Waste Fairies!

If you measure life in terms of "hours expended earning money", then wasting money is equivalent to wasting hours of life.  Now imagine every time you come home from the grocery store and offload, say, 6 bags of delicious groceries at roughly $25 each, some gal walks in out of the blue, grabs one bag, stomps it to bits, throws it down the garbage disposal, then leaves without explanation, without even taking anything for herself.  Just comes in and throws $25 of your life away, not to mention the time it took you to plan and shop for those groceries and bring them home. Senseless, pointless waste.

I suspect you'd feel outraged, as I did this morning making a huge pot of cauliflower soup, and imagined the Kitchen Waste Fairy descending upon me. (Often, when I cook, clean or do chores, I talk to myself, muse, day-dream.)    She watched me pull the leaves off the 3 cauliflour heads, then pull the flowerettes off the stems, then chop both leaves and stems to add to my soup.  She watched me cut the choicest stem parts into radish thin slices and store in a Zip-Lock bag for adding crunch to a future salad (they taste just like a mild radish!)  And our dialogue went like so:

"Why don't you just throw that stuff away, like everybody else does?", she said.  "Not a chance," I replied.  I told her I didn't throw away the tips of whole green beans either (they are perfectly edible, so WHY DO PEOPLE THROW THOSE AWAY????????), never throw away dry crusty bread (makes great croutons), and am bound and determined to figure out what to do with my sour milk besides throw it away. 

Dog Treats: Those tough asparagus ends that everyone throws in the trash, I feed to my dogs as tasty crunchy snacks, which they adore and beg for more.  I give them the apple and pear cores too (including seeds), let them lick the gravy off our plates as well as that last bite we simply cannot finish (which others scrape into the trash), not to mention letting them lick the stirring spoons, pots and pans, measuring cups, etc., with all that scrumptuous residue.  I feel positively weird at restaurants and other people's houses when I see all the wasted morsels my dogs would relish, going in the trash.  I have to bite my tongue not to ask for a doggie bag. My dogs' very happiness revolves around these little treats, and I use them as invaluable training aides, requiring a sit, down, stay, wait your turn, leave it, share, or no-begging posture, before dispensing.  Saves a bundle on doggie treats, and ensures that daily training takes place.

And this is only the Kitchen Waste Fairy!  There are Office Waste Fairies, too, whom I scoffed at later today as I used the clean back sides of printed copy paper to print out a 68 page manual (one I need only for myself, and will probably read only once).  John and I save reams of paper per year this way, at absolutely no inconvenience to ourselves. 

There are Yard Waste Fairies,  Hardware Waste Fairies, and Energy Waste Fairies.  Waste Fairies are everywhere. On this latter, I remember one of my pet peaves running my summer school was parents who stood in the doorway waiting for their child to finish playing, or chatting with an employee or another parent for 10 minutes with the door propped wide open in 95 degree temperatures, letting out all the A/C I paid a fortune for to keep their kids cool enough.  "Come in or go out, but shut the damn door!", I wanted to scream.  Senseless, thoughtless waste.

DAMMIT!  Oh, I could go on and on about WASTE, especially the kind that requires little to no effort to avoid.  John's and my parents grew up during the Depression, they lived thru rationing in WWII, they taught their kids how to conserve, and considered frugality a sign of high moral intelligence. My mother never threw away a garment before cutting off the buttons, and I have fond memories of her letting me dump all the buttons onto her bed, and sorting them by shape, size, color, number of holes, etc. My grandmother took "waste not, want not" to extremes, extracting the thread from the hems of any garment before folding it into the fabric drawer, wrapping the thread around her finger, and keeping dozens of little bundles of colored thread in a small cardboard box.   I never saw her use that thread, but I am sure she felt proud of herself and wealthier knowing she had it handy "just in case". 

I'm proud of their frugality, too, and I'll be damned if any Waste Fairy is going to claim one thin dime of my life either.  "A penny saved is a penny earned", Grandma would say.  I do draw the line, though, on saving used Christmas wrapping paper unless it's a large sheet, or hand-made.  And I refused to recycle until they finally let us put cardboard, glass, metal and plastic all in one bin.  I can't let the Conservation Fairy eat up all my time or space, either.

Upwards and onward!

Bad Weather, Tuna Putty, Tug Leash

Last night was rough.  Rumbling thunder, whole sky flickering with lightning, for hours, rain on the roof.  My dogs were extremely restless, FoohFooh pawing and pawing at me, Willow panting so heavily she finally threw up on my bed at 2 a.m. and we had to change the sheets and padding, Maxie hiding under the covers trembling.  Lucky alone was sleeping calmly in her crate.  All of this very untypical, except for Fooh Fooh who has always hated storms.  I didn't get to sleep until 4 a.m.  So today I woke up at 10:30 a.m. feeling tired and disoriented, dogs were starving.

Today is supposed to be my first teaching class.  One student emailed me and said she drives 2 hours to get to class and needs to know before 6 if class is cancelled! I wrote Nedra asking her if she could start letting us know by 4 p.m.  Now it's just piddle around and try to rest up while waiting for an answer. Bummer!  I was all psyched up for class tonight.  Like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, waiting is a skill that requires peace of mind.

Time to fiddle. Tracey sent me a recipe for a dog treat she calls Tuna Brownies so I made it.  I changed the name to Tuna Putty because it's the color of putty and feels like putty in my hands. You can roll it in a ball, tear off little pieces, it doesn't stick to your fingers and doesn't crumble either. Great for storing unwrapped in your pockets. My dogs all love it, and it's acceptable human food as well (especially if you add the cheese -- which I did not). It's such a pain to have to find the opening to a zip lock bag stuffed inside your pocket, or unzip a treat pouch, every time you need a treat.  Easier to reach for the ball.

I've added the recipe to my Dog Treats and Recipes page. Try it out.  It's easy to make, and inexpensive.

Yesterday on the field working with Max and Lucky, and afterwards at Joy's, working with Puddin' and Lucky indoors, I did some more practice with clicker training. Once you get your D conditioned to respond to the clicker as if it were a treat (salivating pleasure response), you can train on the run and from a distance, click good down contacts and great weave exits from 10 feet away, etc. Boy that sure comes in handy! My clicker is going to be a great training partner. I've started hanging mine around my neck with a long enough cord so the clicker fits in my scrubs pocket when not in use.  One more thing to remember to bring.

Sheryl and I think someone should invent a finger clicker that you wear like a ring on your thumb, or like castinettes on 2 fingers.



Lucky hands the end of her
new leash to Puddin'

 At Joys, my objective was to get Lucky, Puddin' and Maxie acquainted so I can start taking Puddin' with us out to the field now and then, see if he'll fetch, run him, train him a bit, and maybe bring him to my house sometimes.  I walked the 2 big dogs around the block so they would form a pack (Dog Whisperer style), then sat them both in the back seat of my car with me and Maxie in front, engine running.  So far, so good.  I've never handled a 75 lb dog, a huge vibrant hunk of Boxer puppy, and still don't know his behavior like I do my own dogs.  Very gentle, but strong as an ox and could knock me over in a second.

Joy gave Lucky a brand new tug leash (never had one of those before, a short felt braid intertwined with strong rope she had ordered from a vendor, and just Lucky's purple color). We put it on Lucky, and within seconds Lucky handed the other end to Puddin, and Puddin started tugging her all around the house. This went on for 20 minutes. It was so adorable. Such beautiful, intelligent, caring, loving animals. Yes, I think they've bonded!



Puddin leads Lucky around
the house.



Cucumbers As Dog Treats, Cold Cucumber Soup!

Bamboo teepees are great for cuke vines
to climb up.  I built the portable

picket fence so I could take it

when/if we ever move.  It keeps the

dogs out of the garden, all except Lucky.

As you can see,

the agility equipment is in the same yard.

I've had so many cucumbers in my garden this summer, I can't begin to eat them all.  I eat one a day, then give a bunch away to neighbors, bring them to agility class, and feed slivers to my dogs, which they fight over except for Fooh Fooh, who has always spit them out.  Thus, I didn't know dogs went for cucumbers, but they do, especially the papillons.

The cukes are nearing the end of their run now, the leaves are turning brown. A few days back I was going through them and found 2 giant ones that I somehow missed.  They are twice normal size -- too big to give away and turning paler in color.  What am I going to do with them?  Detesting waste, I went online and looked up Cucumber Soup recipes.  I settled for 2 that I had all the ingredients already, prepared them, and the 1st one was by far the most delicious. I list the recipe below.

When you come in from the practice field, hot, sweaty, tired and starving, there's nothing so refreshing as a cold bowl of Vichyssoise.  The dogs agree, and lap it up.

Here's Lucky, the only one who usually holds the vessel between her paws, enjoying her cold Cucumber soup.  Does this classify her as a gourmet?  I think, yes!

The recipe:

Lucky Lucy LuLu, licking the pot clean.

CHILLED CUCUMBER/POTATO SOUP

3 cucumbers (or 2 huge ones), score the skin down the length of cuke with fork tines so they will chop more finely. Cut into 1" chunks.

1 can cream of potato soup

1 can chicken broth

2 tsp. vinegar

1 sprig tarragon, chopped fine, or can use 2 tsp tarragon vinegar if no fresh tarragon is available.

8 oz. sour cream (lite)

1 tbsp honey

1 cup whole milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine broth and chunks of cucumber in processor in 3 or 4 batches, liquify and place in bowl. Blend potato soup, sour cream, vinegar and honey together in food processor. Combine with chicken broth and cucumber mixture. Add milk. Stir with wire whisk until blended. Refrigerate until cold. Garnish with parsley if desired.

NOTES: More delicious if chilled overnight for flavors to marry.  Keeps several days in refrigerator.

Next year I will try dehydrating cucumber sticks and giving them to my dogs.  I bet they will love gnawing on them too.

Dog Treats and Recipes

In Max's first Intro to Agility class, I met Joy, who had pockets full of the most delicious treats and gave them out to whichever dog was around her.  She was very popular. Still is. She gives out her recipes, too. They are all cheap, delicious, good for the dogs, and if you like them, they aren't bad for you either.  I share her recipes below.

You always hear trainers talk about "cookies, bisquits, kibble, pay your dog, jackpots, etc." But they never tell you what treats to use. So here's a list of the things I've used and seen other handlers use.  I'll keep adding to the list as time goes on:

1. String cheese is what you see trainers stuffing in their mouths for ready access.  (Handy because the wrapper can stay on in your pocket, but very expensive.  I tried this, but ended up eating it all.)
2. Block cheese, cut into strips or squares (also expensive, and needs to be in a plastic bag)
3. Hot Dogs - I suppose the most popular, handiest training treat there is.  You can stuff a piece in your mouth without gagging, and bite off bits at a time as needed.
4. Purina Kitten Chow, very tiny treats, very high protein, dry so can be put loose in a pocket, good for very small dogs (I use this with Max and Willow, and they go crazy for them.)
5. Honey Nut Cheerios, tiny, tasty, decent nutrition, dry.  Good for small dogs.  Good visibility for throwing onto floors or short-nap carpets.  Big dogs like them, too, but sometimes "inhale" them from your hand and choke on them.  They do okay licking them up off the ground.
6. Log Dog Food - buy a roll, cut into disks about 1/2" thick, cut disks into strips.  Freeze.  Buy 2 or 3 flavors, and mix them up in a large Zip Lock bag to freeze.  Take out what you'll need and throw it in your pocket.  Each little piece will thaw out in your hand within several seconds.  You can pinch smaller bits off of a strip.  It's dry enough to go straight into a pocket, soft enough to break off, and if you need it to be sticky, you can moisten it with a bit of spit, roll it in a ball, and stick it on the down contact. (I use Natural Balance, but there are other brands.)
7. Bil-Jak.  This comes in bite size bits and freezes indefinitely, is soft enough to stick onto a surface, hard enough to hold together.  It's a bit messy for individual treats when thawed, but if you microwave a plate of it for 1 minute then cool, it becomes dry enough to handle.  You find it in the freezer section at Albertsons.
8. Oyster Crackers.  They are small, dry and dogs love em.  For tiny dogs I crack them open with my teeth and give half a cracker.  I usually eat the other half!
9. Dry Dog Food - Some trainers just feed their dogs their meal during training, one kibble at a time.
10. Left-overs - if someone doesn't eat their pizza crust or leaves part of a sandwich or steak or an apple, or even a baked potato skin, cut it up and use as treats.  DON'T WASTE FOOD.  Dogs will eat practically anything!
11. Toast - take a slice of multi-grain bread, toast it, cut into 1/4" squares.  For about 10 cents, you get a pocket full of treats!
12. Store Bought Treats - There are dozens of these to choose from in fancy little bags, but I find them outrageously expensive, and some of them smell like chemicals.  I steer clear of these.  I'm always looking for inexpensive, nutritious treats. If I can spend .25 cents a day treating each of my 4 dogs, I'm within my treat budget (that's $30/month). I'm here to tell you, IT CAN BE DONE!
13. Sticky Treats - Various trainers recommend "sticky treats", but never mention what they are.  I've experimented with various things.  Peanut butter on the end of a long wooden spoon is a great lure.  American cheese slices are wrapped and can go in your pocket. The cheese wads up into sticky little balls that can go at the bottom of a contact, but leave some residue.  Log Dog Food (see above), works if you mash and moisten it.
14. Frozen raw chicken necks (small dogs) and turkey necks (large dogs).  Cleans their teeth, provides collagen for joint health, and can be a meal.  Can be divided into seperate vertebrae for individual treats. Frozen they chew them.  Thawed, they tend to swallow them whole.
15. Raw veggies:  Dogs love apple, pear, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, carrots, stems of mustard and other greens, broccoli stalks, hearts of cabbage and cauliflour, etc.  Cut into thin crunchy slices.  Stay away from grapes!

Michele and Jonathan making a 2 month supply
of Liver Brownies

Liver Brownies (so easy a child can do it):
this is a great recipe because it doesn't crumble.

1 lb liver (any kind), raw, pureed in a food processor.  Add
1 egg

Garlic powder (dogs love garlic)
1 packet Knorr Unflavored gelatin
1 cup liquid
Pinch of salt.
Puree, transfer to a bowl, then add

1.5 cups corn meal

1.5 cups flour
Mix into a soft paste. Let sit 10 minutes to soften gelatin and corn meal.
Pour/spread this mixture onto a greased baking pan (the kind with 1/2" sides, about 12" x 16"), and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Use a pizza cutter to slice it into squares.
Use a spatula to loosen the pieces from the pan.
Store in Zip Lock Bags in freezer. 

Chicken or turkey Gizzard Treats:
1 lb of gizzards
1-2 toes of finely chopped garlic, minced garlic or garlic powder
Pinch of salt

Simmer the gizzards in water (barely to cover) until they are tender (about 30-45 minutes).  Drain (save water to mix in dog's meals). Chop up into treat size bits with kitchen sheers.  Lay flat and freeze, then place in zip lock bags.  To thaw, put a handful on a plate and microwave for 30 seconds.  This thaws and also hardens them up a bit for dryer handling.  My dogs prefer them soft and juicy, though. 

Here's a recipe I found at http://lorriemaxx.wordpress.com/page/2/:

Liver Treats
The nice thing about these treats is the consistency. I experimented with the recipe until I got something that was soft but not crumbly or gooey. The secret, I think, is the gelatin.

•2 lb. chicken livers, drained; put through the food processor until soupy (yuck!)
•3 eggs
•~1/4 cup salmon oil or similar supplemental oil
•2 pkg. unflavored gelatin
•24 oz. (3 cups) brown rice flour
•Optional – ¼ c Parmesan cheese
•Optional – 1 Tbsp garlic powder
•Optional – ~3 Tbsp. liquid glucosamine (not necessary – just a nice added ingredient)

Beat the liver, eggs, oil, glucosamine, and gelatin until thoroughly combined. Slowly add the rice flour (and garlic or parmesan). The mixture should look kind of like thick cake batter. Pour into two well-greased (or parchment paper-lined) 9X11 pans. The mixture will be about 1/2” – 3/4“ thick. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. It should have a spongy texture and bounce back if you press on it. Let it cool for a few minutes, then turn out onto a cutting board and cut into 1/4″ cubes with a pizza cutter. Let cool before packing into plastic bags.


Tuna Putty

1 12-oz can tuna (in water) do not drain
1 1/2 cups flour (any kind)
2 eggs
1 TBSP. garlic powder or minced garlic (optional)
1 TBSP. grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Process tuna, eggs and garlic in food processor or blender (or mix by hand in a bowl). Add flour and cheese and mix to a brownie-like consistency. Spread into an 8x8" or 9x9" greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. When the brownies are done, they will pull away from the sides of the pan.  Cut into squares, store in refrigerator in zip lock bag.  Can be frozen.

These treats have a putty-like texture, can be rolled into a ball, and can be pulled apart without crumbling.  They are dry enough to go in your pocket and don't leave residue on your fingers.

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If you'd like to share your dog treat recipes, please send them to me at msfry@pmnotary.com