Saturday, February 12, 2011

Morning has broken....

The golden sun brushes the trees with first light..




Touching and stirring all creatures to life




Brightened and colorful the air turns....



Dew weaves itself into silvery lace.......





Catching the dazzling sun in millions of drops.....





Through the wooded line is there one perfect ray?




Yes, morning has broken and given us a new day!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The New Kid is Here!

He has arrived! Or should I say, we (DH & I) went and got him then we all arrived together. Yes, we drove all the way from Missouri to Tyler, Texas to get a puppy. Certainly not something I ever saw myself doing since there has never been a puppy living in this house. The dogs that shared our household were older refugees of life. Our last girl, a Chow mix that passed in June 2010, was with us for 14 years and must have been at least two when she dropped in. She didn’t look kindly on training of any kind but she adopted our son and thought it her duty to watch over him. She was also very good at announcing visitors be they human or animal. HID (husband in doghouse) had already decided we were going to replace Spot (the kid named her) with a pedigreed puppy when she passed from old age. I thought it should be a shelter puppy. About the only thing we agreed on were the breed and obedience classes. However, I was not sure I even wanted another dog let alone a puppy.

It took a weird incident to make me finally look at an ad because for months I’d been steadfastly ignoring all the ads HID kept finding and presenting. I refer to this incident as the “Old lady and the Loo”. We have a rural fenced property with a security gate but that did not stop a complete stranger from walking into my house while I was home and using the bathroom. I kid you not! While in the basement, I heard knocking at the front door. I started up the stairs and the next thing I know I hear a voice, “Hello, anyone home? Sorry I need to use your bathroom”. An older woman walked in uninvited and proceeded to use the bathroom. I swear I cannot make up stuff like this cause it would never ever occur to me to walk into a stranger’s country home no matter what kind of bathroom distress I was in! At first, I was more surprised than anything. Then later when the “what if’s” sank in, I decided it was time. I did need a companion like Spot who would have announced our uninvited guest and made her think twice about stopping here. Oh, Spot would not have hurt her but Spot really looked like a Chow and some can find those looks very intimidating. Our old girl had kept bigger men than that lady in their cars, honking the horn to announce their arrival.
As it happened, DH announced another ad one Sunday. I hesitated then something made me ask to see it but he’d thrown it away. Not to be thwarted in his attempt to get a puppy, he found it online. I emailed the puppy’s owner. She sent pictures and info. The decision was made. I puppy proofed the house and prepared for a new addition to the family, all the while, knowing full well this would not be a family dog. Oh no! I knew puppy duty and all that goes with it would be all mine.

Puppy potty training in the middle of winter was so not my original plan but it was a good time for my fur child to come. It has been rough to watch my only son prepare for his future. Some of you know just how hard it has been for me and I want you to know how much I’ve appreciated your practical advice, mother-to-mother words of wisdom and the virtual hugs. Between you and the bouncing ball of fluff, it is getting easier to see the young man who has replaced my little boy. As it happened, while we were driving to Texas, he was entering the second stage of joining Navy, which meant he would be gone also. So the timing of the trip was perfect. We left MO in the morning. It was cold (19 degrees) but it was beautiful outside. The sun was golden bright, the sky a deep early morning blue and the air crystal clear. Fingers of fog drifted pillowy white over the snow. I would have stopped for pictures but when DH is in journey mode, he bonds with the car and stopping is not an option. The only time it is either he or the car needs fuel. I have learned that the hard way. The weather that greeted us in Oklahoma and Texas was unseasonably warm and a very nice change for us. The weekend after a blizzard hit them and us! Our trip down went smoothly. The return trip was a little different however. I think I’m really going to like traveling with a dog not only did the puppy travel well but I was able to shock DH out of his glaze-eyed steering wheel clenching driving zone by saying, “If you don’t pull over at the next rest stop both the puppy and I are going in the car!” Not one word of protest came from that side of the car as he slowed down and pulled in. Even the puppy’s former owner said she felt sure he was the perfect dog for me when we picked him up. And he is. Introducing my new Chow Chow puppy, Katzen’s Bane.


My feline pride is less than enthusiastic about his presence.  They hover near the steps since they can slip through the baby gate and Bane can't.  My old cat, Josie, hasn't let him rattle her world too much.  She brings up socks from the laundry room forming a little sock conga line for Bane to play with.  She did it for her kittens and doesn't understand it is a "no no" for him to play with them.  Bane tries with his best puppy manners to engage the cats in play.  He tries to entice them with his toys.  Pip and Houston have declined the offers in no uncertain terms.








Yep, that is Pip lodging a protest from the cabinet above the refrigerator.  A big "No No" for him but he still filed the protest anyway!




Houston is an orderly cat and is not happy about the disturbance to his household.  Especially his food bowl arrangement since it is his duty to tell me when any of them are low on supplies.  He spends most of his time now telling me to take the fuzzy beast back from whence it came!

Bane loves the snow and the walks we are taking in it.  I, on the other hand, am waxing less than poetic about all the snow especially during the potty training phase.






I can tell where Bane is by where the cats are perched.  They sound like broken air hoses while hissing their cries of, "Don't touch me you mangy cur!".  I try to intervene before the war cries get too loud.


Bane is such a great little guy.  He definitely won me over at "hello" with a kiss when we first met.  He is smart and learns quickly.  He has a great personality and I enjoy watching him explore his universe.  It is almost like watching a human child.  This may be how the cats like him best but I love him all the time!



Apple Strudel's blogs and Good Eat NZ inspired me to try my hand a making my own doggie treats.  Being snowbound I didn't have all of their ingredients on hand so I checked out all kinds of sites and came up with my own recipe with what I had learned and what I had to use.  Terrie called during this fun process to schedule a visit from Bane since he had been sound asleep when she came to visit him.  When I told her what I was doing she said, "Now why doesn't that surprise me that you are cooking for your new puppy?"  Bane loves the treats and we took some to share when we went for our play date with Terrie's canines.  They were pretty happy with them too!

Bane's Barkin' Bites

2 cups grated carrot
1 T EVOO
2 eggs
1/2 cup soy flour
1 cup cracked wheat
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 T homemade turkey broth
1/2 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley.
Mix together in the trusty Kitchen Aid.  Roll out 1/4' thick (Yep, Magnolia blossom, I used the cookie cutter you got me :)  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Turn off oven and leave overnight to dry biscuits completely.