Dog Training 101

It has been 3 weeks now since we adopted Levi. When we first brought him home, he thought he was the alpha dog, and at 96 pounds, it was hard to convince him otherwise. I am no dog expert, but I at least know the basics, and if you want a well trained dog, the first thing that has to happen is establish yourself as the alpha dog. At first, he will be very resistant, and your arms will get very tired of pulling him and pushing him. ALWAYS go first through the doors, always walk first up the stairs, etc. Basic stuff. Fast forward three weeks, and something finally clicked in Levi's little doggie mind - he is no longer the alpha. He now waits at the door for me to walk through first and is now walking well on the leash, with no pulling. Praise God for that one, because it was killing my arms to keep him at my side.

Another problem an alpha dog may exhibit is their desire to run off. Up until yesterday, Levi would try to run down the road and never look back. You could scream his name and whistle and all the typical calls you make to get your dog's attention. He acted as if he was deaf. Yesterday, every time he would try to walk out of the yard, I would call and he actually stopped dead in his tracks and came back. I am elated with this progress!!! Every time he would return to me, I would praise him lots. I think he felt a little deflated, because he really wanted to explore, but in time, he will be much happier and more secure.

We still have a way to go, but I am just thrilled with the progress we have made in 3 weeks. Who ever owned him never took the time to teach him any commands or even simple words. I have my work cut out for me, but at least he is starting to show that he is making the connections. I have no doubt he will know many words over the next few months.

Correction....

Well, we took Liberty (Libby) to the vet, and come to find out he is a male. He is just so fat (96 pounds) that his parts were hidden.... So, now he is called Levi, after our favorite dog on our favorite tv show, "Sue Thomas: FB-Eye". It is a really good show, based on a true story. Sue THomas is deaf and reads lips for the FBI. She has a hearing dog, Levi. It airs reruns on the Gospel Music Channel, and possible another channel. It is a very clean show with great characters, you really need to give it a try.

Levi seems to be fine with his new name. We are so relieved he is heartworm negative. That seems to be a real issue for animals around here. I hope you can come by and meet him!

Liberty!

We just got a new dog from the shelter and her name is Liberty! We plan to call her Libby for short. She is HUGE! I am hoping both Libby and I will lose some pounds this spring going on many long walks. She is so smart and already knows her name! We are excited about our new family member!

Food for Thought

WARNING: Put on your steel toed boots, as I may be stepping on some toes. It's not intentional by any means, I just want to enlighten you a bit. Not being judgmental at all, really. And I know how sensitive some of you are, and may take this personally, but please don't.

First of all, I notice a lot of my friends become fans of many things on the internet. I, myself, am also a fan of a few things, but I am very selective about where I cast my endorsement. I don't have a problem with people becoming fans of everything under the sun, whatever makes you happy, go for it. But can't you at least be discretionary about people who have so-called "food" blogs? Like what is so fan worthy of a blogger who uses canned biscuits, canned soups and box mixes in almost all of their recipes? Whoopy-ding-dong, anyone can open a can of biscuits.

Have we really sank so low as cooks that anyone who can toss some canned biscuits with some cinnamon and sugar is now a gourmet? I know, I know, who has time to make biscuits from scratch? And those canned soups (although laden with sodium & MSG) are just so easy and consistent...... Well, I also wrestle with time constraints (run a small business, work part-time, homeschool 4 boys, etc.) and I manage to make everything from scratch, freshly milled flour and all that. I have four sons who are perfectly capable of helping me in the kitchen, but they would rather have dental work done than do that. Thus, I am virtually alone every day, making HEALTHY and wholesome meals with REAL food. It merely involves planning and fortitude.

I suppose, if I had some extra time, I could create a food blog. But really, I give out enough recipes and tricks-of-the-trade secrets to my friends all the time. I choose to make the food for my family and friends, instead of blog about it for admiration from strangers. And one more thing, when doing a recipe blog, do we really need pictures of every single ingredient? It just totally makes it look like you are talking down to your viewers, as if they can't read an ingredient list and know what it looks like... egads. Ok, I feel better now and I hope none of you are offended, but are enlightened, if only a little bit.

Cast Iron......

I grew up in home where my mom cooked with two or three cast iron pans, and made it look so easy. She also used to say cooking with cast iron will give you your daily serving of iron. Obviously, I cook our jambalaya in a huge cast iron pot, but other that that, I never really could get the hang of it. Everything sticks to them and they are a pain to keep seasoned. Until now. Thanks to my friend, Sam, for encouraging me to give the cast iron another try. It does take some getting used to, but once you realize cast iron just needs a little patience, you can master cooking with it, too.

First of all, you have to use a lower fire setting. Iron is slow to heat up, but it retains the heat longer. You will find it cooks more evenly, also. My pancakes have been so beautiful using the cast iron, my kids have been giving me many compliments! And they seem to be fluffier - even using whole wheat flour! You will need to be sure they are seasoned well, and yes, they do require you to use more butter or oil than you may be used to, but think about the fact that you can toss out your toxic teflon and never have to buy another skillet again. You can find some on E-bay that are from the 1800's that are good as new, probably better!

Another thing I like about cast iron is, they are made right down the road from us, in South Pittsburg, TN. You gotta love supporting the local manufacturers! Lodge has been making cast iron for decades, and they are so affordable! You can easily buy several pieces and not go broke!

I don't have any of Lodge's enamel covered cast iron, but I do have some Le Creuset pots that I love. They are $$$, but I think Lodge's enamel is a whole lot more affordable. If I could go back in time, I would have gotten the Lodge and would have saved quite a bit of money.

Next time you need a new skillet, consider giving the age-old cast iron a try. The learning curve is short but so rewarding! It feels great to know I will not have to buy a non-stick skillet every six months!

In like a lion...

You know that saying about March, "in like a lion, out like a lamb". I wonder if it will be true this year, the year of massive snow, even in the south. I have lost count, but I think this is the seventh time it has snowed this winter. The boys and I have really enjoyed it, with today being no different. We made several snowmen and then came in for hot chocolate! And the weathermen have gotten it wrong EVERY single time this year. We were expecting half an inch today and then turning to rain. Well, now that three inches+ are on the ground, they have changed their minds to 2-4 inches and have taken away the rain.... go figure.

It sure is beautiful, and I am thankful to get to enjoy it. Tomorrow it will be gone.

Dear Mom,

I just wanted you to know how much I miss you. Twenty years ago today, I got that dreadful call, telling me that you died unexpectedly. I had just talked to you that morning, I simply did not want to believe it. My life has never been the same since that day, and I think about you every day. So many things remind me of you, and for that I am thankful.

I miss how you were always singing, humming and even dancing. I miss your devilish smile, the way you would raise your eyebrows when you were thinking something, but chose not to say it. You were the life of the party, and none of our parties have ever been the same without you.

I miss how you would tip-toe into my room on cold winter mornings, and tell me I could sleep in. We would watch Julia Child, The Galloping Gourmet and then bake cookies. You would keep an eye out for the milkman so you could get him to give us some ice cream off his truck. I loved how you would let me cut up magazines and glue pictures onto a box for a cool collage. You could turn nothing into something, and make washing the windows fun.

I miss your fabulous cooking, but I am so thankful you always let me help you in the kitchen. You never complained about the mess I made, it just didn't bother you. I learned so much because if I was in the kitchen with you, you were telling me all about the techniques, with proper French terms, and all your secrets. All those cooking secrets! You would be thrilled to know how good of a cook I have become, all because of you. Every time I cook, Mom, you are with me.

I miss how you were my biggest cheerleader. You were always so positive, but also honest, and made me feel good about myself. You gave me confidence when I lacked it, and helped me to realize I could always do more.

I miss how you were always giving. I have never met anyone else in this world that gave like you did. Your generosity was sometimes overwhelming, but now that I am older, I admire it more than ever. I used to tell people not to say they liked your blouse, because I feared that you would take it off and give it to them. Thank you for teaching me to go against my selfish nature and be giving.

I could easily go on and on about the thousand things I miss about you, but I know you are too humble for me to keep bragging about you. The hardest and most painful things I miss, are the things I never got to experience with you. You never met my husband and you were not there for my pregnancies, births or babies. You had 12 pregnancies, so I am sure you and I could have talked for hours. I think I suffer the most pain from the things that never got to be. You would love our little house in the woods with the screen porch. You would love that I had my own little store and how I make quilts. You would absolutely love these precious boys God gave us. They are such good boys, and they have such sweet spirits and how some of their traits are like mine when I was little. You have no idea how much it hurts me that they never knew you.

Mom, you were the best mother I could have ever asked for. You were my best friend. I miss you every day, with all of my heart.