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Singulair, anyone?

The morning at Birschwood began like most others. Little Lady Joy woke (too) early. I descended with her, let her outside, and fed her. The daddy man prepared for work and departed. Then it was my turn to start my day with a shower, but LJ was making scuffling noises outside the door. Rawhide has always been a favorite for her and we replenished her supply yesterday. Considering this, I was not too concerned at first but then she fell silent. In this household silence equates mischief, mayhem, and destruction. Outside the bathroom there was no sign of her. Once again I descended and this time discovered the shredded mess in the first picture. Further investigation revealed that LJ consumed 7 tablets of Singulair--an adult human prescription medication for allergies. I called my mother, Randolph, Fort Bragg's veterinary office, and poison control. Everyone involved was incredibly helpful, but the best recommendation involved one part hydrogen peroxide, one part water, and a lot of vomit. Poor baby was her regular self for a few hours outside but has safely been in recovery mode with an afternoon of snuggles on the couch.

The fruits of labor

Blueberry muffins to be exact. Sunday morning began with Randolph's request for pancakes, but I had been delaying the desire for muffins. I won. Despite the loss, he did a happy dance and quickly gobbled down more than I should relay.

Lady Joy is shedding her puppy coat. As a result, she has been mostly banned from the kitchen but she still likes to participate in the food preparation.


Recipe
Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries--this is what the original recipe calls for, but I use a whole pint

Ingredients for the topping:

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°.

Grease 18 regular-size muffin cups (or 12 large size muffins).

In bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.

Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt.

With spoon, fold in half of flour then half of milk into batter; repeat.

Fold in blueberries.

Spoon into muffin cups and sprinkle topping onto each muffin.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch.

A warm weekend...

with a hint of spring and full of dates! The weather has been delightful the last few days. Sixty-five degrees in the evening, Randolph and I left the babe at home and ventured into the night for Indian food. Bombay Bistro is quite the find! The service is great, the food comparable to the best of DC, and it is a mere five minute drive from our home. We concluded the date with a quick stop for yarn so I could begin another new project. My husband totally wins at this date thing!

Randolph has become Amish

Years ago my mother purchased from the Amish market a wooden encasement for the trash can. We always had dogs (and small children) that did their best to invade the garbage so this provided the best barrier. Having recently discovered that we eat, Lady Joy has become a bit of a nuisance in the kitchen. Randolph to the rescue! He constructed a cover for a trash can much like my mother's.

Pine needles

We have so much media for this man to work with!

The weekend in mobile photographs