Saturday we began our dog adventure by traveling to Huntley, Illinois to the Animal House Pet Shelter.  We were to meet Emily a part golden retriever.  We parked the car and entered the building and I was really turned off by the smell.  The cat house was right next to the office and the place reeked of cat urine.  Sorry, cat lovers, but the hubster and I are both allergic and the smell repulses both of us.  It was not a good first impression.

The girl at the desk told us the foster family had not arrived with Emily and so we took seats and sat until the hubster decided he had to have some fresh air.  I was just about to join him when a blue vehicle pulled up with a white looking dog in the back.  I just knew it was Emily.

I walked over to the door and the girl who was walking the dogs asked if I was there to see a dog and I told her we were meeting Emily and asked if she thought that was the dog in the aforementioned vehicle.  She said it was and I proceeded to ask her a bunch of questions.  “Does she walk well?  Is she a nice girl?”  She said only positive things about little Emily.

The hubster came back to the door and I walked out and said, “She is here.”  I pointed to the vehicle and a guy was letting the dog out of the car.  I walked over and introduced myself to Steve, the foster dad of Emily.

I was taken by how much she looked just like the photos we had seen of her.  She is mostly white with a few blotched markings over her body.  She has a dot on her forehead just like my little Jessie dog had.

I was slow to hold out my hand to her and Steve suggested that I squat down and talk to her.  He told us that she was afraid of most men and suspected that a man had once abused her.  The hubster was standoffish.  We went inside and visited for a bit and Steve suggested we go outside where we could get some fresh air and see how she behaved outside.

Steve said not to let her near other dogs as she was unsure of herself around them. She was very shy and stayed close to Steve.  I walked her around the grass area and then the hubster walked her a little.  We went to a fenced area to get to know her better and to play.

Steve left to let us be alone with her.  She stayed by the fence where he had left and kept looking for him the entire time.  The hubster tried to encounter her but she just moved away.  I tried to get her to play but she was only interested in Steve.

I told the hubster I was not sure about her and maybe we should go inside and ask about other dogs.  We did just that and told Steve we were not sure.  All the dogs we asked about were either shier than Emily or had been adopted previously.  I told the hubster that we should not let her go.  I really liked her and she was warming up to me.

Several volunteers came out to see Emily for she had been at a foster home for over two weeks but had lived at the shelter for several years.  The hubster filled out paper work and paid the fee for Emily.  All the volunteers loved on Emily and she was so sweet with all of them.  I knew we had made the right decision.

We exchanged collars and leashes and we bought a bag of dog food that she was accustomed to and off we went.  We had brought an old quilt which we spread on the back seat.  Emily jumped excitedly into the car and immediately went into the front seat.  I could feel the hubster cringe as she walked on his leather seat.

Steve said, “I believe she wants to ride shotgun.”

“Oh no she isn’t,” the hubster declared.  I climbed into the back seat and called her to me.  She came right back and I had her sit down on the quilt.  Off we went to take her home.

She rode in the car well.  She didn’t get sick, and I was so relieved.  At one point she crawled into my lap with her front paws.  I petted her during the whole trip and told her what a beauty was.

When we got home, I walked her around the yard to let her go potty.  She is not much of a pee maker.  A little squirt here and there.  We went into the house and I walked her around on her leash to show her her new home.

The first night was pretty scary but she slept in the bed between us and slept all night long.  We went on our first walk together after the rain stopped.  Jessie would never walk in the rain.  I called her “Princess Dry Paws.”  Emily had no problem with that at all.

We came across two little girls in the neighborhood who had come to visit Jessie when she was very ill.  They had brought her “get well” cards.  They dropped their bikes and came to pet Emmie.  Emmie allowed them to pet her a bit but I heard a distinct growl from her.  I told the girls it was enough and maybe next time she would be nice.  We were told she bit a child and that is why she was taken to the shelter.

I went to my Zumba class on Tuesday and when I got home Emmie came running to greet me and then ran to get Mr. Squeeky Toy.  My heart just melted.  She really liked me.

Emmie has taught me to play Frisbee.  I am the worst Frisbee thrower in the world.  I threw the first five into my garden.  Emmie jumped right over and got the thing and jumped right back out.  She can really jump high.  I must get a hula hoop.

Emmie is a good walking partner.  She walks at my side and only occasionally pulls forward.  She is a strange pottier.  She squirts out a little pee here and there.  She has only pooped while on our walks.  She must want to keep our yard clean.  I must remember to carry a plastic bag.

It is day four and she still is not warming to the hubster but he is feeding her now and hopefully, she will become his buddy too.

We are off to the vet today.  The vet’s name is Emily also.  I hope to get a good report and I pray that she is nice to the vet’s employees.

She sleeps at my feet while I computerize.

Tuesday I had a very good adventure.  Friends, Garnet and Charyl, invited me to go have mani-pedis with them.  First of all, I had to ask what a mani-pedi was.  Since I was asking Garnet, I had no idea that she meant manicure and pedicures.  I tried to get Garnet to go with me for a pedicure two years ago and she told me she didn’t like having people mess with her feet.  I was flabbergasted that we were going for mani-pedis.

I drove to Charyl’s house and we rode together to Garnet’s where we picked her up and continued on our journey.  Our plans were to 1.) go get mani-pedis, 2.) go have lunch, 3.) stop at Farm and Fleet and get their license for their kayaks and 4.) go to Best Buy for a birthday gift for C’s hubster.

We arrived at a nail shop and I was surprised that we hadn’t made appointment, because the place doesn’t take appointments, and we got right in.  There was a lovely Vietnamese lady and two dudes.  I have never had a man give me a pedicure before and it was quite the adventure.  He didn’t really talk to me much but I filled his ear plenty.

Garnet had the other dude doing her toes.  She fell in love with the massage chair as well as the hot water bath for our feet.  I looked at her and told her, “you’ll probably be here every two weeks now!”  She sang to her guy while he did her toes.

I asked my guy if they were all family and Garnet’s dude told me yes they were.  I took this to mean my guy couldn’t speak much English.  I asked him if he had been doing this for very long.  He just looked at me.  I told him for an old broad I have really soft feet and he agreed???

They had started on Charyl first but finished last because the lady doing her feet was using this machete and scythe on her feet for a really long time.  I have to make Charyl some of my foot scrub.

Garnet is sensitive about her hands and feet but said she had been working on them for a while.  She has a wedding this weekend and wants to look splendid.  And she will, for I saw the blouse she is wearing and it kicks ass.  She got her nails done in a midnight blue and was going to have her fingernails just clear polish but we talked her into continuing the midnight blue theme.   They looked great.

We were sitting in the dryer light and talked about lunch.  I said Alvarez is just around the corner and both friends sighed.  We love the Alvarez.  And we can drink!  Enough said.  We hit the Alvarez and it wasn’t too busy for a Tuesday at 11:45ish.

I ordered my usual Pollo Hausteca.  (Not sure if I spelled it right but this dish is the best Mexican thing in the world.  If you like hot and spicy food, get it next time.) I ordered a Corona with lime and Garnet joined me.  Charyl had a margarita on the rocks.

Garnet sang along with the music and I told her how much I detested Mexican music.  I don’t mind the lovey dovey stuff but that mariachi stuff drives me to distraction.

We ate most of our salsa and ordered more and I asked for some of the green stuff.  Garnet gagged.  What, you don’t like hot stuff?  She tried it anyhow and complained for ten minutes.  I felt like going to get her a glass of milk.

We went to Farm and Fleet but the girls couldn’t get their licenses because Garnet’s is in her husband’s name and Charyl forgot her other card from last year.  Oh well.

We made it to Best Buy and I looked around at stuff.  They have a lot of stuff.  The washers and dryers are something else.  Mine are thirty years old and I need to upgrade someday.

We then went to the Hallmark shop for Father’s Day cards.  I cannot believe how expensive a greeting card is these days.  For only forty-two, ninety-five you can get a card that personally cleans your house.  Just kidding, but wouldn’t that be a great card?

We then went next door and visited I think the name of the store was Ross.  I am not a shopper but Garnet said they have cool stuff there.  I quickly got bored but ran into the director’s daughter of the movie that I played the Grandma.  Evidently, she is the manager there at Ross.  They had a line of trainees that were marching around the perimeter of the building.  Not sure what that was about.

I ended up sitting in a chair at the front of the store while the girls shopped.  It was people watching at its best.  One lady purchased about five blouses that looked very similar.  They were all black and white.  This seemed strange to me.

Another person left their wallet and a bunch of folks discussed who it belonged to.  They were pointing to a car in the parking lot and decided that must be who left it.  No one bothered to take it out to the car and offer it to him.  They supposed he would return for it.  How sad that was to me.  What if he lives in Wisconsin or something?  I’d be pissed that no one bothered to try and return it while I was still in the parking lot.

Charyl finished shopping and said she would go get the car and start the air conditioning.  I waiting about ten more minutes then I spied Garnet.  I made it to her and told her we were ready to go.  She didn’t buy anything.

I must say that each venture I make with these two girlfriends is so much fun.  They are funny and sarcastic and we find an adventure in everything we do together.

Oh, and I get to babysit Garnet’s dog, Duke, while she is at the wedding.  I’m so excited.

This Buddha was in the nail salon.  Isn't he wonderful?

Yesterday I went with the Lake Summerset Garden Club to The Flower Factory in Stoughton, Wisconsin. It is located on County Highway A.  It was about a forty minute drive and I rode with my co-worker, Kathy.  We had a nice chat and got to know each other a little better.  We are co-workers on the crew that tends the front gate garden at Lake Summerset, where we live.

The Flower Factory has nineteen greenhouses and 258 perennial plants to choose from.  It was almost overwhelming.  I took my camera but was so busy looking, I forgot to take photos.  I did get a photo of the full size topiary horses that were covered in sedum.  They were lovely.

Kathy and I went to the shade garden greenhouses first as we both have shade gardens and wanted some new ideas.  We saw many interesting plants including one that looked like a dandelion but had the most magnificent blue bloom.  I forgot to write down what it was.

The greenhouses just went on and on and I did write down several things:

Red yarrow – close to #16

Solomon’s Seal – what does the bloom look like

Sempervivum – close to #19

Eriperon – close to #19  (I think I wrote this down wrong since I wasn’t using my glasses.  It must have been Erigeron which is a daisy like plant.)  But why is it close to 19 when 19 was sedum and cacti???

The Solomon’s Seal flower looks like little bells hanging down under the plants stem.

I ended up purchasing the red yarrow and the Sempervivum Purdy.  (It is purdy!)  I am going to spread my little wire turtle with the sempervivum and hopefully in a couple of years it will be completely covered.  Will post photos.

One of my main reasons for searching the plants is that I wanted to try to grow bluets.  They grow in the shade and the flower is similar to a passion flower, sort of.  I did track down the owner of the FF and asked him but he said they quit trying to grow them as they are very difficult.  That changed my mind.  If I find some seed on the internet I may still try but I am disheartened with bluets.

The Flower Factory is truly worth the ride to go see it.  Next time I will take my notebook, glasses and checkbook, and close my mouth.

Our garden club drove to Oregon, Wisconsin where we lunched at Senor Peppers.  I wanted the Chilies Rellenos but they weren’t serving it that day and I got a burrito which was okay.  My beans and rice were not warm at all.  There were about 25 of us at the tables and that could be the reason why the beans and rice were not warm.  They probably plated them first and then added the main dish as they came off the grill.  I most likely will not go back to the restaurant as I never make it to Oregon.

I have sort of been out of commission for the past several days.  Friend, Charyl, and her hubster have decided they are selling everything and moving south and so they had a HUGE garage sale over the weekend.  Her planned helpers had bowed out and so Garnet and I made it over to help them out.  It turned out to be a good thing because they had large crowds at this sale.

One man purchased over $200 in stuff and came back the next day and bought more.  They really have a lot of “stuff”.  Not so much anymore as they sold a lot of it.

Charyl told me to pick out anything I wanted and just take it as my payment for working for her.  I took her rotisserie that I had wanted to borrow for a couple of years and never have.  I also took a plant stand for the solarium, two solar lamps shaped like mushrooms, the cutest little bunny ever and a few other odds and ends.

I had my eye on a bird cage and sure enough when I went to pick it up someone had snatched it right out of my reach and purchased it.

I saw lots of folks that I know and met a few very interesting folks too.  One woman is going to take my yarn off my hands.  I have decided I am never going to crochet or knit ever again and have got to rid myself of the rest of my yarn collection.

Charyl and the hubby bought our lunch each day which was so very nice and Garnet managed to find us a couple of beers to go with our lunch.  The weather was cooperating and it was sunny but there was a nice breeze.  We stayed on our toes for about eight hours the first day and about seven on the second day.  The second day it rained for a while and kept folks away.

Garnet and Charyl kept us entertained.  A little girl came up to Garnet and asked if she could use the restroom.  Garnet pointed to the tent and told her to just go under the table.  I was afraid she would scar the child for life.  I told Garnet to show them the restroom.

Two little kids were fingering a box of small toys and Charyl told them to fill a Crown Royal bag with them and it was only fifty cents.  They told her they didn’t have any money and she said just take it for free then.  The kids asked if this was her sale and she told them “no” and that she didn’t like the people that lived here and didn’t want them to make any money on this garage sale.

I got totally bored during a slump in traffic and weeded Charyl’s flower bed that was to the left of where I was stationed guarding the money box.  Charyl thanked me and talked me into taking this straw hat that was so gaudy it was unbelievable.  I brought it home and hung it in Daddy’s garden.  It looks okay but I think I may dump the pink flowers and ribbon and change it to a red, white and blue theme.

I went back on Sunday to thank Charyl and the hubster.  I took Charyl a bouquet of flowers and the hubster a jar of canned jalapeño peppers.

I redid the goofy hat and changed it to a red, white and blue theme.  What do you think?

The hubster and I were watching a movie recently and the daughter in the movie told her elderly father that she was going to make that Cha Cha Chicken that he liked so much.  I quickly wrote down “Cha Cha Chicken” as I had never heard of the dish.

I looked up the recipe on the internet and came up with some restaurant in California that serves Jamaican jerk kind of food.  Okay, cha cha chicken was getting me hooked.  I finally realized I was reading about a restaurant and not the recipe for the ccc.  I went back to my search and plussed the word “recipe”.

The first recipe I came across was from Campbell Soup Company and I quickly nixed that puppy.  I want real food not processed GMO crap, salt and chemicals, please!

I went to the next recipe but it was from something like MyRecipes.com and I went to the next and the next until I found a site I hadn’t heard of before called Recipe Lion.  I clicked that and truly fell in love with ccc.    I read another recipe at a different site and it added lime to the previous recipe.  The recipe calls for chicken, onion, pineapple, salsa, cilantro, freshly grated ginger root, lime and a couple of other things I don’t recall right now.  I’m making this for dinner tonight.

BTW have you noticed how many pop up things are going on with the internet right now and they are hiding the close button.  I got scammed into upgrading to Windows 10 because they made the little “x” at the top right an “okay” button.  I’m getting pretty fed up with these shenanigans, how about you?  I guess we will have to quit taking for granted and read this stuff.

Back to the ccc…I have half a pineapple in the fridge, new little cilantro growing in the herb garden, half jar of Pace Picante Sauce, and a lime in the fruit basket.  I do have to run into Durand and hope they have a fresh knob of ginger as I used all of mine this week making stir fry.

If you haven’t tried fresh ginger, you really should.  It is so much different from that grated stuff in the jar.  Just peel the knob and put it in an airtight container in your freezer.  Whenever you need some ginger just get out your micro plane grater and add some life to your recipe.  (BTW, meatloaf is really, really good when you add fresh grated ginger and green peppers.)

I thawed three boneless chicken breasts and gathered up the stuff for my dinner of Cha Cha Chicken.   Durand had ginger knobs and I was so relieved.  I chopped up a tablespoon of it.  The little cilantro plants in the garden were barely enough to do the recipe but I am sure after I fertilize tomorrow with fish emulsion, they will perk right up.

I made my rice and put my chicken together.  When the rice was cooked I put the chicken into the oven.  In about 15 minutes the aroma hit the room.  The hubster walked over to the oven and opened it.  “It smells pretty good,” he exclaimed.

Silly me, I forgot to take pictures of my lovely plated ccc but the hubster remembered and I took a photo of the bowl of ccc, my sort of eaten plate of ccc and then a really bad photo of his lovely plated plate.  Oh well.  It is a good recipe and I highly recommend it.

Recipe is here http://www.recipelion.com/Chicken-Recipes/Cha-Cha-Cha-Chicken

PS  I did add lime juice to the recipe as I feel most any recipe or dish is enhanced with a little citrus.  See I told you it was a really bad picture.

I had an extremely satisfying yoga session this morning.  I woke up at about 2:30 which was okay since I went to bed around 8:30 last night.  Saturday night on a long holiday weekend and I was asleep by 9:00.  Such is the life of a retired lady.

The air conditioning is on in the house but the upstairs stays pretty warm.  I just close all of the upstairs doors and the downstairs is comfy cool.  The yoga room was probably a good 75 degrees or more and by the time I got to the Sun Salutation I had a pretty good sweat going.  I found my hair clip and got my bangs out of my way (Note to self:  it is time for a haircut.)

I was really into my plank and downward dog and held them for longer than usual.  I count to twenty and then just take long breaths as long as I can hold it.  I concentrate on a bit of thread on the carpet to keep my attention fixed.  I also sew in this room and that is why there is a loose thread to keep my attention focused.

I don’t do a lot of one foot balancing poses because I have this horrific bunion on my left foot, and the right foot that had bunion surgery has a neuroma that I have had removed twice and I think it is growing again.  I have had the thought of shooting my foot with a shotgun and getting over this bad foot thing but with karma as it is, I think I am better off just getting past the discomfort of my stupid right foot.

During my shoulder stand I realized that it is hard to breathe correctly.  I got into my plough and since I haven’t been practicing very much lately, due to a lazy streak the size of Texas, I reached back to see if I could still grab my toes.  Sure enough I could but I really couldn’t breathe in that position.  I slowly let my legs drop to the floor and grabbed a couple of liter sized gulps of oxygen.

Then I was off to legs up the wall but in my case it is legs up the closet door since I don’t have a spare wall in the yoga room.  I reiterated my positive thoughts and my mind drifted off.

I recently met an artist who draws cows.  I gave her a copy of my children’s book The Cow Who ate a Hippopotamus.  She likes the story and is going to draw one drawing to show as an example of what we could do with the story.  I now have to find an agent who is interested in publishing my book.

Back to yoga and I was feeling pretty mellow.  I grabbed my sit-upon and my beads and sat down to Zazen.  I read this book about meditation recently and decided I liked the idea of prayer beads.  I sit and contemplate about 40 breaths and then I pick up the beads.  I say words like, serenity, peace, peace on Earth, power, self-confidence, positive, and contentment.  I then think of my friends and family and wish them health and serenity.  I repeat my words over and over again and then drop the beads and go back to counting my breath.

(Oh and by the way, my prayer beads are those cheap “show us your tits” kind of beads.)  If I get into this perhaps I will buy myself a real strand of prayer beads.  They say there is one kind made out of cedar and you can smell the cedar as you meditate.  (I just typed medicate and had to correct the word.)  Freudian slip typo?

I was up and into my Qi Gong.  If you don’t know Qi Gong is all about breathing.  You do certain movements with the breathing but it is mainly about the breath.  I do a Lotus which is raising your arms to the heavens while inhaling and then exhaling as you fold the lotus into the night.

The next movement I call lifting globes into the great unknown.  This is my favorite position and the one I truly use all of my breath as it should be used.  You lift your globes in front of you and open them to the sky while inhaling, then you bring the globes back to yourself and to the horizon.  It is quite the lovely dance and I really should make a video of it to share.  I get right into the zone of the thing.

My next movement on the other hand is not my favorite.  I call it Arc of the Diver because in the second half of the thing you have to make a leap into the floor, chest first.  Actually, you are just bending at the waist.  I don’t get the breathing of this exercise and only do a few of these.

The next exercise is another of my favorites.  I call it pendulum and you hold your hands above your head as you exhale and lean to the right.  Then begin moving back to over your head and breath in.  Back and forth and back and forth and this really gives not only your lungs a workout but also your waist.  I find I do this exercise during the day when my back is feeling tight.

Next exercise I call the dragon.  You center yourself and cradle a globe.  Breathe in and then you exhale and push the globe to the right and away from and across your body.  Breathing back in you pull the globe back to your center and reverse this and go to the left side.  I love this movement but it does not love me.  I tend to keep leaning too far into myself and need to keep reminding myself to straighten up.  At this point I lose count of where I am in this exercise and just do one more.  You are supposed to do nine of each exercise but I invariable lose track of what number I am on.

The last exercise I call the Archer.  You inhale and lift your arms and sweep them very slowly across the sky.  Then you exhale while pulling back your bow arm and loosen your arrow.  I cannot say how lovely this movement makes me feel.  I feel like Katniss Everdean in Hunger Games.  I lose myself terribly in this exercise also but I am at peace and don’t really care if I have done it forty-six times or not.

My body feels pretty good this morning.  My lungs feel pretty clear and I have just finished my breakfast of a grapefruit, (I covered my keyboard this time) smoked turkey, cheddar cheese, Mrs. Fisher’s potato chips and some mustard.

Life is good!

Distinctive Gardens

Yesterday I went to Forreston and met my Master Gardeners’ Book Club members and we went to Dixon.  I was listening to Jethro Tull’s Benefit album on the way and arrived singing at the top if my lungs.

We first ate at Touch of Thai on First Street.  I had Panang Curry and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten.  I shared a bite of the sauce with my fellow bookworms and they all liked it too.  We discussed what kind of herbs and spices were used in Thai cooking.  (Note to self:  look this up.)

We then travelled to Distinctive Gardens after battling with a GPS system that kept hanging up on us.  (I don’t have one of these things and I really don’t want one.  I will continue to get lost and call for help on my phone, thank you very much.)

The garden is very beautiful but not as big as I had pictured it.  They specialize in rare plants.  I had my list in my pocket of the plants that I was looking for.  My search for list included:  mugwort, dittany of Crete, Zinnia linearis and torenia.  I found the torenia but it was not the purple flower that I had hoped for.  I will have to search for the other plants on the internet, I guess.

I do have a package of the Zinnia seeds but they didn’t come up and I must plant them again and take special care of them.  Perhaps I should do this inside by the kitchen sink so I can check on them every moment of the day and night.

The plants on my purchase list included:  Jethro Tull Tickseed Coreopsis (I felt I was destined to purchase it since I had been singing Tull for the past hour), Catalina Pink Torenia, Heuchera x villesa Carnival Limeade Coral Bells, and a Black and Blue Salvia.  The girl at the register warned me that the salvia had aphids and pointed one out that I smashed between my fingers.  I sprayed them all with alcohol water when I got home.

The coreopsis will go out in my flower bed in front of my garden which is a combination of yellow and orange flowers with a bit of pink here and there.  The others will go out into my Fairy Garden which is mostly in shade and has purple and white flowers and lime green plants, here and there.  I will take photos when they are in full bloom.

The garden surrounding the nursery had many lovely displays.  There was a Volkswagon in one bed.  There was a fairy garden on a table.  I loved the brick wall they had created out of a variety of old and used bricks.  In the ceiling of one of their pavilions were white Chinese lanterns and lots of twigs painted white and it was quite lovely.  On the top of one of their little trees a dove had made a nest and ignored all of us coming over and staring.

If you haven’t made the trip to Forreston, you really should go.  It is a lovely drive through Illinois countryside and the villages along the way are quaint and charming.  Do try the Thai.  It still baffles me that in the middle of flat land Illinois there is a Thai restaurant.  It was pretty busy for a Wednesday also.