Random Thoughts...Food, Firearms, and Fun

When Mac was in the Marine Corps, I became friends with Barb. We met through an online Marine Corps wives/girlfriends group. She and I became close friends, even though we were several states apart. She helped me weather a lot of challenges, and we stayed in contact, even though we both stopped frequenting the group. Years ago, to help her son, she adopted a pup named Milo. She didn't know just how much Milo would help her son, and how much Milo would change their lives. Milo helped save her son's life one weekend, and from then on, they were extremely bonded. What Barb didn't realize was that where they lived had BSL. One day, she opened the door to police officers who told her that based on how he looked, Milo needed to go. If she failed to get rid of him, they would. Instead of surrendering him, Barb moved to another township, where she could keep Milo. To her, Milo was family, and she wouldn't abandon him. Since March, Milo had been having health problems, and...

I've been very busy with school, Eastern Star, the dogs, and cooking dinners for Mac's Blue Lodge. I just realized that I never posted an update after Mauser passed. Losing Mauser was so incredibly difficult. He passed at home, on Saturday, October 3. I still cry over him sometimes. We swore we'd be a two dog house after Mauser, as Mauser was a last minute addition to save his life. Within two weeks, we'd both decided the house was too quiet, and decided that Mauser would send us a dog that he thought needed us, when he thought we were ready. At the beginning of November, by chance, I saw a posting for Jackson, a 9-year-old German Shepherd mix, surrendered to Staten Island AC&C due to allergies. Mauser had been named Jackson at the Manhattan AC&C, but didn't answer to it, which is why we named him Mauser. A few begging messages, and this Jackson became ours too. I picked him up in Matamoras, PA, while Mac was in Idaho, hunting. He didn't want to an...

It seems that when one is in direct sales, one has a lot of friends in direct sales. A friend is a consultant for PawTree dog products, so I figured I'd try it. The dogs loved the PawTree beef liver treats, so I thought I'd see how they enjoyed the food. After looking at all of the choices, I selected the X-Large read Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe. It says that it is for all breed sizes, so I figured it would be good for my three large-breed kibblers. When I ordered the X-Large Real Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe, I expected to receive one bag. My order was delayed, and I never received an update to it until I reached out to my consultant. I finally received a tracking number, with a note that they were going to be out of the office for the weekend, and not much of an apology for the delay. When my package arrived, it wasn't one large bag, it was three smaller bags. It also included a form letter saying, "Our label printer wasn't working, so we couldn't print ...

Mauser joined our family at the age of 10, after being found tied to a fence at the corner of Jackson and Grand Streets in Manhattan. At New York Animal Care and Control, he developed kennel cough, and he was scheduled to be euthanized. A volunteer described him as “He is a little opinionated, like barking back when I put him back in his kennel. His upset is short lived though and soon enough, he is kissing me through the bars…Or, when I first pointed my camera at him, he protested than got used to it. He is like my old grandpa but a spunky version of him.” An urgent plea on Facebook found its way to us, and an hour before he was to be killed, we reserved him. His adoption built and strengthened friendships and bonds, before he even left the shelter. He came home from Manhattan on September 20, 2014, and immediately found his place in our pack. He lived his life with us showing his spunky side. Once he felt better, his spunkiness really manifested itself, as did his...

For the last few weeks, Mauser hasn't been doing well. He's had an intestinal bacterial infection that the vet likened to colic in babies. His arthritis has been getting worse, and on Monday, his front legs gave out, and he fell down the outside steps. He's 11, and for a few days, I wasn't sure he'd give me my wish: to give us at least one good year. But, he rallied late during the week of his adoption day (September 20), and until this last Monday afternoon, it seemed like he might give us far more than a year. Watching him is more than tough. I cry before work, I cry at night before bed, I tell him goodbye and that I love him every time I leave or go to bed. I knew when we adopted a 10-year old dog with arthritis that it would be tough at some point. I just didn't think it would be this tough. He had been eating chicken and pasta three times a day, and was still spunky enough to spit out the pasta when he only wanted chicken. So, we fed him what he...

I hope Michael Vick is worth it to the Pittsburgh Steelers, I really do. Signing him has upset a lot of fans, a lot of rescues, and has a lot of people trying to justify how he's "turned his life around," or "done his time." I've been a lifelong Steelers fan. I'm 37, and some of my earliest memories are watching games with my father and going to training camp every year, as a Daddy-Daughter day. I remember the One for the Thumb t-shirt that was huge on me, as a child, but that I proudly wore. Steelers football days were Daddy-Daughter days, and the Steelers were always something that my father and I could discuss, a tie to bind even as I was looking to find my own way. One year, on Christmas Eve, when I was maybe 8, my father slipped on ice and broke his leg. A few days later, I remember watching a Steelers game with him sitting in his recliner, me on the couch. They started showing a replay of the Immaculate Reception, and as Franco Harris somehow fou...

Wow, it's been ages since I took time to write! I started a new job a few months ago. It's at another engineering firm, but it's only a few minutes from Mac's job, so that will be nice when we find a new house. It has changed where we are house-hunting a bit. I'm still selling Pampered Chef on the side, and if anyone wants to place an order for anything, I have a fundraiser for Mended Hearts Rescue right now. The link for that is: http://www.pamperedchef.com/pws/wendylunko/guest-landing/8908395822235;jsessionid=C5723B2FD4543152EE0CE5B6A7DEA0BB Mauser is getting along quite nicely with the rest of the pack. Geno gets very possessive of me, but it's usually more that he'll insist on pushing his way in and climbing onto me if Mauser is nearby. Mauser has a good amount of energy for a 10-year-old dog, although in the past few days, it's been obvious that his arthritis is acting up, as he's not wanted to do much but hold down the furniture. He's comf...

Since I'm trying new things this year, I figured I'd participate in the 52 Snapshots of Life project at The Lazy Pit Bull . Every week has a different theme, and you post a photo of that week's theme. This week's theme is "new." My photo for this week isn't a "new" photo, but since Mauser is "new" in our lives, I figured this is his chance to shine! The photo is his "adoption" photo--we'd just walked him outside of the NY AC&C Manhattan shelter.  

I received Alpo Wholesome Biscuits to Review in order to write this post. I am not being compensated in any other form for helping spread the word about the new Alpo Wholesome Dog Biscuits. Alpo / Purina  is not responsible for the content of this article. I was afforded this opportunity because I am part of the BlogPaws Professional Blogger Network. The Alpo dog biscuits were provided by Nestlé Purina. Random Thoughts only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. The opinions in this post are my own. I love finding new treats for my dogs, and as Generalissimo Geno seems to love hard, crunchy biscuits, I was very interested in the Alpo Wholesome Biscuits! Nestle Purina just introduced the new Alpo Wholesome Biscuits for dogs, and they are now available in grocery stores. They are affordable, and you can buy them when you pick up your groceries. They come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. I received the large biscuits, in a 24 oz. package, because my...