Day 320 - dumb skinny dog

Re the dog weight gain project--I snuck some protein powder on her food and I'm hoping to get her used to it.  Then after supper I teased her out of her cage with string cheese (mozarella).  But tonight we're back at an impasse.  The food is sitting in front of her cage door, she's hunkered down inside, and the hour is rapidly approaching eight p.m.  How to break the stalemate?

The protein powder was also a major ingredient in my "protein pumpkin bars."  They have no added fat other than the walnuts I threw on top.  And guess what that means--

They're dry and have a dusty aftertaste.

Day 319 - leftovers for dinner==no cooking!

Yesterday's cooking was just about the kind of experience you'd expect on a day when your son walks out the door without telling you he's going.  He went where he was supposed to go and came back right on time, but it's still a little unsettling.  Am I such a scary old nag that I can't even be trusted with the tiniest of information?  Of course, since he did exactly what I'd told him to do, why did I think I needed an announcement?


Then I:
- Had to wash and pick over twice as much spinach as I needed.
- Exploded a sweet potato in the microwave.
- Used up all the eggs and had to fix two cans of salmon with only one egg and a splash of egg whites.
- Spilled at least 1/2 c of the spinach feta quiche on the floor.  Zack cleaned most of it up.
- Opened a can of mushrooms by accident -- it was between two cans of salmon so naturally, I thought it was salmon.
- And to top it all, slit open my left index finger on a can lid.

At least Cookus Interruptus would be happy with my endeavors.  Everything was a whole food.  Except possibly the mustard--I know there is a plant called mustard and it has yellow flowers, but of a bottle of prepared mustard bears no conceivable resemblance to its origins.  It might as well be a test tube of chemicals stirred into a semi-solid slurry.

September 16

 I miss you.

Day 317 - broken record/dog breakfast

Silly dog refused to eat breakfast today.  I caught Zack eating it and yelled at him and then it was all over.  I gave her a bone later.

I'm going to start sneaking some protein powder in her food.  And I'm definitely cooking a bunch of those little baggies of leftover bones Ed keeps in the freezer.  Anything labeled dog meat is going straight in her dish.  Anything raw is getting microwaved, and then going straight in her dish.  That dog is going to eat!

She's eating now, and in fact, she just picked up her dish to try to pry the last stuck-in kibble.  I'll give her a biscuit....

Day 316 - dogs live in the present...not me

Sunday is my mother's birthday.  I should have planned to cook something she used to make--white beans, cornbread and fried potatoes.  Instead I'm making minestrone but I think she'd heartily approve of that.  But not the salmon patties--she used to hate to cook them.

So I'll be thinking of her all the same.  I always am.

(When I'm not thinking about Dad)

Re dogs, okay!  It cooled down.  But I got home so late today, they didn't get much of a walk.  Tomorrow is Saturday and I can make up for it with a nice rib bone.

Day 314 - dog improvement

I mentioned awhile back the cat-spatting episode.  Izzy came to see me at my computer, and the blasted cat in my lap spit and slapped at her, claws at the ready.  But the connection I didn't make is, that's probably why she just won't come see me at the computer anymore.  Even when temped with mozzarella cheese.
Seems she can learn bad habits faster than I can instill good ones.

This weekend's dog improvement project is claws (again) and brushes.  I need to get them in good enough shape to make a vet trip.  And this week's home improvement project is hauling the donations to charity and the recyclable electronics to Best Buy.  Unless by some miracle of Mother Nature it cools down enough to let me work outside.  It's supposed to cool down a little.

Darn.  I promised the dogs that as soon as the daytime highs were under 80, I'd extend their walk to the red fence.  It might just happen.

Day 313 - hurts

9/11 Will it ever end?