Here’s hoping all your calls this week are easily identified. Happy Monday.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Author: Tails Around the Ranch
The inspiration behind this blog is one goofy Standard Poodle named Yosemite Sam (Sam). I'm Monika, his upright. We live near downtown Denver in a 1950's style ranch house. I have a passion for big dogs and keeping them healthy through exercise and nutrition. In my copious spare time, I create all-natural organic treats. Sam is the the official 'taster' and quality control officer. Nothing leave the 'Ranch' without his official paw of approval.
Our main focus of late is being part of a hospital and hospice Pet Therapy team since Sam is the sweetest fur baby around (even if he's a little ADHD). Patients, staff and visitors alike adore him as he brings the sick a few moments of happiness. So grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and be prepared to BOL (bark out loud) following our adventures. Life with this goofball is a paw-some hoot. :) And don't forget to sniff or bark a comment; we'd love to hear from you.
Nature Friday ~ May 7, 2021
Welcome to Nature Friday where we join our ‘fur-iends’ from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Mother Nature has been all over the map this week. It’s been a bit of a typically weird Springtime in the Rockies kind of week weather-wise.
As I drove back from my parents house in southern Colorado, a large wet weather front hit pretty much most of the state but especially along the I-25 corridor. Monument Pass (just north of Colorado Springs) received several inches of white stuff. Luckily the roads weren’t too slippery but with nearly 15 miles of road construction, it was a slow, sad slog home.
While I was in Pueblo, Norman and I took occasional walks around the chaparral near my parent’s house. There are lots of ancient pinyon and cedar trees, some a few hundred years old. Norman wasn’t particularly interested in their history, only the crossing trails of bunny scents.
While snow this time of year is not unusual in the state, a couple of days of rain are (we’re more likely to receive snow than rain). The rain has refreshed the landscape, washed off the dust and grime of the city and brightened everything as Spring moves forward. The tulips have been extra gorgeous this year.
After a few days of rain and cold, Colorado’s bluebird skies and sunny conditions returned. They made for a great background for the now flowering crabapple trees yesterday.
The yo-yo temperatures will continue today, likely reaching 81ºF. That said, the forecast for early next week once again includes snow, keeping the past few years of history intact around Mother’s Day, with snow in the Mile High. If you don’t like the current weather, just wait 10 minutes because it will no doubt change to something you may enjoy.
Whatever is your jam, we hope you have a lovely weekend and you’re able to share some of nature’s beauty with Happy Mother’s Day wishes to all moms, whether your kid has two or four legs (or wings).
Live, love, bark! 🐾
In Purrsuit of Flavours ~ May Edition
Welcome to the May edition of “In Purrsuit of Flavours where we join our host “fur-iends” The Canadian Cats and the French boys over at Easy Weimaraner’s Blog . Because today is the 5th of May, we’re taking a look at the celebration known as Cinco de Mayo. If you click on the host links, you’ll see other shared recipes from around Blogville.
Before we share a recipe, what is this thing called Cinco de Mayo anyway? Cinco de Mayo (which is Spanish for “Fifth of May”) is an annual celebration held every May 5. It commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862 under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. The victory of the smaller Mexican force against a larger French force provided a big morale booster for the Mexicans. A year later though, an even larger French force defeated the Mexican army at the Second Battle of Puebla, and Mexico City soon fell to the invaders although the celebration is still commemorates the Mexican victory.
Rooted in the Second French intervention in Mexico in the aftermath of the 1846–48 Mexican–American War and the 1858-1861 Reform War, internal strife between Liberals and Conservatives in Mexico as well as the near bankrupting of the Mexico Treasury led President Benito Juárez to issuing a moratorium whereby all foreign debt payments would be suspended for two years. In response, France, Britain and Spain sent naval forces to Veracruz to demand reimbursement. Britain and Spain negotiated with Mexico and peacefully withdrew, but France, at the time ruled by Napoleon III, used the opportunity to establish an empire in Mexico that would favor French interests. The empire was part of an envisioned “Latin America” (term used to imply cultural kinship of the region with France) that would rebuild French influence in the American continent and exclude AnglophoneAmerican territories.
Cinco de Mayo is more popularly celebrated in the United States than in Mexico and the date has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture. These celebrations began in California, where they have been observed annually since 1863.
Now that we know the reason for this fun and tasty celebration, let’s get to the recipe we’re sharing. We figured there’d be plenty of tasty tacos, burritos and enchiladas along with course plenty of margarita recipes, so we thought we’d go for something a little different. Sangria.
INGREDIENTS
- 1-1/2 bottles Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1 cups Brandy
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 oranges cut into 1/2″ rounds
- 2 lemons cut into 1/2″ rounds
- 2 limes cut into 1/2″ rounds
- 2 apples cored and cut into 1/2″ cubes
- 2 cups chilled sparkling water
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large pitcher, combine cabernet, brandy, orange juice, and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Add oranges, lemons, limes and apples. Stir.
- Add sparkling water and stir to combine.
- Chill overnight, or serve immediately over ice.
Sangria is a refreshing type of an adult summer time drink that will go well with all sorts of food. I’ve made it without the brandy to keep it nice and light and even used a Pinot (or a red blend) in place of the Cabernet. Sangria can easily be customized to suit your own taste buds.
“Arriba, abajo, al centro y para dentro!” Cheers.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Monday Musings ~ May 3, 2021
You may have noticed we’ve been absent lately. A death in the family has taken an emotional toll on my heart and posting has been the last thing on my mind. When I returned home from being with the family, I was greeting by a deck of cards on the floor along with a certain card shark. Through my tears from the unbearable loss our family has suffered, the clouds over my heart lifted for a just a moment. Today’s moral…never play cards with the Ninja. This girl plays to win and will eat you alive.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Monday Musings ~ April 19, 2021
Happy Monday, troops. This week we restart the process of getting back to pet therapy with an updated orientation class on Friday. While Norman won’t be attending that session, he still continues to update his K-9 levels through lots of people interactions.
We hope you have a ‘pawsome’ week and get daily doses of the magic K-9 vitamin.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Monday Musings ~ April 12, 2021
A conversation over the weekend.
Mum: Norman, it looks like you’re blowing your undercoat. I’m finding your hair EVERYWHERE.
Norman: Relax mum, that’s not dog hair, it’s canine confetti.
Mum: 🤦🏼♀️ {Facepalm}
Here’s to a ‘pawsome’ week. No doubt ours will be accompanied with probably more than a little ‘confetti.’
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Flowers for Marg ~ April 9, 2021
Welcome to this week’s blog hop for Nature Friday. Today we join our weekly hosts, Rosy, Sunny, Arty and Jakey from LLB in Our Backyard to celebrate a special edition of Nature Friday ~ Flowers for Marg.
Marg Elemendorf of Marg’s Animals, is a well known blogger who is loved and followed by so many over the years. Today we all come together to make Marg’s birthday extra special since she lives alone caring for her many and beloved kitties. Happy Birthday, Marg!
Please feel free to leave your own birthday wishes here at this link.
Today is a birthday two-fer for me. Norman, Elsa and I of course send best wishes to Marg but we also send them to one of my dearest friends, Cheryl who celebrates an extra special birthday today. Happy birthday, sweet lady. I’m looking forward to celebrating with you in person this weekend.
Alright, let’s see if we can put together a bouquet of flowers for these two special women who do so much for others. Although spring is taking its sweet time arriving in the Mile High City and it may be a bit premature to cut a lush bouquet for indoor display still, there are some early spring bulbs that suggest bouquets gracing a table won’t be too far away.
Earlier this week we saw the first blooming tulips in a border along one of our walks. So cheerful and happy looking.
While the past couple of days have been cooler than our warm Easter weekend, seeing tulips blooming always brings smiles to winter-weary hearts in the Rockies.
While our garden is just waking up, there was one early bloomer that caught me off guard. I don’t ever recall seeing pink Phlox quite this early. What a nice splash of color, wouldn’t you agree?
On a quick trip to a store I rarely shop at, I stopped by their flower department a couple of days ago and saw an incredible display of indoor orchids. These two deeply colored (and not edited to boost their vibrancy, mind you) stopped me dead in my tracks. I stared for several minutes taking in all that beauty.
Definitely out of the ordinary yet stunning in true orchid style.
We hope you all have a beautiful Friday. Please enjoy some nature and find time to make your weekend grand.
Live love, bark! 🐾
Monday Musings ~ April 5, 2021
Alas, this cartoon doesn’t explain the problem with the Colorado Rockies.
We hope you had a lovely weekend and your week is filled with loads of home runs.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Nature Friday ~ April 2, 2021
My goodness, here it is April already. Where did the first quarter of 2021 go?! As we typically do on Friday’s, we’re joining our adorable weekly hosts, Rosy, Sunny, Arty and Jakey from LLB in Our Backyard to see what’s going on with Mother Nature. Don’t forget to click on the link to check out the blog hop and see what else others in Blogville have shared.
Spring has been working overtime trying to catch up after recent visits from Ole Man Winter. There’s still some white stuff remaining on northern exposures but all and all, the week has been all about spring with clear bluebird skies, warm temperatures with perennials, shrubs and trees that are beginning to bud.
A Pasque flower I walk past daily has just recently begun to open and its arrival is always reason to smile with hope that spring is here. Pasque flowers (known as Pulsatilla hirsutissima, Pulsatilla ludoviciana, Pulsatilla patens, Anemone patens, etc.) have an undisputed appearance but a somewhat disputed name. It has been known as Pulsatilla hirsutissima, Pulsatilla ludoviciana, Pulsatilla patens, Anemone patens, etc. “Pulsatilla” from the Latin for “pulsing”, “moving about”, plus the diminutive, “illa”: thus “a bit of quivering” (from the wind). Pasque Flower or Easter Flower is from the Hebrew “Pasach” i.e. “Passover” [the last supper was the celebration of Pasach] and thus this plant has became associated with Easter since they generally flower around the Easter/Passover season when winter snows begin to melt. The name most likely arrived through variations of French, “passefleur” and “passflower” both similar to the French word for Easter, “Pasques” which has its roots in the Hebrew word “Pasach” so it’s somewhat easy to see how the common name has morphed into “Pasque Flower.”
A walk about through my garden yesterday when temps were in the mid-70’s showed the blueish grape hyacinths fully in bloom. I was shocked to find a lone outlier white one in the middle of the blues and hope nature has some sort of grand plan. The bee didn’t seem to mind that lone white one either as it kept going back and forth to it, probably reacting much like us humans do with ice cream…”chocolate or vanilla? Oh what the heck, I like them both.”
Over the next several days temps are expected to be in the upper 70’s to low 80’s so being outdoors to enjoy this glorious time will be the MO of the residents around the Mile High.
We wish everyone a blessed Easter weekend and hope whatever your religious persuasion that you find some time to get outside and sing the glory of nature’s beautiful work.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Monday Musings ~ March 29, 2021
Today’s smile will be good advice for Norman who received notice last week the hospital will be re-opening up for pet therapy visits. Exciting news for him as well as for Elsa who seems thrilled that he’ll be occupied for a few days a month. Meanwhile, Norman and I will be working hard polishing up on our skills to bring smiles to patients and staff soon and hope to sail through the certification process easily.
We hope you have a ‘pawsome’ week!
Live, love, bark! 🐾