late bloomer

That's me today. Had an early appointment two counties over and woke later than intended. Barely made it out of the house after feeding everyone but me! Had a chance while there to sneak into Whole Foods and grab an early lunch before heading to a second appointment. If only I had had time and $$ to shop! LOVE WHOLE FOODS!

Good news here is that the pups have now graduated to mush. And, now that they're no longer relocated from the pen in order to eat from my lap I need to figure out how to get into the pen to clean up and get fresh papers down. I'm sure I'll figure out something. I didn't go to graduate school for nothing, after all.

And another thing. The other night I attempted to roast some tomatoes from our garden before the whole lot turned to mush on me. This was a prelude to making tomato sauce that could go in the freezer. Alas, the oven runs hot and I forgot to check them halfway through and they burned up like nobody's business. I tried again last night, and here are the lovely 'maters sprinkled with herbs, onions and garlic before heading into the oven. This time they did not burn, but let me tell you that there's not much of a tomato left after they've been roasted for a couple of hours (this recipe is from Alton Brown, so who am I to quibble about the length of time?). The recipe calls for wine in the next step and it just so happens I'm fresh out, so will have to wait to complete the effort. But, I must say that I'm just more than slightly tickled that I have gotten this far using our plentiful harvest. Next year I hope we'll plant more plants and I can really put some sauce together!

In the meantime I concocted a recipe for dinner last night to use yet another tomato that was ripe and ready. OMG, was it fabulous! Let me share...

The Vicar's Chicken (serves 2--double as needed)
(I'm not a vicar but it has a ring to it)

Cook two strips of bacon in skillet (I used an 8" non-stick skillet. From Pampered Chef, just so you know). Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings. Set cooked bacon strips aside.
Add one large tomato, peeled and coarsely chopped, and one medium onion, coarsely chopped. Saute in bacon drippings on medium-low heat.
Top tomato and onion mixture with one large boneless, skinless chicken breast. Turn chicken breast after ten minutes. Stir tomato and onion mixture as needed.
When chicken breast is cooked through (total time 20 minutes?), remove from pan. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth to skillet and stir in.
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to skillet. Crumble bacon and add to skillet. Stir to mix.
Serve over pasta. Grate fresh Parmesan cheese over dish.

Except for the bacon fat this is a very healthy meal (I use whole wheat pasta, as well), but the bacon is what makes this a standout. If you try it, let me know how you like it!

And that, friends, is a wrap for today. I'm heading to the store for wine. For the tomato sauce, of course!

respite

Much as I am committed to the care and nurture of the pups, my endurance is fading. The last time I did this I had the support of Ken and, for several days, Junior and Trisha. It was a shared labor of love. It continues to be a labor of love and a routine has developed that removes a layer of stress. But it is difficult to manage the rest of life (e.g. the other dogs!) and the tasks of my days with a sense that I am doing anything well. By the way, that's Boris to the right. Is he cute or what?

Blessedly I was invited to join some friends last night for dinner. I timed the feedings to bookend my social engagement, which worked well, and it was an evening without stress and a delight to be with friends and eat too much wonderful food. Yolande made me a dazzling gin and tonic offered in a pilsner glass--how's that for a change of pace? My host, Linda, made "roasted tacos," using a beef roast rolled in small corn tortillas and fried (like a tacquito). Lettuce and cheese were available to pile on, and Linda's homemade salsa crowned the taco. Yum! We also enjoyed spanish rice, delicious beans, and a black bean/corn/tomato/onion and cilantro salsa salad topped with avocado. Double Yum! For me there was no such thing as dessert, and I was home and dependent upon a few burps (sorry if that's tmi) before I began to feel relief from my indulgence. It was a superb meal. The change of scenery and the socialiability of the evening proved restorative, and I came home feeling good and with spirits refreshed.

In the sort of timing that one can only laugh about, I was just starting to feed the pups when I went to the door to let in Juliet and Rigel from their little bit of relief. I was greeted immediately with a whiff of skunk, and Juliet was nowhere to be seen. Doggone it! I called and called. No response. I could have gotten in the car and driven through the neighborhood, but in the dark it would be difficult to spot her. I had to trust that she would behave as on occasions past, and respond to the sound of my voice calling her name as I belted it out into the night. I had squealing puppies to feed.

I prayed as I fed, and four puppies later I noted Juliet's shadow outside the door. Thank you, God! I brought her in immediately, and indeed, she had been sprayed. Fortunately it was not as potent a spray as in previous encounters, but she would still need to be bathed. Sigh. Deep sigh! Time to practice mindfulness, and breathe.

A bath later, I was more than ready for bed. I slept fitfully, and this morning the routine begins again, with the addition of cleaning the bathroom and doing additional loads of laundry. I do love my life. Really. I'd just rather do without the skunks. As long as they're around, however, just keep those gin and tonics coming.

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I am feeling obliged to weigh in on the Obama school address. Can I just say, "what is with you people?" The resistance is beyond ridiculous, and the behavior speaks volumes about ugly traits that reveal some serious immaturity in this country, never mind racism, bigotry, and the very partisanship of which Obama is being unjustly accused. Indoctrination? Please. This is the President of the United States. Consider the weight of the office and the respect due to it if nothing else. Let his voice be heard. If there is something problematic in it then a teachable moment is available to every student and parent to talk about the issue at hand. Show courtesy, respect, and yes, patriotism. If this was G. W. B. (and I don't mean the bridge), not my favorite politican by a long stretch, I think I would actually feel proud of him for stepping up to the plate to say something of value. My very own county is citing a "scheduling conflict" as the reason for not showing the address. Pathetic, cowardly, small-minded, and intentional ignorance are a few of the epithets that come to mind. Get a grip, people!

Okay, I am now off my rant. I'm proud of you, President Obama!

renewal

To anyone else this picture looks like a flowering plant. Run of the mill.

Not to me.

Back in May small pots of Gerber daisies decorated the tables in our parish hall for Mother's Day. One of them came home with me. I transplanted it into a large bucket on the front steps, replacing the remnants from last year's blooms that were my Mother's Day gift from Junior. It went through some transitional death and rebirth, but from that moment on all that came up were leaves. Lots of leaves. Green leaves. Did I mention there were lots of green leaves?

Until a couple of weeks ago, when the first of these bright, almost neon orange blooms appeared in all its robust glory. And then the next one emerged, and the next. There's even a fourth flower hidden from view.

I'm loving this for several reasons. One is that I love flowers. Love the color and texture and life that they offer. To me they are icons to the brilliance of creation and the masterful ingenuity of it all. Which of course leads me to think about the magnificence of the Creator.

Another reason I am loving this is that this pot of Gerbers is representative of my own life at present. Feeling like it was being tended but not yielding blooms. But patience and faith and worthy of practicing because in due time, blooming is underway. There is renewal happening in my life. It is sometimes difficult to identify beneath the all-too common greenery of my days, but from time to time evidence of blooms are apparent, and a small burst of joy is set off like a firecracker in my soul.

Ken is gone for a couple of weeks to help Junior and Trisha with the "fixer upper" they are leasing and then purchasing. During his absence I had hoped to do a little more hard core tending of my dormant self to aid the renewal that I suspected was underway. The puppies have pretty much made that a difficult task, but over this weekend I have made some progress toward achieving at least one goal. The sewing machine is up and threaded. The iron and ironing board await. The dining table is cleared for cutting and trimming fabric. By the end of today it is my hope to have something to show for these efforts. And along the way I will be gleeful to celebrate that I am blooming where I have been planted.

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Puppy update: Two of the pups, Boris and Zoe, have been having a rough time. They made a visit to the vet on Friday, and there was nothing specific to identify the source of their difficulty. They got a shot of antibiotics and I received a cautionary word that they might not survive. "Not on my watch," was all I was thinking. They have continued to struggle--I would celebrate when they guzzled at the bottle, only to worry at the next meal when they wouldn't keep down what I would force-feed through the syringe. Their poop was brown, an indication of intestinal irritation. Zoe's poop was looking better, but she is clearly the smallest of the litter now. Boris is eating much better and putting on weight, but his poop is still showing signs of latent distress. I am happy to report that the rest are thriving. If you would spare a prayer for Boris and Zoe I would be grateful.

Have a wonderful Labor Day.

puppies!

Today's gratitude is brought to you by a litter of orphaned pups. But I am also grateful for...

Puppies * Physicians * Photography * Priests/pastors * Pets * Pizza * Prayer * Passion * Pansies * Petunias * People * Playfulness * Parents * Presents * Popcorn * Pillows * Painting * Pancakes * Pastimes * Parks * Pasta * Paper * Pajamas * Picnics * Parentheses * Pampered Chef * Process

Today it is all about puppies. These puppies.

Yesterday after lunch I received a phone call from our local canine rescue asking if I'd be willing to foster a litter of pups who were orphaned. I won't tell you how they were found, because it would tear you up! We're guessing that they're about two and a half weeks-old, eyes newly opened and ears still to come.

I fostered half a litter last year at Christmas time, and it was the best Christmas present! Those were two weeks old and I had them for a couple of weeks. The litter of ten all found homes, and just before they shipped out I went to visit them and say goodbye. They were sooo cute! I have pictures of several of them that I cherish. If they had stayed still for just a moment I would have gotten even more pictures!

The present litter consists of six pups, two male and four female, two brown and four mostly black with white or tan. They are, of course, cute. I've named the two brown ones Boris and Natasha, then Zoe (two syllables, thank you very much), Libby, Mr. Blackwell, and the last one remains unnamed at this time. She's all black, and I'm taking suggestions!

Fostering puppies at this age is somewhat labor intensive. They are bottle fed every three hours (though they can go through the night!), and they pee and poop according to their own schedule. It never fails that as soon as I clean up their area and smile appreciatively at the pristine quarters, one will poop. I've got them strategically placed in the laundry area! The blessing at this age is that they pretty much eat and sleep. Once they get mobile it's another story!

Gratitude for puppies? You bet! I am a nurturer. Caring for these little guys exercises my maternal instincts and opens a direction for the love in my heart to pour out. And out it goes! I fuss, I cuddle, I clean and feed, and each one gets time for personal attention and affection. I am denied the opportunity to dote on my grandson, so there's lots of accumulated doting just ripe for dispensing. There are so many times when I am not in a position to help someone in need, that when an opportunity like this comes around, I don't really have to think twice.

puppy update

Finally, some puppy pictures! Three weeks and a day today.

The top photo is of the pups in their most typical pose: asleep! They feast, they pee and poop, they recover from the combined effort. Rinse (do not miss this step!) and repeat. Mom isn't around to take care of this essential step Are they not the cutest?

I have finally allotted names to them for functional purposes--these are not names I would attach permanently to any of them. Top left is Flora--she has the markings of what looks a bit like a fleur de lis on her forehead, hense the name. Spooning with her is Goldie (self-explanatory). In the relatively jumbled and indistinguishable mass of the rest of them we have Blackie (almost no markings on her face whatsoever), Wee One (the smallest), or Little Bit, and finally, Big Boy (the only boy of the lot).

In the second picture Flora is taking nourishment. Gulps, and gulps of nourishment.

And in the final photo Wee One rests her head while her lips nuzzle my thumb.
We know the mom is a Golden Retriever. Junior thinks the father is Rottweiler, given coloring and head shape. He may be right. If so, these will be large, sturdy dogs!