You'll Always Be The Queen Bee ~ Suzie RIP

I really tried to prepare myself for Suzie's passing.  I think no matter how hard you try - it doesn't matter.  It didn't seem to lighten the blow. 

Eventho in the back of my mind I knew something wasn't right.  Saturday Morning we took her into the vet and they did some X-rays.  The scans showed that she had fluid throughout her body...her stomach, by her heart, near or even in her lungs.  They discovered a Heart Murmur that had gone unnoticed until then.  There were shadows in a few areas on the X-rays in the stomach that they didn't confirm as cancer but had a hunch they were.  Similar shadows were near the liver.  With further tests they could determine if her liver was failing, if it was liver disease, or cancer in or near her liver.  Even more apparent were the masses that showed up her Suzie's heart.  There were several.  The vet was confident those were cancerous tumors.  She told us that in could be days or a week but the end result was the same.  It wasn't a matter of 'if' but 'when' Suzie would collapse. 

Suzie has always been and will always be the Queen Bee in our family.  That was her personality.  She was always strong.  Always the LEADER of the pack.  She's had a lot happen in the last 5 or 6 years and always bounced back.  Some bounces were harder than others...especially the last surgery she had about a year ago to remove 2 more 'fatty tumors'.

We adopted her a year after we adopted Sammy.  At that time Sammy was over 10 years old and Suzie was around 2.  Suzie's been a part of our family for about 12 years.  She loved Sammy and Sammy loved her.  We adopted Riley about 7 years ago.  Sammy was very protective of me but tolerated Riley.  Suzie was the buffer usually.  I can't believe it's been about 6 years since we lost Sammy.

Riley always idolized Suzie.  I'm worried about him - I know he will miss her terribly.  Paco entered our lives about 3 and a half years ago.  Paco thought Suzie was pretty freakin' cool too...and again...Suzie was the buffer in the house hold.  The older Suzie got the more acceptable she was of most other animals in the house and outside of the house, too!

Suzie loved to snuggle under blankets when we 'turned in for the night'.  She loved laying on blankets.  She enjoyed wearing sweaters eventho she only had two or three of them.  When we started Paco's collection of sweaters - she seemed to have a renewed interest in her sweaters.  Since she was mostly Jack Russell - she was always on the go - walking around the house - and was quite the spitfire. 

She's been gone since around 10am on Saturday.  It's been hard for everyone.  It's been quieter.  The sofa and bed seem bigger.  For the first time since we adopted her - I'm now the only "Bliss Girl" remaining in the family.  The boys have taken over.  I've told them not to gang up on me!  It's been a rough year.  We went from 7 Bliss Family Members down to 5 in less than a year.  Dale and I are trying to give extra love to Riley, Paco, and Charlie.  Paco's still having to go to vet appointments every couple of weeks for his ITP, including another one today at 2.  Suzie is missed and always will be missed.  She was an incredible WOMAN...and I do mean that with emphasis.  She will always be the Queen Bee...no matter what.  Rest in Peace my sweet Suzie.  I'll continue to sing CCR's "Suzie Q" with wonderful memories of you, darling!

9am Nachos & Sweet Sleepin' Suzie

I decided to call these Nacho's...9am Nachos...WHY?  Because I had them for a Brunch the other day!  I know that sounds weird but it's true!  And they were FAB!  I did a layer of corn chips topped with lettuce, brown rice, black beans, salsa, and a Vegan Sour Cream that I made from scratch!  The Vegan Sour Cream was AMAZING!!  Recipe as follows...
1 C Cashews
3/4 C Almond Milk
2 T Lemon Juice
1 T Apple Cider Vinegar
4 T Hemp Seeds
1/2 t Red Jalapeno Powder
Pinch Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

YUMMO!

We've been keeping Suzie as comfortable as possible.  We still don't have much to report to her vet of what's been going on...she's just sleeping more than usual and showing her age, I guess.  I did make the switch to wet food at the end of last week and she absolutely LOVES it.  She did have a sudden burst of energy over the weekend - in the evening - and ran from one room to the other a few times - something that she hasn't done much (or any of) in the last few weeks.

I have a few projects in the works and will report on those soon, here.  Work is going to get a little crazier the next several weeks - if not MONTHS - but there may be somethings changing and I am trying to keep my CHIN UP about.  The weather situation is looking HAIRY for this week...we've already gotten 3 inches of slush before 8am and we can get 6 inches of snow today.  Over the next several days we could see in the FEET range.  I'm hoping it will be ok by Thursday afternoon so Megan and I can go see Dave Coulier in Erie as we planned.

Virtual Vegan Potluck Linky Participating Post

Household Updates

Last week was crazy.  I wanted to hold off on posting this until I knew more.  I'm happy with my choice to wait because I think there has been some improvement.  Here's what's up...Last week...Paco developed another spot near his hip.  He also stopped taking his meds - which was never a problem up to about Wednesday Night.  PLUS...Wednesday and Thursday he was getting sick.  Thursday Night even more so.  I called the vet that had been with him thru his whole ITP Diagnosis and she wanted me to bring him in again on Friday so I did.  They did all the blood work all over again and said the good news was that his levels and counts were the best they have been since this whole thing started.  The bad news was they are pretty sure that he has an ulcer somewhere in his body.

So we took him off of the steroids and added an additional medication to coat his stomach and help with this ulcers.  This seemed to help a LOT.  Because it was an intense steroid that he was on - they asked me to start giving it to him yesterday so I did. 

Time will tell what we will do next but I have a feeling they will have to adjust the steroid(s) that he IS on because that is the problem.  

Thankfully all else seems to be ok.  What I will say - without any hesitation is that ITP SUCKS!!!!  I wouldn't wish it on ANYONE...human or animal! 

In other news...Suzie has been rapidly aging.  We've had her for 12 years and she was 2 when we adopted her.  She's the Queen Bee - always has been - always will be - but - she's been making some noises the last few months that we are chalking up to arthritis.  She's always been a picky eater but the last week or so we've had to coax her to eat more than usual.  She's not in pain because she's still running around and playing.  I have been adding water to her food and yesterday I picked up some soft food to mix in with what she usually eats...I know she wasn't crazy about the food we just ran out of so that could be part of it too!  BUT...I have to say she is LOVING the wet food that we bought for her.  She's been eating it up without much nudging from us.  Disclaimer...our furkids are NOT vegetarian/vegan neither is my hubby.  Anyhow...I hope this new special mixture of wet and dry food will be the trick for her.


Aside from 'furkids' it was a weekend of CLEANING in our house!  WOWZA!  I started on Tuesday of last week going thru my clothes and ended up trashing a bag and donating 3 large garbage bags full of clothes.  THEN...this weekend I was able to toss 2 more bags and donate 4 more bags of clothes to Goodwill, too!  I still have more to go thru but this is a great start!  We went thru the upstairs hallway, the bathroom, the bedroom, the down stairs living room, and front room, and Paco's Palace (as we call it) and cleaned, too! 

Another thing we chatted about this past weekend was possibly opening up a YouTube Channel or two.  We thought it would be a good thing to do this winter since we tend to be hermits when the snow flies...which brings me to my next tidbit...SNOW...blah...YEAH...we saw our first snow fall of the season...a dusting...thankfully it didn't last the whole day on Saturday. 

Furkids Updates, Feathered Friends, & Finders-Keepers

Thanks to everyone who has been asking about our dear Paco!  For a timeline of posts about his medical issues visit these posts:

No!  My Dear Paco! Posted Aug 26th

Furkids/Family Medical Updates & Timeline Posted Aug 27th
Paco Update Posted Sept 3rd

Now for the NEWEST Update on Paco and some info about Suzie as well.  This photo above I took this past weekend!  Suzie - on the right - has lost about 3 pounds in the past several months.  I took her in for some required shots and prep for her stay with a very nice guy we have locally that her and Riley will stay with next week.  He truly LOVES animals and is a great guy.  Anyways...we are to keep an eye on her - she's NOT eating less and she IS acting completely normal otherwise.  They have her down as 12 but I know that is NOT true...we've had her for that long.  And she was 2 when we adopted her.  However, the vet did say that now she is within her ideal weight - where as before she was a little bit on the heavy side for her size.  She's our "Queen Bee" of the house that is for sure!

As for Paco - he continues to IMPROVE!  On Friday his Platelet Count was 698!!!  He will remain on all of his meds for the next 5 months and we will be doing monthly checks in the meantime.  He has another round of Antibiotics but once he's done with those he will be down to 2 meds and a low dose tummy tamer for the lining of his stomach because of the steroids he's on.

In other news I have been making some new friends lately!  Check these 'guys' out!  I went over to my parents Sunday night and across the street these two were hanging out.  I had to take a few photos because these aren't birds I usually see in our area.  They aren't the best photos because I was trying to use my ZOOM on my iPhone before they walked away.

They were short and fat but super cool!  After asking a few people and doing some research we DID establish that they were a type of Heron.  My husband thought they were young Black Crowned Night Herons but I think they look more like the Green Heron photos I have seen.  Regardless I was super fortunate to spot these 'guys' because they are concerned 'least concern' by the conservation department...it's not endangered but it could get to that point.  My mom said she's seen this charming pair of birds around their house and two of the neighbors properties in the last week to week and a half.  They are wondering if they are living in a nearby tree.

Also over the weekend...I was cleaning and found a package of Incense from Wild Berry.  I opened it up and decided to burn a half of a stick and they were still potent!  I remember when I was in college I used to buy Incense were ever I could find some but NOT for the reasons people may think!  Many of my college friends were NOT allowed to burn candles in their dorms or apartments so they burned these instead AND they were nice to put on window sills - they sun would hit them and release the oils, too, without having to burn them.  They were also CHEAP and the perfect price for college students on a budget!  So...yeah...I found a few sticks and was really shocked at the aroma in them still because I bet I have had these for at least 15 years because I don't remember buying them myself.  I'm thinking my father gave them to me because he gets samples at work for purchasing for a chain of C-Stores here.

 

OH!!!!!  And...I will have multiple posts again today so please check back AND if you haven't entered to WIN the Garden of Life Chocolate Cacao RAW PROTEIN Powder...there is STILL TIME...I will draw a winner tomorrow morning at 8am EST.  Check out THIS POST for more details and to enter!

Furkids/Family Medical Updates & Timeline

If you read my post yesterday you will see that Paco is not doing well.  He was diagnosed with IMHA.  We are very worried.  He's currently at the vet hospital getting aggressive steroids and fluids.  I've been doing a lot of reading and research on the disease and it's NOT good.  Even if he pulls thru - it will be a long and tricky recovery.  It's so frustrating because other than the rash on his stomach he was NOT showing any other symptoms of the disease.  Perhaps that is a positive thing - meaning we caught it early - and he will do better than the majority of other cases I have been reading about.  Right now it's a waiting game and I almost can't handle that.

Last night I went thru the last 8 months in my head and put it all together...I can't believe (the following) all happened in the last 8 months with all 5 of our furkids...Suzie had two fatty tumors removed - her stitches popped and it set her back for a few weeks.  We lost our precious Gabby to Liver Cancer and that was totally unexpected.  Charlie had a wound that would not heal on his tail and he had to have his tail amputated.  Riley - just last week - had to have a large portion of skin removed from his neck and has a double ear infection that we are still treating.  6 days later - this has happened with Paco...I took him in for what I thought was a rash and it ended up being IMHA.  All this in 8 months.

In addition...my  husband has been having stomach issues for about a year and a half.  Yesterday (while everything was going on with Paco) he was out of town for more tests and procedures and it was confirmed a 2nd time - but by a specialist this time - that he does, in fact, have Crohn's Disease.

Yesterday completely sucked.  BUT...it's NOT a home without Fur-Kids.  And at least my husband now knows that it IS Crohn's Disease.  It's something he will have for the rest of his life but it's manageable.  Now if we can just get some more answers on what to do next for him.

Foods, Fiats, & Furkids

Where to begin?  LOTS to blog about today!  Some recaps from the weekend as well as some other stuff!  I guess I will start with food!  Yesterday I had a light food day.  Not only because I was busy but because I wasn't overly hungry.  I had a Raw Day - which was nice!  But it was VERY simple.  I had a mini meal of Coconut Water and Aloe Chunks and a whole grapefruit.  Last night I had a MASSIVE Salad.  Lettuce(s), Tomatoes, Radishes, Cashews, Sprouts, etc.  I topped it with a salad dressing that I will post below about along with some Nutritional Yeast.  The sprouts I sprouted myself and blogged about that previously as well.  In addition - I added a few raw sprouted chickpeas that I also did myself - in my kitchen.  A few days ago I started sprouting some Radish Sprouts that aren't quite ready yet.  Speaking of Radishes, tho, I found some at the Erie Whole Foods Co-Op that were semi-local and gorgeous!  I could resist and HAD to pick them up for $1.99 per bunch.  They were HUGE and featured 4 different colors.  I used one of the Red ones in this salad.

This is a photo of the Homemade Raw Vegan Salad Dressing I made that you can also see on the salad in the photo above!  This was incredibly flavorful and SO EASY to make!  Here's what's in this Creamy Orange Dressing:
3 Mandarin Oranges
1 Avocado
1/4 C Lemon Juice
3 T Grapeseed Oil
1/4 C Water
2 T Basil

And speaking of EASY food and beverage prep...I discovered a neat way to make a glass of Lemonade!

8 to 10 ounces of water
1 T Lemon Juice
A few drops of NuNaturals Lemon Flavored Stevia

So easy and so tasty!

I've also been focusing on 'waste-not-want-not' type things in the house - especially in the kitchen!  After making the dressing above I saved the peels of the mandarins and put them in boiling water.  The aroma filled my kitchen and it was wonderful!  I also added a pinch of cinnamon.

I also made a few lunches a head of time last night.  This was one of them.  A simple Veggie and Rice Noodle Teriyaki Stir Fry.  I used frozen veggies - here - because there isn't much to choose from in the area of fresh right now.  I used Wildtree Teriyaki Sauce to taste.  I really like their sauce because it's not very salty at all - and - of course - it's vegan!

Multi-color peppers, peas, asparagus, corn, carrots, etc.  I even topped it with more sprouts!

Saturday - hubby and I took a drive in HIS new Fiat.  Yes...that's right...we now have TWO Fiat's!  They are even the same year but his didn't have a previous owner where as mine did.  His is a 'stick' where as mine is an 'automatic'.  We found out that his gets about 4 miles more HIGHWAY than mine does...which is kind of cool!  So...I average about 40 and he goes between 40 and 44 highway.  It was a fun drive!  We swung by the shop in Erie to have them check his breaks and it wasn't a big deal - they fixed a slight noise - and they chalked it up from it sitting on the lot previous to us buying it.  After that we were on a mission to find a good Indian Restaurant.  You see...my husband hasn't been a fan of Indian Foods and I am.  BUT...this place...he really liked so I was so happy!  We ended up in Niles, OH, and went to Bombay Curry & Grill.  Everyone was so nice and there were many vegetarian and vegan things to try!  We ended up both getting the buffet so he could try anything he wanted for a nice variety and I could see exactly what it was before eating it!  For the two of us - this bill was only $17.  AWESOME!

The 'furkids' have been doing well!  I woke up yesterday to this photo op!  Lately I have had to put this green blanket on top of my pillow and he will either sleep by my head or burrow underneath the blanket but on top of the pillow.  In this photo he wedged himself in between the pillow and the sofa arm rest and under the blanket!  So silly!

 And as I was getting ready for work the other day - the other two pups were 'cheek to cheek' and I don't mean the ones on their faces - in this photo - ready to lounge for the day while I went to work.

Charlie's doing real well!  It looks like the sore on his tail is getting better and he's been fairly nice.  As many of you may know - he's a pretty feral.  We are still missing Gabby and always will - but she's with Sammy now!  One day - we will be reunited!

WW BlogPaws Edition

Almost Wordless Wednesday BlogPaws Edition!

Suzie snubbing Riley's Kisses!

Paco trying to pal up with Riley when he knew I was upset
about him chewing my Memory Foam Pillow!

Lexie - My Parent's Puppy!

Paco looking evil but really having FUN playing with Daddy!

Riley laying on me with Christmas Lights glowing in the background!

Charlie laying on my pillows after trying to hide them from Paco!

Furkid Fun

I figured it was time for an update on our "furkids".  A few weeks ago Dale took this chair out of our home studio/office and put it in the hallway.  I think he thought I wanted it for my work station area in the corner of our living room but I was sure it wouldn't fit.  So there it sat for a bit near the Attic Door until we figured out what to do with it.  Well, Gabby made that decision FOR us!  She claimed it.  So we are going to try and keep it but put it by the window - it seems she is really 'digging' this chair.  It's a very high chair, I might add but she can look out the window of the upstairs hallway so that is probably another reason she likes it.  She's such a sweet cat!

It's been REALLY cold here the last several days and it's supposed to follow suit for the foreseeable future.  Paco's been burrowing and snuggling more and more.  I'm still fascinated by the art of nest making, here!  He totally did this himself.

In other news - Suzie is FINALLY doing well!  We had a stitch pop and it knocked the stitch removal date back 4 days.  Long story short she DID get them removed on Friday and has been a happy camper ever since!  She's such a trooper!

Here's a photo of all 3 dogs lined up on the sofa over the weekend!  I couldn't help but take a pic of them! 

The only one I didn't get a pic of this weekend was Charlie.  He's been sleeping on his chair mostly.  He seems to be mending his tail ok by himself and it doesn't really seem to bother him.  I have been checking it often just to make sure, tho!  It's been closed for a while now so that's good!

Life Has Gotten In The Way Yet Again...

I'm NOT abandoning this blog...I SWEAR!  It's just been a CRAZY few weeks with Hubby being sick and work and then last week Suzie went in for surgery!

They had a cancellation and got us in on Wednesday of last week and we were able to take her in Tuesday Night which worked well since we are working around everyone's last minute vacation time before the end of the year.  This was the first time any of my 'kids' spent the night at the vet.  I was so worried about her.  Suzie is between 13 and 14 so she's no "spring chicken" to begin with.  She did well during the surgery to remove the lump on her leg but it was quite large and it was growing above and underneath a vein.  They were able to remove it without interrupting the vein or muscle or anything else for that matter.  She's healing slower than she did a little over a year ago when she had 3 removed.  But in all fairness they were in different locations and not on her front leg like this one was and she was a bit younger.  I did have a close up photo of the stitching but it wasn't very nice looking at all so I decided not to post it.  She gets her stitches removed next Tuesday Night.  I've been sleep on the sofa or on the floor with her since last Wednesday.  I haven't been getting much sleep at all and it's starting to take a toll.  I have been feeling a bit weak at times throughout the day(s) since Friday.  I do have TONS and TONS of other things to post and I was going to try and post them all at once but that hasn't worked out so hot...so I will just continue with my per-subject posts as often as I can.  But I assure you - my blog isn't going under!  Just had to take care of life for a bit there but I should be back now!

Random Furkids Update

This weekend I figured I would share with you a few photos of 2 of my furkids.  Some of you already know that we have 5 'kids'!  3 dogs and 2 cats...that is!  This is Paco our Chihuahua.  He's been a little crazy lately.  I think it might be the weather changing.  Fall is upon us and that means cooler weather!  Paco gets cold very easily and LOVES blankets as you can see in these pictures. 

He does this all by himself!  He wraps himself up in blankets so tightly...it's so funny!  He knows just what and how he wants to do it every time, too!  It has to be 'just right'.

His burrowing in blankets is something that is quite common with Chihuahuas.  He is the first Chi we have had and people aren't 'fibbing' when they say Chihuahuas are a breed of their own!

We've had him for a few years now and I still think it's so cool that he does this!  I finally got some decent photos of him and caught him in the act!

Suzie is our "Queen Bee"...she's the Leader of the Pack, really.  She's also the oldest dog in our family.  Charlie - our one cat - we've had the longest and is around the same age as Suzie.  They are both starting to show their age a bit.

Suzie is in this last photo and I captured this one while she was waking up earlier this week.  She was less than impressed but I thought it was funny and cute.  You may notice a mole-like spot on her front arm.  We keep an eye on it but it has posed any problems for her, really.  She keeps it clean, naturally.  We are more worried about the lumps she sometimes will get under the skin.  There is one I will be calling the vet about soon, I think.  It's on the shoulder (not shown) here.  It's not causing her a problem but it is near a joint and I want a vet to look at it.  2 local vets in different practices are aware of this with her and just told us to keep watch of it.  She may have to have it removed.  That is what she had done with a few of them in the past.

Paco's Pouting, Suzie's Scratching, The Rouse is Rockin', and Sassy Cheesy Salsa

It kind of looks like Paco is pouting here.  I took this picture over the weekend - in the evening - when we were comfy on the sofa.  I believe this was Saturday Evening.  This was before I was so RUDELY Awakened by Suzie at 5am Sunday Morning Nailing just below my left eye as she jump off the back of the sofa and did her best impression of a Guard Dog while seeing something she questioned outside of the Living Room Window!  She woke me out of a dead sleep with that nail-scratch and I'm certain it will scare.  I've been putting Aloe on it a few times each day in hopes it will help in the meantime.  I don't usually wear make-up but I am trying to 'rock' the cover-up today while at work to try and hide it.  WOWZA!  Did that hurt for most of yesterday! 

Suzie knew she 'got me' and was trying to 'butter up' to me the rest of the day yesterday - her way of apologizing.  Of course I couldn't stay mad long.  I mean...LOOK AT This!  I sometimes call her my 'lil pot belly' cuz she lays on her side and shows her belly like a baby pot belly pig.  She cracks me up!  Yeah...so I couldn't stay made long even tho the scratch is clearly visible to everyone I come in contact with.

In other Weekend News - Saturday - during the day we went to Youngsville, PA, for the Rouse Summerfest with our Wildtree Stock.  Rouse is a local historical name known for quite a bit around here.  Now the Rouse Name is known for the Rouse Home/Estates.  It's a Retirement Home/Nursing Home/Transitional Care/Day Care, among other things.  It was a fun time, the weather was cooler than it has been, there were a few bands playing Bluegrass, Oldies/Beach Music, etc.  It rained a little bit but held off until almost the end for the heavier rain.  We didn't do awesome business-wise but we didn't do awful, either.

At the end of a busy weekend and headed into the busiest week of my work year I needed some comfort food and noticed I had some Daiya Cheese I needed to use.  I wanted an EASY sauce type thing for Corn Chips so I added the remainder of the Daiya Shreds into a splash of Almond Milk and melted it down and added a half of a jar of Natural Salsa - Medium - to it.  It's VERY tasty and I have lots to get me thru this week!  I think I might thin a bit out for pasta early this week to stretch it a bit further.  Rice mine work well, too!

Blissful Journey - Fun, Family, Food

I have been mentioning some of the differences I have noticed since dropping dairy from my diet.  The main reason I decided to FINALLY make the switch for good was for my digestive health.  I know 'we all know what's good for us' but most people really need that 'last straw' or that 'wake up call' to really do anything about it.  Last year was mine.  I went my whole life KNOWING I was unable to properly digest dairy.  I just 'dealt with it' until I couldn't 'deal with it anymore'.  NOW...there is NO looking back!  I NEVER want to feel that way again...so...I won't!  But, like, I said, I have noticed LOTS of things since going vegan  including the BLUENESS of my eyes!  I've always had blue eyes but I think the hue or shade and/or depth of the blue has changed quite a bit.  I know I am not the only one to see this difference.  Even more drastically I have heard of Raw Foodists eyes changing from brown to blue in some cases!  I find this AMAZING!

Another photo I didn't post last week is this one of  Paco and Suzie who have been 'buddying up' more lately.  It kind of cracked me up that Suzie was sitting this way for like 2 hours while we watched a movie in the evening!  Paco decided to join her but on the sofa seat itself! 

The last several days I have been feeling pretty good and I think I am going to start some gentle yoga once again.  I have been wanting to do this for MONTHS but have refrained until I got to the root of the problem with my arches and sciatica.  I think I have learned some tips and tricks along the way and I am hoping I'm almost finished with my Chiropractic Adventures!

In other news I came across this photo on Instagram and REALLY WANT this mug now!  Many of you know I am a HUGE Tea Fan!  So much so that I am one of the co-founders of Sororitea Sisters.  Check it out if you have time!  I'm also a fan of Lionel Ritchie!  So this works well!

Not only that I enjoy 'play on words' and 'dry humor'.  I think that is also why I enjoy Jason Mraz and his music...the 'play on words', I mean.

Things are turning around at work lately and I am starting to get excited about it again.  It's still going to be HELLA busy but in a good way!

 And finally...here's a little food tidbit I would like to share with you!  I've posted about Dreena Burton's Hummus Quinoa Casserole before but I did it a bit different this time around.  It's one of my all time favorite dishes and it's so versatile!

Since it's Dreena's recipe from one of her cookbooks I won't post it here but I will tell you this time around I decided to make Black Bean Sweet Potato Hummus for the middle layer.  I just used 1 Sweet Potato, 1 C of Black Beans, Juice of 1 Lime, 2 heaping teaspoons of Tahini, 1 Clove of Garlic.  The bottom layer is cooked Quinoa - then the hummus for the middle layer - on top I did various veggies including Onion, Zukes, Colorful Sweet Peppers, and then I sprinkled mixed dried herbs and Fennel Seeds on top...as well as Balsamic.  I'll tell you...this hummus...is AWESOME!

Tornadoes, Storms, & How The Furkids Deal

(This is my 2nd Post of the day - Remember to Scroll Down)

Last Night was a strange one!  We were under Tornado Warnings, Watches, Severe Thunderstorms, as well!  Tornadoes are not an everyday occurrence where I live. 

<------ In order of appearance: Suzie, Riley, and Paco could have been any closer to each other OR any closer to their MOM while all of the commotion was going on with the storms!

I'm the one with my legs under the white blanket.  We were listening for an extended noise to head down to the basement but we didn't need to!  Thankfully!

I heard that a Tornado touched down in Union City which is about 40 minutes from us and it's rumored there was one in Scandia which is about 10 to 15 minutes from us!  The one in Scandia is unofficial at this time.  There were some without power for a little bit and the street lights were off-whack.  Our internet was down for a little while but nothing major.  This morning there were two school districts in the region on 2-hour delays and there was some debris such as branches and trees that were down and in the road, but again, nothing major to my knowledge.

I will say that Paco turns into a completely different dog when he is unsure of something!  It's like he's trying to be a 'tough guy' but gets really mellow and calm.  He didn't want to stray too far from us, that is for sure!  He did shake a little but not overly-so and not consistently. 

The Dogs were not the only ones who act differently!  YES!  All animals can sense weather changes - AND - mood changes!  It's times like this that I'm reminded of that!

Charlie is the WORST when the storms occur.  But last night - he hid for the first few hours and then was okay towards the tail end of them.  Gabby wasn't too bad.  She was on the stairs the entire time.  I took this photo after things started to wind down a bit.  It's rare if I get a photo of them together let alone with them both looking in my direction.

I'll be back in a little bit with another post - a food post!  Until then...have you had any strange weather lately?  How do your furkids deal with it?  Stay Safe!