Thanksgiving Greetings from rainy New Jersey! We are all cozied up with a fire in the little wood stove on this rainy holiday. Our turkey is now in the oven and we hope to eat around mid-afternoon. Here is a photo of my bread stuffing before it went into the bird. The little seasoning box, Bell’s Seasoning, is especially important to note. When I was a child, my Mother used this seasoning exclusively in her stuffing. It was not available in Colorado, therefore, when I saw it in the grocery while stocking up on turkey dinner supplies, my eyes lit up with wonder. Flashbacks of childhood holidays and traditions went swirling through my mind. It’s only appropriate that I prepared the stuffing in a bowl that was my Mom’s. I love this big, old bowl!

We are giving thanks today that Bode is still with us and appears to be doing much better than he was a few days ago. His breathing has actually improved, as has his mood and appetite. Nothing has changed though so we are not fooling ourselves into thinking he is getting better, because he won’t. We’re just glad he’s feeling better. Bart is his usual self and we don’t expect to see any changes for some time.

We also give thanks for our health, the love of our family and friends, and our new home. We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I think colder weather has officially set in here in New Jersey.

And here is our new feathered friend, the Red Bellied Woodpecker. As you can see he does not have a red belly, but a very red head. Don’t ask me, I didn’t choose his name! [Sorry for the slight fuzziness as this was taken through the window and screen.]

Here is Bart, doing what he loves best. I caught him just as he came out of the water from having a good wade.

Today I was going to post [finally] the blog entry on our anniversary extravaganza. But, life intervened, as it has been known to do on many an occasion. I spent the entire day at the vet’s office and the emergency referral vet’s office. It wasn’t good news. Two of our dogs have been diagnosed with imminent life-threatening diseases. Mostly cancer related. It brought to home that you need to celebrate each day, be it with each other, your kin, your animals, your children. Sorry, my scope is a bit skewed here since we don’t have any children, so naturally the animals come next in my thought progression.

It’s a longer story than I want to get into in this entry, but both Bart and Bode won’t be with us for very long. Bart more than likely has progressive renal failure, as yet in the early stages. More disturbing and upsetting is Bode, who we thought just had Lyme’s disease, turns out to have a very abnormal liver [cancerous more than 95% likely], and perhaps another tumor in his chest causing build up of fluids. I was totally unprepared for the news on my Bode. Very upsetting. A double whammy is more than any one person should have to endure in one day.

However, other than breathing a bit differently at this point, Bode seems to have a good attitude. As does Bart. Rather than dwell on how much I will miss them, or how awful this devastating news was today, I am going to do my best not to let them know. I will take Bart as many times as I can down to the pond to wade around in the water as he loves it so. He is a true water dog. Bode on the other hand, doesn’t like walks as much. So, he will just get lots of special treats and cuddles, trip in the car with me by himself [preferably with his head out the window], and lots of one-on-one time. I plan to treasure each moment with both of them, to the point where they will let me. They are both very independent dogs and I don’t want to make them come inside and ‘cuddle with mommy’ just for me. If they want to stay outside, then they should. I think they should do whatever brings them the most joy for whatever time they have left. I know I would want to. Don’t pander to me; let me do what I want to do.

Sometime in the next few days we are going to have a Birthday celebration for the dogs, even though it’s not their respective birthdays. We’ll get some Frosty Paws and do it up right. Yum. The dogs all love Frosty Paws.

So, tonight for me, please rethink your lives and your priorities. What are you doing solely for yourself, and what are doing for the sake of someone else? Think about it. Hug your loved ones tonight.

Rick’s Camembert is coming along nicely. I don’t know if you can see it or not, but the first fuzz of mold is starting to grow on the top and bottom. He’s holding it with two hands, by the way!

Yesterday he started a stirred-curd Cheddar which is still in the cheese press right now. If you want to learn more about home cheesemaking, visit Rick’s cheesemaking site.