Happy New Year 2009!

Although it's been a tough year for us all, I've much to be thankful for. The Japanese crane symbolizes, luck, longevity, and fidelity. Photo in my header was taken at a close family friend's wedding. They are also half Japanese in nationality.

I thought the cake idea was so beautiful, and is a very popular tradition in Japanese wedding ceremonies. The bride and groom make 1000 paper origami birds to exercise patience and endurance in Japanese married life. They are sometimes hung and strung as decoration. The crane is believed to live 1000 years.

My own Japanese mother told me a story of long ago. My mother and her sisters made 1000 origami birds for her dying mother in hopes of her recovery. Her mother died when she was only 8 years old. I've often taken a paper origami to place on the hospital stand, of ill close friends and family. I have a gold origami my mother made me sitting right here at my desk!

This will be my last post of the year! My best friend is up from Tampa, her Pitbull mix puppy is still missing! I'm hoping to spend some girl time with her tomorrow. I caught another horrible cold and I'm trying to pamper myself. Not sure of our plans for New Year's eve, depends on how I feel!

Here's to a better, brighter New Year for us all!

Search For Chile Dog Hero Futile!

I believe that angels come in many forms, including the stray dog here who risks it's own life to rescue another dog. The amazing video taken on a heavily traveled highway in Santiago, was taped on March 23, 2008. Many attempts had been made to find the hero dog, who ran from the scene shortly after the rescue!

The dog has been embraced worldwide for heroric efforts, and there have been at least 15 people who have expressed interest in adopting the dog. Unfortunately they've given up hope in searching for the dog, because so much time has elapsed since the incident.

The dog is truely remarkable in compassion and selflessness, exceptional traits the human world could use more of! The full story appears here: Little Hope For Chili's Highway Hero Dog.

Posted for Jo's Word Catalyst Prompt ~ Angels and Miracles.

Christmas ~ A Time For Rejoicing! Pittsburgh Steeler & Economic Reflection!

Wishing you and yours the happiest holiday season! I wasn't sure when I started this blog which direction I wanted to go. I seem to be leaning toward my other passion too, animals. The past couple years have been very sad for our family, due to the death of my mother, my father-in-law, and my cat of 16 years passed away in my home shortly before last Christmas. Also lost some good friends from my pier group, passing away before their time! They are all guardian angels, watching over me!

My new cat OP above, I bought from a shelter shortly after New Years 2008 ,purchased with my Christmas money! He has brought much happiness into our lives, making my heart full again. OP is really a good cat, I need to only motion to him, and he will get down. He hasn't even climbed up into our Christmas tree, his first real Christmas in a permanent home. OP has been a joy to watch in all his innocence, and he's the true epitomy of love. Delilah is hanging in there with all her arthritus problems. I haven't been walking her too much, the days have been very cold here, yesterday almost 20 below zero windchill! Cold weather is very hard, on senior animals, especially to their joints. My Vet told me to limit her time outdoors when the weather is cold. My animals are kept indoors majority of the time anyway!

I also wanted to elaborate on the Titans treatment of the Terrible Towel. I felt their behavior was disrespectful and unprofessional. One thing the Pittsburgh Steelers have is a very huge-loyal fan base, which could make any rival team envious! These actions will not stop them either! It'll only make the fan base stronger! We don't need to stoop to such levels even when we lose! I did a special tribute to Myron Cope inventor of The Terrible Towel back in February 2008!

One question which is also on my mind is: What about small business bailout??? Another business closing that is hitting our area hard is Sony closing a plant in Westmoreland county! All these small businesses going down like flies, everywhere! KB Toys joins the ranks of bankruptcy! Our Ruby Tuesdays is closing! When is it going to end? My husband owns a small business, this is scary folks. Who will be next in line? It just kills me, and some of these businesses are not that small! They've been around for a long time! We'll have nowhere to shop or work pretty soon!

Sorry I just can't stand to turn on the news anymore to listen to another business going under! I sure hope things get better with the New Year!

We rented The Mummy~Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, missed it when it was in the theaters here. So we'll veg out at home and watch it tonight! I'm hoping to catch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button after Christmas! Thanks to all my blog friends, readers!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Gifts For Your Dogs, Cats, And You ~ Benefit A Good Cause!

Photo Credit: The Humane Society Of The United States Website!

Are you looking for great pet gifts for Christmas, which will also benefit a good cause? Well you need look no further than the Humane Society‘s, Humane Domain webpage. Their site features a huge gift selection for pets, and equally for their devoted human caregivers.

The Dog Store has accessories like the collar holiday ruff pictured on the dog photo above, beds, feeding bowls, toys, training aids, and treats just to name a few! The Cat Store has beds, carriers, litter boxes, scratching posts, toys, treats and much more.

The Christmas/Holiday Cards offer a beautiful selection of Christmas cards available in dog, cat, wild horse, and many different wildlife scenes. A Holiday Occasions section offers a wonderful line of animal lover gift giving for every major holiday of the year. You’ll love the adorable fleece dog and cat stockings which run $12.95.

Browse through the dog or cat store "For You "sections, and find ball caps, jewelry, boxer shorts, pajamas, aprons, loungewear, and books all imprinted with your favorite pet. I especially liked the pink pampered pooch robe for $48-$52.

The Animal Cause Gear section is filled with clothing apparel, which you can sport to support your favorite animal cause. Whether it be puppy mills, animal protection, or wildlife abuse, you’ll find the right gear to wear with pride!

There is even a Sports Fanatic section available in the Dog Store where you can get National football jerseys and college jerseys to fit your dog. NFL collars and leashes are also available, with many other sport canine items.

The Bargain Barkdown and Kitty Clearance will give you access to specially priced merchandise. You’ll find many other items waiting for you to purchase.

There’s a gift for every animal lover out there featured on the Humane Society Website. Give your special pets, yourself , and loved ones, a gift you can be proud of!

Exclusive From: The Humane Society Of The United States Website.

By Jo A. True-Burkholder 2008

Stir-Fry Venison Tips

Tonight as I walked Delilah we heard the last of the hunters shoot out their guns, deer shooting season officially ends today in Pennsylvania. My husband was lucky to shoot his 8 point last week, and then later he shot a doe. We were happy to receive our meat this week. We take it to a butcher and have it mixed and cut the way we want. Our doe was the first to come back, we had it made into hamburger mixed with beacon


We had about 30lbs of hamburger pictured, we packaged ourselves and dated in ziplock bags. This was the first time we had the deer mixed with beacon, was very tasty.



The backstraps weighed about 10lbs pictured, we received whole and cut into slices. We divided straps into 4 meals, in freezer bags. I kept one bag out, and sliced each slice again in half to make thinner strips.



Stir-Fry Venison Tips

2 1/2 lbs of tips, placed into ziplock bag and add:
1/2 cup of bottled Italian salad dressing
2 tsp worcestershire or teriyaki sauce
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp of pepper

Seal ziplock bag and mix ingredients by kneading and moving meat in bag.
Place bag in refrigerator and marinate overnight.

Heat large skillet or wok to medium heat add
2Tlbs Canola oil
2Tbs Butter

Saute 5 minutes
1 large onion
2 stalks of chopped celery
2 carrots chopped
1 chopped green bell pepper
1/2 head small cabbage chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Add to skillet tips and all marinade mixture, and fold into vegetables.
Cook an additional 10-15 minutes until tips are lightly browned.

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil add
1 1/2 Cups Caserecce Organic pasta
Boil until desired tenderness and drain.

Divide organic pasta into 3 servings on a dinner plate
Top with tips and vegetables
Sprinkle with colby /jack shredded cheese, and parsley.

Voila! Enjoy!

Total of Buck and Doe Meat in ground meat and backstraps 90lbs! We're stocked!

Recue A Death Row Dog For The Holidays 2008!!!

Are you searching for a new dog during the holiday season? Can you help save a dog on death row? There are literally hundreds waiting to be rescued all across the U.S. These canines don’t have much time, they’re on a waiting list with only days or mere hours to be euthanized.

These dogs are in shelters which are over crowed and the poor little souls are being put down, to make space for other displaced dogs. They are perfectly healthy and vibrant, only being in the wrong place becoming innocent victims of circumstance.

Most no-kill shelters are closed for adoption during the Holidays, discouraging people from giving pets as gifts. Too many are returned after the holidays, because they’re mismatched. You need bonding time with a pet to know if you really like them, and if they bond with you too. It’s better to pick out your own pet, then you’ll get a pet you’re really matched up with.

But if you are a family in search of a new dog, there are some dog pounds and shelters open. For these dogs the clock is ticking fast, please if you are in the market for a new dog, take a good look at the ones in these shelters. You may locate a kill shelter near you, or look on the Animals In Danger website. A website bringing awareness to dogs dying in shelters!

Their website features dogs from coast to coast who are on doggy death row. You’ll find a photo and description of a dog, along with the shelter the dog is in! Also you’ll find exactly how many days the dogs have left. There is a memorial page for the dogs who were put down, which you can donate to the fund in their name! I can’t bring myself to look into those loving heartfelt eyes.

As an avid animal lover I wish to bring the plight of these unfortunate dogs to the forefront. We can’t save the world, but we can bring attention to the urgency of this grave situation. We all carry an eternal hope to find a loving home, for some of these precious dogs! This is the true mission of any organization in Animal Welfare! Can you be the one to rescue a wonderful- waiting dog from facing an untimely death!

Note* I'm featuring two dogs with very little time at the top right of my blog! Courtesy of the DogsInDanger.com Website! Thank you for all you do!

The Happy Hunter!

My husband shot an 8 point on Monday night, the 1st day of hunting season here in Steeler country. My brother-in-law also shot an 8 point in the same area. The deer are so beautiful with their big black noses, reminds me of Rudolph! The guy in camo with the miner light on his head, not too shabby either.

I don't particularly like to look at something I eat, makes me feel quilty. Out of sight, out of mind so to speak. We'll have plenty of ground meat, tips, and roasts from this big boy! I'll have to weigh the meat to see how many pounds we get from him. Will last us through Winter and first part of Spring. My husband is going back out on Saturday, doe season starts then, but he has a license to shoot another two buck if he wants. I was happy he got one, last year we had none!

When we were first married I asked him, how he could spend so much time in the woods? I grew to see the beauty that he sees in the world around him. I saw wild turkeys, and once me and Delilah and my daughter came upon baby turkeys. They were so cute.

The photo in my blogger header is of the road beside my home. There are cow pastures on both sides of the road, and you can see the fence posts. To the left is a great acreage of woods, where so much wildlife lives. It's so peaceful, definitely a paradise to live out our days. I named the winter photo in my blog header endless roads, because the road looks as if it goes on forever. Like Alice in Wonderland! Ha! Ha!

My daughter gets the credit for my husband's photo, my camera doesn't take good night photos!

Alice In Wonderland! Which Book Are You!

You're Alice's Adventures in Wonderland!

by Lewis Carroll

After stumbling down the wrong turn in life, you've had your mind opened to a number of

strange and curious things. As life grows curiouser and curiouser, you have to ask yourself

what's real and what's the picture of illusion. Little is coming to your aid in discerning fantasy

from fact, but the line between them is so blurry that it's starting not to matter. Be careful

around rabbit holes and those who smile to much, and just avoid hat shops altogether.

In otherwards are they calling me an airhead! Yep I've always been a dreamer, head in the clouds, tripping over myself! Rabbit holes we have groundhog holes around here, and I go to great lengths to avoid them! Some hog holes are like creaters! Another fun quiz from my buddy Joyce's site . Thanks Joyce!

Take the quiz and let me know what book you are!

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Which City Are You Quiz ~ December Word Catalyst Poetry Publication!

The Word Catalyst Magazine is out for December with some great stories, articles, and poetry. Two of my newer poems were accepted for the magazine publication. Thank you Shirley! All the writers there are wonderfully talented!

Also cool quiz I found on Nan's site: take the quiz and see what city you belong to! Here are my results:

You Belong in Paris

Stylish and expressive, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion, the wine! Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park... You'll love living in the most chic place on earth.

What City Do You Belong In?