Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 125

National Vietnam War Vetereans Day

When I was a child, I did not understand war. As a senior citizen, I wish I did not understand war. When working as a television journalist, I recall feeling greatly humbled and honored to meet and interview our State’s eldest doughboy… from World War I. Over the years I have known many veterans of too many wars.

Whether or not we have understood the particulars of why our nations’ leaders march our young people off to war, we do understand the sacrifice made by everyone involved… and their families. In these days of political uncertainty… international unrest… and warmongering beyond our comprehension, it is timely to recognize all who have served our nation.

Today is National Vietnam War Veteran’s Day. These veterans are my peers. Our peers. Our friends and family. They served… out of a sense of duty. They sacrificed for the love of our country… for the love of freedom and family. It sounds so simple… so small, but I mean it will deepest sincerity… “Thank you.” A gazillion times over.

“Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.”

— Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964)

American military leader

Respect Your Cat Day

Yes, March 28th truly is Respect Your Cat Cay. So, go ahead… spend a little quality time with your favorite feline. They’ll love it! They’ll play. They’ll get bored. They’ll take a catnap.

“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are God.”

– Christopher E. Hitchens (1949 – 2011)

British-American author, journalist, and columnist

Choice for Today… and Every Day

 

“We choose to be optimists or pessimists.  Pessimists may be right sometimes, but so are optimists. Optimists are happier and have more fun. Choose wisely.”

— Cathy Burnham Martin – American author, voiceover artist & dedicated foodie

(Photo by Susan Q. Yin)

Vigilance

 

“The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. There will always be people seeking to take away freedom, and they must always be resisted.” 

— Tom Ellis, Partner at Ai Law in Liverpool, UK in 2021

(Photo by Pete Linforth)

National Lobster Newburg Day

As a dedicated fan of the delectably tender, sweet cold water lobster, how could I possibly not share a favorite lobster recipe (first published in my 2012 book) with you on National Lobster Newburg Day? Here it is… straight out of my first full-color cookbook, “Lobacious Lobster” from 2017.

Super Simple Lobster Newburg

This is one of the most wonderful ways to present a splashy-looking and tasting entrée without all the “fuss.”

¼ c butter
2 T flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp paprika (& a dash of cayenne pepper, optional)
2 T dry sherry (you can substitute dry white wine)
2 lg egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 and ½ c light cream
2 c (about 1 lb) cooked lobster meat, cut in ½ – 1” pieces

In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt the butter; stir in flour. Then stir in salt, paprika & sherry, followed by lobster.  In a small bowl, combine yolks and cream.  Stir a couple of spoonfuls of the hot butter mixture into the cream mixture; then gradually stir the entire cream mixture into the butter mixture in the top of the double boiler.  Continue to cook over the lowest heat over the hot simmering water just until thickened, stirring often.  Stir in the lobster and let cook 1-2 more minutes, just to heat the lobster through.  Serve on its own, over crispy toast points or puff pastry patty shells, or in a crusty bread bowl.  Makes 4 appetizers or 2 entrée servings.

KISS Tip:  Do NOT overcook this or any other lobster dish or you will get tough lobster.

KISS Variation:  For One-Bite Newburgs spoon the hot filling into pre-made miniature phyllo pastry cups and serve with a touch of freshly chopped parsley on top.  Mini pastry cups can typically be found in boxes of 15 in a supermarket frozen food section.

C-C-C-Courage!

“As for courage and will — we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.”

— Andre Alice Norton (1912 – 2005)

American science fiction and fantasy writer

 

National Puppy Day

“Happiness is a warm puppy.”

– Charles Monroe “Sparky” Schulz (1922 – 2000)

American cartoonist; creator of comic strip “Peanuts”

 

Cathy Chats, Daily Thoughts, recipes, books, audiobooks, and all my articles can be found at www.GoodLiving123.com, where I strive to share information that helps make Good Living as easy as 1-2-3.

National Goof Off Day

I read a cartoon once that said something like, “Job satisfaction comes from doing what you enjoy… without the boss finding out.”

Wayyyy better when we can love our work!  As my hubby often says to me, “That’s not work. You like it!” (We call such statements from him “Ronnerisms.”)

Today, however, may goofing off be among your goals attained!

(Photo by Holger Langmaier)

Harmony Day

 

“We all fare better when we can balance freely expressing and quietly listening.” [image error]

― Cathy Burnham Martin, Encouragement: How to Be and Find the Best

(Image by Jeremy Bishop)

Because this is Harmony Day, I also love Nature’s harmony. The little video shows our weeping cherry tree, literally swarming with all varieties of bees, as they celebrate the return of Nature’s sweet nectars. I love seeing the bees and butterflies busily doing their work, which pollinates so many other treasures!

http://goodliving123.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/03-21-2022-20220319_140930-weeping-cherry.mp4

 

Protect Our Pets

When our precious little Maltipoo published “A Dangerous Book for Dogs: Train Your Humans with the Bandit Method” in 2016, he warned his fellow pooch pals to not let the book fall into human hands. He made one important exception, however, for this special bonus chapter. We’re pleased to keep paying it forward during National Animal Poison Prevention Week, but we’ll also keep it on the GoodLiving123.com website indefinitely. Enjoy the read… in the words of our Furrrever Friend, Bandit.

 

FOOD & TREAT SAFETY 

We’re not talking about overspending here; this is about teaching your humans to save your life!  Probably most of us have been guilty of eating the wrong things, but we also must teach our humans not to offer some items to their favorite furry beasts… EVEN WHEN WE BEG MOST ADORABLY.  They think they are giving us a treat, but they are likely giving us a tummy ache, at the very least.  So, go ahead and tear out these pages.  This Extra Treat of vital information should be left somewhere where your humans will see it.

Damage caused by some items, such as onions, is cumulative.  So, a little in last night’s table scraps might not be such a big deal, right?  Wrong.  Because there may be a little more evilness than they realized… in the form of onion powder, or raw scraps while onions were being chopped, etc.

Keeping us safe and healthy is one of the most important ways that our humans show they love us!  We show them love ALL the time.

I’ve seen many lists, but with lots of differences from list to list.  I am one who’d rather be safe than sorry.  So, here is an accumulated listing, gathered from my knowledge gained from my trusted veterinary staff at the Bedford Animal Hospital, and the following websites:

www.webMD.com

www.dogs.about.com

www.ASPCA.com

and the Pet Education site from www.DrsFosterSmith.com

There are many more sites, so I thought it might be helpful to compare lists.  I learned a lot.  For example, I’ve always had a great deal of confusion over which herbs, spices, and flavorings would be most important to avoid as pets.  I had heard that cinnamon was bad, but it turns out that in small amounts it is just fine, along with other more traditional things like sage and mint.  Nutmeg, on the other hand, is considered very bad… in any amount.  That makes it extra important not to give us a human-type cookie or other sweet that could very well contain some ill-advised flavoring.

Most of us know that table scraps are a BIG no-no though we want them in a BIG yes-yes way.  Our humans are trying to do their best, and they do not realize that they are NOT doing us a favor, nor are they “spoiling” us with such things as the extra fat they cut off the meat they just ate or a bite of buttery biscuit that they passed coyly under the table to our gleefully awaiting mouths.  Healthy pets need healthy diets.  Unhealthy is the only way to describe diets with too much fat, or sugar, or salt… for humans or us critters.

One bite may be no big deal to a human, but to a dog, especially a small dog, or a cat, that one bite is the size of a meal.  It probably should be called “supersized.”

WebMD reported 100,000 cases of pet poisoning in the United States of America just last year.  The ASPCA details a full 25% of emergency calls they received last year alone were because a pet had just gobbled up some human medication, frequently ibuprofen and acetaminophen.  No matter what the medicine may be… human or pet… our humans need to keep them safely out of our reach.

Some items we critters may consume will cause varying symptoms and degrees of risk.  These depend a lot on the quantity consumed, our individual size, and our personal constitution and sensitivity.  Regardless, no one who loves their animals wants us to suffer indigestion, breathing difficulties, diarrhea, weakness, or vomiting, never mind kidney or liver damage, coma, or death.

So, let’s look at a basic list to share with your humans.  This certainly does not contain every single item, but it does give you a strong starting point.

Human and Pet Medications

IbuprofenAcetaminophenAnti-depressantsPrescriptions of any sortPet Medicines for Flea & Tick (Many of these are for external use only and are poisonous if ingested!)

Chemical Poisons

Rat or Mouse poison— We don’t have to eat the poison itself; we simply have to take a bite of the mouse that did!Heavy metals– This includes such things as lead paint, linoleum (as in tiles), batteries, and zinc (in pennies).Household cleaners– Alert your humans to clean up any spilled bleach or ammonia right away.  Also, they need to keep such items as drain or pine cleaners, laundry detergent, and glue far away from us and any places we might step on them with our feet.Personal Care items– Some humans think it looks cute, but they should never let us pets get into nail polish or polish remover.Garage or other stored items— All lawn & garden fertilizers, turpentine paint thinner, putty, and pool chemicals need to be far out of reach.  They should also be sure motor oil, antifreeze, battery acid, and kerosene are stored safely.  If humans read labels on insecticides they’ll be certain they are specifically safe for pets.  Remember, we wash our feet with our tongues and will consume all the chemicals we walked on during each outing.  Yuk!

Plants

I’d heard about this decades ago with regard to cats and some dangerous house plants such as Philodendron, but the list of items that are bad is quite lengthy and includes some common varieties:

AloeAmaryllisApple seeds, stems & leavesAzaleasChrysanthemumDaffodilsDaisiesEnglish IvyFox GloveHostaHyacinthIrisLily of the ValleyMarijuana / HashishMistletoeOleanderPhilodendronPothosRhododendronsTobaccoTulips

Human Foods

Alcohol— No, it’s not funny to get us drunk.  Our systems are much smaller than theirs and react very badly to alcohol poisoning.Caffeine– Keep critters away from coffee, cocoa, tea, soft drinks, and caffeine pills.Chocolate– The darker the chocolate, the more deadly to us, their beloved pets.Grapes & raisins – cause kidney failureFruit pits– such as cherry, peach, plum, and apple seedsCitrus peels or seeds – cause irritation and damage the central nervous systemGarlic– including garlic powderMushrooms– some varieties, including those common in backyardsOnion– including onion powderTomatoes– especially for catsYeast dough – causes wretched stomach painNuts – cause vomiting, diarrhea, pancreatitisAvocado – causes cardiovascular damage

Difficult to digest (causing vomiting, diarrhea, and other digestive upsets), though not poisonous:

BonesCorn cobsDairy productsFats (even fat trimmings from meat, cooked or raw)Coconut water (too high in potassium)Large amounts of fish (small amounts only for dogs)Hops – as in beerRaw eggsSaltSugars and sugary foods

There are several emergency numbers you may want to keep handy as help is available 24/7:

(These numbers/rates are effective as of 2016.)

ASPCA.org Poison Control Center         888-426-4435  ($65)

Pet Poison Helpline.com                           855-764-7661  ($49)

National Animal Poison Control             800-548-2423   ($30)

Animal Poison Helpline.com                   800-213-6680   ($39)

Kansas State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital 

                                                                     1-785-532-5679  (FREE)

While most of these lines charge fees, in an emergency, these may seem like a pretty small price to pay to keep from poisoning us.  Humans should also find out where the 24-hour veterinary service providers are in their local area.  Get your humans to keep those numbers on the same list.