Mystery Solved!

This summer we have been investigating the Case of the Missing Cherry Tomatoes. We had two beautiful tomato plants in pots on our patio ... we waited eagerly while they ripened all summer and were really excited to eat them. We did think it was odd that they kept falling over (pots and all!) but, well, it has been a windy summer. But then - just when the tomatoes were at their peak of ripeness, the cherry tomatoes started disappearing! The regular ones were still going strong (and have been delicious!), but the cherry ones were just ... gone. We each thought the other was eating them, then we thought maybe a small animal was sneaking up to the plants? But we don't get a lot of animals in our yard because of the dogs. Which, of course, brings us to the answer to our mystery ...

That's right ... Bailey has been PICKING the tomatoes off the plant, just when they become ripe. He even sniffs past the green ones and only picks out the ripe ones ... he has good taste, at least.

It was a cold day in July ...

When Uncle Rob came to visit!


We enjoyed some Wisconsin beer.

We took a lovely hike:

And the three Nelson children caused some trouble:

And OH MY GOD SUSAN ATE THE CAMERA!

Introducing ... Teddy!

Teddy is our very first rescue dog through Second Chance rescue. He was picked up as a stray, so we don't have a lot of information about his background. He's about 5 years old and appears to be a lab / golden retriever mix. Our best guess is that he was kept outside in his prior home, as he has an extremely thick coat, is absolutely terrified of entering the house and isn't housebroken. He also seems to think that the cat is some sort of strange squirrel-like creature. :)

However, he has made fast friends with Bailey and has already learned to sit! He has a very sweet disposition and will make someone a great pet, once we can get him to walk through the front door...

One of the dogs is performing a wonderful sit / watch ... while the other has clearly discovered where mommy hides the treats during training sessions.

How To Make Dog Treats

This is a great recipe we just discovered for making homemade doggie treats. You can use all organic ingredients and still spend less than $1 for 40-50 treats ...

3/4 cup flour

1 egg

1 Tbs honey

1 tsp peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)

Heat honey and peanut butter until runny (about 30 seconds in the microwave). Mix ingredients together and drop by 1/2 teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for approx. 8 minutes.

It will look super dry before baking - you can add more honey and pb if you want, but you'll have to cook them longer.

When finished, they'll be about the size of a quarter and all toasty-looking.

And you will have some very very happy dogs!

Paws for Peace

Went to Paws for Peace today - easily the best dog fest we've ever been too. Lots of space, including an off-leash area, shade, yummy food samples - Bailey had a blast! We were having so much fun that I actually forgot to take pictures, so you'll just have to imagine all the fun that was had. The event also served as a fundraiser for Partners for Violence Prevention, a very worthy organization that deserves all the attention it can get. 

Then, when we got home Mike kicked my butt in Bocce Ball. Apparently it was payback for my epic Scrabble win the other day ...