Random Thoughts...Food, Firearms, and Fun

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...

On Thursday evening, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and saw that a friend's dog page had shared a photo and description for a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois at Manhattan Animal Care & Control. Named Jackson, he was set to be killed after 12 PM on Friday. Mac and I talked at length about it, and on Friday morning, I bit the bullet and paid for his adoption fee online, reserving him for us. If we didn't pick him up in Manhattan on Saturday afternoon, he would still be euthanized, and I'd forfeit the adoption fee. So, Mac and I ventured up to Manhattan on Saturday, arriving around 2 PM. Knowing how quick to kill the NY AC&Cs can be, I was braced for a horrible trip. I'd heard stories of how the employees would try to discourage adoptions, and how they'd deny adoptions if you didn't bring everything with you, and I was prepared for the issues, including them possibly saying that for whatever reason, we couldn't adopt him, and they were going to...

A friend who runs a rescue recently posted a story and a few questions on Facebook. A friend of hers was looking to adopt, and became very frustrated at the rescue process. In general, she asked a few questions about if it is unreasonable for rescues to insist on things like home visits, references, etc., and how rescues can improve the process. There were a lot of posts on her status, ranging from her friend doesn't deserve a dog to solid discussion on how to solve these problems. It caused me to think for quite a while, because I understand both sides of the equation. I understand why rescues screen people like they do, as you never quite know. I also understand why people opt to buy or go to a shelter that doesn't take the time to check references and such--rescue policies can seem very intrusive and can turn off people to the whole rescue concept. For those who don't know, I understand her friend's feeling about "here's the money, let me adopt a dog,...

In the world of pet ownership, adopted generally means that a dog or cat from a shelter or rescue has a new, furever home. Adopted means saved, rescued forever, etc. For the purposes of this blog entry, going forward, I'm going to limit this just to dogs, but to some extent, you can apply this to cats too. Adopted does not mean, "I purchased my dog from a breeder." To me, saying a dog that was intentionally bred and sold for money is just wrong. If you buy a dog from a breeder, please do not say you "adopted" the dog, because you didn't. You overpaid for a dog that has a higher chance of having health problems, and to some extent, you basically sentenced a dog in a kill shelter to death because of your choice. Perhaps we should make it mandatory that when you choose to buy a dog from a breeder, you must first go to your local shelter and select a dog to be killed, and then watch while they kill it. Harsh? Yes, absolutely! Intentionally harsh, but that...

When perusing Facebook recently, I noticed a sponsored post for "Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co." I clicked on the post, because there isn't much I like better than coffee and dogs! I figured it was probably a single coffee shop somewhere that allowed dogs or such. I was thrilled to discover that it's not a coffee shop like Starbucks, but rather, a company that sources fair trade, organic coffee throughout the world, and then roasts it, and sells the whole beans to consumers, via their website, groundsandhoundscoffee.com. I know, you're thinking, "That covers the coffee. Where do the hounds come into the picture?" This is why I was so excited to discover Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co!!! They donate 20% of all Grounds & Hounds revenue to no-kill rescue organizations across the country! Why would a business give up 20% of their revenue to help no-kill organizations? On their website they say, "Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co. was born out of our...

On July 4th, one of the sponsored posts that popped up in my Facebook news feed was for SummersPaw.com. It advertised a free bag of Fromm dog treats for liking the post and sending your address via PM. I was a bit skeptical, but figured why not? I was reassured by the response to my PM, and I shared their post and tagged a few friends with dogs to share the fun! I wasn't expecting the treats to arrive this week, and had, to some extent, forgotten about it. It was a rough weekend last weekend, and it's not been a good week, thanks to poison ivy and a sinus infection. Mac and I went to our standard Saturday breakfast, and when we got home, the mail had already been delivered. Cobaka and Geno received a USPS Priority Mail box from Summer's Paw. I was a bit confused, and said to Mac, "I don't remember ordering anything from there." When I opened it, I realized that it was the free treats! There were two bags of Fromm treats: Lamb with Cranberry and Parmesan Ch...

On Sunday, Mac and I transported four puppies, a pug, and a border collie mix that was supposed to be about a year old, but looked more like 6 months, if that! We did our usual Harrisburg to Hamburg run, as Mac was eyeing up a gun at Cabela’s, and it worked well to go scope it out and decide if we were buying it. He sold one of his old rifles that he’s never shot, and fronted his overtime money from working last week, and left with the rifle. It’s his new antelope/mule deer hunting rifle. We save aluminum cans, and rather than throw them in our recycling bin, he saves those and takes them to a scrap dealer occasionally. That’s his baby, and typically, he spends that money however he wants. He took those on Friday, and received $90, so he put that, plus a little extra cash towards it as well. Net out-of-pocket cost=$275. Of that, $200 is his overtime money that we’ll see next payday (yes, I fronted him the money, as we could do it, and I really didn’t want to deal with a trip up th...

It's been raining since early yesterday morning, and it's going to continue raining until at least this evening. Our yard looks like a mud pit, and the dogs are refusing to venture outside! We were supposed to meet a friend in Breezewood to walk the Abandoned Turnpike today, but opted not to do that in this weather. After a Dream Dinners Bacon Breakfast Frittata and coffee, Mac helped me fold the clean laundry, and I started the first load of dirty laundry. That's now in the dryer, and the next load of laundry is in the washing machine. I hate laundry, and as such, it always piles up because I keep delaying doing it. We're having beef barley soup for dinner, along with beer bread. I'm also going to whip up a batch of brownies, although I think those will be taken in to work tomorrow, as a gift to my coworkers. Today is a good day to hunker down and bake. The beef barley soup is from the freezer. I prepared a few batches a few months ago, and this is the last bag...

Here's my latest Yahoo article! http://voices.yahoo.com/harrisburg-pa-area-dog-parks-12585631.html?cat=8 One of these days, I'll post the story of the German Shepherd at the dog park in Lower Allen Township!

Yesterday, we picked up Rolly, a senior black lab, who needed a place to bed down for the night on his way to a rescue in New England. He then had to be north of Harrisburg by 7 AM. His ride was finishing breakfast when we arrived, so he was on the road a few minutes early. I came home, napped for a bit, and then Mac's phone rang at 9 AM. I've been up since then. My transport to Hamburg was about 30 minutes early, so it was good that I was ready to go! Mac was at some meeting at the Masonic Center, so I was on my own, which wasn't too bad. The pups left Hamburg about 35 minutes ahead of schedule, so I had a few minutes to shop. Shortly after heading back, I received a text message that tonight's overnights (two Australian Shepherd mixes) were going to be about 30 minutes late, which meant that I could've spent a bit more time at Cabela's, but I was rather happy to leave! I'm now home with both overnighters and my two, and I'm ready for a nap!

I just submitted a request for my first PTO day with my new company. Geno is having surgery on March 20 to remove two warts from his right eyelid. They don't seem to trouble him, except that one of them is blocking a gland in his eyelid, and that's causing his eyelid to swell and be irritated. After treating it with an ointment for a few weeks, the swelling returned, so we went back to the vet. She scheduled the surgery, and drew blood, just to be sure everything is fine, and she says it is, so she thinks he'll do well with the surgery. Mac will be home with him on the 21st, and I'll spend much of the 20th cleaning and cooking to use my nervous energy. I'll worry until I pick him up at the vet's, and then once I pick him up, depending on how loopy he is, he can probably convince me to stop and pick up ice cream or a cheeseburger for him! His adoption day, well, not really his adoption day, since we didn't adopt him initially, but his welcome home day is ...

Earlier in the year, I'd entered a contest to try Nature's Recipe Pure Essentials Dog Food. I figured that the kibblers might enjoy it, and it would be a nice way to try a new dog food. I received an email a week or two ago, indicating that we'd been selected to try it. I figured we'd receive a sample-size bag or two--just enough for one or two meals for each dog. As I pulled into our driveway this afternoon, I noticed a large blue box on our porch, and thought it a bit odd, as I wasn't expecting a package! Once I reached the porch, I noticed the Nature's Recipe on the box, and realized that it was the food, except that it was more than just a dog food sample. Rather, it included a 4-pound bag of dog food and a bag of dental chews. I still find a 4-pound bag an odd size, but as this is grain-free, it's common to have a 4-pound bag, a 14-pound bag, and a 24-pound bag or similar sizes. Nature's Recipe Pure Essentials Food & Dental Chews I ...

We currently have about 14 inches of snow since last night, and we are expecting another 3-5 according to the latest weather report. Mac knew by 4 PM yesterday that he'd be home today. My employer first sent an email at 6:15 reporting that we'd have a 2 hour delay, and then at 7:45 sent an email telling everyone to stay home. I've been up since about 7:30, and Mac and I enjoyed a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and coffee, after the dogs enjoyed a frolic outside. Well, Cobaka enjoyed a frolic outside, while Geno ran out, took care of business, and immediately high-tailed it back to the porch. Not a surprise, as Geno loves snuggling in blankets while Cobaka loves colder spots in the house! Around noon, I started working on the Hatch Valley Green Chili with Chicken that's our dinner tonight. I chopped up the chicken and tossed it in the crock pot with the chili starter. We're just having grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for lunch. It's perfect winter weather com...

We had an adventure packed weekend. I worked a bit late on Friday, so when I got home, I immediately started lunch. We had knishes that we picked up when we were last at Costco. They were very good, although they'd have been better with sauerkraut. I napped after lunch, while Mac cut the grass. I wanted to go to a semi-local BBQ restaurant, but by the time Mac showered and was ready to go, we wouldn't have made it there until after they closed. So, instead, we hit our local Qdoba, and then did a bit of grocery shopping. Mac always teases me about my choices for veggies for dinners, so I left it up to him to select veggies! On Saturday, we were going to have the Dream Dinners Crispy Salsa Ranch Chicken for dinner, but I had a few mystery shops to do, so we decided to push those until later in the day, and then check out a different BBQ restaurant for dinner. The BBQ restaurant was very good, and their dry rub was incredible, but neither Mac nor I were enamored with their sauces...

Since we were out for much of the day, I figured yesterday was a good day for the Dream Dinners Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Loin. I followed the directions, cutting it into pieces and searing it, then placing it into the crock pot. I cooked it on low while we were out, and when we arrived home, the house smelled lovely. I served it with rice and broccoli, although when we packaged up the leftovers, we packaged up the broccoli separately, and used the corn from lunch as the vegetable for our lunches. We'll use the broccoli as our vegetable for lunch tomorrow. The pork was extremely tender, and was falling apart as I removed it from the crock pot. Mac was not impressed, as he said it tasted too much like pot roast. To me, the sauce had far too much of a tomato flavor and not enough of a BBQ flavor. Had the sauce been a straight BBQ sauce, I'd probably have been raving about how it was a great pulled pork meal. We won't order this again. In other news, I did increase my Dream D...

Generalissimo Geno is in the Kimpton Pet Photo Contest... I figure he's cute and sweet... So, that said, if you have a facebook account, and don't mind, please go to http://www.kimptonhotels.com/services/pet-photo-contest-2013/gallery.aspx  and search for Geno, then "Like" his photo, please!!! Thank you!!! Shameless plug, yes, I know, but I'm really hoping he wins one of the five half-month prizes! :) We'll probably end up donating a lot of it to his old shelter.

Mac and I spent the weekend in Philadelphia. Well, outside of Philadelphia, technically. We arrived around dinnertime on Friday, and checked in to a very pet-friendly hotel, the Hampton Inn in Downingtown/Exton, PA. It was probably one of the least painful hotel check-ins with the dogs for a few reasons: It was self-parking, so Mac and the dogs could stay in the car while I checked into the hotel. No pet fees No pet agreements to sign Since it was self-parking, we could park, take the dogs to the room, then get the luggage. I'd guess our experiences when traveling with the dogs at a hotel with valet parking probably resemble those from people who travel with kids to those locations. You have to pull the dogs out of the car, plus the luggage, and it's never just one or two bags. The dogs share a bag, then Mac and I each generally have a bag each, plus our laptop bags. If we each only end up carrying two bags, plus managing a dog, we're lucky! So, this was nice. It w...

I headed to work this morning, and realized that I'd forgotten to stick the check for our oil delivery outside. So, I headed back home, and when I walked inside, found Geno sprawled out on the couch, ready to nap. Yet, even though I'd disrupted his routine, he greeted me like I'd been gone for days. When he sees me after I've been gone, his eyes radiate love. I'm convinced that he sees me as someone who deserves respect, love, admiration, and someone who always takes care of his needs--someone who never does anything wrong, someone who is always there, and someone who gives freely of herself. If only I could be what he sees in me, all of the time. Recently, I realized that I was expending a lot of time and energy into a volunteer position, not because I believed in their mission, but because I believed it could lead to better things for me. I believe in their mission, I honestly do. However, I let my ambitions cloud my reasons for volunteering, and that's wron...

I recently wrote an article for Yahoo on why I'm happy without kids. You can find it here .

I had to take Geno to the vet last week. He's been drinking a lot of water, and I was concerned. He has a UTI, plus crystals, so he's on two different medications--an antibiotic and something to reduce the pH in his urine, with hopes of eliminating the crystals. Geno tends to be difficult when trying to give him meds, so Wednesday night was interesting. I basically pried open his jaws, shoved the meds down his throat, and then held his mouth shut until he swallowed. He did try to cheek the one, but eventually took it. Thursday morning was very similar, and Thursday night was a bit easier, as Mac covered them in peanut butter, and he took it a bit warily, but without the typical struggle I have with him. On Friday, Mac tried something new. Since we had leftover mashed potatoes from dinner on Thursday, Mac rolled the pills in mashed potatoes. Geno loved it! He swallowed both without any hesitation! This is how we've been giving him his meds ever since! Friday was a bad da...