Recently, one of our daily pup-exhausting fun adventures took us to Roberts Memorial Provincial Park, near Bowser’s current home (and my future home!). One thing you may not know about Bowser – he has these contemplative moments (when not sleeping or in action dog mode) where he likes to just sit down and absorb whatever is going on around him. Something about this walk really brought out this side of him…or maybe he just wanted me to pick him up and carry him around 🤷♀️. Who knows? This is the Zen of Dogs…😄
It’s about a 1 km walk through the woods to get to the shore. With plenty of stops to take in the beauty of this walk. Bowser wanted you to see the Inukshuk-type rock formation some creative soul built.At the shore. On one of the many sandstone ledges. The unique circular formations are caused by salt crystals. Click here for a past post featuring more wonderful sandstone formations at another nearby park.Enjoying some soft grass after exploring the rocky shore and playing in the water.Gazing out to the sea, pondering the meaning of life…or when the next meal is. Reader’s choice as what is going on in his little peanut of a brain! 🤣“Relax, do nothing…and just be.” Bowser practicing this mantra.Enjoying some cuddle time with my little buddy.Our zen moment over, Bowser looks expectantly at me to provide the next adventure.
After another 1 km walk back through the forest to get to the car, we headed to Bowser’s home for some snacks and a rest.
Mission accomplished! That’s what I call “dog-tired” 🤣
We hope your weekend is going great, and you have plenty of time for contemplation…
In a somewhat vain attempt to burn off an abundance of puppy energy, we are trying to plan an adventure a day, when Bowser is in my care. It also helps with socialization, which is very important if you want a friendly dog who is open and confident when faced with new people, dogs, and situations. So far I have learned that Bowser is a bit of a “party dog” in that he wants to be wherever other adults, kids and dogs are hanging out. He doesn’t understand that dogs are not allowed on many of Vancouver Island’s beaches during the summer months not that this stops some people. We are staying on the right side of the community by-laws and exploring the parts of the shore where dogs are not verboten.
Ready for adventure!Taking in the view at Piper’s Lagoon ParkNo stick too big for this guy!Except maybe this one. Ah well, we tried…Feathers are easier to carry around.Bowser loves beachcombing. At the shore in Ladysmith.He also loves climbing the rocks.And posing in front of Ladysmith Harbour.It’s kinda lonely at the dog park though, when you are the only dog there. Thankfully we met a couple of nice ones on the trail that day.It’s fun to explore fresh water too. Bowz likes it at the local creek.
Hope your weekend is going well, you are hanging with friends and family, and get to carry around some nice sticks (or feathers).
Thanks to inspiration from my co-host Donna and from the delightful Julia series on Crave TV, I recently became once again consumed with the idea of trying out some of Julia Child’s recipes. When the movie Julie and Julia came out, I was charmed by the idea of working my way through a cookbook like that (and also blogging about it). As I was firmly entrenched as the Mayor of Crazytown at that time, it was only a pipe dream (that I soon forgot about).
But now I am retired and I have an Amazon Prime membership, so it was only a matter a time before Amazon notified me of a price drop…
Oh yes, she did!
But what to cook first? The next time I was on YouTube, this video showed up in my feed as a “suggestion” to watch. Coincidence or was Big Brother watching/listening? You decide.
Hell yeah, I am making these.I think I have enough butter to proceed 😉
I’d like to tell you that I had some kind of epiphany while attempting this recipe…well, actually I did. But not in the way that I thought I would. Hear me out. I thought that perhaps making one of Julia Child’s recipes would revolutionize the way I cooked from that moment forward. No high expectations here, eh? Instead, my revolution came in the knowledge that Julia Child was asking me to cook meat exactly the way I had been first taught by my mother.
The recipeSlowly frying the onionsPatties done and dusted
Uh huh. Long before fat (especially butter) became a kitchen pariah, Mom was showing me how to cook the Dutch way. Melt plenty of butter (or *gasp* margarine because we were a broke-ass immigrant family) in the pan and wait until the foaming subsides and the fat starts to turn brown to introduce the meat.
Frying the hamburgers
I have to say that I was kinda disappointed and thrilled at the same time. Weird as that sounds. Even the addition of more margarine butter later in the recipe, to make a sauce/thin gravy to accompany the meat was what I learned at the kitchen stove from my mom. No wonder people sang the praises of her cooking…
Plated hamburger patty and fixin’s. Including truffle fries. And my homemade quick dill pickle slices.It was delicious. Tasted like my childhood, minus the truffle fries of course. And the wine. 😄
Nope, I am not going to be working my way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking anytime soon. But I may dip into it for inspiration (and a challenge) from time to time.
Please let my co-host Donna or myself know what’s on your plate at your house, in the Comments section of either of our WOYPBC posts (or both, if you are so inclined!). Please check out Donna’s July post, where she posts some mouth-watering photos of her vacation in the mountains.
Trying this InLinkz thing once again – thanks to Donna for setting this up!
Lest you think, gentle readers, that the grand puppy is some sort of cuddly angelic being that sleeps all the time (after last week’s post)…I bring you Bowser in the ON POSITION. Here is what immediately happens upon waking up from a nap. It starts off slowly but then inevitably builds up to crazy attack dog mode.
Oh boy, here we go…time to distract with a chew toy.This works for a bit. Puppy teeth are sharp and puppies don’t always know how to be gentle.
We go outside and play “fetch” to burn off some puppy energy.
Bowz loves to chew the fetch toy when he’s tired of fetch.He loves squeaky things. Including Oma, when he bites at her toes.He pulls the socks right off my toes. Actually, I sacrifice my socks to save my toes.
When he gets really frisky we play Tug of War.
But even that isn’t enough to stop him from going after my legs and hands in a frenzy of play. The more I push him away or scold him, the better he likes it. Bowser thinks Oma just likes to play rough and he is always happy to up the ante.
How to survive with skin and clothes intact until Bowser’s parents come home????
Hey, wait a minute…I’ve got an idea!
Behold: THE THUNDERDOME
One can only hope…
You can’t reach my extremities now!I WILL WEAR YOU OUT.Surely, he’ll get tired soon…right? RIGHT????
Then I had an idea!
Safe and comfy on my lawnchair, inside THE THUNDERDOME.“Hey, Oma! When you gonna come out and play with me some more?” Hehehehe…
My phone is rapidly filling up with photos of Mr. Adorable aka Bowser aka my grand-doggy so what’s a blogger to do? Create a weekly photo dump post of some of my adventures in dog-sitting, I suppose! I’ll start out with a post of the pup in his quieter, non-bitey non-crazy mode: THE NAP. Let sleeping dogs lie and all that 😁.
Here’s the progression of a nap from the week before last:
Here’s how it started.And here’s how it ended.
Another day, another nap:
Now that the weather has finally heated up and we’re a bit older, this is the preferred nap strategy:
I am on high alert, waiting for Bowser to roll off the couch. My other grand-dog (back in Ontario) broke a front leg when just a pup by leaping off a couch, and I don’t want a repeat. No rest for Oma!This seems marginally safer…This started out as a stretch, but then he just stayed that way. Weirdo.The head must hang off the end of the couch, always.
Hey Humans! Oma said I could write on her thing called a blog, so I guess that makes this a dog blog or a pup post or something like that. I want to tell you about my exciting day today! Last week I discovered something very interesting under a big leafy plant Oma called a hosta…Oma said the very interesting thing I found was a worm. I had so much fun throwing it around and chewing on it that I’ve been on the hunt for more ever since. And today I hit the jackpot!
Not only did I find a worm, but it was dead! Oh boy, oh boy…what a day! What a time I had with my worm!
This is my precious the worm I found. Isn’t it great? It smells so good I just can’t get enough of it.I had to roll and roll and roll all over it.Part of it was still in the ground. I had so much fun pulling it out so I could chew it and throw it around and roll on it some more.Best Day Ever! Amiright???Just a dog and his worm…the good life!This is a picture of Oma watching me play with my worm. I bet she wishes she had one too. She looks kinda jealous to me.
Maybe next time I should share my worm with Oma? What do you think?
Rock (and roll…all over your worm, if you get one) on,
I have a new grand doggy in my life. Bowser is an 8 week old Miniature Schnauzer puppy. He was named after the first Vancouver Island community his new Mom and Dad moved to. Plus it’s gotta be because it rhymes with schnauzer, doncha think? I am looking in on him during the day, while his parents go to work to keep him in toys and treats. Here’s a few words (and pictures) from His Royal Cuteness:
I am trying hard to be a goodest boy. Oma says I am a work in progress.I love my new bed but……not as much as I love Oma’s lap.Oma says she feels trapped but I know she loves it.I love being outside too. Oma is always nearby to make sure I don’t get snatched up by an eagle or owl.So many sticks and fir cones to chew on. Oma says bite these, not her please.I am getting so good at walkies.I walk best with my tongue out, just a little bit.Walkies can be tiring. Oma says good!
A few short days ago the second anniversary of me moving to Vancouver Island came and went. May 28th, to be precise. The day itself was damp, cloudy and cool (like most days this spring) so I didn’t do too much to celebrate. But TODAY my friends, was another story. Sunny and 20C by 9 in the morning?! I was off like a shot, to Neck Point Park…one of the first places in Nanaimo my daughter and son-in-law took me to, two years ago.
I know I’ve shot this view many times already, but I just never tire of the composition…
I should probably mention that I injured the IT bands on both legs a few weeks back, and am seeking treatment from a physiotherapist to help resolve the issue. The issue being burning pain on the outer sides of each knee area when I kneel down, and just very grouchy “touchy” knees in general. Knees that tire quickly and ache, especially after a hike. I am getting “dry needling” done as well as ultrasound treatment, and I am doing daily exercises at home, to help strengthen my knees and heal my IT bands. I’ve had to stop my exercise program as well as working towards the deep squatting goal (the most likely suspect) for now. And, also this –
Physiotherapist: You need to avoid walking on uneven surfaces for the time being.
Me, today:
I’ve tried to be good, I really have! But. The. Weather!!!
And this:
The “neck” of Neck Point, revealed by the outgoing tide. I really shouldn’t walk on all those slide-y stones and I really, really shouldn’t climb the rocks.Umm. Somehow I managed to end up here, anyways. 🤷♀️
Other cool stuff I saw this morning:
I seal you! Lots of these guys basking in the sun and slowly cruising the waters today.So many shades of blue.Thimbleberries in flower.Native trailing blackberry too.Salal is flowering.Blue camas is almost done flowering for this year.Saskatoon berries still need some time. Rocky shores.A mackeral sky speaks of rain on the way. Quelle surprise!Looking south.I was enjoying the fine views and weather. Knees be damned.Nootka rose and bee.Poppies.Typical Vancouver Island east coast shoreline.One of the stunning views from the trail.I might be icing my knees tonight, but I’m all smiles for now. Please don’t tell my physiotherapist.
It was so worth it, to get out to Neck Point Park today and check on all the plant life I encountered on my very first visit. Because of the cold spring, the berries aren’t ready for eating yet like they were two years ago. But I remembered where they all are, and will be back again in the weeks to come.
You might not be able to count on my knees, but you can count on that!
Gentle readers, do you remember our last Snack Box adventure? The one where Donna treated me to a wonderful chicken shawarma lunch? I enjoyed that lunch so much that I decided I had to try to recreate it at Chez Badass. There was just one teeny tiny problem. I couldn’t ask Donna for the recipe she used to create her slow-cooked shawarma because…
Waiting for the ferry to take them to the airport
…I had recently dropped Donna and Richard off at the ferry terminal, where they were about to start their journey to Prince Edward Island for their Canadian Camino adventure! You can (and should!) read all about it at Donna’s blog, here.
So I scoured the interwebs (as one does) for a suitably similar recipe. I didn’t find the exact recipe (it’s here , I found out later) but this one caught my eye and I had all the ingredients already in house so I was off to the races. I prepared the chicken in its spicy yogurt marinade and let it do its thing overnight in the refrigerator. Then the next day I slow-cooked it for 4 hours on low…counting the minutes until I could shred it up and assemble my pita!
Ready to go! I decided on only one condiment to go with the chicken and the veggies: my new favourite – baba ganoush. Hummus or tzatziki would make delightful additions as well.
I had spent the previous week scrubbing down and tidying up my balcony so I was ready to enjoy a meal outside at the first opportunity. And this was it!
So lovely to be able to comfortably sit on my balcony again. It’s been such a cold, damp spring here on the island.Closeup of all that fresh deliciousness!
It’s hard to say which version of the slow cooker chicken shawarma I prefer, dear readers. They each have their merits. The yogurt marinade made the spices more mellow (I decided not to add back in more dry spice blend after cooking as the recipe suggested) and the chicken was very moist. Donna’s recipe had more of a punch, spice-wise…and was dairy-free (for those that would prefer this). Whichever recipe I use again, I think the next time I make slow-cooker shawarma I will make a double batch, and portion some out for the freezer as it is a quick and easy fair-weather meal. And very portable too!
I’m all by my little lonesome this month for WOYPBC as my co-host Donna has gone walkabout (see above!). Please let me know what’s on your plate at your house, in the Comments section. InLinkz hates doesn’t like me or my blog so I am not even going to try to set that up, for this month. Sigh…I am sure it is a case of user error again. Isn’t it always? 😉
Last week, Donna and I got together to sample the next box in my Universal Yums gift subscription (thanks again, Kenn and Jonathan!). I had meant to post this earlier but – as I explained to Donna – feeling sorry for myself for injuring my IT bands in both knees was taking up all of my time, doncha know?😉. I’ve seen my nurse practitioner and my chiropractor already, and I am seeing a physiotherapist tomorrow with hopes to resolve the problem as fast as possible. I am mightily miffed that I have had to curtail my exercise program for the time being, lest I make things worse. All those hard-won meagre gains will be lost! ARGH! OK, Pity Party over…
Donna decided to make us a delicious chicken shawarma lunch to accompany our sampling of Israeli snacks, and I decided to make an Israeli drink to go with our lunch (recipe included in the box) so we were all set for another fun morning.
Box contents
First up: Falafel sticks
These really captured the flavour of falafel, nicely although they did not contain any chickpeas whatsoever. I guess it’s all about the spices.The only issue I had with them is that they reminded me of something I have fed to a pet in the past (I think it was my hamster). 😂
This was followed by another savoury snack.
Lemon flavoured corn snacks? Sounds good!These were a hit with the both of us as well. Not spicy at all, despite the chili pepper depicted on the bag.
Next up – a sweet candy bar.
The name of this bar means “Time Out”.White chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel wafers and milk cream. Very rich and very sweet.
Back to savoury (and sweet) with some pretzel bites.
These tasted and looked exactly like what you can get in North America. Nothing unusual about these.
The next sampling was also nothing new – marshmallows.
Your basic marshmallows…Israelis apparently eat more marshmallows per capita than Americans. And the package proclaims they are made with fish gelatin. Maybe to keep kosher? Although there is no dairy listed in the ingredients…hmmmm, a mystery.
Another sweet offering was next on our agenda – grape toffee sticks (found in the Yum bag).
This was interesting. Nice grapey flavour I remembered from grape candies in my childhood.
Our last Yum from the box (and the Yum bag) was the Strawberry Banana Swirl soft candy.
Neither of us like these types of candies. Flavour was good though, and candy interior was pretty.
Another delightful box. Our scoring:
No surprises here…
Now on to the Israeli drink – Limonana!
IngredientsAssembling the LimonanaThis drink was absolutely delicious and refreshing, as promised. We couldn’t be bothered to separate out all the membranes from the lemons so our drink was cloudier than in the recipe (bonus fiber!😄). I will be making it again this summer – you can count on it! I bet it would go great with gin or vodka.
We capped off our tasting session with a delicious lunch prepared by Donna. Thank you again, my friend!
Wow! What a beautiful spread.Slow cooked shawarma-spiced chicken with veggies and a liberal helping of baba ganoush, in a pita. Amazing flavours!We didn’t try to dress like Israelis because a) we didn’t know how and b) we had to skedaddle immediately after lunch to an outdoor class on trees (where we were rained upon, per usual 🤣).
I wonder where the Universal Yums box will take us next month…Any guesses?
