When "DOGS" fly

My favorite form of exercise is a long walk through Dogpatch neighborhoods. Depending on the route I choose, a leisurely stroll on level ground or a quick trot down the hill only to huff my way back up gives the satisfaction needed for my daily mood. Often a neighbor or two will join in, but a chocolate colored labrador retriever is my intrepid companion whether Ol' Abner chooses to come along or not.

Other dogs sometimes join us on the leashes of neighbors and she delights in making friends with any four legged companions. Her friendly social nature will usually win over the trust of these critters quickly. One neighbor resides with a small dog of unknown ancestry appearing to be a mix of a dachshund and a beagle or something with a brindle coloring. She is every bit as social as Belle although she does not enjoy a leash. Gidget will come running out to meet us as we walk by. She will roll and tumble with Belle, then proceed to me to perch in begging style on her hind legs to receive a gentle scratch on the head, then off she runs to play in circles around us.

Gidget is well known around town as Ol' Taxidermist's companion. Riding shotgun in his truck, head hanging out the window as he navigated a turn into a parking lot one day, resulted in a sudden tumble out to the ground. A few months later, she suffered a bout of lyme desease. Full recovery ensued though she learned to scream shrilly if someone touches her or attempts to pick her up against her wishes. When Mountain Girl and a large very old Blue Heeler, Sam, moved in, Gidget quickly adapted and took charge of his habits. She learned to run beside the four wheeler in the woods and refuse to exit a car if the ride has not yet been to her satisfaction.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a tiny carcass of a fawn beside the road along one of our walking routes. It appeared as though the internal organs had been cleared cleanly while the legs, and head were intact and it looked almost uninjured. I commented on this phenomenon to Ol' Abner and he explained the usual process of scavenger birds. Other neighbors mentioned the tiny fawn and a few days later it had disappeared completely. Ol' Abner came in and related a tall tale to me. Neighbor Joe had been watching as vultures munched on the fawn as Gidget irritated them. He said she barked and charged them until one flew up and grabbed her with claws firmly attached to her neck and shoulders. He watched as the creature flew across the street and around a house with a clearly reluctant passenger squirming in his grasp. Horrified he continued to watch the scavengers. Minutes later the sassy little dog came trotting out of the woods to harass the birds one last time, then turn on her heels and race toward home.

We shared the tale with Ol' Taxidermist and Mountain Girl later that day and she observed that Gidget didn't appear to be injured, but hadn't seemed to be venturing out as far as usual. Ol' Abner noted that she no longer followed past the corner where the fawn had lain. I guess that dog DID fly...and no doubt she has at least nine lives.

Avoid the "Poop Vein"

I tried a new recipe yesterday. It was delicious and should have gone together quickly. Instructions called for peeled and deveined shimp. Years ago when living on the gulf coast we frequently purchased fresh shrimp and Ol' Abner (who wasn't quite so old then) was adept at peeling and deveining the critters thanks to a nifty tool he had found. I had purchased some nice looking frozen shrimp of admirable size a couple of days ago and was anxious to combine some yummy sounding flavors. Since the magazine featuring the recipe may not survive the next side table clean-off, it follows here for future reference.

Red Cumin-Lime Shrimp on Jicama Rice

12 oz fresh or frozen peeled and deveined medium to large shrimp

3 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 C chopped yellow onion

1 anaheim chile pepper, seeded and sliced

1 1/2 T chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 C hot cooked brown rice

1 1/2 C peeled jicam cut into thin bite size strips

2 T Lime juice

2 T vegetable oil spread

1/3 C snipped fresh cilantro

Thaw shrimp if frozen and set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet heat one tsp of olive oil and swirl skillet to coat bottom lightly. Add onion and chile pepper and cook, stirring frequently til tender. Stir in shrimp, chili powder and cumin. Continue cooking (about 3 min) until shrimp are opaque.

Spoon hot rice into a serving bowl and stir in jicama. Cover and let stand until serving time.

Remove skillet from heat, stir in remaining 2 tsp olive oil, the lime juice and vegetable oil spread. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and let stand 5 min to allow flavors to absorb and vegetable oil spread to melt.

To serve, stir cilantro into rice mixture and pour shrimp mixture over rice.

We found this meal delightful since we have a love of flavors from south of the border, especially those healthy dishes featuring seafood. Probably could be 20 min from start to table IF I had not spent 30 minutes peeling and deveining shrimp...not a pleasant chore if you haven't tried it. Oh yes, that tool that he claims makes removal of the "poop vein" so very easy...does NOT.

Huff, Puff, and down we go

It's been a rough couple of months for Ol' Abner. When his surgically improved toes healed, he felt ready to push his feet into walking shoes and enjoy a stroll around the neighborhood. Brown dog was incredibly happy to adopt this old habit quickly. I walked with him and was surprised as he trudged up the slight incline leaving our house slowly. He could barely talk and was gasping for breath. We concluded that he was really out of shape from recent inactivity. A few days and we thought he would be fit and able to regain his past level of walking.

After a few days with no improvement, I urged him to call his local primary care provider. After a few more days of delay, he finally gave up and called. When he explained his problem by telephone, the instruction was to proceed to the emergency room. Feeling as though that was an overreaction he continued trying to push through the huffing and puffing. After his follow up with the podiatrist, I urged him to go ahead and have this problem evaluated. It wasn't getting better and I hoped it might be something easily remedied.

Emergency rooms are seldom pleasant places to spend the afternoon. We felt a little silly as we shared the waiting area with a man denied entrance to an airplane with his red swollen leg, an elderly couple accompanied by a loud daughter thinking she should take charge of the system, and a young man seeking pain medication for his swollen gums. The triage nurse called us in for evaluation and one glance at the intake sheet caused her to immediately call for a technician to come from the inner-sanctum of the treatment area. A snippy young man sitting at a previously empty desk chastised me for not stopping there as we arrived. Ol' Abner's complaint was supposed to be treated as a life threatening emergency. I didn't bother to explain that he had been missing at the time and we had proceeded to the "check in" cubicle. Abner was escorted back and I was instructed to return to the waiting area to enjoy the stares of those knowing their arrival had preceded ours. Meanwhile snippy young man sat at his desk showing the apps on his smart phone to a security policeman as my husband's escort came to the door and said something to him, then pointed to me. Snippy young man nodded and continued his conversation. Another twenty minutes passed and a nurse came through the sliding door and called my name. Snippy barely glanced up as I entered the portal beside him. The nurse thought I had left since the technician had come out earlier to have Snippy young man to send me back to join Ol' Abner.

Ol' Abner was perched on a cot with oxygen on his face, a blood pressure cuff on his arm, leads on his chest, and a pulse oximeter on his finger. The physician had advised him that his EKG looked good, his blood work raised no concern and we awaited the chest Xray. The contraptions attached to his person had indicated that he was not absorbing enough oxygen, thus the oxygen flowing up his nose. We had been there about two hours by this time, and Ol' Abner was lamenting that it would be very late when we arrived home, a rather prophetic observation.

His exit from the emergency room followed a path to an inpatient room for observation and further testing. The chest xray had shown fluid in his lungs and the doctor calmly suggested that he remain for a day or two flush the fluids, determine the cause and plot a course of treatment. He was there for four nights and on the fifth day he was released by a reluctant physician when he promised to return for additional outpatient tests.

Our home in Dogpatch is a little over a three hour drive down the mountain and over a couple of rivers and around another mountain or two from the city. Following his admission to the hospital I drove home over the winding roads frequently shared by deer in the dark of night.

Brother had come by to feed the dog and allow her a minute of outside time, but she was a bit confused when I arrived alone. I packed some clothes and the next morning delivered the pup to her favorite canine bed and breakfast before repeating the previous morning's journey down the mountain.

Congestive heart failure was the final diagnosis. Additional tests indicated that he needs oxygen when exerting himself. A therapist came to the house last week and brought small tanks of the stuff and tubing to attach it from a backpack he can carry as he walks. Today he walked with his pack of oxygen and the dog is happy again.

Winding Down...or maybe it's just the "wind-up"

It's a busy weekend on the mountain.  Sandwiched between the Labor Day holiday and the weekend of the citywide yard sale,  several activities will keep Dogpatch residents on the move...or at least these residents.  The cool days signaling Autumn are delightful.  Last night a visit from his grandchildren gave Digger Dude, aka Ol' Excavator a good excuse to cook for a crowd.  He tried his luck at "Italian Beef", and the verdict from all his guests was Successful Acquittal of his mission.  It was yummy and it's always fun to sit around at the end of the day and predict the outcome of planned weekend events. 

In just a few minutes, Ol' Abner and I will head for the state park to check out the Hillbilly Chili Cook-Off.  It's an annual event that includes tasting multiple chili concoctions and a vote for the favorite.  Local vendors set of booths with free junk and places to gather for a conflab, and charitable organizations promote their causes and sell wares.  Later tonight, one of our favorite local bands will be playing at the square around the county courthouse.  It's just been too hot most of the summer for the Saturday night concerts, but tonight may just be perfect weather for a little outdoor entertainment.
 
Tomorrow we will go up the mountain for a cookout at the home of some part time "dogpatchers".  Several acquaintances and some really good friends will attend and the food will no doubt be great.  Ol' Abner says it will be next week sometime before he's ready to pull out his fishin' pole again.
 

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A Thread of Interest

My restlessness has morphed into the need to learn something new. I still have the unfulfilled need to travel, but it's been stretched to include an urge to learn. As the new school year begins for the younger generation and those who teach them, I wonder if I should consider returning to school. Maybe even an on-line class or two would feed my empty mind. Last week I returned to the local knitting group. I still haven't mastered the reading of a knitting pattern, but some progress can be flaunted. Making an oven mitt with a lot of coaching, followed by completion of a second all on my own, may not seem a huge accomplishment. Still I take pride in a tiny lesson learned. So many things to learn...so little time. I mustn't waste it! Perhaps I'll do some research on cars. Ol' Abner seems to think it's time to replace mine.

Rainy Days and Rainy Nights

Rains have cooled the mountains finally after a couple of weeks of 100+ temperatures. I hesitate to complain as I have listened to my friends in drought stricken Texas lament the heat and dryness over the spring and summer. The only time I enjoy a rain event is during a good night's sleep, but I've found myself praying for the rain to come to Texas this year. Cooler days have made outdoor time in Dogpatch more tolerable, but the humidity leaves the body soaked with sweat after a few minutes outside. The dog doesn't seem to mind and delights in our longer morning walks, although I can't say the same for the grazing deer. As we stroll down the street and she strains at the leash in an effort to greet the fellow four-leggers, they scatter in panic from their breakfast. I guess they spent the rainy night sleeping too.

Oh the Places We'll Go! NOT

This summer I seem to be suffering from a bit of unrest. We started the season by cancelling a trip so I could have a minor surgery, thinking the journey would only be postponed a few weeks. That destination hasn't yet been reached. Meanwhile unplanned travel has been necessary and I'm grateful that time and means allow for the trips. Still, I yearn for a chance to visit some of the places on my list.

I want to some day take the train across Canada during the summer and enjoy the views from the high windows of the passenger cars. A night at the Chateau Lake Louise would be a must on the journey. We enjoyed a delightful lunch there several years ago, and I knew I wanted to spend a little more time in the beautiful hotel on the turquoise lake. Ol' Abner listens to me sigh as we have seen the cost of the rail ride quadruple in price since my first suggestion that we plan for this vacation, but it isn't high on his wish list. Hmmm

A night or two in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis would be an easy weekend or mid-week outing for us. I want to go when it isn't so miserably hot in the river city so we can stroll down Beale Street and listen to the musicians. With a niece and nephew living there, we would have knowledgeable tour guides to steer us into the little places of local flavor. We did the tour of Graceland and loved seeing all the Elvis memorabilia many years ago, but I'm ready now for a bit of historic Memphis sans Elvis.

A few days in Nashville, Mobile, Savannah, or Fredericksburg might be a salve for my wanderlust. Ol' Abner says we live in the vacation destination for many people and doesn't feel the urgency to see the places I want to go. I keep dropping hints and sometimes make the overt request to his distracted ears, so far it's just not happening. Maybe I'll just plan a trip to London!