Miss Grace Kelly

After we retired Mr. A and I decided we really did miss having a dog around the house and began a search for our new "forever friend." Over the years we've had several cockers and golden retrievers. Our last two dogs were goldens and we can't say enough wonderful things about the breed. However, they are a big dog (something I prefer) and Mr. A was hoping for something along the line of a "lap dog." Ideally, we wanted a nice, mellow middle aged dog that wanted to go for leisurely walks and enjoyed laying by the fire. As you can imagine, there aren't many dogs available with those traits...and when they are, they're snapped up immediately. We also thought it would be nice to adopt from a shelter. So, I began searching local humane societies in surrounding counties. If I would be willing to take a pit bull/mix dog there were many to choose from. That's not what we had in mind, so I moved on to searching on Petfinder. And, that's where we found Miss Gracie. Her story is less than ideal. The "rescue" organization turned out to be more of a no-kill shelter. The woman who ran the rescue had a house and barn in the country with lots and lots of horses and several kennels full of barking dogs. Miss Gracie and her littermate sisters, we were told, were an unwanted litter belonging to a neighbor. The owner volunteered to surrender the puppies in exchange for spay/neuter of her adult dogs. So, we went over the river and through the woods to her rescue farm and without much hesitation at all, returned home with Miss Gracie.....fleas, worms and all! Yup...for $158.50 you get all the fleas and worms you could ask for! So, Mr. A. and Mikey gave Miss Gracie two...that's two....flea baths and the next day we took her to the vet for worm medication and her first set of shots. She seems to have settled in quite nicely and has Mr. A. wrapped around her paw. He's the Alpha dog and in charge of teaching her things like not eating the lamp cord, rugs and our hands. We asked what breeds she might be...reply was...mother a poodle/schnauser and father a great pyrenese/collie. The visual of that is strange at best! The vet thinks she may grow to 50 lbs. (there goes Mr. A's lap dog) but only time will tell. So...stay tuned!

Christmas Cookies

I've been told, by a "follower" that my lone December blog...was...well...less than exciting. Ho hum to be exact. I agree. I was caught up in holiday decorating, baking cookies and following my favorite blogs! Did I mention EATing LOTS of my favorite Holiday cookies? Each member of our family has a favorite cookie. Mr. A's favorite is his Grandmother's cutout cookies (lots of work but he says well worth it); Michael loves fudge; and Carrie and I can't get enough of my mother's Pecan Short cookies. My friend, Beth, thinks the pecan short recipe is the same one her mother made. Quite possible as we lived next door to each other way back when. Because this is MY blog and because they are my favorite....below is the recipe for pecan shorts:

PECAN SHORTS

350 degree oven

2 cups butter (4 sticks at room temperature)

1 cup powdered sugar

4 cups flour

2 cup pecans (chopped)

2 tsp salt

Cream butter and powdered sugar

Add flour/salt mixture a little at a time

Add chopped pecans

CHILL dough

Roll into small balls and flatten with fork

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly brown

Cool slightly

Put in a large zip loc bag ( 10 or 12 at a time) filled with powdered sugar and tumble till coated

Simple...and delicious...and all gone...I ate the three in the picture while I was typing! Guess I'd better take a really long walk!

Yard Waste

In early November we had a heavy, wet snowfall. I love heavy, wet snowfalls! Unfortunately, they can do damage to trees...especially pines. For years...20 or better...I've gone around my neighborhood with the car picking up these branches to turn it into wreaths and garlands. I always ask before I take...it's the polite thing to do. And sometimes, if an entire tree has gone down, I'll make a wreath for the homeowner as a thank-you. This year Carrie joined me and made garland for the new (almost finished) porch on their 150 year old farmhouse. It's a wonderful way to start the holiday season!