Stanley, the rescued Pittie

Last December I posted a story about Stanley, a sweet but very sad-looking Pittie who was hours away from death at a over-filled shelter.

Tonight, I googled Stanley to find out what happened and how he's doing.  Cuz that's the kind of thing I do.

I'm happy to report that he's happily living with a great family, has recovered from mange and eye infections and even has his own facebook page.

What a great happy ever after story.

Please, please, please consider fostering or volunteering for a dog rescue group.  It will totally change you for the better.

Summer in Wisconsin

The storms were something fierce tonight.  The rain just kept coming for hours along with the thunder and lightening.  Got a little too close for comfort as I steadfastly was sitting on my front porch while the wind howled, the trees shook and the rain pelted. 

For some prospective, here's my front yard today: 

And here's my front yard the same time last summer after the lightening struck the tree and blew bark across the street.

Dang, with tonight's storm, I realized I still really miss my 50 foot tall tree.  If you scroll back up, you'll see the hostas waiting to embrace the next one growing from the roots of the old Locust tree. 

What a difference a year can make.  I know there is some Zen moment here.  I just haven't found it yet.

Christmas Pie in July

My friend, Eric and I were talking at work last week about one of our favorite summer treats, Christmas Pie in July.   I was introduced to this little slice of pure heaven a few years ago at Beatons Lake.  Eric's mom, Bonnie, made it for Eric as it was his favorite as a kid when the rasberries ripened.

I told Eric he'd have to make me a pie, but I also know that if I waited for Eric to do that, I'd be waiting along time.  So this past weekend I went on a mission to create it.

Now the easy thing would have been to call Bonnie, but I was in a pioneering mood and wanted to figure it out by myself.  The key ingredient is pistachios so I figured something this awesome should be pretty simple to find on Google.  But I was wrong.   So by combining my memories, a couple of recipes and my own ideas,  I came up with something pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.  And I'm going to post the recipe so I can find it next summer.....

Christmas Pie in July

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts
• 1 stick butter, melted  (I used Land o Lake's Light butter)
• 3 Tbs Sugar
• 3/4 tsp Vanilla

Filling:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (I used lite cream cheese)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tbs of sugar
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 (16 ounce) CoolWhip - frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 2 (3 ounce) packages instant pistachio pudding mix
• 3 cups cold milk
• ½ pint of fresh raspberries
• 1/8 cup chopped pistachio nuts

 Directions:

1. Mix flour, pistachios, sugar, vanilla extract and butter. Spread into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20  minutes. Cool.
2. Mix together cream cheese, vanilla, confectioners' sugar and 1 cup whipped topping. Beat well, and spread over cooled crust. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Mix instant pudding with milk until thick. Spread over cream cheese layer.
4. Top with remaining whipped topping, sprinkle with nuts, and decorate with fresh raspberries.

Save some room for desert!

Teiko enjoyed a beautiful sunset cruise on Beatons Lake. He was very happy in Doggy Paradise as well.

Nanuk of the North

Cita had a blast up at Beatons last week. Long hair and poodles don't necessarily make for easy grooming, but dang that girl had fun romping through the woods and even the beach at Lake Superior. Up North is also known as Doggy Paradise.