DOG DAYS OF MY LIFE

I’ve had a lot of dogs in my life…at the present time we have four here at Cricket Meadow: Buck, Lily, Ruger and Nelli. I have a special place in my heart for each one. And, with advancing age and recent health issues for all but the latter, I am reminded that I may have to part with them sooner than later. Which reminded me of all the canine friends I have said goodbye to in my life.

The dog I remember best from my childhood was Smokey, a beautiful border collie mix with tan and white accents on his smoke-colored fur. He was really the mainstay of my youth in that we got him when I was four years old and he lived for almost 12 years.

We never had housedogs back on the farm. Our dogs were lavished with love, fed and sheltered well, but never set foot in the house. Smokey had a doghouse nestled in the lilac bushes in the backyard and was fed table scraps from an old iron skillet. He trailed us as we did our chores and followed us as we rode our bikes, always staying at the end of the driveway. My Dad had a  “no chasing cars” policy and somehow got the dogs we owned to refrain from tire biting and running in the road.

We all loved Smokey, who possessed a gentle personality but gave a firm bark to any stranger who drove in the yard. In the wintertime, Dad tucked his house right next to ours so he was sheltered from the wind and feeding him was easier when the drifts mounded up in the lawn.

One night during an ice storm, for some reason, Smokey sought shelter in the haystack near the barn. When Dad noticed him missing for morning chores, he discovered Smokey’s lifeless form under some fallen bales. We were as crushed as Smokey had been, and mourned for weeks over the loss of our beloved pet. Though we know going into pet ownership that it is a fleeting thing, it doesn’t make the loss any easier. We did have dogs that followed Smokey. But he was our first real dog love and none of us have ever forgotten him.

ICE STORM STEW

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 pound boneless pork, cut into chunks

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon oil

3 cups vegetable broth

12 ounces beer

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 parsnips, peeled and sliced

1 medium onion, cut up

1-1/2 teaspoons thyme

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 apples, cored and cut into wedges

In a plastic bag, combine flour and red pepper. Add pork and shake to coat. In a 4 quart Dutch oven, cook meat and garlic in hot oil until meat is browned. Stir in broth, beer, sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions, thyme, brown sugar and mustard. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and apples. Return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender.

CANINE CRUNCH (FOR PET OWNERS)

1 cup rice cereal

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts

1 cup dried apricots, diced

16 ounces almond bark

In a large mixing bowl, melt almond bark in microwave, stirring until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add other ingredients. Combine well and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Chill. 

HAYSTACKS

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup salted peanuts

2 cups chow mein noodles

Place chips and peanut butter in a large bowl. Stir. Add peanuts and chow mein noodles. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave until chips are shiny and soft. Stir and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Cool until set.