Pooches Partaking of Poops

Is this the profile of an addicted dog?

Listen my children and you shall hear
this allegation that sounds so queer.
My little Boofy is quite the hog
when he finds to eat a goosey log.

Logs, butt kabobs, poopsicles. Whatever you call them they are the disgusting calling card of the Branta Canadensis and my dog, Boofy, just loves to eat them.

Our neighborhood's biggest depositor

It wasn’t so bad until the last snow when the Canadian Geese, in their search for food, traveled a couple of blocks up the road from the lake where they usually stay – right into my neighborhood! Now the whole neighborhood is littered with these amorphous deposits which Boofy will grab and gobble the moment I relax on our once-relaxing walks.

Not only have our walks been ruined, but Boofy’s bum nugget addiction has predictably led to criminal behavior. Boofy is no pup. He is somewhere around twelve years old. He is in great shape and full of vim and vigor, but he loves his yard and never once has made a run for it. That is until now.

The other morning as I watched in disbelief, Boofy dashed across the street after nosing open the gate in a desperate quest for a goose poop snack. He is absolutely driven and driving me crazy.

Does your dog crave the Petite Corona of the sidewalk? Click here to find out what the ASPCA says about the consequences of pooches popping poops.

The Pleasure of Planting

One of my most comforting pleasures is sitting by a sunny window bathing myself in the warmth of the sun’s rays coming through. I’m doing that right now and I feel like I’m wrapped in warm velvet. I am such a happy cat in fact, that I would be licking my paws right now if I didn’t have to type.

This sun and warmth lead my mind to thoughts of spring, but as I look outside all I see are bare branches and random piles of dirty snow that the sun never got to.

I have a project waiting that I have been putting off for a day just like this one. My friend Bev gave me an herb garden kit for Christmas and today is “the day” for putting it together.

My father was a gardener extraordinaire who would get himself through a Pennsylvania January by studying all of the seed catalogues that came to the house. Planting this herb garden is better than logging seed selections into an order sheet though. I’ve already garnered at least a pound of pleasure through just the anticipation of planting these herbs and my pleasure pulse will only continue to quicken as I check daily for the first sprouting, the healthy growth and the eventual enjoyment of the fresh-cut flavors. I will ride this wave all the way to the budding out of the bushes there outside my sunny window!

Assembled and ready

The seeds included in the kit are; thyme, curled parsley, chives, sweet basil, and cilantro and the pots fit on a rack in a sort-of pyramid arrangement that will be lovely when my babies start to grow. I cut the seed packets at the corner tips, just the way my dad showed me and poured ten tiny seeds into my hand. The hand is a little different now, but the feeling of excitement is just the same as it was back then. I can hear Dad telling me to spread ‘um out a little. “Don’t cover ‘um up too deep.” I know, Dad. You taught me all this stuff.

So, now I have my seeds in their pots with the little labels that my bossy left brain insisted I stick on them. Next, they get soaked with water from a spray bottle so as not to push the seeds around and voila, my little pots of hope are racked and ready. You need the help of your mind’s eye at this point in the process, but it won’t be long.

Here we go now

Thanks Bev. Thanks Dad. I’m glad we could all get together for this little project. I feel sure now that spring is a comin’ and that sunshine pouring through this window will keep me and my herbies happy til it gets here. In the meantime, I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

Honey I Love You!

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I love honey and honeybees and I am very concerned about bee decline in the US and around the world. I just read an article in the Huffington Post about Colony Collapse Disorder and how overpopulation and urbanization and pollution and pesticides and climate change are killing the bees. It makes me very sad. But there are concerned professionals out there working to find answers to this crisis.

Do you know anyone who writes about honey in her personal journal? Looking over postings I have entered, I find numerous declarations of my affection for honey. I have been trying different local honey brands lately and have found a brand that has a flavor that I know I could identify in a blind taste test. It is by far the best tasting honey that I have ever eaten and I have only found it in one place. This nectar of the gods is contained in a mason jar with a simple black and white label that reads “Pure Honey Produced by Herman Arvada, Colorado 80002.” I’ve bought it a few times at Edwards Meat Market at 44th and Ward Road in Wheat Ridge.

I was in Edwards, just milling around looking at their specialty foods when my eye fell upon Herman’s honey. I added it to my order and returned home happily anticipating a big spoonful of this “beeliscious” bounty that I had just discovered. Now, after having enjoyed three jars of this honey, I knew I had to meet Herman. I called him up, told him how much I love his honey, he invited me over and we chatted about a subject near and dear to us both.

Herman learned about bees at an early age. Both his father and uncle were beekeepers and in the 1950s in his neighborhood around 1st and Logan, Herman took his first (of many!) swarm, dropped it in a hive and put the hive on the roof of his garage. That was the beginning of the long relationship that Herman maintains with the bees.

I asked him how many times over the years he had been stung and he laughed. He told me, “ I have been stung four and five times in one day, but I have the magic cure for bee stings and I learned it from a beekeeping book printed in German in the 1800s.” That magic cure for bee stings is lamp oil, or kerosene, and Herman has used it many times over the years on himself and other people who have been stung by bees.

Herman once helped a young child who had been stung multiple times. He was driving by in his truck when he saw a disturbance. He jumped out of his truck to help and when he learned what had happened he went with the parents and the screaming youngster into the house and applied kerosene to the child’s stings. The parents couldn’t believe it when their little one stopped crying. When he arrived, the stunned physician said he had never seen anyone stung so many times without pain and swelling.

One day many years ago while shopping for bee supplies, Herman met a man who would become a very important person in his life. The man, Rudolph, a retired state bee inspector from Minnesota, took Herman under his wing, showed him the mistakes he had been making, and taught him everything he knew about bees.

I asked Herman if after 50 years in the bee biz, there was anything that still surprised him. He told me, “I have read, and continue to read about bees and beekeeping every day. But I believe it is important to be a lifelong learner.” He showed me a booklet that he declares the most valuable book that he has ever found on beekeeping. It is unbound and in pieces because so many local libraries and bee enthusiasts want copies of it. This booklet was produced and sold by Montgomery Ward back in 1924.

Herman has a son, Wayne, who kept bees and produced honey and used the money he made to help put him through college. Wayne is now a Senior Entomologist in Washington for the US Department of Agriculture who is studying Colony Collapse Disorder and has been published on the subject. Herman also keeps close ties with apiarists at CSU in Fort Collins studying bees and their decline.

There is a stack of bee industry magazines and catalogues beside Herman’s reading chair in his living room. And as worried as I am about the future of the bees on our planet, it is comforting to know that people like Herman are here raising, studying and looking out for them.

You can buy Herman’s honey at Edwards Meats in Wheat Ridge and at the Golden Grocery in Golden.

What’s Out There in the Hood?

Part of the excitement of taking a walk in your neighborhood is about not really knowing what awaits you. You could meet neighbors walking dogs and/or children. You may see fox or raccoons, or a black cat may cross your path. During the change of this season into winter when everyone around you is sneezing and coughing, you may want to keep your eyes peeled for something a little less obvious but very powerful that you may be passing by.

Rose hips from my fence

Growing all around your neighborhood on rose bushes that were not trimmed back after the blossoms faded are plump red/orange berries growing from where the spent blossoms grew. These “rose hips” are a very potent source of vitamin C and make a subtle and healthy tea to help you ward off the attack of germs trying to get into your body.

Rich in many nutrients, rose hips are a healthy supplement to help maintain good health and prevent colds, flu and infections. In addition, the various flavonoids in rose hips have potent antioxidant action, helping to protect the body from the effects of stress, aging and the environment. During World War II, the British government used collected rose hips to make rose hip syrup as a source of vitamin C to replace citrus fruits that were impossible to get. Native Americans have been using rosehips as tea for thousands of years, and when the tea is finished, the hips were added to stews or soups. There was just too much nutrition in a rosehip to let it go to waste!

Walking itself is good medicine that is found to give a healthier life, including lowering high blood pressure and reducing the risks of stroke. Walking can also ease the symptoms of depression and “the blues” that some people suffer as we roll into winter. So, get up out of your chair and explore your neighborhood. Ask your neighbors if they have rose hips growing on the rose bushes in their yards.

Collect as many rose hips as you can and cut them in half. Next, scrape out the seeds which you can save and cultivate into more rose bushes

Add two tablespoons of cut rose hips to each two cups of boiling water and allow them to simmer for 10 minutes. I like to cover the tea and let it set overnight.

Pour your tea through a coffee filter and sweeten with stevia or honey.

Make enough to share with friends and family who you will find to be very curious about and excited to try this forgotten tonic.

It’s all good and it’s free; walking, talking, and sharing the healthful benefits of rose hips. Right out there in the hood!

It Takes Balls To Be a Salmon

The Last Lean Americans

“The Last Lean Americans,” a story in the October issue of 5280 examines Colorado’s obesity rates which at about 15 to 20 percent are the lowest in the country. The article discusses Colorado’s geography, our lifestyles, and our population’s propensity to exercise as factors for our low obesity rate.

The magazine editors collected health tips from readers and among them are; “Pick your poisons carefully – moderation is key,” and “Eat real food. Remember: It’s OK to be a food snob.” The one that caught my eye though was “Don’t eat anything that comes out of a box.” Well, doesn’t everyone know that???

When asked what kind of food they bought, 13% of readers polled said they try to buy local, 6% said that they try to buy organic, and a whopping 40% said that they try to buy organic, natural, and local! And why not with the ever-increasing opportunities to buy locally grown food in Denver and Boulder.

On Saturday I hit the Heirloom Gardens stand at  Highlands Farmers Market and bought beautiful heirloom tomatoes grown in CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) gardens in my North Denver neighborhood. They are beautiful, delicious and satisfying. They taste amazing tossed with a couple handfuls of fresh and piquant (grown in my neighborhood) arugula in a simple olive oil and lemon vinaigrette.

 

lemon vinaigrette

 

 

1 clove garlic mashed

1/2 lemon + 1T water

2T olive oil

1t Dijon mustard

 

 

 

Here is a link to the Heirloom Gardens blog where you can learn all about growing and raising your own food. There  are instructions for  roasting  winter squash. Delicious!

http://heirloomgardens.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!