A dog's Life... A bad thing???

I sometime wonder why having a dog's life automatically has a negative connotation in people's mind....

In Marcel's case, it is a succession of lazy days spent sleeping, pooping, sleeping some more, playing, getting picked up, kissed and hugged all the time and...... EATING!!!!

When I first got Marcel, I went to the veterinarian and bought him a huge bag of expensive puppy food.... He ate for a couple of weeks and then inexplicably stopped one day and would have nothing to do with dog food.... Eric suggested I buy him
frozen ground meat from Valerie's holistic pet store in Park City (buffalo, venison or elk meat, ground with raw veggies, bone meal and kelp).... Seeing myself enslaved to the kitchen and cooking for my dog for the rest of my life, I dismissed the idea and moved on, thinking that Marcel was just going through a phase.... Then a few days later while I was abroad, Marcel became very sick with diarrhea and did not eat for 4 days straight.... My Mother suggested that I cook him some rice, carrots and serve him the meat along with that..... I did just that, but of course put a little spin on it, being a cook at heart.... My dog loved it! So much much in fact that I have been cooking twice a week ever since that...


Here is how it goes: I first cook (actually slightly overcook, on purpose) some rice and let it cool, then I peel some carrots and turnips and cook them until they are soft.... In the meantime, I dice raw apples and chop some parsley....

All the meanwhile, Marcel awaits eagerly, giving me a "people-are-starving-in-Africa-and-so-am-I" third world kind of look....


Then, the not-so-fun part.... I mix everything (the rice, the veggies, the apples, the ground meat) by hand in a bowl and..... voila!!! I have great homemade, balanced food that my dog loves and cannot get enough of....


And I get to wash a mountain of dishes after that!!!!!

Talk about loving my dog!!!!!

It's about time!!!!

'Don't ask, don't tell' repeal signed by Obama

'We are not a nation that says "don't ask, don't tell." ... We are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot,' Obama says in a ceremony before a large crowd at the Interior Department. The policy prohibiting openly gay soldiers from serving, however, is in effect until the military certifies that lifting the ban won't compromise combat readiness.

President Obama on Wednesday signed a bill doing away with the ban on gays serving openly in the military, a milestone he said redeems the sacrifice of gay men and women who fought in every war beginning with the 18th century battle for independence.

Using 15 ceremonial pens, Obama repealed the "don't ask, don't tell'' act, beginning the transition to an armed forces in which gay soldiers no longer need to conceal their sexual orientation in order to serve.

Obama cast the issue as part of a string of civil rights struggles that beat back discrimination in favor of a more tolerant, unified nation.

Speaking to a crowd of approximately 500 military leaders, members of Congress, gay rights advocates and service men and women, Obama said, "We are not a nation that says 'don't ask, don't tell.' We are a nation that says out of many, we are one. We are a nation that welcomes the service of every patriot. We are a nation that believes all men and women are created equal.''

It was an emotional scene in the Department of Interior, where the bill-signing took place to accommodate an unusually large crowd. As Obama appeared on stage, the crowd chanted, "Yes we can!'' -- a slogan from Obama's successful 2008 presidential race.

A smiling president said, "Thank you. Yes, we did!''

He told a story about how in a recent visit to Afghanistan, he shook hands with a female soldier who pulled him close and whispered to him that he needs to repeal "don't ask, don't tell.''

"And I said to her, 'I promise you, I will,' '' the president recalled.

For Obama, repeal is the fulfillment of a major campaign promise and a message to his liberal base that he will fight to uphold core principles. Over the past two years, some of Obama's liberal supporters were angered by compromises he made in passing a healthcare overhaul and a tax package that extended Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Yet Obama is now building a record that, in some respects, surpasses that of the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton. Clinton tried and failed to overhaul the healthcare system. And he was unable to push through a policy allowing gays to serve openly. Thousands of people were forced out of the armed forces under the "don't ask, don't tell'' act passed during Clinton's first term in office.

Repeal became a focal point of the lame-duck congressional session, but the outcome wasn't clear until the Senate voted 65-31 on Saturday to lift the ban.

Though an important achievement for Obama, White House aides believe his political viability still hinges on the economy. Obama presides over an economy in which nearly one in 10 Americans is unemployed. If conditions don't improve, he remains vulnerable to a Republican challenge in the 2012 presidential election.

A jubilant crowd watched the historic bill-signing ceremony. Among the guests was Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, who was the first American injured in the war in Iraq, according to the White House. In 2003, Alva lost a leg after stepping on a landmine. He received a Purple Heart and a medical discharge. Since then, Alva has been a vocal critic of "don't ask, don't tell.''

When Obama was introduced, someone in the audience showed, "Enlist us now!'' But the transition is likely to take months.

Obama did not lay out a timetable. Under the law he signed, the old policy is in effect until the military certifies that lifting the ban won't compromise combat readiness.

The president said, though, "We are not going to be dragging our feet....''

Speaking directly to gay soldiers, Obama told them they will be "role models'' and asked that they serve with "integrity.''

"And so as the first generation to serve openly in our armed forces, you will stand for all those who came before you and you will serve as role models to all who come after,'' Obama said.

Speaking of magic......

Magic is everywhere these days.... including that of the wizard of Oz..... Just found a funny, alternative ending however..... deliciously funny.... and WARPED!!!!!

'Tis the season....

Found this on a random site and thought it was rather funny..... most of all very apropos.....

A rather vexing winter morning

A good thing I have a truck and it is parked in my driveway!!! no confusion possible!!!!

Another good thing is that the mercury took a hike up and the white stuff has seriously melted.... More to come in the forecast however....