken, made with brocolli, asparagus, red peppers, and chard stems and leaves.

Just now, I had a visit from our future dog. The lady needs to give him up and it really helped her to see his soon-to-be new home, with the big yard and the next-door farm for walks and the interaction with our current animals. He is a two-year-old intact cocker-poo, so I wanted to be sure he would not rip and tear my old cats. He was fine with them.

He gets neutered tomorrow and will come live with us later in the week. She wants a few more days with him, so it will probably be Friday night. Pictures when he is officially ours! She rescued him, so that also fits with my philosophy. He is too hyper for her, and she knows he will do better with a fenced yard and a high-energy owner....which is me!

Can't wait!

 

[Dace]

Hey Free....your cornbread sounds yummy!

I would like to find a little grain mill, any suggestions on what to look for or where to get one? I know absolutely nothing other than everyone says fresh ground wheat can not be beat! My birthday is coming up and I may put it on my wish list

 

[big brown horse]

Congrads on the new pup!!

 

[freemotion]

Thanks, BBH, and Dace, I don't know....there is a thread on that somewhere, but if you want to grind seriously, you really need to spend a little money. You might try using a coffee grinder to see if you like it, but the flour will be a bit coarse. I already had a VitaMix....we got it as a present to each other because we wanted to add more fresh veggies to our diets and thought shakes would work well for us....it was a total success. I had it for a year or two before I became interested in grinding grain, so I didn't have to go buy something special. Do you know anyone with a VitaMix that you can visit with a bag of wheat in hand? They do need to have the special container with the "dry" blades, though. I love my machine and will do whatever I need to do to replace it when the time comes.

As for the new pooch....I got very little sleep last night! He is a sweety, but needs some training to integrate into our household. The cats have another opinion about that, though, and so does our dog, Gunnar, who I have been calling "cranky old man" for the past few hours!

The new boy doesn't have a name yet....he was called Buddy, which is Gunnar's main nickname, so that has to change. I will post pictures as soon as dh gets up (third shift, a nap, then he goes to teach this afternoon) as he is the keeper of all things electronic. I don't even know where he keeps the batteries. How sad is that?

The pooch is a good boy, mostly, but barks a lot and is very hyper. He has a normal bark, but also owns that ear-splitting shrill bark that one usually associates with a much smaller dog. He also has a serious underbite, so I wonder if he is something other than cockerpoo. Can't wait for your opinions! I feel that he will quickly get our routine down, and Gunnar will teach him how to behave soon enough. It is pouring out today, but when I can exercise him thoroughly, that will help a lot.

He will get his first taste of raw chicken later today!

 

[Dace]

Hey there Free....how is the puppy adjusting to life in the Freemotion household??

I have a question for you (naturally) I am counting my 2 lbs of veggies per day but it just dawned on me that my 3/4 pound smoothie is 3/4 fruit (1/2 banana, 5 big strawberries, 1/3 cup black berries). Is that ok or do I need to some how adjust?

In my world 2 lbs of fruit & veg is a massive improvement...so i am hoping this is acceptable, but if I need to count fruit separately I can.

What do you think?