Grrrsday

H/t to Lady Anne.

In other news, I’m scheduled to teach at another training institute, so Brian and Newdog will be batching it for the next three days.

Crochet - "Radiant Lace" from 1952

The last needlework pattern from the November 1952 Workbasket magazine.  Instructions are on my Flickr account.

50 Wonderful Ways To Use Cottage Cheese

A little pamphlet from the American Dairy Association, undated but late 40’s/early 50’s from the artwork.  In most of the main dish and baking recipes, cottage cheese is used instead of eggs (or to augment a lesser # of eggs than a recipe would normally call for).  There are of course several cheesecake recipes.

One page give options for using cottage cheese as a sandwich filler, something that often appears in my cookbooks from the between-wars period. Old-style cottage cheese was evidently firmer than what you get in the stores today.

Chicken Cottage Cheese Salad  (makes 1 ½ cups)

1 cup creamed cottage cheese

½ cup finely chopped cooked or canned chicken

¼ cup chopped celery

¼ cup finely chopped pecans

2 tablespoons chopped, stuffed olives

Salt & pepper

2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Combine first five ingredients and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and moisten to spreading consistency with mayonnaise.  Chill.

Peanut Cottage Cheese (makes 1 ½ cups)

1 cup creamed cottage cheese

1 cup chopped salted peanuts

1/8 teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Chill.

Olive Nut Cottage Cheese (makes 2 ½ cups)

1 cup creamed cottage cheese

3 tablespoons chopped stuff olives

3 tablespoons finely chopped pecans

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Few grains pepper

Beat cottage cheese with a rotary or electric mixer until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and blend.

Pineapple Cottage Cheese (makes 1 ¼ cups)

2/3 cup (9-oz can) crushed pineapple, well drained

1 cup creamed cottage cheese

2 tablespoons dairy sour cream

Beat cottage cheese with a rotary or electric mixer until smooth.   Add pineapple and sour cream and mix well. Especially good as a spread for party sandwiches with nut bread.

Caturday!

Self-Test

This was kind of fun.

You're Being Played, Pooch

Note strategic position guarding the blue Irish stole

During the first few days after Newdog recovered and started showing signs of interest in our merry little band, we watched his interactions with Reserve Cat carefully.  The rescue ladies told us that he liked cats, but it seemed prudent to monitor his overtures.  Particularly in light of the 50-lb weight difference.

So we kept an eye on him, and when he showed signs of being a little too hearty in his affections, we intervened, gently but (we hoped) firmly. Reserve Cat is not a cerebral animal but he does possess a certain low cunning, and this did not go unnoticed.

He has recently taken to waiting until the two of us are in another room and then sauntering up to Newdog.  Happy and trusting soul that he is, the dog thinks he’s being told Hiya, pal!  Wanna play?

What the cat is actually saying is Jump to your feet and stick your muzzle in my face, you loathsome interloper, so I can meow piteously and the humans will rush in and scold you.

Grrrsday

Crochet - A Filet Mat from 1952

From the November, 1952 Workbasket magazine. Instructions are on my Flickr account.

Words Fail Me

I’ve been following the Ezekiel Stephan and Robert deNiro/Vaxxed stories.  I should stop before I start kicking the dog.

Crochet - A Hot Water Bottle Cover from 1952

Running a bit late in the season, but I want to get the last of the Workbasket patterns from the November, 1952 issue posted.  This one is in crochet, for a hot-water bottle cover. Full instructions are on my Flickr account.

Naming No Names, But

Someone whose nose is slightly out of joint just deposited a freshly-killed rabbit on the basement steps.

Edited to add:  The photo was grabbed from the LOLCat site and although it looks like him, it's not Reserve Cat.

We've Created A Monster

in a rare moment of repose

My initial impressions of Newdog were that he was awfully timid and passive.  Little did I know.

Turns out he brought an infection and kennel cough with him – and I’m not blaming the rescue, he appeared perfectly fine when Brian picked him up.  But the first few days last week consisted of him finding a dark corner and curling up in it. I was so worried about what I thought was his fearfulness that I brought him in to the county animal shelter* where the staff and a volunteer took one look at him and said with one voice (ok, five voices) “Vet!  Now!”

Massive doses of antibiotics and two IVs with saline solution later, he is not the same animal. When he’s not demanding cuddles, he wants to play Kong, and when he’s not playing Kong, he wants to go walkies.

He also booped the cat with his forepaw yesterday.  Oh, the horror.

(*The director and the volunteer were advising us on the adopt-a-dog process.  The volunteer raises Old English Sheepdogs and has been a judge at Westminster and an official at the Iditarod.  She is a Big Gun in the dog world, and a thoroughly nice person).

Caturday!

Knitting - A Man's Sweater-Vest from 1952

From Workbasket magazine, November 1952, which we’re slowly making our way through.  The pattern is on my Flickr account.

Not Exactly Detente

obligatory photo of messy spare bedroom

…more like armed neutrality.

We don’t know very much about Newdog.  He was picked up as a stray – no chip, no tags --  by a county animal shelter down south, and turned over to a private rescue when his time at the county ran out and he was scheduled to be euthanized. 

He has beautiful markings (click to enlarge the photo and you can see how handsome he is) and a lovely gait , it’s like watching an Arabian pony trot when he walks with Brian. The ladies at the rescue thought he might be a year and a half because of his small size, but vet at the rescue estimated his age at five years old after looking at his teeth. 

At some time in his life someone took the trouble to teach him basic obedience commands.   From the way he behaves with us, someone also knocked him around quite a bit.  For this reason, we’re going to wait a while before getting the kitten, and work on making him feel less afraid and insecure. 

We’re also going to work on feeding him up some.

Welcome, Little Stranger

Brian picked him up from the rescue today. I get to meet him when I get home tomorrow night.