Dear (not my real) Doctor,

Please, allow me to explain:
I only recently met you… and  I was in a dire straight.  I came to you emergent; facts (and fiction) were all you had to assess.  I understand your concern, for me and for my comfort, but things aren’t always what they seem.

You see, I’m British, which basically means I have bad teeth.

I also mostly look disheveled; you might not be following the latest hair trends!

Yes, I am rather wobbly; I have not been frequenting the gym.  I lounge, a lot.

Since I am pretty sure you implied my time was up here, I felt it important to fill you in on all the most important facts.

Don’t misunderstand me; I know my blood work says otherwise and you have no (fact driven) data to disagree… I do understand your conundrum but, respectfully, I must tell you, you were wrong.

I am still here, because I want to be here!!  Against all odds, I remain where I should be, where I need to be, for now.

I have the staring role in “Its a Wonderful Life”!  For God’s sake!  Why the hell would I want to leave?

I am still here because I am not ready to leave.  I need more time with my family and they require more time with me.  

They require much more… time.

Sometimes there is a different force, a higher power than Western medicine can see.  I don’t blame you for your thoughts.  You don’t know me like Dr. Rice or Dr. McCoy do.

For instance, I am eating.

I am eating!

I am eating ! !

Eating lots ! ! !

I want more food; please keep feeding me more!!!

I like to drink water from a glass, just like my family; I only ask that there be ice (is that weird?).

I want to sit outside and smell the fresh air that is turning from winter to spring, finally!

I want to hear the birds chirping (but to Mr. Crazy Blue Jay, I say, “quiet please”).

Did you know I am listening to the children that are beginning to come out to play?  I wish they laughed more though; why must they always scream instead?

I wish I could see my bunny and chipmunk friends in the yard; I can smell them and know they are there, happily eating and playing in my yard.  That makes me happy.

I love my sister, Ginger, and (most importantly) she finally loves me.  She acts independent but I know she would really be lonely if I were not here.  I don’t want her to be lonely.

So for now, I will stay put.  I will give love and be loved.  I will continue to eat… because, I am fed very good food.

Something worth living for… don’t ya think?

ASPARAGUS + CAULIFLOWER SOUP 

I like all things green and so does Ginger.  Right now, asparagus is at it’s local best and we were lucky enough to have Dr. McCoy bring us 4 spears, cut fresh from her garden, mere hours before, when she came over to give me my bi-monthly acupuncture (we were nice and shared two of the stalks, intended for us, with her cat, Rocky, before she got here).

Mom was not willing to sacrifice these lovelies to soup but did allow 1/2 of one stalk to stand in for our soup’s garnish.  Ginger and I lapped this up for our weekend “soup course” but especially enjoyed the freshest of fresh, thinly sliced asparagus from Dr. McCoy’s garden.

This soup is dog-friendly and delicious but it is also easy to divide it into our portion and your portion.  You can add other, human-friendly, things for your portion, such as full fat yogurt or cream, lemon juice, salt & pepper, butter, spices…. whatever you can dream up.  We (us pups) can eat some things extra too, but no need since this soup, as is, is simple, pure and delicious.  Good for a hot Spring day that turns to a cool Spring evening.

Coconut oil is healthy for us and has been added, recently, to our daily food to help us keep on weight since Ginger and I are both on a low protein diet.  We can’t complain since it adds a delicious flavor.

FYI, Mom added to their portion, the juice of 1/2 lemon, a few pinches of salt, some grinds from that silver cylinder device, a dollop of Elleno’s plain Greek yogurt and a bit of chopped shallot.

INGREDIENTS

Approximately 12 stalks of fresh asparagus, bottom bit snapped off and discarded.
Approximately 12 florets of cauliflower.
8 oz homemade chicken or vegetable stock or high quality, low-sodium store bought.
1 TB coconut oil.

TO MAKE

Put the asparagus and cauliflower on a baking pan and rub with the coconut oil just to coat.

Roast @ 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables to a Vitamix, blender or food processor and add the broth.  Process until very smooth.

To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with thinly sliced fresh asparagus cut on the bias (whatever that means).