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Day 118/365: A Rainy Spring Day Calls For Homemade Soup

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Day 118: Homemade Soup
Day 118: Homemade Soup

Rainy spring days call for homemade soup. This time I got a little carried away, couldn’t have put anymore into this pot if I tried. I think there is two gallons of soup, but after eating our meal, sharing some with a friend, and putting a few ready to eat cups in the freezer there isn’t any left.

Most of the time I include a recipe, but there is no way I can include on on this batch. It was a clean out the freezer creation. Homemade chicken stock, a quart of stewed tomatoes, leftover chicken, turkey, and ham along with frozen carrots, corn, some canned potatoes a friend gave me, and a can of veg-all vegetables. Mix all together in one pot, add some of your favorite seasonings (pepper, basil, Italian, parsley, chilli powder etc..) and simmer for two hours. I added some couscous during the last thirty minutes for texture.

Day 117/365: Wedding Cake, Are the Flowers Real?

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Day 117: Are the Flowers Real? (click on the picture)

Zoom in for a closer look, Are they real, or edible? Went to a friends wedding last weekend for a young Elmwood-Murdock couple and was amazed by the talent of the cake designer. Lynn doesn’t even do this full time. She works for the county sheriffs department.

I think I’m giving her a call for my son’s graduation cake.

Day 116/365: Mighty Dog Ball

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Searching for Tough Dog Toys

Brody my Jack Russel is at it again, testing tough dog toys. He loves this job. I on the other hand am getting tired of toys only lasting a few hours. Tried something a little different this time, The Mighty Dog Ball. This particular squeaky toy from MyDogToy.com had a hard rubber interior, no fluff. As usual Brody loved the ball, pushing on it making it squeak, chewing on it until the fabric was soggy.

tough dog toys
Day 116: Dog Toy testing

That novelty lasted thirty minutes until his tooth punctured the fabric, then the tugging began. Within ten minutes the fabric was off. The ball inside would have been a good option for an additional play toy, if it were tougher, like  Kong tough. (Kong toys are the only ones he can’t destroy).Back to the Mighty Dog Ball. He found the little squeaky device and purposely extracted the offending noise, then chewed it to bits. Time. one hour fifteen minutes. Not really worth the money if you have a toy destroyer in your house.

Due to my frequent posting about my dog toy experiment, the Kyjen Dog Toy Company and Brody’s amazing destructive ability, they sent him (and me) a whole box of toys to test and review.

Here is part one and part two of the Kyjen Dog Toy review

Dog Toy UPDATE:

Since I posted this several years ago I have been through hundreds of dollars of pet toys. I basically gave up and would just get a stuffed animal from the thrift store for fifty cents and let attack and destroy.

BUT, I did find an indestructible squeaky toy. Not only has it lasted months, but it still drives him crazy and keeps his interest. It’s the Booya Squeak and Treat.

Dog Toys for Aggressive Chewers

Below are some of the tougher dog toys that I have found. The Kong is tough, but doesn’t squeak, although if you have a food motivated pup it will keep them happy for hours. So far the PetSafe dog toys are the best so far for longevity. My Boxer isn’t a chewer and she loves the Kyjen Squeaker Mats, as far as tough dog toys, it’s tough enough for her.

Busy Buddy Squeak N Treat Booya Dog Toy LargeRealtree Waggle Dog Toy, Medium/LargeKyjen PP01379 Squeaker Mat Squirrel 16-Squeaker Plush Squeak Toy Dog Toys, Squirrel, LargeWest Paw Design Zogoflex Tux Guaranteed Tough Treat Stuffable Dog Chew Toy, TangerineTuffy Ultimates Ring Dog Toy, Red PawsKong PB2 Bounzer Medium

Day 115/365: Mother Natures April Fools Joke, Not Funny

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Day 115: Really, it's spring already!

Really? Snow in spring?

I can’t tell you how upset I was when it was officially spring, March 25th to be exact, and it snowed! Really? I love snow in December, Christmas just isn’t the same without a blanket of snow. Even in January snow is tolerable, it’s winter so yes, snow should and needs to be in the picture to complete the four seasons.

But, after March 21, nope, nadda, not a snowflake should appear. Anyone around me heard my disgust. I mean really, the flowers are blooming. Give me rain, but not snow this time of year. You might have seen an First Flower of spring of the crocuses, before the snow.

Retitled this post when I saw what day it was going live. Seemed like a cruel joke of Mother Nature. Somewhere I heard from friends in Connecticut that it’s supposed to snow on April 1st. Hopefully it’s a weather forecasters April Fools joke.

Day 114/365: Making Piano Music

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Day 114: Church

During Lent and Advent Vespers on Wednesday nights, I am the piano accompanist. I love those nights, especially during Lent, sitting a few feet from Pastor, listening to the Passion expand each week until Easter.

I try to arrive at church early, about forty-five minutes so I can warm up and play some pre-service music. Lorie Line is my favorite and The Heritage Collection II and play it from cover to cover.