Booming Banter

When I was at Laura’s last weekend she had a music station playing in the background through her cable TV. There was a great selection of tunes ideal for parties from really traditional Carols to this years latest hits.

Of course I wasn’t smart enough to even think to look for this on our cable at home but you can bet it was the first thing I did when I got back. We’re all set. For those local in Spectrum who may also not have been in the know it’s on 941.

So since the turkey is home and thawing in the fridge for Thanksgiving it’s time to blast a few tunes. You can’t beat a good Jingle Bell Rock especially on a Friday evening.

There are some great new songs out there too! Have you heard “When We Are Together” For sure I’ve been leading a sheltered life because I hadn’t and had no idea there were Tenors out there who look this hot!

While the music is playing the station tempts you with lots of pics of food and also provides some fun facts that could come in handy for festive small talk.

Did you know that the first commercial Christmas Trees were made from toilet brushes? Not exactly the same feel good factor as going out in the forest and chopping one down!

Blessing # 523 – Just In Time Disco

When the countdown is on you gotta start planning. Making the lists checking them twice grocery of course and the odd present too!

Since sales in my little stall have been horrendous this month there will be a few gifts coming from there. If you don’t sell then wrap!

What are your must have things to make Christmas feel like Christmas?

One of ours is Terry’s Chocolate Oranges in our stockings. Usually I got these in the UK and hide them till the big ONE SLEEP day arrives. Since no trip is planned this year before the big man in the red suit comes down the chimney I’ll have to hunt them out locally.

There are sites now where you can order British Specialty items that could be used as a last resort. I’ve been lucky getting things like Mincemeat at World Foods. Maybe they’ll have the oranges too.

Aldi helps a lot. I’ve already got another traditional item there Aaron’s chocolate money. They have those Belgium shell things and German truffles too. Hope they’ll bring in some British selection boxes too because they are fun but when it comes to oranges only original ones will do.

The Christmas pudding is all sorted as it’s been lying here for the past two or three years! Will be like a fine wine by now. Well settled and matured. Which makes me think I’ll need some Branson pickle to go with that cheddar too!

Blessing # 522 – Naughty & Nice

Five weeks till Christmas or as many kids now say just 35 sleeps. Chance of diet success is slim!

Out around our neighborhood and today in the center of town too the Christmas decorations are going up. When you have a mild day like today it’s tempting to put them up but Aaron has promised to help me if I wait at least nine more sleeps till after Thanksgiving.

Last night I didn’t sleep well at all. Maybe it was because Scooby decided he was going to lie on the floor rather than at my feet. Who knows why dogs choose to do what they do but being bed warmers is one of their greatest gifts.

Our pets little acts of love are so endearing and it’s well known that’s good for our health. They also do things that are puzzling.

One thing that Scooby does that none of our other dogs has ever done is lift his right front paw when he’s investigating something. He does this on almost every outing when he hears or sees something in the distance. It’s almost like he is thinking.

Of course not knowing what this was I did what most people do these days and googled the behavior. Would you believe the photo that showed up! Looks like the lad himself. Turns out this is a behavior that is much sought after in hunting dogs like pointers. They are showing their master where the prey is. Maybe we’re getting a little closer to his first family roots. We sure are glad he’s part of our now!

Blessing # 521– In the Genes

We had our weigh in this morning and the only one making progress is Scooby who was up another pound.

Scooby is not at all fussy about what he eats. In the morning I give him a bowl of his dry kibble and he eats it as is with delight.

Krishna feels this is not enough so when it comes to the evening meals he has started special additions of little pieces of meat chopped up with love into tiny pieces or leftovers like rice.

This has been his practice with all our dogs.

The Labradors Darcy and Bingley needed no encouragement to eat. They were like massive vacuum cleaners but still they got their extras from Krishna.

He also chopped up five pounds of carrots each week for them into uniform small strips. This was their healthy treat which in some respects compensated for the milk bones and pigs ears they also got.

You can only imagine the size these babies became. People were known to ask “are they dogs or ponies”. Put it like this, they lived happily ever after!

Dibley being born in France was a “fin bec” and did need some encouragement to eat at times. Krishna took the diet pampering to extremes with him. Treats a gogo and from every dinner plate a portion set aside to give his best friend. Even when we were at a restaurant a piece of something had to come home for the furball.

This resulted in testing times when we had guests because Dibley believed he could bark his way to getting treats from everyone!

I’d get really mad at this and so had put a ban on it starting again with Scooby but I have suspicions he is sneaking a little snack from the table to fluffball now and then.

Laura has three dogs and their eating behavior is as it should be they eat dog food! Two eat at one place and Bear the little chihuahua has his bowl at the other side of the room. They all know the routine and no one tries to eat the others food. Very well behaved babies who let humans eat their food in peace.

Wish I could get Krishna to stick to such a plan too but you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks!

Blessing # 520 – Life Lesson

The girlie weekend continued with the big thanksgiving feast at Laura’s girlfriends house yesterday evening.

I’d not met this group of ladies before but it’s easy to get to like people when they provide a big banquet and yes you guessed fizz!

Diet disaster done!

The friends were quite diverse, all had different professions and ranged in age from young moms to grandmas but they all shared the same qualities of enjoying a good laugh and being supportive of each other.

They were so welcoming as was the four legged family member of the hostess Gina.

Isn’t it often the case that friends of your friends are so easy to relax with. The old adage Birds of a Feather Stick Together seems so appropriate and true!

It’s can be quite a different dynamic in the workplace or in a neighborhood even within an extended family. Why is that?

My theory is the most important piece in the friendship puzzle is laughter. Sure you need other things like kindness but the more seriously we take ourselves or any situation the less likely we will be to sustain it through success or adversity.

Blessing # 519 – New Connections

Our walk was not as lengthy as we’d planned. We didn’t do the big lake. Instead we went to a little local one and cut down a beautiful blue spruce Christmas Tree.

It’s a little early but since there is a big friendsgiving happening at Laura’s today for her daughters school mates we decided we’d go for it.

The lack of steps didn’t stop us eating though. We had such a good catch up last night and a dinner that was delicious. We washed it down with way too much bubbly and fine wine by the fire.

Sleep was sound in a big comfy bed until I heard a noise that sounded like someone knocking on the window. It went on for a while and then one of the three dogs started barking.

Convinced we had a prowler I got up. It was five forty five but there was nothing or no one to be seen but dogs and cats.

So back to bed for another snooze this time with dogs in tow only to hear the same noise again twenty minutes later. This time though the culprit was in the room! It was Miss Missy scratching and hitting her paw on the wood floor!

She did good though waking us early so we could get that turkey in the oven and all those trimmings toasting. Now all we need to do is stuff ourselves as well as that bird!

Blessing # 518 – Prowling Pets

This morning I’m leaving the boys and heading two hours north to spend a girly weekend with my bestie Laura and her daughter.

Scooby and I got our big walk in first thing this morning as soon as Aaron left for work. Those steps are going to be needed for what lies ahead.

When we worked together in France Laura and I saw each other almost everyday as the kids played together most weekends.

Now we see each other only every few months but we’re still like sisters. We have a lot in common including a love of wine.

When Laura was moving from Florida to Ohio we went house hunting together. I was with her the day she chose her home. It’s a cute 1920 cottage that she has worked so hard to transform into a  little palace out of a fairytale.

As it’s a gorgeous day we’re going to go for a good walk at Lake Erie before huddling in light a big wood fire and catch up with a fine bottle!

Tomorrow an early thanksgiving celebration is planned so better get those steps in while we can!

Blessing # 517 – Early Starts

It’s warmed up today and feels almost balmy as we’ve just nudged past freezing. Scooby super sniffer was in heaven. The thaw must vaporize all those calling cards that were left by other puppies in the snow.

It’s two months now since we adopted Scooby and he’s changed so much. He lifts his leg now at the mail boxes and holds his tail high. He is a popular pet in the neighborhood. The kids coming off the school buses rush to say hi to him and he reciprocates. He loves other dogs and is playful with all of them. Our neighbors have just got two nine week old cockapoos and he is adorable with them. Very big brotherish and gentle letting them climb all over him.

All of us enjoy his energy. He plays by himself if no one will play with him tossing balls and running after them.

He still like to mouth a bit with his family but it’s understandable as he probably never had a chance to do that as a puppy.

He gets me walking too and as we can see from all the apps around this is no bad thing for the waistline.

One celebrity that I love and follow is Ruth Langsford. She is a big fan of walking and counting steps with her doggie too.

There are some celebrities that are divas and there are some who are just like girlfriends. They try all sorts of diets and they admit their weakness and flaws. They make you feel like you are normal and you gotta love them for being just themselves.

Blessing # 516 – Real Inspiration 

We got a slow cooker only a few years ago. Now we don’t know how we lived without one. Scooby is sold too!

How easy it is to throw a dinner together. Peel a few spuds, carrots and onions and stick them on top of a piece of meat. Might take ten minutes at most. Flick a switch and go away for the day!

There are certainly more adventurous things to do in that crock pot too. Ideal for all tastes especially vegan to build up flavor.

It’s the joy of knowing nothing is going to burn or stick to the bottom and best of all that only one pot will need washing that makes it all a dream.

For the old diet it’s great news too because that slow simmer means a lot of force in comes forward without a drop of fat added.

Tasty and tender and a timesaver too what more could you ask for a Thursday evening.

Blessing # 515 – Slowly Does It

 

The Christmas markets are opening all over the world. Even the Royals are taking them in. They are filled with all sorts of tempting treats and festive foods.

Back in the early sixties my Mom started preparing for Christmas months in advance.

She shopped a lot at the local Co-Op grocery store. It was a hybrid between an old fashioned store where you bought flour and sugar by the pound and a supermarket. What I remember most is getting stamps there. We’d put these in a little book and then Mom would redeem them for some much desired item. Once she got a roasting tin that she kept for the rest of her life.

At The Co as we called it you could put money aside in the Christmas Club. You handed it over to someone behind a desk with bars a bit like a bank. Don’t ask me why this was better than just saving it in your own purse. Maybe it took those few shillings out of the way of temptation to spend on something else. Anyway my Mom was a faithful follower of the Christmas Club that started almost as soon as the clock stuck twelve in New Years Day

She would also buy a few things each week to put away for Christmas. This included dry fruit and sugar that eventually found its way into a Christmas cake.

The very British speciality known as Mince Meat was bought to make Mince pies and a Christmas pudding or two as well

A very typical gift for family and friends at the time was a box of biscuits (cookies for you guys in USA). This selection was extensive and filled with a huge variety of diet busting business.

The big box was a great treat and soon disappeared at least in our house. The chocolate ones always disappeared first then the jammy doggers and finally there would be the plain shortbreads left that were so run of the mill they were not seen as special at all.

All this stocking up was almost as fun as the big day itself. These days if you’re anything like me you just run out at the last minute and haul it all in. Maybe an old fashioned run up to the big day is something to think about. Might help get in a few more steps too.

Blessing #514 – Counting Down