Beckett and Ody's Diet Change!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

Recently, I noticed that my dogs were getting fatty lumps. Now, this is not unusual because as dogs age they are prone to getting lumps, bumps, warts and what not. However, even though our vet told me that they were nothing to worry about, I, being a constant worry wart, worried.  You see, our dogs are like family, and we tend to spoil them, but then again they give so, so much in return.  Therefore, I desperately wanted to do something that would help them get rid of their fatty lumps!

Then there was something my son Liam had said that got the old ticker ticking.  He said, “It must be awful to have to eat the same food day in and day out!”  Although, we do regimentally feed our dogs raw food, we supplement their diet with dry food.  Regardless, the dogs relatively eat the same thing day in and day out, and you know how the saying goes, “To much of anything can’t be good for you.”  So naturally, I became curious, and I began to uncover and discover all the wide varieties of human food I could feed Ody and Becket.

Here is a list of some foods that your dog can have, such that you do not have to worry whether the food will either kill or sicken him or her. 

Apples ( Without the core)
Applesauce
Bananas
Beef (Cooked)
Beef Jerky
Black Olives
Bullion
Bran Cereal
Carrots
Cashews
Cauliflower
Celery
Cheerios
Cheese Whiz
Chicken Broth
Dried Fruit ( Apples, Bananas and Apricots)
Eggs (Cooked)
Liver (Freeze Dried)
Nectarines
Nut Butter
Oatmeal
Orange slices
Pasta noodles (cooked)
Peaches (Without pits )
Peanut Butter
Pumpkin (Canned)
Ravioli
Rice
Rice Cakes
Steak ( Scraps )
Tomatoes (Not the greens or stems)
Tuna
Turkey

Here are some foods that your pet should NOT have are :

Chocolate
Macadamia Nuts
Avacados
Garlic and Onion
Potato peelings
Rhubarb leaves
Moldy or spoiled food
Alcohol
Yeast dough
Coffee grounds
Hops
Tomato leaves or stems
Broccoli in large amounts
Raisins and grapes

I even started making them treats, and the results in only two weeks are wondrous, their lumps are shrinking and their overall vitality has improved so, so much.
Here is one of Becket’s and Ody’s favorite doggie treat recipe from “Baking for your Dog ~ Tasty treats for your four legged-friend!

Dixie’s Cheese Crunchies
makes about 30- 40

3 1/2 oz chopped almonds
3 1/2 oz roughly chopped hazelnuts
5 oz grated Emmental cheese
4 eggs
1 lb 3 oz buckwheat flour
1 tablespoon honey
water and flour as required

Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in a non-stick pan, without oil or fat, until light brown. Remove from heat and let cool.

Knead the nuts in with the remaining ingredients to form a smooth dough. If required, add a little more water or flour, depending on whether the dough is too dry or too moist.

Preheat the oven to 320 F. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Using a pastry wheel, cut into rectangles.

Now bake for one hour, then let cookies dry for another hour in a turned off oven.

The Misfitting Mermaid!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

Once upon an ocean tide there lived a little sea maiden

who liked to drowse in an abandoned robin's nest.

And under her umbrella of remembrance 

she would dream of days to come...

The Oddscuria News of New Jersey Tea!

new jersey tea, photographer unknown

Tea, sometimes calming, sometimes invigorating, tea has an illustrious history that spans thousands of years. A necessary part of both ancient ceremony and the O' so modern sophistication, tea follows water as the most well-liked beverage in the world. However, what happens when you are out in the woods and have a hankering for a spot of tea... Well, the unnoticed New Jersey Tea is the next best thing among our native plants. It is found from the tippy top of Maine to the the bottom's bottom of Florida, and west of the Plains. The New Jersey tea tastes like Oriental tea, yet it contains not a drop of caffeine  and therefore is not a stimulant, but a delightful tasty tea.

New Jersey tea got its name from the fact that the leaves of it were used as a tea by the soldiers in the American Revolution and early settlers in the United States.

Last bit of Odd and End ~  Native Americans used the red root tea for colds, fevers, snakebites, stomachaches, lung ailments, laxative, blood tonics.

The Wives Tales of a Fern!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 !

In France, the fern is called "Saint John's hand" and in England, "the Devil's
Brush....

It was believed that a fern outside the door would always protect the home from
thunder and lightening.....

Should one cut a fern root slantwise, a picture of an oak tree is said to be
seen.  The more perfect the picture, the luckier the fern will be.

Should you step on a fern plant on the night of Saint John, it was said you will
hear a concert of birds.

Anyone wishing to pick the fern flower must trace a circle around the fern and detach it from the plant, without turning his head sideways.  Whoever turns his head will never be able to put it back in its normal position.

Last bit of Odd and End ~ Always water your ferns from the bottom upwards and never from the top downwards.

Edible Bachelor's Buttons!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

The flowers of the Bachelor's Buttons has a pleasingly sweet to spicy bite, often referred to as a clove-like tang. Now, here is a little known fact about the shoots of the plant, they are edible as well. The newly-plucked florets of the plant can be used as a vegetable or a garnish to zest up any salad. Also, a cornflower blue dye is obtained from the flower which can be used as a coloring for your sugar and sweeties. Cornflower is also used in tea. The petals are often used in cornbread muffins.

Last bit of Odd and End ~ The Bachelor's Buttons, or more commonly known, Cornflower is an endangered plant... so please considered planting them in your very own garden!

A Shadow Thought!

The Hudson River by ana traina ~2012~

Diving for mermaids can be so,

so... challenging at times!

Culinary Hintstress Vertiline Sachenflour, Advises...

drawing by ana traina ~2012~

Peas, Peas, Peas! Peas in your Porridge or Peas in your Pudding Pot! To keep their color fresh and green when cooking (providing you don't over do it) it is always best that you raise the lid occasionally.  And never, I repeat never cook them to utter softness -- there should always be a tiny bite of chirpness or crispness, however you choose, for maximum scrumpdillilusiousness!

Last bit of Odd and End ~ For the frozen sort of pea it is always best to give a good hard whack on all its sides and corners before opening!

THE DUSTMAN!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Owl.
Owl who?
Owl I can say is give a merry hoot for The Dustman! 

Blodeuwedd Baltimore Buttons, kindly endorses that you give a hoot, or a dollar or two, for a most worthy cause..."The Dustman" a tenderly touching story of a seven-year-old orphan, Will... who leads us through his dreams and nightmares, questioning the meaning of life, love, loss and death. Like Virgil, Will's guide - Dustman - leads him through the inevitable stages of life - love, bitterness, happiness and pain, in the end encouraging him to fulfill his biggest wishes and hopes. Here is where you can help ~ http://www.indiegogo.com/dustman

Strange Fruit!

self-portrait ~2012~

There is an invisible tree that lives in every garden. Now and again, I heard it has been said, and believe it to be true, that when the weather is strange, and there is a strong north east wind blowing, you are able to feel its nearness. I have heard whispers, that If perchance, a waxed winged bird with its rakish black mask alights on one of the tree’s tender branches and fills the air with its enchanted whistle...then perhaps, just perhaps, this magical tree will appear to you and tell its wondrous and scented tale of woe-begone!

I believe, the story of the night-blooming tree of sorrow (Arbor Tristis) goes something like this... Once upon a time, not so long ago, in a place north of next door lived a young and delightfully beautiful daughter of a high and mighty nobleman, who fell in love with the Sun.  Alas, the hot tempered Sun rejected her love. Scorned she withdrew from all human companionship, into the wilderness she fled. In her dark grief she slew herself. When her body was found by her people, it was brought back to the village and put on a funeral pyre according to the custom of the day. From her ashes sprang the Tree of Sorrow whose beautiful blossoms never opened in daytime in the presence of the spiteful Sun. Its magical flowers unfolded their petals only at night under the gentle light of moon and the cool stars, filling the night air with the most fragrant, sweet-silvery perfume. And when the sun rose in the morning the blossoms of this tree closed, its leaves withered and the tree looked dead and barren, only to rejuvenate and unfold again under the rays of the kindhearted moon. It also has been said, and I believe it to be true that whenever a cold-hearted human hand touched the blooming tree the blossoms of this sensitive plant closed up and their sweet scent vanished!

And so it has been said, and I do believe that this is true, that the tender timber lived happily nocturnally ever-after!

Midsummer Eve!

drawing by ana traina ~2012~

 O hooray, for soonishly it will be Midsummer Eve and all the fays, elves and mischief-making brownies will be out and about this enchanted night!

It has been said, and I believe it is true, that it was on midsummer eve that the invisible seeds of the fern could be gathered and rendered the lucky possessor invisible whenever he or she chose to carry them about.

Now, if perchance you are planning to celebrate this bewitching night then may I be so bold as to suggest a rather fun game I discovered and uncovered in "The Original Girl's Handy Book" by Lina Beard and Adelia Belle Beard.. It's called...THE NEW FERN-LEAF GAME!

First you must find an enchanted fern-leaf (all enchanted woods have them) with seeds that render it possessor invisible.  Now, some one who has charge of the game shows to the assembled guests the fern-leaf, and explains to them the legend connected with it.

Next she or he blindfolds everyone; then, choosing one from among those gathered, he or she removes the bandages from the player's eyes without allowing the others to know who has been selected to be the bearer of the magic fern. After giving the fern-leaf into the safe-keeping of the chosen one, she places the latter in the center of a ring formed by the rest of your cheery but blind guests, who take hold of each others hand and circle around; then, still holding hands, they forward into the circle and return; letting go of hands, they forward again, this time the fern-bearer joins in the ranks. Once more the circle is formed and they circle around, singing these lines...

Round goes the wheel,

Round goes the year,

For woe or for weal,

Midsummer is here

To the one who finds

The seeds of the fern,

Misfortune and evil

To good luck will turn

At the word "turn" each player seizes another and cries out "fern, fern!" at the same time removing the blindfold from their eyes!

Last bit of Odd and End ~ This delightful game is the absolute favorite of Sea Captain Nettie Nottingmeyer and First-mate Hattie Harinberger!

Milkweed, A Forager's Delight!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

Milkweed Blossom Treacle Recipe ~ Is a melt-in-your-mouth, zesty syrup to try on waffles, over ice cream, as a salad dressing,  or as an iced tea sweetener.....be imaginative and resourceful!

All You Will Need:

3 cups of fully opened, delightful perfumed milkweed blossoms (snip, snip away stem with scissors.)

Piece of handy-dandy cheesecloth, big enough to tie blooms in

4 cups water

2 1/2 cups sugar


O the most important ~ How To:

--First, unfasten the blooming blossoms from their stem.  Bathe and rinse the blossoms completely, and then tie them up in a cheesecloth ~ mind you, it should be rather loose enough to allow the water to twirl and swirl within the bag.

--Now add the sugar and water to your finest pot, and then stir until the sugar becomes invisible.

--Bring the water and sugar to a bouncy bubbly boil, and then add your delightfully tied blooming blossoms.

--Now, lower the flame, but at the same time allow mixture to actively bubble until its reduced to about half of its original volume.

--Immediately after the disappearing act has finished, turn off the flame and remove the pot from the stove.  When the mixture has cooled, remove the bag of milkweed and drain it into a pot. (squeezing the bag will yield more syrup, but it will be a bit more cloudy)

--Store the treacle in a tightly covered container (preferably a glass jar) in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

A Father's Day Dream!

drawing by ana traina ~2012~

To all Dads, 

far and near or in other worlds...

Zingertalesandmore would like to wish you 

a most cheery daffadowndilly day!

A Shadow Thought!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

One word (or maybe two, depending on your outlook): aerodynamic-love!

Butler Barnabus Butterfield-Bobbs, Recommends!

drawing by ana traina ~2012~

To take away those NOT so adorable freckles on the face, Butler Barnabus Butterfield-Bobbs prescribes taking one pint of white vinegar and put it into a glass with six Oaken Apples (An insect gall on oak trees, caused by certain wasp larvae). and a few Elder leaves. Now, let it set in the a very sunny place for a day or so... and then wash those unwanted freckles away!

LAST BIT OF ODD AND END ~This recipe is not for those who have the most fetching freckles of them all!

The Bee Balm Infusion!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

Bee Balm makes for an excellent honey infusion to go a top your humdillicious Hummingbird bread!

Elements For your Bee Balm Infused Honey ~

  A pint jar full of chopped Bee Balm flowers
  A pint of local raw honey

Mixing Management ~

    Fill a jar with Bee Balm flowers
    Fill again with honey
    Stir with chopstick or something similar to remove air bubbles
    Then Top off with honey
    Repeat until jar is full of flowers and honey
    Cover and allow to infuse for about 4 weeks

And Tada! 

For more Bee Balm lore and the humdillicious Hummingbird bread recipe see the Zingertale ~ Tea Thyme-y and Hummingbird Bread ~

Between the Great Gray Bridge...

photo by ana traina ~ 2012~

and the Little Red Lighthouse was your last known address

So, I stopped on by, hoping, I'd catch you standing

on your belle isle crest...but, 

You weren't in.

You were out with the other sea boys and girls

playing catch, I imagined, with silvery pearls.

So, I whispered a note on the tail of a chalky white cloud, it said...  

"I miss you."

Culinary Hintstress Vertiline Sachenflour, Advises...

drawing by ana traina ~2012~

It is always best when storing Peanut Butter, mind you, I am particularly speaking about the type of Peanut Butter that has a tendency to be quite oleaginous on top, to store the jar higgledy-piggledy on your shelf...

Last bit of Odd and End ~ Higgledy-piggledy means, upside down!

A Mulberry Tree on the Hudson!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to take an impromptu bicycle ride with my friend Martine up the Riverside Bike Path.  However, it was a bit bumpy before I even got started, since my inner tire imploded and I had to run lickety-split to my local bike shop, which was several long blocks away, to get my inner tube replaced before I could continue on to the Little Red Lighthouse.  Needless to say, Martine was very, very, patient.  On the ride home from the light house, late for a dinner appointment, I found two lovely women picking mulberries: their names were Elaine and Norely.  This scene reminded me of something out of a Jane Austen or Elisabeth Gaskell novel.  Seeing these two ladies, even though I was incredibly late, I had to stop and take a picture.  As you remember zingertalers, last year I discovered mulberries in central park.  Silly as it may sound, discovering mulberries on the Hudson was like a small miracle, or wonder to me.  Reflecting back, after seeing a double rainbow, receiving a picture of a leprechaun in his backyard, and finding mulberries, it seems to have been a very lucky week indeed.  

I've enclosed an ancient recipe for mulberry wine, that even the good ladies of Cranford would envy.  

 MULBERRY WINE RECIPE
On a dry day gather mulberries, when they are just changing from redness to a shining black; spread them thinly on a fine cloth, or on a floor or table for twenty-four hours, and then press them. Boil a gallon of water with each gallon of juice, putting to every gallon of water one ounce of cinnamon bark and six ounces of sugar candy finely powdered. Skim and strain the water when it is taken off and settled, and put in the mulberry juice. Now add to every gallon of the mixture one pint of white or Rhenish wine. Let the whole stand in a cask to ferment for five or six days. When settled drain it off into bottles and keep cool.

 For more zingerlicious lore on Mulberries, please see my blog ~ the mulberries of central park.  

An Embellished Tale of the Bleeding Heart

photo by ana traina ~2012

The Bleeding Heart flowers hold clues to a melancholy and most tragic tale of unrequited love that I am about to share with you dear zingertalers.

To begin illustrating the narration of the story, hold a heart blossom in the palm of your hand.

Long, long ago there lived a noble Duke named, Benjamin Bertie Nerdigham of Aberdeenford
who tried in vain to win the hellion heart of a very beautiful but absolutely spoiled Baroness named, Eryn Duckworth Nerdigcott of Aberdeenpool. The Duke had brought the Baroness wonderful treasures from his travels far and wide. Yet, she had taken no notice of him. One gloomy afternoon, the Duke returned from a long journey with very remarkable treasures, indeed, to surely win the love and affection of the bratty Baroness. First, he presented her with two magical and very mischievous pink bunnies.

Peel off the two outer petals and set them on their sides to display two little pink bunnies.

The Baroness sighed with complete and utter boredom and barely looked at the little bunnies. However, the hopeful Duke had one more treasure saved for last - he presented a pair of fetching enchanted earrings.

Remove the two long white petals and hold them next to your ears.

Again, the Baroness hardly noticed the Duke's treasure as she blandly bit into a bit of tea cake. Now, the unfortunate Duke was utterly and inconsolably heartbroken. He could try no more to win the black heart of the icy Baroness. So, all at once, and ever so swiftly he rose up, pulled a silver dagger from his sheath and stabbed himself in the heart, twice or was it three times. I can never remember that part!  Anyway, it is said that the first Bleeding Heart plant sprung from the very place where he died.

With the remaining in the flower is a heart shape with the stamen, appearing as a dark green line down the center. Hold the heart up, carefully remove the dagger-like line, and plunge the dagger through the heart.

O’!  So as all tales have a somewhat happy ending, here is mine... The thick and thawing Baroness was overcome and overwhelmed by the honeyed dedication of the dying Duke and his never-ending love for her. So she finally realized, a bit too late for my taste, that she loved and adored him too. "Alas," she hooted out. "I have done a great, great villainy, my own heart is broken also. I shall bleed and bleed and bleed for my sweet lionhearted Duke forever!" And so it was said, and so it is true, her heart bleeds to this very day.

These blossoming Bleeding Heart are now in full bloom, so next time you pass such a charming array, perhaps you'll have permission to pick a heart and discover the tickled pick mysteries within.


~LAST BIT OF ODDS AND ENDS~ As is the common name, the botanical name of this plant is aptly descriptive - Dicentra, from Greek, meaning "two spurs," and spectabilis, meaning "worthy of notice," or "spectacular," which this plant certainly is.
 
No other plant bears perfect heart-shaped flowers like those of the Bleeding Heart. If you press the flowers between the pages of a heavy book, you'll have papery-thin little hearts to adorn letters or valentines. If you turn a flower upside down and pull the two halves apart, you'll see a Lady in a pink bathtub!

The Foxglove's Very Tiny Story!

photo by ana traina ~ 2012 ~

As the weary fairy's fingers fade

all the shadow world longs for their sugary serenade!

A Beautiful Beginning!

Dear Zingertales, 

drawing by maria isabel garcia perez ~2012~

Yesterday, I received the most wondrous letter from Maria Isabel Garcia Perez explaining how my anniversary, and my husband's and my FB postings inspired her beautiful story of LOVE.  I cannot think of any greater honor as an artist and as a woman than to inspire others.  Maria, may your inspiration continue and get you through the all perspiration! Thank you for sharing this most magical beginning of your tale with me and with us, I am so very touched!

So carry on dear creative wayfarers, and make this world just a little bit more beautiful!

oxoxox,

Ana

"Caroline was happy, many people loved her and she loved them, her friends, her family, and she wondered if everyone felt the same. Sitting under the spring sun, she was carried away by her thoughts. She was absorbed in them when a golden reflection caught her attention. A golden butterfly! She had never seen anything like it before. 

The butterfly fluttered around leaving a flash of gold in its wake. Caroline decided to follow it. Would there be more like it? 

drawing by maria isabel garcia perez ~2012~

Under the spell of the golden flashes, she followed the butterfly through the park and around the city. Suddenly she reached the outskirts, she had not realized the entire journey, and it was too late, her grandmother would worry. But that was a beautiful butterfly! ... fearful she decided to go ahead. 

Caroline followed the beautiful butterfly to the clearing of a forest; rare, she did not recall ever seeing this place. But … there was more golden butterflies! What beauty!
Something sounded, a cling,cling, cling ... she noticed that in the river bed there was a glass bottle wedged between rocks. Caroline reached the bottle. It had a message! She opened the bottle and pulled the paper out, very carefully. She read the message: "I love you" in multiple languages. Yes, she knew she was happy ..." 

drawing by maria isabel garcia perez ~2012~

To be continued.... 

Jane's Spruce Beer!

Mixtress Nastisa Grouper by ana traina ~2012~

 “But all this,” as my dear Mrs. Piozzi says, “is flight and fancy, and nonsense, for my master has his great casks to mind and I have my little children.” It is you, however, in this instance, that have the little children, and I that have the great cask, for we are brewing spruce beer again; but my meaning really is, that I am extremely foolish in writing all this unnecessary stuff when I have so many matters to write about that my paper will hardly hold it all. Little matters they are, to be sure, but highly important.
~ Jane Austen, to Cassandra ~

 To end my own particular literary week and for the plucky Janite in you, dear Zingertales, I give you this recipe for aromatic Spruce Beer!

Spruce Beer

Makes one quarter cask of thirty gallons

Ingredients
    1.    10-12 oz essence of spruce
    2.    2 gallons of the best molasses;
    3.    5-6 gallons of warm water
    4.    1 pint of good yeast or porter grounds

Directions
    1.    Combine the essence of spruce, the molasses, and the warm water
    2.    Mix well till it leaves a froth
    3.    Pour it into the cask, and fill it up with more water
    4.    Add the yeast or porter grounds
    5.    Shake the cask well
    6.    Set it by for twenty-four hours to work
    7.    Stop it down close
    8.    Next day, draw it off into bottles, which should be closely corked
    9.    Set by in a cool cellar for ten days, when it will be as fine spruce-beer as ever was drunk.

The grounds will serve instead of yeast for a second brewing.

In a hot climate, cold water should be used instead of warm.

Source: The Lady's Own Cookery Book by Charlotte Campbell Bury (1844)


Happy happy brewing!