HOME MADE DOG FOOD!

I have a few photos of the dog food we make every week for Dusty and Roman. I took them using the same camera I use every other day, downloaded them using the same method I use ever other day, to the same file I store them in every other day. For some reason today this computer has decided it is unable to read these photos, so without the benefit of a visual, I'll just tell you about the dog food. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

According to several articles I've read on the topic of dog food, it is best to feed your dog kibble. Best for their development, weight control, overall health and it makes for great lookin poop.

So called experts in dog food say that the first ingredient listed on the package of kibble should be a protien, like chicken or beef. The remaining ingredients are usually fillers or carbs.

Since my dogs are great con artists who have me wrapped around that little extra toe dogs have on their front legs, I not only give them kibble, I mix their kibble with other wet, more exciting and tasty stuff. I used to use canned dog food, but now use the following recipe, and they love, love, love it.

Ingredients:

1 package turkey legs/drumsticks

1 cup white rice

1.5 cups water

1 package frozen green beans, cooked

1 sweet potato, baked

1 squirt of PAM spray

Preparation:

Use your crock pot and PAM the bottom before beginning. Pour in rice and water, place turkey legs on top of the rice/water mixture and cook on low for long, long time, until turkey legs are brown and the rice is looking a little brown too. Minimum 9 hours on low. Let it cool (I usually put the whole crock pot bowl in the fridge over night, then the next day:

Place the rice in a large tupperware bowl and remove all the meat from the turkey leg bones being careful to remove all the slivered bones (dogs can choke on small slivery bones, so be careful to get them all. Mix the rice and turkey meat together. Cook the string beans in the microwave according to package directions. When finished, put the whole package into the bowl with the turkey meat and rice. Remove the skin from the baked sweet potato and slice in into the bowl and mix it all up. Mix half to 3/4 cup of this mixture with kibble and serve. Woof!

ALWAYS CURTSY WHEN YOU SNEEZE!

I made that up!! Then I created a blog with the same name.

Do I need another blog? No I don't, but I'm compelled to reserve the space here at Spit and Glue only for topics concerning this property and the challenges Sis and I face living here.

What does "Always Curtsy When You Sneeze" mean? If you don't know, you may not want to bother visiting http://www.alwayscurtsywhenyousneeze.com/, particularly if you don't like reading content indulgent in profanity or similar taboo behavior. It's not for everyone.

For those of you whose sense of decorum is pretty much non-existent, you're invited to visit ALWAYS CURTSY WHEN YOU SNEEZE! If I insult you, don't hold it against me, unless of course you think I might like having it held against me. In that case, ga'hed, hold it right here, up against me. You've been warned.

SPELT RIGHT!

Okay, now I'm just being a smart-alick! With one or two feeble attempts at bread making under my belt, using recipes that are so incredibly simple a child could do them. I'm on my second batch of whole grain spelt bread, and this time it even looks a little bit like a loaf. I have to say, this is good bread. Dense but moist, and best when toasted, it beats the heck out of having enriched white flour for breakfast every day. This stuff is hearty and it stays with you through the morning. Yesterday I had a piece of it with scrambled Egg Beaters, and I was full for many hours. Perfect!
Of course we had to try it on the Panini grill, and as you can plainly see, it too was a huge success. Sis is talking about getting a bread maker, but why go to the expense when you have me? Next I'll be getting into the Graham flour and with it, will try my hand at muffin making! Very exciting, no? I'm not board or anything, why would you ask?
Here's the recipe in case you too have a little time on your hands:

Be prepared, the Spelt flour is a little expensive, around $6.00 for a 2lb bag, but we pay $3.00 for an average loaf of Artisan bread, and this recipe makes two loafs, so it works out to be about the same.

Ingredients:
8 cups spelt flour
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tbls molasses
2 tsp baking soda
4 1/4 cups milk
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, mix together the spelt flour, sesame seeds, salt, molasses, baking soda and milk until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes in the preheated oven or until golden. That's it.

Hello SAG fans. Here it is just about one month since my last Spit and Glue posting. That's not to say I haven't been busy elsewhere on the blog front. Technical difficulties have me stumped over at Samwich365.com, but in spite of that, the site is growing and still a lot of fun.

Other "fronts" which I don't necessarily like to discuss here have kept me busy too, having amped up my efforts to make 2010 healthier (in multiple ways), I'm holding out hope, keeping my fingers crossed and doing all I know how to get on track and back in business.

One of my closest friends has used her influence to try and get me off the "white foods", and after several discussions, a little reading, the fear of God and listening to this old body, Sis and I are in sinc and on board with the whole idea.

We began by trading evening martinis or wine with dinner for green tea (in Sis' case coffee). We've cleared our respective cupboards of all things made with white flour and/or sugar, and have officially given up the search for whole grain bread in our little town, pathetic!

Pictured here are our first efforts at making homemade, whole grain wheat flat bread which last night paired masterfully with our famous shrimp and mayopeno salad (a little something we whipped up last summer for S365).

This was dinner. Flat bread efforts follow.

We did a Google search and found many recipes for whole grain, quick and easy flat bread. I won't publish this one, if you want it, leave me a comment with your email address and I'll send it to you.

As you can see, it's not a professional job, but with a little practical experience, it should be easy enough to master the art of flat bread making. The hard part will be changing eating habits that have gone unchecked for sugar, et. al. for many years. Any suggestions, friends? I'd love to hear them.

The Saga Continues!

The word of the day is frozen. Fingers, feet, fannies and faces. Not exactly what you'd call a white out. More like an ice out, making the road to town and beyond ferocious. The news tells of 15 car pile-ups and closures all over metro Atlanta. The plumber who was due at 8AM didn't show until well after noon had his work cut out for him. We knew when Sis' water came back on late yesterday the hissing noise was more busted pipes, this time under the stairs to the main house. The worst of that is over for now. I won't mention the dollar amount yet. Let's just say it's no joke, even after Sis resorted to turning on the charm to the grumpy plumber. He wound up trying to hug her neck. For some reason, this cracks me up. I would have paid double to have been a fly on the wall for that moment in time. LOL!!! I warned her to use her woes for good and not evil. She must have heard me.

I'd say it's almost time for a glass of wine. Maybe even something stronger to kick the weekend off on a HIGH note. Going now to try to rid myself of the sinus headache that has plagued me for the past 4 days. I'm over it! Happy New Year

Wet Gone Wild!

Who would have thought that a little freezing weather could wreak such havoc on two semi-innocent and unsuspecting old ladies? We thought we'd ride out Sis' frozen pipes and no running water with minor discomfort. After all, the spiket on the wall outside Moms cottage is protected. It won't be as bad as things were in October when that wasn't an option. Back then we had to buy water just to get a good flush. Not so fast there little ladies. That son-of-a ______ decided to freeze too, and then burst and explode into the wall of the shop soaking stack after stack of well packed boxes full of items NOT intended for the garage sale.

This is the result so far. We have yet to open any of the boxes to assess the damage. So stay tuned because on that day, a pitcher of martini's will no doubt be in the picture.

Who You Callin A Sissy?

Laney Bug sat still for a few fleeting moments and I had my camera in hand. She's quite the subject and not a shy bone in her body!

CHILLY NIGHTS & FROZEN PIPES

Hello Spit'nGlue!

Here we are, starting the new year off with an over-night freeze, and at least one of us waking up to the prospect of living temporarily without the luxury of running water (again). It would have been so much easier if the problem took place at Mom's cottage. Instead, Sis is the one with petrified pipes, and unless it corrects itself today, we got trouble with a capital T. She says the last time this happened, she went two weeks without water. Damn! I'm not kidding when I say this place ain't for sissies.

On the bright side, we had a splendid Holiday, and as of 11PM last night, our company and their precious cargo arrived home safely and in tact from their long journey North, West and East. As usual, we cooked, ate and stayed up late, getting our fill of each others company. Watching two 2.5 year olds tear through a mountain of gifts on Christmas morning is great entertainment. I must have taken 100 photos, and not one of them in focus. These kids just aren't capable of holding still for even a minute.

On a personal note, I'm ready to take on 2010, and with the advent of Spit'nGlue being officially off the market for a the time being, predict there will be far less blogging going on. My car should be paid off in April, by which time I should have my Georgia Real Estate license. Then I'll be in a position to fully execute my master plan.

And finally, for those of you who take the time to read this..... thank you very much for doing so. I really do appreciate it. Just a reminder though.... if you'd leave an occasional comment, I'd be so much more motivated to add to it more often. Until next time.

Browzin Around

It's a rare occasion that I'm without my little Sony digi-cam. It may be held together with Scotch tape and have some serious scratches on the lens, all of them earned. But I'll bet I've taken close to 2000 photos this year. From the time we got on the road from Nevada to Georgia, up until last night when I took some shots of the beautiful dinner we pulled together from left-overs.

It's been fantastic photographing the changing landscape, the subjects that present themselves almost daily, and of course my canine with each passing month. There have been bugs and bees and bark and trees, fungi, cattle, webs, nests...and so much more. Way too many photos to put on a blog or even print out. One of these days, I'll put them all in a flash show of some kind and maybe post them somewhere. You'd think the scenery around here would all start to look the same day in and day out. Waking up with that same old oak tree that's been standing there for over 100 years. And it does stay the same in that respect, but at the same time, it's constantly changing, and beautiful to watch. I'm so glad to have had the camera, such as it is.

Even my critters are changing every day. Ms. Dusty's breath gets worse every month, and Ms. Roman has lost all signs of puppydum. We won't discuss my personal changes. Not in this post anyway.

Here we are at Christmas already. In Vegas this time of year always meant to me that summer wasn't far off. Sis says we still have plenty of winter left here though, and I'm looking forward to it. Happy Holidays Everyone.

A Black and White Christmas!

Have you ever seen a sweet mug like this up close? But for her breath, she's irresistible. We thru this simple ascot around her neck for the photo shoot. The funny thing was that Roman recognized the fabric as belonging to her and wasn't happy until she yanked it from Dusty's neck. Don't laugh at my new rain boots by "Fishin Chics". They're an early Christmas gift from who else. These things are built for real weather, and trust me when I tell you, I needed them. FishinChics.com are famous for feminine fishing or "wet attire". They started making hot pink rubber boots for ladies from the Gulf who were coping with the aftermath of tornadoes and flooding. Not just built for the SMASHING fashion statement, these things are tough enough for real life, like walking Sis' property every morning. Not so much fun in Crocks! I love them and have hardly taken them off since they showed up on my doorstep a week or so ago.

And in keeping with the black and white, dotted theme, Roman's second rain coat is, as you can see a perfect match for those romps thru the high brush. A one of a kind blanket sweater for a one of a kind mutt! Pretty girl, no?
Dusty needed a slicker. She loves to go exploring in the rain, and when she does, she comes home looking like a forgotten junk yard dog. If she air drys, her fur ends up with big gnarly knots that are very hard to comb out. Her natural coat keeps her warm enough when it's cold, so her winter wardrobe can't be too heavy. Sis thru together this adorable rain slicker over the weekend. Can you stand it? No, we opted not to go with black and white this time. Dusty fits in no matter what she wears.

The Hens Huddle!

There's a problem that underlies writing about rural life. While the natural beauty of one's surroundings is fun to describe for a time, after a while it becomes difficult to do without being redundant. After all, how much can one say about the grass and the trees, the birds and the bees, beast sightings, washed out country roads, lawn mowers and weeds?

So, when something special happens, like when company's coming, things get pretty stirred up around here. "Wooo hooo, compney's comin, something different to write about, let the party begin".

The build up begins on the day arrival dates are confirmed. You start to clean things you wouldn't otherwise clean. When we knew we'd have family for the pre-Thanksgiving weekend, Sis and I not only cleaned the inside of the kitchen cabinets, we painted them and put down new sticky paper (they're beautiful, but we're the only two who know it).

Of course that was only the beginning. We went on to clean windows, and linen, and porches, and driveways, and closets, and drawers and... you get the picture. Plus menu planning, grocery store and liquor store runs, a couple of trips to the airport and finally, the moment arrives.

We're all together doing what we always do when we're together. Sitting at the dining room table, specially made snacks placed in its middle, chatting, joking, catching up and making up for not doing this often enough. The champagne flows, the conversation is all over the map, and we revel in our relations.

Our visit this week was special because it was only us women. No hubbies, babies, boyfriends or Nephews, just Sisters, Nieces and Moms. One or two missing, but very happy for the five who were able to make the journey. And of course, a great time was had by all. Happy Thanksgiving.

Before And After!

Amazing how much good a little paint will do for almost any surface. The small room we just finished used to house this white, high-boy dresser (below to the right) a not-so-good before photo. Sis painted it black, added new hardware and we moved it to another room where it now lives very high-brow with a new sleek look. If you ask me, moving the dresser here helped in several ways. Before, it lived in a room with a low ceiling and sat on white linoleum. Now it lives in a room with more than 12 feet of ceiling and sits on a hardwood floor. It no longer dominates the room and has a more sophisticated appeal.

I feel like frikin Martha Stewart!

The Little Room that Couldn't!

So this is the old window seat in the little room we've been painting, before picture. As you can plainly see, it needed a couple of coats of paint. I knew this would be so cute all spruced up, and once again, for the first time, I was right. All in all, it didn't take very long to get the painting and clean up done. Sis took out the white high-boy dresser that was there on the wall to the right, painted it black and switched out the knobs for a really updated look. I'll post photos of that soon. In its place, we took the little antique display chest that was partially blocking a window in the other room. A perfect fit for the little room that couldn't! Well now it can! Plus, freeing up the window wall has added a nice feature to the other room.. See how things work out?

Here's how it's looking today. We still have some last minute details to see to and finding the right floor covering should bring it all together. The room doesn't really have a function at the moment, but it does flow nicely with connecting rooms, and offers some nice storage space and a place for books and things. What do you think?

A Change in Stripes!

Handcrafted by none other than Sis, this number is a great look for any canine who doesn't wish to be mistaken for a deer. Amazing what a small change in colors can do for one's longevity, particularly during the fall hunting season. The smart bitch always opts for a well defined black & white stripe showing off good taste whilst baffling the average Joe hiding in wait for an unsuspecting White-Tail. She goes easily from day to evening, wind to rain in this versatile fabric named after the infamous sisters, Polly and Ester.

The turtle neck adds aditional drama to the piece, and the red blanket-stitch that brings it all together can only be termed as a touch of sheer genius. Note the understated glow-in-the-dark decorative safety strip atop the collar for easy identification at night. Not shown is the easy-on-easy-off velcro fastening strips along the stomach area, and easy access under-tail freedom for going number one or number two. This designer thought of everything. SMASHING!

"Divy It Up Amongst You"

That run on words won't mean a lot to most of you, but anyone who's old enough to remember The Soupy Sales Show will recognize the saying. Okay, maybe not, but I can be positively sure both my sisters will remember it. Soupy used to say it all the time, but wait a minute, maybe it was Pookie who used to say it, or was it White Fang, or Black Tooth, or Hippy the Hippo, or one of those hilarious strangers who showed up at Soupy's door and inevitably through a pie in his face. No, I'm pretty sure it was Pookie.

Either way, I was so sad to learn of Soupy Sales' death early this week. Very hard to imagine him being 83 years old. When I was a kid, I absolutely loved Soupy, his TV show and his albums which I listen to over and over again. I thought he was the funniest man on the planet (well, aside from Jack Benny).

The humor on Soupy's show had definite, strong, sarcastic undertones and may have gone over the heads of many kids watching in the 60's, but I always felt like I understood what he and his crew were laughing at, as if I were in on the joke. So sophisticated!

And so Soupy has shuffled off for the last time, had his last pie-in-the-face, and, being the Jazz aficionado that he was, has heard his final jazz theme played. We loved you, Soup, and we always will.

Jute Mat!

Last week Thursday Sis found a small rug online, available locally, and at a great price. She'd been looking for something to replace a larger, more formal Oriental number that occupied the spot directly under the dining room table for some time. Reasons?
1. The Oriental dominated the small dining room
2. It's intricate pattern was playing against the pattern on the dining room chairs
3. The Oriental was beginning to look out dated, and wasn't working well with her current direction in decor
4. And this is Key.... Now that there are dogs in the house, instead of just a cat, it's more difficult to keep things clean and odor free.

So she decided on a jute mat, 5x8, indoor/outdoor, muted earth tones with an understated pattern. She brought it home on Friday and we laid it under her dining set thinking we'd live with it there for a few days, see how it fit in the spot. Alternatively, we'd use it in the little side room that we've just finished painting.

That was Friday, on Sunday I looked across the room and noticed something strange under the table. It was worse than something strange, it was the contents of my dogs stomach, three times over. The likes of which I have never, ever seen. Bad.. REAL bad.

Needless to say, I rushed to clean it as best I could. We sprayed it with Fabreeze, used baking soda and water, left the fan on over it all night, and this morning, it didn't look bad, but smelled like some body stepped in something and tracked it ALL THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE. I took it out onto the front porch hoping to clear the air, but that was several hours ago and the odor still permeates every corner of place.

Sis was understanding and didn't get too excited. I on the other hand was so upset I could hardly sleep. Right before finally drifting off, I made up my mind to get up this morning and go see if I could find another mat just like it and replace it. Fortunately, with a sense of frustration and resolve, I managed to do just that, I only hope we can get the odor out of here by Christmas.

The Redneck Gourmet!

One recent weekend we happened upon a small town in rural Georgia called Newnan. We drove through Newnan's outskirts and marveled at the sprawling 18Th century Victorian mansions scattered along tree-lined thoroughfares leading to the town square. Life was moving rather slowly that Sunday, a lovely fall day. We took a stroll up Main Street and we were disappointed to see that most of the interesting antique and specialty shops were closed for Sabbath.

Stores with names like "The Other Side of The Moon", " Stairway to Heaven", "The Vintage Flea", and "What's In Store". Even a martini bar called "Andre's Off The Square". Closed, closed, closed, closed and closed. Soon we began to detect a wonderful aroma in the air, and we knew the day was saved. Before long my olfactory senses kicked in and as if in a trance, we began to follow the waft right into the entrance of the "Redneck Gourmet" restaurant. OPEN SUNDAYS! I had a Chicken Caesar Roll-Up at $6.95 that was not too shabby! Sis had a hearty Black Angus cheeseburger that looked divine. We sat at a small table on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant and enjoyed our Sunday feast. RG has been family owned and operated since 1991. They have an impressive menu which includes sandwich options like Roll-Ups, Hoagies, Burgers, and Sandwiches. See their website for franchise opportunities or visit one of two Georgia locations soon.

Ahh The Irony! Part One...

Buried deep within my minds recesses are all the typical departments, compartments and entities that should be there. Not in any particular order, here are the first twelve:

CONSCIENCE: Conscience is probably located near the front of the brain, functioning as a guide, like the old adage "Let your conscience be your guide" warns. I don't cheat or tell very many lies, and I don't kick my dogs or prey on the elderly. I wonder if other inter meshing areas of the brain can benefit from a clear conscience, like

EGO: My ego has been through it all, completely inflated and crushed like road kill. At this point, it's buried in rubble, basically. I can recall having it checked at a very young age, and even throughout the years of my life up to now. Having your ego checked is a profound experience, you don't forget it, it shapes who you are and how you approach the world.

THE SUBCONSCIOUS: The subconscious mind seems unattainable, who knows where it's located, maybe all over every part of the brain. It's where the real power over your life lies. Unless you study it's powers, it will always elude you. It would be a great idea to teach young children how to tap the powers of the subconscious while their minds are open and unadulterated, but since so few of us have been taught about it, we don't emphasise it. Ahh the irony.

FEAR & LOATHING: Fear and loathing I'm familiar with. Having done more loathing than fearing, I can vouch that with loathing, things are hardly EVER as bad as you think they're going to be. The irony here is that while your in loathing, the part of your brain that holds this fact is temporarily out of service. It's partner, fear can be a real life saver, I think of fear as more of a defense mechanism against people without conscience or oncoming trains.

COMPASSION: I have compassion in abundance, and I think I'm grateful for that. Being honest, it was an acquired taste for me at first, but once my ego was in check and I removed my head from ummm, well, let's just say I have compassion now, and in places I never imagined. I like it and would like to keep it active and healthy.

PASSION: Yes, well passion is important isn't it? It's all the rage and is professed to be the only way one can attain life's true gifts. This is another area that can be rather elusive if you've not had some indoctrination to the idea, or unless you were born with a God given talent, like singing or painting. I've been scrambling to find my big life passion ever since I found out it was "the way". At this stage of the game, I'm afraid I may be out of what ever juice you need to grow passion. That sucks.

AMBITION: Interesting how all of these topics play off of one another, isn't it? Presently, my ambition is in question. I may have lost some perspective along the way on this. I do have ambition, but as we speak, it seems to be in a state of morph! I've had plenty of it through my life, but there is no question it's turning a big corner right now. I hold faith that when the dust settles, I will use it in full force, for good and not evil.

JEALOUSY, ENVY, ANGER & GUILT: I loath jealousy and anger. To my thinking they are both poison and should be completely eradicated from the brain. They just don't have a place the way guilt does. Guilt goes with conscience of course, but left on it's own to fester, guilt can take on the ugly qualities of jealousy and anger. I try to stay away from all guilt, jealousy and anger. I'm not always successful on anger, and envy, well I think envy an innocent enough emotion. Once again, it must be managed and must never be allowed to go out and play with EGO. EVER!

Taj Majal, Atlanta!

Previously on Spit and Glue I wrote about Atlanta's version of the Taj Majal. A Hindu temple called "BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir". You may have missed the post, so here are some photos from one day early last month when Sis and I took a ride into mid-Atlanta to see, of all things, the Taj Majal.Taking this little field trip lead us to a better understanding of Hindu cultures, spiritual belief systems, places of worship and methods of prayer. Unfortunately, photos aren't allowed inside the temple which I can best describe as a maze of white marble and granite. A sanctuary for prayer, a lovely, quiet..... "holy" environment where one can find peace and reflection, right?

In reality, and at the risk of sounding sacrilegious, we were both chomping at the bit to finish the Temple tour and work our way down to the gift shop where one can purchase meditation and prayer books, religious symbols, paintings, souvenirs....and let us not forget the ever important culinary offerings that if you're Sis and I, make a trip to town worth while. There's the truth. Remembering the new legumes we'd bought several weeks earlier at Farmer's Market, we were like two kids in a candy store, sniffing our way around an assortment of strange and exciting possibilities to complement Black Beluga lentils or Jazmin rice. We found these spicy, savoury crackers called Purimetha (Kadak), made with wheat flour and seasoned with cumin, turmeric and coriander. Perfect with the lentils we made the next day, pictured below. Yumm!

The real fun was tapping Sis' New Mexican green chili supply (the green in the bowl), and mixing it with eastern Indian flavors. This worked beautifully and it was delicious. If you want the recipe for the lentils, leave a comment and I'll send it to you. Your lentils don't have to be black beluga, the recipe works well with all lentils and beans. Enjoy!