One Lovely Blog Award

Almost two weeks ago, Laloofah, who writes one of the blogs I visit on almost a daily basis, Mehitable Days, wrote a blog and described how she was given a One Lovely Blog Award.  I read the blog entry, and had actually been back to that blog entry many times so I could visit each blog she listed.  After visiting that entry at least a half dozen times, I discovered that she had mentioned my blog.  I have to say, I was shocked and 100% delighted.  I still find it hard to believe that people read my blog and actually return to read it again, so this was just very unexpected and still puts a very goofy smile on my face.  Thank you so much, Laloofa.  :::big goofy grin:::

There are responsibilities that I inherited with this award, which are to profusely thank the giver of the award and link back to the award giving blog (Mehitable Days, Mehitable Days, Mehitable Days).  Did I say that I received the One Lovely Blog Award from Laloofa at Mehitable Days?!?!?!  :::chuckle:::

OK, what I didn't tell you is what I love about her blog.  I don't remember how I found it.  I think it was from someone else's blog that linked to her blog.  Once there, I was hooked.  Laloofah gives some food reviews and provides recipes, which I love.  But what I love more is her love for life, including the animal life around her.  This one blog entry, Josie's Tale & Townie Deer was the first entry I read and it was a big one for me.  It's Josie's story, including a picture of her leg, permanently damaged from being shot, and another one of the gash above her eye from a dog fight.  Laloofah's and her hubby's enormous hearts touched me and still do.  I have rescue dogs as well, and it's something I'm as passionate about as I am about my sons.  After reading that story, I read many other stories and watched videos of the dogs with the deer, and have loved all of Willow's expressions.  So, if you have never visited Mehitable Days or just haven't visited it in a while, I strongly encourage you to go visit it because it is definitely One Lovely Blog and more.

One of my responsibilities is to tell you seven things about myself. This would mean seven interesting things about me, not just that I'm female, right?!?!  Hmmm ... OK, I'll take a stab at it, but I'm not saying these things will be interesting.  :::smile:::

The NCAA tournament has a special meaning for me every year.  It's not because I absolutely love college basketball and can't live without it.  In fact, I watch very little college basketball until the NCAA tournament.  Nope, it's because 20 years ago, my youngest son was born on the first day of the NCAA tournament in 1991.  I was in labor all day long, and from 11 AM on, my (then) husband (I'm single now) turned on the NCAA tournament and I watched it all afternoon until Derek was born at 5 PM.  After he was born, I started watching it again and actually, it was on until 11 PM that night when I finally went to sleep.  So, the first day of the NCAA tournament reminds me of one of the most joyous days of my life. :)

I make stained glass items. The above stained glass window panel is the second thing I made.  It's about 2½ to 3 feet tall by 1½ to 2 feet wide.  It's been hanging in my front window for a LONG time.  I've made marblescopes (like kaleidoscopes), MANY sun catchers, including Barney (the purple dinosaur).  Making stained glass items is surprisingly easy to do.  I make baby afghans for the pregnant women at work.  I've even given the girl at the local pizza joint one the first time she was pregnant. I like to crochet, and like my stained glass career, I like to give my handiwork away.  I like how it makes me feel to give to others.  Plus, I figure that between the stained glass and the crocheting, I may have a back-up plan if I ever need one.  HA!  I don't think either one would support me.

I cook food for my dogs all of the time.  This week, I made them brown rice with carrots, sweet potatoes, and some buffalo meat I had in my freezer from my omnivore days (nearly a year ago now).  I throw the ingredients in my rice cooker, press cook, and VOILA!  I have an entire rice cooker full of dog food.  A lot of times, I don't put any meat in it, but put garbanzo beans in it.  The dogs LOVE garbanzo beans in food and as a snack tossed to them.  Actually, they love the food I make more than they like commercial dog food.  They hate the vegetarian dog food I've bought, so if they eat vegetarian, it is because I've made it.  My homemade food is the only food that I know they will not pass up.  Most people I know have never made dog food for their dogs and quite frankly, have never even considered it (and I'm betting they would think I am nuts :). 

I kidnapped my son.  My oldest son, David, was afraid to learn to ride his bike.  David would use a scooter (looked like a skateboard with a tall handle), but that was woefully inadequate to use to go "riding" with his friends.  When David was 12, his father and I conspired to "kidnap" him and take him and his bike to the parking lot of his father's job on Saturday.  His dad took him presumably to go get fast food for lunch.  After they left, I threw David's bike in my trunk and went to the parking lot.  His father brought him a few minutes later.  When David saw the bike in my trunk, he said, "OH NO!!!" and started backing away.  We told him he wasn't leaving until he knew how to ride it.  David got on the bike and with the first push, he was a pro.  He just needed a place away from all of his friends to find out that he already knew how to balance (I'm guessing because of riding his scooter).

I am totally afraid of roller coasters and refuse to ride them.  The only roller coaster I can remember riding was a kiddie roller coaster with my sons at a traveling carnival in the strip mall parking lot up the street.  I did it for my sons, but I hated riding it.  UGH!  NO ROLLER COASTERS!

I was in the 1972 flood in Rapid City.  The picture above is of me and my dad's mother on our way out to Rapid City.  We were on vacation, camping in a trailer (we pulled behind our car), and the flood took out the bridge and we were stranded for a few days.  We had to evacuate our trailer in the middle of the night and go to higher ground.  We stayed in a church basement with a lot of other people.  It was a scary night.  The National Guard flew in supplies and vaccinated us against typhoid.  Of all of the places to go to for vacation, we were at the one where a natural disaster occurred.

I report people for animal abuse.  I'm sure a lot of people do this, but I'm equally sure that a lot of people do not do this.  I think people see animals being abused and hate it, but don't take the next step.  There is a house I drive by on my way to work and on my way home from work every day.  I can see the back of this house and its backyard.  These people have 4 dogs and a huge fenced yard.  Yet, they chain the dogs just far enough apart so they most the dogs can do is pass each other when they walk around in a circle.  There are 4 distinct circles worn into the yard.  There is no shelter for the dogs outside of a couple of plastic dog carriers thrown into the yard.  Those provide absolutely no protection when it's below 0º or in a blizzard or when it's 95º in the scorching sun.  There are no trees for shade in the yard.  Sometimes, I see a blue, hard plastic kiddie pool in between two of the dogs (which provides a solid block of ice in the winter), but I don't see what's provided (for water) for the other two dogs.  I never see food bowls, although I do think they feed the dogs.  I've reported this home 3 times now.  Always after I report them, the dogs aren't "chained" up, but can run free in the yard and they let the dogs out.  So far, after the third time I've reported them (for leaving the chained dogs out in the worst snow storm and blizzard Chicago has had in decades with no shelter), they have been treating the dogs better.  I absolutely HATE driving past that house because I know these people will eventually return to chaining the dogs up for countless days, but I am compelled to watch over the dogs.  I never used to take the "next step" and actually report people, but I'm tired of people abusing animals.  It makes me sad and tired.

OK, ENOUGH about me.  That was incredibly hard.  Here are 15 blogs to whom I'm giving the One Lovely Blog Award.  These blogs have provided me with many hours of enjoyable reading, tips, and cooking ideas.  These are in absolutely no particular order.

Vegan Food; More than Tofu and Sprouts!

Vegan Appetite

101 Cookbooks

Our Veggie Kitchen

Namely Marly

Just the Food

The Snarky Chickpea

On the path to zen...

Kirsten's Kitchen

Vegan Conversion Challenge

Cooking the Vegan Books

flavorvegan

Cadry's Kitchen

A Veg*n for Dinner 

This blogger hasn't had a new entry in nearly a year, BUT, I have made a couple of fantastic dishes from this blog.  While there are no new posts to read, I still haven't gone through all of the older posts, and I still have more recipes to try.  I got the recipe for Vegan Filet Mignon (excellent) and for Seitan Turkey with Stuffing (the meal that prompted my sister-in-law to tell me I should be a vegan chef) from this blog.  

The Iowa Housewife

This is NOT a vegan blog.  This IS one of the loveliest blogs I look at.  This blog gives me all of the down home goodness of baking and cooking of days gone by.  I have adapted some of the recipes listed by Sue and Myrna by using vegan ingredients instead of the non-vegan ingredients listed.  I can spend hours looking through the stories, tips, and recipes listed on this blog.  Just know if you go there that it is not a vegan blog, but it is a very lovely blog.

Thank you, again, Laloofah for giving me the One Lovely Blog Award.  It's been a challenging, but fun, task of sharing things about myself and choosing 15 blogs that I discovered and recommend.  At the top of my list is your blog.  I'm sure anyone who reads it will enjoy it as much as I do.