Monday, November 17, 2014

Take 34 - Golden Retriever - Rocco - our new love ! -


Take 34 - Golden Retriever - Rocco - our new Love !
It's been almost nine months and we have been in love from day 2. Rocco, picked us. He felt our pain. The interviewer from Norcal Golden Retriever felt it too when she came to meet us at home and get to know us. That pain was raw and tears were close by and ready to roll down our faces but we powered through it and finally, we set up a date to meet our potential new companion. We were also asked if we wanted a young puppy or would go with an older Golden. To us it really made no difference because we had established that young or old, it was the luck of the draw.  You could have a young who could get sick at 5, like our Taylor, or have an older very healthy one. So really it meant no difference to us. A few days later we got to meet our new friend at his foster home in Mountain View. We played ball in the back yard with him and noticed his great energy. He went non stop after the ball and interacted with us. We also got to go for a walk. He was not great on leash and it was easy to tell that that dog had not been taught to walk in a disciplined manner but had had a lot of fetch time. His body was slim and streamlined. He did not have a bulky frame. So that was it, we were taking him home. Papers were signed and recommendations were made and off we went with our new pal.

Since March, he has brought nothing but joy to us. At first he would be a bit shy and quiet, a bit as if he wanted to be on his best behavior and make sure we would keep him. He had been shuffled through a few homes in the past few months.  So, bit by bit he started showing us his true personality. Very well trained with outstandingly nice manners, he made us realize what a bonus it was to adopt an older dog. His age is not precise as the papers showed two different date but according to our vet he would be between 8-10, based on the wear and tear of this eeth.

We really lucked out with Rocco. Adopting an older dog is something else altogether and does not always have to mean more health problems or assorted vet bills. Rocco is in great health and has the energy of a much younger dog. He runs, he swims, he can play fetch non stop and is always a willing participant at play time.

I would like to highly recommend Norcal Golden Retriever. Their members are totally dedicated to Golden Retrievers and do their job with passion. They do their research on the dogs that are surrendered by thoroughly evaluating them and doing an in-depth one  on one with future owners. They come and visit your home and look at your environment asking questions and making suggestions (if need be) as to how to improve your living conditions to increase your possibilities of success with your new pet and ensure the dog’s welfare. They also have a website that should be visited to get the idea of what they are all about.

Lastly, if you love dogs, live with one or more dogs and would like a good read, I highly recommend the following book:


Daytripping by David Rosenfelt.

However, just one word of caution, make sure you have lots of tissue available while reading. At least one story in that book, if not more, will have you crying for sure, but it’s all good. Great praise go to this author and his wife for their dedication and generosity. You will not be able to put the book down, unless it is to go blow your nose or wipe your eyes.

Enjoy !

Lori



Friday, July 18, 2014

Take 33 - RIP Darling Taylor


On March 14th of this year, we said goodbye to our darling Taylor and just now, did I feel capable of
writing about him. Taylor had been in our lives for 5 1/2 years and we had had him since he was 8 weeks old. He and we had grown together. He has showed us the way while raising him. He was our first dog.

On December 24th, 2013 we noticed something was not right with Taylor, our Golden Retriever. He was listless, would not eat, did not want to drink. He seemed in a daze and disconnected. We hurried him to an Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Palo Alto. After a couple of hours of tests and treatments, we learned he had a 104 degree fever and we were sent home with him and some antibiotics. To make a long story short, during the next week we went back and forth to our vet, hoping it was just a virus and some dehydration but unfortunately, after several treatments we were referred to Sage Veterinary Hospital in Campbell, after more tests we were told it was not a virus but an aggressive form of cancer called Hemangiosarcoma. After he had surgery to remove the mass growing in his body, we kept our eyes in him because the prognostic was not good. He was given two month at most before the return of the disease and chemotherapy might only give him an extra month. In March we noticed a mass developing in his chest and made the quick decision of returning to Sage for the final goodbye moment.

Making the decision was easy when knowing there was no future but it's the aftermath we were not prepared to face. Everything in our home reminded us of Taylor. He had occupied such a large space in our lives. Now the house was empty without him. David and I were in constant pain and tears. We even went away for a weekend and had to hide when the pain bubbled to the surface and our eyes filled with tears. It was a rough time.  Seeing other dogs, especially other Goldens was the worst. Another thing from the well meaning people around us were the sympathy cards. Gut wrenching words that had me burst into uncontrollable tears. I could not even show them to David after they arrived in the mail. I knew he could not face that kind of pain. A neighbour sent a card and included the following text:

JUST MY DOG
by Gene Hill

He's just my dog.

He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea.

He has told me more than a thousand times over that I am his reason for being. By the way he rests against my leg. By the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile. By the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him.(I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me)

When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded.

When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags.

Without him, I am only another person.  With him, I am all powerful.

He has taught me the meaning of devotion. He is loyalty itself.

With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant.

His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things.

He has promised to wait for me ..... whenever ..... wherever. In case I need him.
And I expect I will - as I always have.

He is my dog.


It took me three tries to read the complete text and even now, I write these words my throat constricts. Thank goodness, with time, (and a new love) things get easier. In my next blog, get ready to hear about my new love. Taylor would approve.


Friday, February 28, 2014

Take 32 - Martial Cottle Park - San Jose

On January 31, 2014 Mr Walter Lester died at the age of 88. Who was Mr. Lester and what does he have to do with the Martial Cottle Park, you ask? Well plenty, actually. You see, Mr. Lester was born, grew up, worked and lived a couple of blocks away from our home, here in Blossom Valley, San Jose. His home, but mostly its land, is the site of the future Martial Cottle Park.  287 acres, equivalent to 236 football fields that is being developed to become a park with a visitors' center, picnic areas, historical farming exhibitions, etc.

Mr. Lester was born on July 7, 1925. He never married, nor did he have any children. Mr. Lester could have become just another multi-millionaire of Silicon Valley as the offers for his land kept coming from investors who wanted to turn it into another sub-division or a mall. However, Mr. Lester was steadfast on his plans for this property. Throughout the years he refused to sell and in 2003 he signed over the property in a grant deed to Santa Clara County and California Department of Parks and Recreations but with certain conditions. He wanted the land to stay the way it was, preserved as farmland and open space, with arching old oaks and broad views of the surrounding mountains. He also stated that he wanted no part of the property to be used for high intensity, organized recreational uses such as athletic fields, playgrounds, swimming pools or other similar activities. He wanted the property to be used as a public historical park that would inform and educate the public about the agricultural heritage of Santa Clara Valley. Silicon Valley, a technological area, used to have a topographical vocation. Much of it covered Santa Clara Valley and used to be known as Valley of the Heart's Delight, a region rich with fruit orchards up until the 1960s.

This space is in the south part of San Jose, bordered by Chynoweth Avenue, Snell Avenue, Branham Lane and Highway 85.  The project for the park had been almost dormant up until a couple of weeks after we moved into our new home, in October 2013.  As I walked my dog in that area every day, I started noticing more and more activity with trucks going in and out and increasing during several weeks with digging and paving and the start of a building going up. Then on February 1st, one day after Mr. Lester's passing,  a partial trail was opened and people started walking, with or without a dog, cycling and simply enjoying this wonderful space. Walking this trail, in its infancy, you can almost imagine what the final product will look like. The feeling is magical. The trail is paved but on each side the soil has been worked and sprinkled with seed to grown grass.  A few benches have been installed as well as a couple of doggie stations with bags and waste bins. The fields around go on forever and you distinctly get the feeling of wide open spaces in the countryside, although you are in the middle of the third largest city in California, almost completely surrounded by mountains in the distance. The main trail is about halfway done as the rest of the land is surrounded by fences during the completion of the project. This is a wonderful addition to our neighbourhood and will enchant and help educate people on agriculture for a long time to come.

Sadly, I did not know Mr. Lester but I will give a silent thank you each time I walk those trails and look out into the distance to admire the same views as he surely did.


Recipe:
I recently found this recipe in an Ina Garten  (Barefoot Contessa) cookbook. I love her cookbooks. I have almost all of them. The recipe is from Foolproof.
The combination of salmon and tomato is not usual but trust me, it is outstandingly delicious.
Well worth the effort. This is a version of the recipe. Enjoy !

Salmon with tomato stew

Olive oil
1 cup chopped sweet onion
2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved lengthwise
Salt and Pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons basalmic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves
4 pieces salmon fillet, about 8 ounces each

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat 3 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauté pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat for a few minutes until onion is very tender. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Stir in tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and half a teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring from time to time until liquid is almost gone and sauce has thickened a bit. Off the heat, stir in the vinegar and basil.

Place a large sauté pan (that can go in the oven) over high heat for a couple of minutes. Brush the salmon all over with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place skin side up in the pan. Do not move the fish for 3-4 minutes until it is browned. Carefully turn the salmon on its skin side and put the pan in the oven for 8 minutes. Carefully remove the pan and put fish on a serving platter, covering it with aluminum foil for 5 minutes to allow it to rest.

Reheat the tomatoes, check seasoning again and serve hot, warm or at room temperature with salmon.

Bon appétit !