KENTUCKY BURGOO

Burgoo is served traditionally at the Kentucky Derby and at Festivals all over the state.

Kentucky Burgoo Recipe

This recipe makes a lot! Feel free to halve. Otherwise, it makes great leftovers.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 pounds pork shoulder or country ribs, cut into large pieces (3 to 4 inches wide)
2-3 pounds chuck roast, stew meat, or other inexpensive cut of beef, cut into large pieces (3 to 4 inches wide)
3-5 chicken legs or thighs (bone-in)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 quart chicken stock or broth
1 quart beef stock or broth
1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
2 large potatoes (we used russets)
1 bag of frozen corn (about a pound)
1 bag of frozen lima beans (about 14 ounces)
Salt and pepper
4-8 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco or other hot sauce on the side
Method
1 Heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a large soup pot (at least 8 quart size). Salt the meats well on all sides. When the oil is shimmering hot, working in batches brown all the meats. Do not crowd the pan or the meat will steam and not brown well. Do not move the meat while browning a side. Let the meat pieces get well seared. Remove the browned meats to a bowl.

2 Add the onions, carrots, celery and green pepper to the pot and brown them. If necessary, add a little more oil to the pot. After a few minutes of cooking, sprinkle salt over the vegetables.

3 When the vegetables are well browned, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant. Add back the meats, and the chicken and beef broths and the tomatoes, stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 hours.

4 Uncover and remove the meat pieces. Strip the chicken off the bone and discard skin if you want. Break the larger pieces of meat into smaller, more manageable pieces. The reason you did not do this at first is because the meats stay juicier when they cook in larger pieces. Return all the meat pieces to the pot and bring it up to a strong simmer.

5 Peel and cut the potatoes into chunks about the same size as the meat pieces (if using new potatoes, you can skip the peeling, but russets you'll want to peel). Add them to the stew and cook them until they are done, about 45 minutes. When the potatoes are done, add the Worcestershire sauce, mix well and taste for salt. Add more Worcestershire sauce to taste if needed.

6 Add the corn and lima beans. Mix well and cook for at least 10 minutes, or longer if you’d like. Here is the point where you decide whether you want a burgoo that’s been hammered into a thick mass or a stew with bright colors in it. It’s your call.

To serve, taste one more time for salt, and add either Worcestershire or salt if you want. Serve with crusty bread or cornbread and a bottle of hot sauce on the side.

Serves a small army. Or 12-16.

BURGOO

I'm trying to get Eric to drive to Indiana with me on October 24, 2010 so that we can stop by St. Joseph's Parish in Evansville, Indiana. The St. Joe Men's Club will be cooking and serving their famous Burgoo. My parents always took both my sister and I to the festival each fall and late in life Daddy would go purchase containers of Burgoo "to go" and freeze it. I have not had Burgoo for probably 50 years or more. Southern Indiana is considered the Burgoo capital of the world. Following is an Indiana Burgoo recipe. There is also a Kentucky version that I'll eventually find.


Burgoo Indiana-Style

Serves/Makes: 10 gallons | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: > 5 hrs

Ingredients:
3 pounds Cheap Beef Roast
2 pounds Pork roast
4 cups Dry northern beans
1 bunch celery
6 medium Turnips
8 medium Potatoes
8 medium Onions
1/2 pound Fresh green beans
3 pounds Carrots
1 small Head green cabbage
3 cans Corn
3 cans Hominy
3 quarts Tomatoes;canned or peeled fresh tomatoes
1 large Can Chicken broth
1/2 Lemon; chopped (rind and all)
3 tablespoons Mixed pickling spices -- tied up in cheesecloth bag
8 ounces ketchup
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Precook meats, and dry beans. Grind meats and vegetables in a food chopper or food processor (do not puree). Combine all ingredients in a very large pot. If using more than 1 pot, blend burgoo back and forth between pots as it cooks.

Cook 5 hours over low heat, stirring often and on a regular basis to prevent sticking on bottom. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

CHICKEN AND DRESSING FROM WAY DOWN SOUTH

This is the best chicken and dressing I have ever tasted in my life. It is also the highest calorie so really be careful with this. Make it once every five years for a church social or something. Makes 12 servings. Jeff Burkhart gave me this recipe. His family has been making it for years.

CHICKEN:

1 (6 pound) whole chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery
salt to taste


DRESSING:

2 (9 X 9 inch) pans of cornbread, cooled and crumbled
12 biscuits, crumbled
2 cups diced celery
2 large onions, chopped
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
seasoned salt to taste
1 or 2 dashes of red pepper flakes. To your taste.
9 eggs beaten. That is not a typo. Nine eggs beaten is what you add.

Directions:

Place chicken, 1 onion, 2 stalks celery, and salt in a large pot with enough water to cover. I cut the chicken as if I were going to fry it. Bring water to boil. Reduce heat and gently boil for 90 minutes or until chicken meat easily falls from the bone. Drain, Reserve broth. Cool chicken. Chop chicken up. Set chicken aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix crumbled cornbread, crumbled biscuits, 2 cups celery, 2 large onions, sage, poultry seasoning, seasoned salt and red pepper flakes. Stir in beaten eggs and the reserved chicken broth. The mixture should be very thin--not as thin as water--but very very thin.

Transfer mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Stir it often while baking.

After 45 minutes, mix the cooked chicken into the dressing mixture. Continue baking 15 minutes until lightly browned.

COUNTRY BEEF STEW

SERVE THIS STEW WITH POTATOES, GREEN VEGETABLES AND A MIXED SALAD. If you drink wine, a hearty Burgundy is the wine to serve. Also, serve with slabs of really good French or Italian bread.

COUNTRY BEEF STEW:

1 TABLESPOON COOKING OIL (Read, good olive oil)
4 ounce salt port cubed
3 pounds of top round of beef cut into 2 inch cubes
1 carrot scraped and sliced diagonally
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

4 springs of parsley, 1 spray of thyme and 1 bay leaf tied together in a little cheesecloth bag. Just cut a square of cheesecloth and tie the four corners together to make a little bag. You are going to throw this away so you don't need to buy something fancy.

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
3 1/8 cups of red wine (Burgundy)
1 tablespoon tomato puree


ONIONS

2 OUNCE BUTTER
15 SMALL PICKLING PEARL ONIONS
1/2 TEASPOON SALT
1/2 TEASPOON BLACK PEPPER


MUSHROOMS

1/4 cup butter
1 pound button mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg


In a large flameproof casserole, heat the oil over moderate heat. Flameproof means you can put it on top of the stove and then put it in the oven. Do not use cast iron unless it is protected by enamel. Tomatoes remove the seasoning from your cast iron. Paula Deen has some enamel covered cast iron that will work well.

Add the salt port cubes and fry, stirring, for 5 to 8 minutes or until they look like small croutons and have rendered their fat. With a slotted spoon, remove the salt port to a kitchen paper towel to drain.

NOW, THE MOST IMPORTANT TRICK TO MAKING THIS STEW OR ANY STEW, IS TO DRY EACH OF YOUR PIECES OF MEAT. Pat each piece of meat dry with a paper towel and then add five or six pieces to the hot oil. Cook each piece until they are lightly and evenly browned. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside. Dry five or six more pieces and keep repeating this process until all your dried cubes are browned. The reason you do this is twofold. You want your meat to caramelize. That's why you dry it before browning it. And, you add it slowly, five or six pieces, at a time so that your pan keeps it's heat up and you don't end up boiling your meat in it's own juices. This is time consuming and annoying. But, it will make a very significant difference in this stew and in any stew. Caramelize your meat. Don't boil it.

So now, all the meat is browned and sitting aside.

Add the carrot, onion and garlic to the casserole and fry, stirring for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion is soft, translucent, but not brown. Stir in the salt, pepper, little bag of herbs, thyme and parsley.

Return the beef and salt port to the casserole and pour over the wine. Stir in the tomato puree. Bring the liquid to the boil, reduce the heat to very low, cover the casserole tightly and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Shortly before the 1 1/2 hours is up, prepare the onions. In a medium sized frying pan, melt the butter over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the onions, salt and pepper. Stirring, fry for 8 to 10 minutes or until the onions are golden. With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to the casserole.

Once the onions have been added, put the butter for the mushrooms in the frying pan and melt over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add the mushrooms, and nutmeg. Fry for three minutes or until they are just tender. Stir the whole time. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to the casserole. Cover the casserole again. Simmer 15 minutes until the meat is very tender, but the onions are still firm.

Remove the casserole from the stovetop,remove the little cheesecloth bag of herbs, put the casserole on a trivet, and serve immediately with slabs of really good French or Italian bread. The "gravy" in this stew is not runny, but you need those slabs of bread to "sop" up the gravy. Remember, this is a country stew.

JAMBALAYA

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
3 lean bacon slices, chopped
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
12 oz. (2 cups) long-grain rice, washed, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes and drained. This is NOT minute rice.
1 pint (2 cups) chicken stock
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 large green pepper, white pith removed, seeded and roughly chopped
14 ounces canned peeled tomatoes
4 ounces cooked ham
8 ounces cooked shrimp, shelled
8 ounces cooked chicken meat, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley



In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderate heat.
When the oil is hot, add the bacon and fry, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes or until it is crisp and golden brown.

With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan and drain on kitchen paper towels. Set the bacon aside.

Add the onions to the sauce pan and cook, stirring for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Add the celery. Then stir in the rice. Cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes or until rice is well coated with the fat. Pour in the chicken stock, stirring constantly. Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and bay leaf. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the green pepper and tomatoes with the can juice and simmer, covered for another five minutes.

Add the cooked ham, cooked shrimp, cooked chicken and reserved bacon pieces and stir well. Re-cover the pan and cook another five minutes or until the meat and shrimps are heated through and the rice is tender.

Remove the pan from the heat and transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with parley and serve at once.

Have some Louisiana Hot Sauce available. Serve with a green salad and slabs of really good French or Italian bread.

CHOCOLATE AND CHEESE DANISH

I made these for breakfast this morning. As soon as they came out of the oven, I took four of the eight next door and gave them to our neighbors so we only had to deal with the temptation of four of them.

This recipe started life as a recipe from Giada De Laurentis who learned to make it during her cooking school days in Paris. I altered it as best I could so that it would be a tad safer for a diabetic to eat. It is still dangerous as all get out so be careful with the amount of these you consume.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

FILLING:

Mix together:

1/4 CUP FAT FREE CREAM CHEESE (at room temperature)
1/4 CUP MASCARPONE CHEESE (at room temperature)
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 tablespoons SPLENDA
1/2 TEASPOON PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt


Once the above is creamy and smooth, fold in 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips.

PASTRY:

ONE BOX OR 2 (9 INCH SQUARE) SHEETS FROZEN PUFF PASTRY, THAWED

1 EGG BEATEN


Cut each sheet of pastry into 4 equal sized squares. Put 4 pastry squares on each baking sheet. Spoon about 2 or 3 teaspoons of the filling into the center of each piece of pastry. Fold 1 corner of the pastry diagonally over the filling to within 1 inch of the opposite corner. You now have a triangle. Press the edges together all the way around so the chocolate and the cheese cannot escape. Using a pastry brush, brush the folded over section lightly with the beaten egg. Fold the very tip of the triangle over and seal it with your finger. Brush the whole top with the beaten egg. Cook for 15 minutes or so at 400 degrees F.

ET THESE THINGS COOL.

DO NOT TRY TO EAT THEM UNTIL THEY HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO COOL.

IF YOU DON'T LET THESE COOL, THE CHEESE AND CHOCOLATE WILL BLISTER YOUR TONGUE AND YOUR LIPS.

THE REAL HIGHLIGHT OF THE AIR SHOW

I met George Perez at the Air Show. Currently, he's the "groundsman" for the Golden Knights. He's a friendly, charming, smiling, bear of a man. A number of years ago, George was in Iraq. An IED got him. He was flown back home, got patched up, learned to walk again on his new leg, re-inlisted and headed back for Iraq for another tour of duty. Fortunately, he made it through the second tour without physical injury. Now, he serves a "groundsman" for the Golden Knights. And, he is a wonderful public relations ambassador for the ARMY. You cannot help but like George!

BLUE ANGELS ON 9/11

I went to Scott AFB on 9/11. They had advertised the BLUE ANGELS were performing. The BLUE ANGELS were nothing short of breathtaking and spectacular. Unfortunately, the shutter speed on my camera is not fast enough to capture them when they are moving. So, you'll have to settle for a picture when they were sitting still.

There was far more than "just" the BLUE ANGELS at this airshow. The entire day was dedicated to 9/11, all its victims, those who fought so bravely on Flight 93, and all the men and women who have served and fought with such courage and dedication and especially to all the men and women who have given all since that day. It was a powerful moving day of celebration not a day of grief.

I was struck by the incredible airshow, but I was overwhelmingly struck by what an incredibly rich, varied and hearty stew of America attended. Every conceivable nationality, race, religion, and national dress you can imagine was there. All of them were bursting with pride at what was "theirs" on the AFB. Many of them were clearly Chinese, Japanese, Middle Eastern and in Muslim attire, but they celebrated their American position that day.

But, back to the air base and the show. First, the base was neat, tidy and spotless and staffed by the most courteous military police I can imagine. I really felt sorry for them. Their quiet, clean, well ordered base was invaded by 30,000 civilians with strollers, corn dogs, funnel cakes, cell phones, lawn chairs, and cameras. Everyone had to be security wanded, all bags had to be searched, all strollers had to be searched, they had to make sure the cell phones were simply cell phones and had not been altered for evil use, and all cameras had to be tested to ascertain they were working cameras that had not been altered. It was an overwhelming task. They were all courteous, friendly, and respectful.

After parking and walking about one and a half miles you come to an outdoor Hall of Fame celebrating many of the accomplishments of the Air Force and airmen and airwomen over the years. There is a long curving sculpture garden with many busts of military men and women who have made major contributions. There is also two gigantic arched sections of the Berlin wall that apparently were flown back to the United States.

There's another 1/2 mile to walk to get to security once you are through the sculpture garden. After passing through security, there was a huge hanger with many "static displays" of various vehicles and video displays. I could not help but snap a picture of the Civil Air Patrol plane because a family member of mine was very active in the CAP as a teenager and I thought it might bring back some good memories for him.

There was a completely restored truck labeled "Dodgin Flak" and dedicated to Adolf Hitler that was used in WWII. I've included a picture simply to share some of the personality of my parents generation. It's rather charmingly decorated.

Finally, I reached the Flight Line where there was an incredible number of "static displays" we could tour. There were other "static displays" that we were required to stay back at least 100 yards. These seemed to be aircraft that are currently being used in the war effort. One that I really wanted to tour was a Blackhawk, but I didn't get to do so.

I did however, get to take a guided tour of a huge plane on gigantic metal skis. It's primary use right now is support of research going on in Antarctica. They shuttle huge pieces of research equipment, modular buildings, food, medical supplies, generators, and people to and from the South Pole. I was permitted an extensive, guided tour of one of the huge aeroevac plans that are used to fly the wounded from war zones to Germany for medical care and eventually home. They said the survival rate of anyone who gets put on that plane and flown from the battlefield to the hospital is much higher than if they must be treated on the battlefield. In included a picture of their banner which says we aren't the heroes, we just bring them home.

There was so much to see and so much to tell you about that I can't get it all in here. There SEALS were in a dunking tank disarming bombs. There was the TORA, TORA, TORA display. They have six completely restored Japanese Zero all painted up just like they were at Pearl Harbor. They have that exact drone anyone who saw the movie Pearl Harbor will remember. They re-enacted the attack on Pearl Harbor with smoke, fire, and explosions. Air raid sirens were going off. It was actually scary even though I knew it was not real. But, it was scary.

My absolute favorite plane of the day was the warthog, tank killer, A 10. There's a picture of one in the sky with the Hornets parked below it. Boy, watching that beauty fly I can understand why the men on the ground love that plane. That is one beautiful plane because of the countless lives it has saved! I also really liked that stealth bomber that looks just like a bat. It was only there on Saturday. They were doing some sort of training mission and they agreed to make 5 or 6 very low passes so that the crowd could get a good look at them. It's a beautiful plane. But, I think the real reason I loved it was it looks like a bat and I love bats.

One of the high points of the day was the GOLDEN KNIGHTS. They are a crack parachute team who had been scheduled to start the show, but it was delayed because we were "socked in" and they needed a ceiling of at least 1200 feet. Finally, the clouds and the fog burned off and they could perform. By the time they performed, it was blazing hot sitting on the flight line. But, they were worth it. Those jumpers jump out of plans 1/4 to 1/2 mile up in the air and land on a tiny little X on the flight line. They are absolutely amazing!

Blogger is not cooperating and it won't let me post more pictures. I'm going to have to start a new post.

SADIE

This is a picture of Fraidy Sadie before she tried to commit suicide by eating the sewing needle. Hopefully, once the Elizabethan collar comes off and her hair grows back, she'll be pretty again. Right now, she's kind of ugly!

FRAIDY SADIE AND THE NEEDLE

As many of you already know, Fraidy Sadie consumed a sewing needle with a long piece of knotted thread on the Sunday preceding Labor Day. Of course, no regular VET was open so we had to take her to the Emergency VET Hospital. I knew for sure that she ate it. I saw her eating it. A small part was still sticking out of her mouth. We got into quite an argument with me trying to retrieve the needle before she could swallow it and she gobbled it down. So, I knew it was down there. There was not choice. I had to take her to the VET or we would have found her dead the next day.

So they X Rayed her in the hopes that it was not in her tummy. But no, I was right. She swallowed it and it was in her tummy. See pictures. They cut her open and were able to remove it without cutting her stomach. Basically, they located it by "feel" and worked it string and all out through the stomach. It would have been so very much worse if they had been forced to open the stomach itself and remove the needle. For your viewing pleasure, I've attached some pictures of Sadie before the surgery, Sadie wearing her "cone of shame", X Rays, etc.

The surgeon returned the needle and thread to us in a medicine bottle with a child proof cap in hopes that we could keep her from eating it again.

Eric keeps walking around the house saying "This is a cat we can't get to take a pill and she eats a f...c..ing needle"

SIBLING RIVALRY

Sophie has found her voice and she is Zen Dog no more. When she came to live with us she was very very sick with an upper respiratory infection that was moving into pneumonia. I took her to the VET and she was put on lots of medicine--shots, pills, and a nebulizer.

She had lost so much weight at the pound and while on the street that she was in danger from emaciation. Plus, she was so sick that she would not eat. The VET had us force feeding her with the equivalent of a small turkey baster. She was being force fed the canned food they feed dogs in the doggie ICU. They had us dumping a can of it into the blender, adding a can of water and a fish oil pill and turning everything into a slurry. Then, down the throat it went with the small turkey baster.

So, she got through that and is now eating everything she can find. We had to go through dry food mixed with canned food with a cup of water (to make gravy) and heated in the microwave for 40 seconds. After about a week of that, she went to straight dry food. She expects to be fed a minimum of three times a day. First thing in the morning, she wants to go out and pee. Then, she stands at her empty bowl until the empty bowl magically fills. Needless to say, she is gaining weight by leaps and bounds or maybe by pounds and pounds and pounds.

The quiet, contemplative, laid back Zen dog is gone. She goes in the back yard and barks to high heaven at the soccer field full of children behind our house. She seems to think it is her job to drive the evil potential invaders away. I was so shocked the first time I heard her deep baritone voice because she had not made a sound in the weeks she's been here.

She and Dakota just do not get along. They are about the same size now, but Sophie is rapidly outpacing Dakota in size. She looks smaller because her coat is short and slick, but even at her skinniest she was only about five pounds less than Dakota at her heaviest. And, Dakota is all primarily fur.

You cannot leave them alone with each other. The fights are quite showy and very loud. This morning Sophie (who had already eaten) sneaked into Dakota's area and attempt to steal her food. Needless to say, a fight ensued. Yesterday, I was gone and Eric took them out in the back yard together. A fight ensued apparently brought on my the fact that he was not petting either one of them. Right now, Sophie is sulking in the back yard and Dakota is sprawled across the French doors just in case Sophie has a key and tries to enter the house.

They are both going to need to learn who is boss and it's me---not them. We may need to go to non aggression classes. I'm just not going to tolerate this!

HEALTH INSURANCE WARS

In this last few days, I've come to realize that in spite of health care reform things are just as bad as they always have been.

As most of you know, I accepted a job with a new company August 17, 2010. The company provides group insurance to all their employees including their new employees through Blue Cross/Blue Shield. The company I work for is doing the best they can to make sure their employees are covered by health insurance after a sudden and unexpected cancellation of health insurance coverage without the right to COBRA. When the new company found out about it, they had us all added to their policy at 12:01 on August 17, 2010 to prevent any lapse in coverage. The new company tried it's very best to do the best they could and the right thing.

One of the things I did not know until this happened is that when a company cancels it's employees insurance, the employee has no COBRA rights. You only have COBRA rights if you are fired or you quit your job. So basically, all of us were simply left facing a potential lapse in coverage had the new company not jumped in and attempted to save us. Yes, what happened to us is beneath contempt. We are people who cannot afford to ever be without health insurance even for one day.

So, yesterday I got a letter from the new insurance company explaining that they were not going to pay for any of my diabetic or kidney care for 12 months because I have a pre-existing condition. So, yesterday I spent a good part of the day getting certificates of creditable coverage from a variety of insurance companies with which I've had health insurance over the last few years. There were several of them because various employers change plans every fall so I've had health insurance with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, UniCare, United Health Care, GHP, Quality Health Care, etc. All those insurance companies had to be contacted to get these certificates of creditable coverage. By the way, I have started a file called Certificates of Creditable Coverage so that I hopefully won't have to do this in the future. This new insurance company wants to go back years and years and years. Now, the truth is that there has never been a day in my life when I have not had health insurance. But, there have been a lot of insurance companies and I don't remember them all, I have not kept all the cards, I don't know all their addresses and phone numbers, four years of health care was when my former husband was in the Air Force. But, I guess I'm going to have to trace it all back before they agree to pay for my health care. This is going to take a lot of time when I should be doing my job.

I spoke with the Labor/Employee Relations Specialist at my new employer and he explained that the new Federal laws associated with the elimination of the pre-existing condition exclusions under health care reform becomes effective for plan years beginning on or after 9/23/10 for individuals up to 19 years of age, but for individuals 19 and older, the regulations do not become effective until 1/1/2014. I'll be dead and cremated by 1/1/2014 if I'm not able to afford health care.

It's a war folks. The health insurance companies are trying to kill us, but it is NOT PERSONAL; they are trying to kill all of us. The DEATH PANELS are here and they are composed of health insurance companies.

SURPRISE ZEN DOG

Sophie is such a surprise. When we met her at the pound, she was this lively dancing dog. Now, I understand that when a dog is living in a cage (possibly on death row because of the dog death panels) and one of the attendants removes you from the cage and takes you to meet people who have requested to see you, a dog wants to impress. Hell, we're talking potential death row due to age issues vs a potential home with people who actually value life.

It's a good thing we named her Sophie for she truly is a Zen dog full of wisdom. It's like she's meditates 24 hours a day. She contemplates the world, just watching and taking it all in.

She has done absolutely nothing wrong since she got here. She's had no accidents and she dutifully comes and gets one of us and tells us when she needs to go outside. I'm a tad worried because (except for Cheddar Cheese) she literally does not eat anything at all. It's no wonder she's skinny as a rail. She won't eat soft canned food or dry food. She won't eat liver snaps. She has no interest at all in Beggin' Strips. Dakota is so relieved about the Beggin' Strips. At this point, I'd be relieved if Sophie stole some food. She does not jump on furniture or knock things off tables. She ignores the cat. The cat is relieved. She likes to go outside with either of us. She likes being on her leash and does not want to go into the double fenced back yard by herself. She wants one of us with her at all times when she's outside.

For the most part she sleeps on the couch or behind me when I'm at the computer. Alternately, she follows Eric to his office and sprawls behind him when he's on his computer. Sometimes, she wanders through the house checking it out to see what's here, but always there is that calm, quiet, contemplative, meditative quality to her. She doesn't even bark. It's like having a cloistered nun who keeps a vow of silence move in.

None of this is a complaint. Dogs, like people, are all different and have their own personalities and style. She reminds me incredibly of that big dog that sleeps in Jesse Stone's big chair in the Jesse Stone series. Mainly, I'm a little concerned with the not eating. I'm going to talk to the VET Tuesday about this not eating anything at all thing. She doesn't like regular inexpensive American cheese. She will eat expensive Cheddar Cheese!

SOPHIE IS HOME

While I was in Springfield signing on the dotted line for my new job, Eric went to the pound and was finally able to ransom Sophie out. He brought her home.

She has very dry skin and is absolutely filthy. She's scheduled for the same groomer who groomed Dakota two days ago. Sophie is going in at 9 AM. While she is in the groomer, I am going back to the humane society with her 3 ring binder. I can't figure out from the stuff they wrote if they gave her the heartworm preventitive already or if I need to give it to her. Also, I need to find out about some note they wrote about her needing a booster Distemper on the 18th. I'll get her scheduled with our VET for anything she needs. They said she needs to have her teeth cleaned. Dakota needs it more. So, I'll schedule Dakota first and Sophie a couple of days later.

Currently, they stand on either side of a closed door and growl and snarl at each other. I want to get Sophie seen by my VET before I introduce her directly to Dakota. They can stay separate until my VET clears her health wise.

I feel so sorry for her. She is very friendly and already quite attached to Eric and me. She is absolutely a "people dog". But, I don't think there has ever been anyone who provided her basic food, basic clean water, shelter, attention or love. She has no idea what a toy is. We have two boxes of 12 brand new tennis balls that were to be Jake's. He went through boxes of tennis balls like nobody's business. He loved those things. We bought boxes of tennis balls in bulk and kept them on shelves at the ready for him. Sophie has no idea what a ball is or what to do with it. I tried tossing a couple of tennis balls to her last night and she stood looking at me as if I were a fool. She showed no interest whatsoever in the tennis ball. She likes to sprawl beside me when I'm writing on the computer and she likes to plop her head in my lap as I type. But, she doesn't know how to play.

She's quite a pretty girl and once the groomer is done with her I suspect she will be even prettier. She's jet black with that Black Lab head and face. She's very tall and very skinny because she has had so little food in her life. The skinny part is actually probably healthier given that she is at least a major part Lab and they tend to be chow hounds. I don't want her to get fat, but she could use a couple of pounds.

Portrait Gallery Blog

Just found out that Roger and Di Smith have started a blog. Check it out. http://blog.rogersmithportraitgallery.com.

They provide beautiful portraits for many occassions. They do family portraits, individual portraits, senior pictures, boudoir portraits, etc. Their photography is of very high quality and absolutely wonderful and Roger simply has a "photographic eye".

If and when we ever get Sophie adopted, Eric and I are going to arrange with them to take some family portraits of us with Dakota and Sophie so we will have some current photos of us as a family. I'll publish some of them on the blog and on Facebook so you folks can see his work. If he can make us look presentable, I think all of you will recognize what an incredible photographer he is.

Go to http://blog.rogersmithportraitgallery.com and follow his work. You won't regret that you did.

A Dog's Purpose

My friend, Diane Hansford, recommended that I read a new book titled "A Dog's Purpose". I ordered it from Amazon.com and started reading the day it was delivered. I finished the book the day it was delivered. I was unable to put it down. I belly laughed and I sobbed.

This is a story for those broken hearted, guilt ridden, second guessing of decisions made, tormented souls among us. I was one and needed this book. My friend, Diane apparently knew. This story started the healing. It literally rolls over your soul like a soothing healing salve while simultaneously nurturing you. I hope others are able to use it to comfort their suffering souls.

I know that Taylor, Jake, Holly, Savvy JO and every animal family member I've ever had knew right to the last moment of their lives that I loved them every moment of their lives and that I did the very best I could to make the best decisions for them. Some decisions are bad decisions, but they are the best decisions you can make given the circumstances you are in. This story helped me forgive myself for the decisions I've made so that now all I have to do is deal with the grief of living without them. That is no small feat! Run (do not walk)and buy or borrow the book, read it as soon as you can. Allow it to help you heal.

STILL NO SOPHIE

One of us (Eric or me) has gone by each morning when the pound opens to attempt to ransom Sophie out. No luck. She's waiting for medical exams, shots and spaying. We are trying to adopt a stray dog that was running the streets skinny as a rail. We met her last Saturday and we still don't have her. Eric said tonight that we should have simply walked out with her last Saturday, made an appointment with our Vet, had her checked out, given shots and spayed. Of course, we could have never gone back there again. We are both going tomorrow morning and attempt one more time to gain her release.

SOPHIE

I've been going to the pound every day to check up on when we can adopt Sophie. The 3rd was the first day she was "available" for adoption, but after she became "available" she had to get her medical check up, her shots, and then she had to get spayed. Yesterday, they had a badly injured rescued dog come in and it took the VETs all day trying to deal with his injuries/trauma so they had no time to deal with regular exams, shots, or to schedule spays. So, she is just sitting. I have to go to court in Fairfield tomorrow and will be gone all day. Then, Friday I have to do an evaluation at Big Muddy and will be gone all day. So, Eric will have to make the run to the pound to see if he can adopt Sophie.

I've got here big huge pale blue pillow with the leather bone applique waiting for her, but no Sophie yet.

THE TRIP TO FIND SOPHIE

As you guys know, we have lost three of our four beloved dogs and one cat since May, 2009. We lost Taylor in May, 2009; Jake on October 15, 2009;
Holly on March 3, 2010 and Savvy Jo on July 26, 2010. It has been a really bad 15 months.

Eric loved all the pets, but he especially loved Holly. Holly was that strange little Black Lab mutt mix who tried to admit herself to the Holly admission unit at Alton State Hospital. I rescued her from the mental patients who were feeding her bags of Doritos, M & M, and Snickers Bars. He has been utterly heartbroken over her loss. The circumstances of her death, the fact that we didn't expect it that day and she went suddenly made it even worse I think. When he thinks about Holly or tries to talk about her, he still tears up. And, I'm not much better. When we lost Savvy Jo on Monday that was the last of the three musketeers for me. Those three dogs had stood by me, loved me and been utterly loyal through all of the toughest years of my life--when I was so utterly alone, abandoned, and felt as if absolutely no one cared if I lived or died--they were a steadfast, loyal, constant total love. The grief I felt at her death was not just her death,it was the grief associated with all of their deaths and the grief associated with the end of an entire era of my life. There were times when those dogs were responsible for my very survival. I could not give up. There was no one to care for them. I had to keep going through the very roughest years of my life. I know what I owe them. I owe them my very life many times over.

I prayed and prayed about it for this week and came to really know that if Taylor, Jake, Holly, and Savvy Jo could vote they would vote for us to rescue at least one more animal, save at least one more life, and give one more life a chance to love and be loved. So, Eric and I went to the pound Saturday and told the adoption counselor to pick out one dog and bring her to us in the adoption visiting room. We told her to pick out a dog that was kind of a black Lab or a mix that was kind of a Black Lab. If we had to look at a bunch of dogs, we would have brought them all home. So we needed someone else to pick a dog.

One of the pictures is of me filling out papers to apply for adoption and one of them is of me sitting in that long lonely hall at the pound waiting from them to bring us a dog.

She returned with this skinny, dirty Black dog who looks remarkably like an adolescent Black Lab. They had found her wandering the streets. She was either a stray, a dump, or a dog that had wandered away from home. She was incredibly friendly and appeared to take right to us--nuzzling and tail wagging. She was so friendly that I suspect she ran up to the animal control man and climbed in the truck. I named her Sophie on the spot. I had taken a leash with us because we were planning to bring a dog home. We were not allowed to bring her home. They can't put her up for adoption until 8/3/10 because they have to give her previous owners a chance to come and claim her. So, we don't know if we will get her. But, I plan to be at the pound with a leash when they open on 8/3/10.

SAVVY JO

Savvy Jo died today. She got out of bed sometime during the night and she fell. I found her on the concrete floor this morning. I gathered her up and put her back in her bed. She was unable to stand and unable to walk. She also was unable to drink. I wrapped her up in a blanket and lay with her for a while holding her close. She was still alert and aware enough that she liked that a lot. She was unable to drink so I gave her water through a large syringe the VET gave us for administering liquid medicines. She clearly was in a great deal of trouble so I called the VET for an appointment. I ran the car for some time with the AC running and then loaded her in the front seat after the car had gotten cool. As I drove to the VET, I kept my right hand over on her side and talked softly to her. She died shortly before we got to the VET. I knew she had died because my hand could not feel the rise and fall of her breathing anymore.

I am heartbroken. I loved her so very much. She had been with us since June, 1993. The River Patrol had found Savvy Jo and Jake on a concrete stoop with the Mississippi River lapping the top of their stoop. Their mother and other siblings floated dead in the Mississippi nearby. It was the 1993 flood. The shelter brought them to Alton State Hospital on Friday for the patients to see. They were both scheduled for death on Monday. I adopted them on Saturday. Four days later they both developed Parvo.

My VET and the Emergency Vet Hospital managed to get them through Parvo. It was touch and go for many days. Two weeks later, I took them home from their inpatient stay in the hospital. I remember the discharge instructions were to feed them bland non fatty foods. I took them home and that very day they found a can of mixed nuts (mainly cashews) chewed through the top and ate the whole can. And their 17 years with me began. She hated baths and I think it had to do with that experience on the stoop with the Mississippi River lapping at her feet. I remember one hot summer afternoon, Rhonda and I attempting to bathe her in the back yard. She escaped in "full bubble" and went running wildly down the cul de sac in front of the house with bubbles flying off her in a jet stream as Rhonda and I gave chase. It looked like a scene from a cartoon. The neighbors stood in front of their houses laughing at the scene.

We used to go to Evansville quite often to visit my father in the last years of his life. There's a Dairy Queen along the highway and I would always stop at that DQ and buy each of them a "baby cone". Both of them could recognize a DQ sign from quite a distance. When I moved to Appalachia for a year, they accompanied me. The trip down, they rode in the front seat of my tiny yellow Metro which was on a trailer behind the UHaul. I think both of them stood on their back legs the whole trip with their front paws on the dashboard checking out the Kentucky stallions and fillies in the fields. In these last few months, she became known as the Beagle Burrito because of her love of being swaddled and cuddled in a blanket.

I loved them both beyond all reason and measure and they returned that love a million times over. They loved us so much it was beyond any known measurement. I did not love one more than the other, but the grief of giving up the last one is overwhelming.

MORE PICTURES

As you can tell, Fraidy Sadie who hates change and any and all strangers who come to her house, ventured out. She's under the table where all the backsplash tiles are stacked waiting to be installed. It's not finished, but it's moving along.

We have countertops, not backsplash--but we have countertops

Finally, last Thursday the counter tops arrived and they were installed. One very long piece had to be sent back and changed because they got the measurements wrong, but it looks gorgeous. The tile backsplash should be installed this coming week.

One of the things I have noticed is that the design Eric and I came up with is very good. It functions. I notice a dramatic difference in function when cooking.

PAINTING

Neal is here finishing up the painting in the kitchen. Allegedly, the countertop should be installed tomorrow. Then, all that will be left is the tiled backspash.

Neal has done a really good job on the painting. I have his number programmed in my cell phone so I can contact him in the future if we need other painting jobs completed.

We are getting close and as soon as it is done, I'll be publishing photos.

WONDER IF I QUALIFY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

Last Thursday at 4:15 pm while driving home from a Probable Cause Hearing in which I had testified and won, my cell phone rang. And, my world--as I know it--ended. I answered the phone. It was my boss telling me that the state had awarded the contract under which I am employed to some other company. My job ends August 16, 2010. My health insurance ends. My malpractice insurance ends.

He's going to check and see if I qualify for COBRA. Meanwhile, I have contacted the State Employees Retirement System and discovered that I can buy decent health insurance for $500.00 a month. Of course, the difficulty is coming up with $500.00 a month when you don't have a job.

At 63, I am an unemployed PhD scrambling to find some way to support myself, support my dogs, contribute to the household, and help other family members through very difficult times. Oh, and I have to continue to pay major legal bills because some inmate sued me for diagnosing him a pedophile. Then, when he lost the first round in federal court, he appealed it to a higher court.

So folks, I may be away for a time. I'm going to be sort of busy looking for work. I got a list of every public defender in Illinois and I plan to send every public defender in the state a vita and a cover letter announcing my availability to do sexually violent predator evaluations for the defense. Going to be just a tad busy scrambling to attempt to find work. And, if push comes to shove (and it very well may), you may find me working as a greeter at the front door of the local Wal Mart.

QUINCY

I'm headed for Quincy. I need to evaluate an inmate tomorrow morning. I'll be back home late tomorrow afternoon.

It's a nice drive to Quincy (through Hannibal, MO) except for that horribly treacherous bridge across the Mississippi from the Missouri side to the Illinois side. Coming back, Illinois has a big, wide, new bridge with high sides. Missouri's bridge is narrow, low and does not have any sides. Scares me to death. Once there, the hotel is small and quite charming. I've stayed there many times in the last four years since I began this job. The coat hooks in the rooms are heavy, metal Fleur de Lis. Somehow, just that tiny touch raises the standard to a low key elegance. They also have this little old lady (in her 80's) that cooks a really lovely country breakfast. The hotel is small, quiet, the staff is intrinsically respectful of guest's privacy, and the service is excellent.

I HURT ALL OVER

I started the day mopping the last of the grout haze off that huge kitchen and dining room floor.

Then, I started the process of complete reorganization of the kitchen or maybe it's organization for the first time. If I remember correctly there are 21 cabinets and 29 drawers now. I am not finished yet. I have not even started on the drawers. But, I have made major headway on the cabinets.

We now have a baking center, a beverage center, a knife center, several cabinets dedicated to storage of staple dry goods, an "everyday" dishes center near the dishwasher and sink, a savory center, a cabinet dedicated to the hated plastic storageware that used to fall out on me every time I opened the door, and a center for the fancy dinnerware that we rarely use.

I have discarded many things. We had packed up two boxes of Eric's mother's good crystal to give to younger people in the family. I discovered another entire cabinet of it that we missed. His parents had lots of really nice crystal. We had quite a substantial collection of lids for pans. I took every pan out of their cupboard and down from their pot rack and matched a lid to them specifically. All the other lids are discarded. I believe we have 15 or 16 really nice pieces of cookware. I discarded the cookware that was not so nice. But, we had about 30 lids. I figure even if we are cooking in every single piece of the cookware at the same time, there is no way any pot needs more than one lid. We had quite a collection of mugs. I kept the ones we actually use and disposed of all the rest.

Tomorrow, I'm starting on drawers. I believe we have at least 3 sets of flatware.

Fortunately, Eric has spent the day with his brother in Columbia.

I WISH I KNEW......

Sometimes, I wonder who, if anyone, reads this blog. I don't know if I am writing to myself or if others actually see it. I found out by accident that Eric's brother reads it. Eric mentioned it in passing. I was surprised because I didn't know he knew I had a blog. I am very pleased that he reads it. I know Curt reads it and the reason I know he does is he makes comments every now and then. If there are others reading the blog, please make comments and give feedback.

THINGS ARE BEGINNING TO COME TOGETHER

Today, Pat finished the grouting. The floor is finally done. Well, not totally, I have to mop the last of the grout haze off tonight. We are still lacking the new counters, new sink, new faucet, tile back splash, cabinet hardware, and the painter. But, it's coming along. The stove got moved back in it's proper place and we have a Living Room again. It feels less chaotic.

The new pot rack is hung. I bought it in Chicago when I had a two day trial towards the end of May. Last night we started working on hanging it and found out that the ceiling rafters or joists or whatever they are called ran a different way than we thought. We also found out that the rafters or joists were significantly farther apart than the pot rack is wide. In order to find out where they were and how they ran, Eric got me the huge tall ladder out of the garage. I climbed up into the attic access with a flashlight and tape measure. I got the data, came down the ladder, did not close the attic access and went to tell him what I'd found. When he went back to the ladder because whatever I said to him made no sense, he discovered that Fraidy Sadie had climbed the ladder and was buried in attic insulation. She hates strangers, doesn't like change and loves to hideout in high places. This is the cat who lived on the top of the AC ducts in the basement for four years only coming down to eat and use her box (when we were gone). The only way we knew she was in residence was we could climb the ladder and see her green eyes peering out at us from the darkness. Anyway, last night Eric had to rescue the stupid cat from the attic insulation and she fought the rescue with all her strength. After rescuing Fraidy Sadie, he discovered that we needed some different hardware to hang the pot rack. He got it today and hung the pot rack. It's beginning to come together. Less chaos. Still messy, but I'm cleaning as fast as I can.

"AREA RUG" MADE OF TILE

Eric, Pat and I just crawled around on the floor and created the design you see in the picture. It's the tile "area rug" that is centered in front of the sink, refrigerator, and stove. In the picture, we had just came up with a design all of us could live with. Pat is upstairs right now installing it and he will come back in the next 24 to 48 hours and grout it.

SAVVY JO OR THE BEAGLE BURRITO

Eight weeks ago, Savvy Jo turned 17. She and Jake were litter mates, rescued from a concrete stoop by the River Patrol during the 1993 flood. They survived Parvo together. We lost Jake last October 15 and we're doing the best we can to keep Savvy Jo comfortable for as long as she wants to stay with us.

I had scheduled her for a VET appointment because she needed her vaccinations and her blood test for heartworm so that I could get her new script. About four days ago, she developed this big raw open sore on her front leg and it was turning purple. I thought she had been "licking" again and had licked a raw spot which had then gotten infected. I was cleaning it with hydrogen peroxide, applying triple antibiotic ointment, and clean dressings daily. But, her leg was not getting better so I figured we'd get that taken care of today also.

Turns out that somehow she had managed to get a really deep puncture wound which had abscessed. VET had to lance the wound, suction it out and flush it with saline. The stuff they suctioned out was absolutely disgusting. She got a big antibiotic shot in her butt, put on really strong antibiotics, and is now wearing a big purple bandage that looks like a cast. She couldn't get her vaccinations until her leg heals up. We have to change her dressing daily and, if she starts licking it, she'll be required to wear an Elizabethan collar.

The procedure was very scary and very painful for her. She had to be muzzled. She was however very good about enduring the pain. The VET had two people to hold her still and she had me stay right up by her face where she could see me and I could talk to her. I rubbed the top of her head throughout and talked softly to her telling her that she was very brave. She was remarkably good about the whole process until it came time for the four footed pedicure. When it came to getting those daggers trimmed, she was ready to leave.

She's just really glad she got to come home. We're just really glad she got to come home with us for a little more time.

I'M MOVING INTO A HOTEL--NEXT TIME

This is a disaster and it is no one's fault. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Eric is expecting that more will go wrong. The only thing left to go wrong is the plumbing and the electricity. Thankfully, he saved long and hard and we have a cushion. We've been saving for this for ten years. The sainted tile men are here working on the new floor. And, those two men are absolute saints!

The reason I'm moving into a hotel next time (if there is a next time) is the picture of what is left of the LR. There is not a spot in this house that is not covered with thinset grime and dust except for our bedroom and our bathroom. Every picture, every candlestick, every mirror, all the stainless steel appliances, the windows, everything will need to be dusted by hand or washed. And, all the upholstery will need to be vacuumed very well. The lampshades are even covered with the grime.

You will notice that the recliner is blocking the TV. We can't get to the TV or the remote to turn it off. The stove blocks us from getting to the recliner. Note the waffle maker sitting on top of the huge box of Saltines.

It will all work out eventually. The house needed to be cleaned anyway--not like it needs it now, but it needed to be cleaned. We'll get it done.

WORK CONTINUES

Work on the floor continues or the nightmare of the floor continues. If anything can go wrong it will. Poor Pat and his sainted son, Patrick, worked all day today tearing that concrete board out. They were expecting that he would come out in large pieces, but it literally came out in shards. Both Pat and Patrick deserve to be canonized. We are going to end up with an "area rug" made of tile Eric and I purchased this evening centered in front of the stove, frig, and sink. Eventually, it will all work out.

On a brighter note, the new cabinets are installed. The toe kicks and filler boards still need to be added. And, the cove and crown molding around the tops of all the cabinets need to be added. The microwave and the cabinet above it needs to be raised. But, you can see the basic skeleton of how the cabinets will eventually look.

Right now, there is no where to sit except in my computer room or Eric's computer room. The refrigerator is in the dining room and the stove is in the Living Room. We ate out. Literally everything is covered in thin set dust. The house needed a really good cleaning anyway. It will all work out.