Saturday, June 12, 2010

Random Thoughts and Ideas for Today, Plus --DOGS!

Walked the dog to the store, making sure to walk her mainly on the grass. It is a hot day in Southeast Texas (heat index of 100+) and my doggie girl needs cool grass under her feet, not scalding asphalt !
Which brings me to...what the heck are people thinking when they walk their dogs on hot streets? THEY wear shoes, do they think that their dogs paw pads are impervious to heat or cold or cuts, etc.?

Yes, a dogs paw pads are a bit tougher than most peoples bare feet, but I have seen (when I worked at a vets) dogs who's paw pads got blistered from being walked on hot streets and sidewalks!
Similarly, I have seen dogs with frostbite on their pads from being walked in snow while their owners strolled along in comfy warm boots, oblivious to their companions suffering.
And since it is summer in Texas...always, BUT ALWAYS remember to have ample water for your dogs at all times, but especially in the heat!

Speaking of heat...I am working on container gardening for on my fire escape. Bad news...those suckers heat up to damn near thermo-nuclear levels during the day! So, while my seeds are sprouting inside...I am experimenting with methods to make the fire escape micro-climate more conducive to seedlings.
I put a bucket of soil out yesterday and jammed a thermometer in it to see just how hot the soil got during the day. At 2:00pm, the soil temp was 135.
OUCH!
So, this morning, I flattened out some cardboard boxes, put 2 layers on the fire escape landing, put the bucket of soil on the cardboard and waited. As of 1:00pm the soil temp was 100.
Not bad!
This may work....

Other problem I am now confronting...when I moved here, I found my box springs would not fit up the stairs, so they have been downstairs in the garage since I moved in and my mattress is on the floor in my room. Now, while I am not adverse to sleeping on a mattress on the floor as I did during my younger years, I find the comfort of my box springs to be very desirable at my age!
So...I have measured and considered, considered and measured...they won't fit in my window--even if I used a block and tackle to hoist them up here.
My final option...which I will attempt today---partially dismantle the box springs, move them upstairs, them reassemble them.
Wish me luck on that! Will attempt the endeavor around sundown...too hot to go out in the sun and do this!


Dinner tonight...crockpot! I love my crockpot during the summer! Doesn't heat up the house like the stove does.
I dumped in some navy beans, some chunked up ham, a few pinches of tarragon and will make a pan of cornbread to go with it later.
All my meals for the next few days will be crock pot meals. Today, beans...tomorrow those beans will be good leftovers to pair with a cool salad.
Monday, cabbage, sausage and apples in the crockpot.
Tuesday leftover cabbage/sausage and apples, slice up some french bread, grill it, add a slice of tomato and an over-easy egg.
Wednesday, wild rice and chicken soup in the crock pot
Thursday, add some more rice so the leftover soup becomes very thick, add some spices and roll up in tortillas, pour enchilada sauce over all, add some grated cheese and pop in the oven for 30 minutes.
Friday, Lentil chili in crockpot, serve with jalapeno cornbread
Saturday, leftover chili gets poured over tortilla chips...add grated cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and maybe some avocado slices and salsa for super nachos!
So there's my weeks meal plan!

Maybe my next posting I'll tell you how I used to make one chicken stretch for a weeks worth of meals....when I had a houseful of kids!

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