Andrea & Bella

Andrea with Bella.  Bella is part pug, chihuahua & beagle.

Bella is almost full grown at 7 months old and likes to help her family get off to an early start with her 3 walks a day.

Bella hears & sees another dog off to the right but Rabbit is oblivious and would rather get more acquainted with
Andrea.

Tofi, Ariel & Julieana

Tofi (a Chocolate Labrador Retriever) is in the arms of  his owners Julieana (on left) & Ariel (on right).

Tofi is a survivor having successfully made it through 2 surgeries after being attacked by another dog.  There was a struggle with internal bleeding and 2 tubes were installed but with the help of his loving owners he made a full recovery.

Tofi looks down the row toward Julieana as Ariel lets me get another shot.

Three Different Money Trees

 After two weeks of trailing after the money tree the search ended today when my neighbor gave me a cutting of what she says is the money tree plant.  She instructed me that when I plant the cutting to put a coin like a quarter in the bottom of the pot and from that point on it will bring me prosperity.   In Mexico when people pass by this plant they rub the coin shaped round rubbery leaves and good things follow.  As a result I'm told that this plant is very popular south of the border and is now becoming more popular in the USA. 

Here's my cutting in a vase of water waiting to grow some roots and then I'll plant it.

This is my neighbor's money tree plant.  She has had this plant for 20 years and told me she digs it up and takes it with her every time she moves.

What a nice neighbor to share her money tree with me.

Another money tree plant in the neighborhood.

After an internet search I think it's safe to call this the Dwarf Jade Money Tree also known as the Elephant Bush or Elephant's Food.  It comes from South Africa and has the scientific name Portulacaria Afra (portulacaceae).  It is similar to the Jade plant but is more loosely branched with more limber tapering branches, has smaller more rounded leaves and it's stems are a more reddish color.

As a potted plant this money tree seems to be doing very well.

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Supposedly these are easy to propagate by letting your cutting rest in a cool dry place for a day or 2 then putting it into moist washed river sand for about a month to develop some roots then planting in good soil.  Another way is to just put the cutting directly into soil and see what happens.  I've also had past success with succulents by just putting them in water til roots grow & then potting them.

Roberta (another neighbor) claims that she has the money tree and this  turns out to be true also.  My googling revealed one of her plants to be an official Jade plant aka Money Tree or Lucky Plant with the scientific name Crassula Ovata.

Amazingly I discovered by googling that Roberta has a second plant that's been nicknamed the Money Tree and it is this one here next to the chair with the shiny bright green leaves. It's classified as Pachira Aquatica and can grow to nearly 60 feet tall in the wild but much less as a cultivated plant (more like a shrub).  Normally this is a wetland tree growing in freshwater swamps and alongside rivers.

There's a story that that goes something like this: a poor Taiwanese man discovered this tree and gathered it's seeds then planted them in a single pot and as they grew he braided them together.  Many people saw it and wanted to buy it so he went into business cultivating and selling them and became rich as a result hence it got the name money tree.

Another name this money tree is known by is Malibu Chestnut because it produces an edible woody nut that can be eaten raw and tastes like peanuts.  Even the leaves and flowers are edible (cooked as a vegetable) and the seed pods can be ground into flour to make bread but I'm sure Roberta doesn't want anyone eating her ornamental plant!

Here the younger leaves show off their characteristic shine.  The leaves of this tree are about 12 inches long.

Secret Recipe French Toast with sausage patties

These all natural sausages are precooked and I just take them straight from the freezer and put them in my cast iron skillet (no need to grease the pan) and fry them til lightly browned and heated through.  They cook while I make the French toast.

Generally I allow 2 patties per person.  Since I'm making breakfast for 3 today I place 6 patties in the pan. They cook on medium heat and get put on the plates when done and wait for the other items to be plated alongside.  I aim for things to be ready at the same time and I find that starting the sausage first is the best way to come close to that.

Here are my secret ingredients to the greatest French Toast in the world.  On the left is the whole nutmeg jar with the nutmeg grater just to the right of it.  My nutmeg grater has a flip-top that opens to a small space to store a nutmeg ball (one of the whole nutmegs) and also is designed with a hole in the top so it can be hung on the wall which I find very handy.  Next from the left is the real maple syrup made from the tree sap (no flavored sugar water allowed except when it's all you've got), cinnamon, butter, flat bottom bowl (large enough to allow a slice of bread to lie flat), 5 eggs (up this to 6 depending on how absorbent your bread is and on how much cream you want to add), real vanilla flavoring, and finally Ezekiel 4:9 bread (or just about any healthy bread works with this recipe).

Crack your eggs into the bowl.

Add in a hefty dash of cinnamon, a dash of sea salt (this enhances the flavor but don't overdo it), freshly ground pepper to your liking (I like about 5 turns of the mill), a splash of heavy cream (any type of milk or half and half will also work), a little freshly grated nutmeg, and a drizzle of vanilla flavoring.

Use a fork to wisk the ingredients around.

Melt some butter on a griddle

Spread the butter around.

Soak a slice of bread for a minute or so if you have the time otherwise just dip it, flip it and transfer it to the griddle.

Two slices fit on my griddle at a time so I'll have to do this 3 times.

Since I didn't give my bread a long soak at the beginning  I have poured a little extra egg mixture on top of the bread while on the griddle and poked it in with a fork so it can soak in while it cooks.

Time to flip.

My cast iron does a great job of cooking at medium temperature.  It retains heat so well that the temperature never needs to go higher.

Fist round.

Now going on to the 2nd and 3rd round.

Sausage patties are nicely browned on both sides and ready to serve.

Plated up with some orange rings.  Orange rings are so easy to make.  Just rinse off an orange, cut off the two ends, set one of the cut ends down on a cutting board and cut off the peel in parallel strips all the way around then slice into rings.  Instead of orange rings I sometimes make fresh squeezed orange juice which is a real treat.

Go ahead and spread a little butter on each slice before serving so that no butter has to be put out on the table.

The finishing touch is pouring on some maple syrup.  Once when we had guests come to visit from Italy this was what they requested the most for breakfast because they loved the real maple syrup which is harder to come by in Italy. 

Neighbor Uses Internet to Rescue Dogs

Larry with his 2 dogs Charlie (a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) & Cody (a Miniature Poodle) were discovered by his wife online at a dog rescue site.  Charlie is 14 years old and Cody is 6. It sure is wonderful how the internet facilitates these wonderful match ups of people with pets and saves dogs lives in the process.

How to sink bathe a Maltese

My Maltese is too feisty to take to a groomer so I enjoy doing it at home and reap the added benefit of saving money and building a closer relationship with my dog.  Necessary tools are a stack of towels, some alcohol to drown fleas in (I pour a capful beforehand just to be ready but this is rarely needed since my dog is on Comfortis-a flea pill), tearless shampoo, Magic Coat Shampoo-White Coat, Magic Coat Conditioner-Detangling, scissors, brush.

I insert a rubber drain pad into the larger side of the sink so he doesn't slip around.

This is my wooden pizza peel which comes in handy to keep his head up so I can reach some hard to get to areas and it helps at times to keep him in the sink.

Next step is to place the dog in the sink.  I have to time this right since if I take too long he realizes what's up and runs upstairs to hide from me.

With the water lukewarm I wet him all over..be sure not to miss the area under the tail.  Although I couldn't get a photo of it I first shampoo his head with the tearless shampoo being careful not to get it in his eyes yet aiming to get the eye area gunk removed.  One way is to wet the hair around the eyes (using caution to make sure the water is very lukewarm) and then use a light weave soft cotton towel to massage the moist hair around the eye til most eye gunk transfers to the towel and comes clean and then use a light spray of water to rinse away any specks that still cling around his eyes.  This same technique works with the ears.  I just rub a towel covered finger around the exterior of the ear and then rinse.

Next I use the Magic Coat Shampoo for White Coat on his back and legs.  It starts out blue but with some rubbing forms into a  nice white foam.

Here is where I use the wooden peel to hold his head out of the way while I suds up his back, underbelly, & legs.  The last step is to thoroughly rinse him off from head to tail (toes included).

Since he likes to attempt escape I put a pile of towels on the left & edge him back into the sink using the peel.  This keeps me a safe distance from his teeth if he decides to resort to drastic measures.

The peel also helps to keep his head up out of the way if I want to trim any hair on his front chest or legs.  Maltese have hair that keeps on growing til it drags on the ground and requires lengthy daily brushings to maintain but most pet owners trim it to make upkeep easier.

Next step is to apply the Magic Coat conditioner which helps detangle mats which tend to form.

It greatly helps to use a wire brush to brush the conditioner through the hair.

Rabbit now has the detangler brushed in and is ready for the final rinsing.

Here I place the peel upright at the front of the sink to impede Rabbit's escape plans.

After a  thorough final rinse with warm water I roll a towel covered cart in front of the sink and allow Rabbit to jump onto it or I lift him out of the sink if he needs some help.

Rabbit has been tortured enough with this bathtime and is ready to get dried off.

Rabbit is a little leary of jumping out of the sink on his own since he has cateracts and can't see too well.

Now he's ready and he's soon out with just a little extra boost from me.

His favorite part of the bath is a thorough rub down with a dry towel.

Bath is over and I can see that I missed rinsing off some specks around his eye but they will hopefully fall off  later as he dries.  If not he has another bath in just a week.

Rabbit does his own dry job by rolling around on the rugs.

After rolling on the carpet the specks by his eye have vanished.  Later I'll vacuum.

Since no amount of towel drying or rolling around gets him fully dry we head out into the breezy sunshiny day to finish the job.

Rabbit is on a single minded mission after every bath and charges down the sidewalk toward Betty and Oscar's house.

Nothing beats a natural blow dry

Being a 15 year old dog it always surprises me how much energy he musters after a bath.  It must be like a stimulating massage that taps some unseen power source within him.  It's either that or he dislikes baths so much that the thought of getting to the pleasant company of his friends overrides everything.

Rabbit is so excited I have to run to keep up with him. 

Since he knows I can't keep up he slows his pace a bit.

Here Rabbit finally stops in front of Betty & Bob's place.

Rabbit gets invited in and meets his friend Oscar.

Mission accomplished.