Well, Henry has taken up the volunteer comfort-dog mantle.
At the Memory Care facility in Edinburg, Judy and Henry, visiting with a friend from Sandpipers who is there.
Henry had on his Santa suit earlier, but they took it off so Carol could pet him better. He’s about the same size and shape as Hooter, the dog she had. Henry was a hit with all the staff.
I don’t think I ever got around to sending out pictures from Veterans Oasis Park in Chandler, AZ. Nice place for a hike every time we’re out there to visit Matt and family.
Haven’t seen him since the first of November.
Opened the hose holder this bright sunny morning
and there he was, a little brown lump, hanging out in the shade.
We could see him better as he peeked out the side, from underneath.
We thought he might be dug into the ground back in the thicket for the winter, but not so in this current nice warm weather. We may not see him back in his puddle until the hot weather of next summer, but it’s sure nice to see he is still in the neighborhood.
To be able to get everything in the car for camping, and still have room for the dogs, we have to be careful how much stuff we bring. To keep it manageable, we’re not doing any cooking at camp. We can boil water in an electric teapot, but no stove, no pots and pans, and no dishes. No big ice chest. This is not wilderness camping. Most days we’re out in the car at least once. Morning coffee at camp. A breakfast taco later. Stop somewhere in the afternoon for an early dinner, or do a packaged camping meal back at camp.
So, let’s talk about packaged camping meals. Bill and I used to carry freeze dried food on our backpacking trips. Bill was creative with cooking things from lightweight ingredients and pretty much avoiding the prepared meals, because they weren’t all that good. Judy found some modern-day freeze-dried meals that looked pretty good though, so we took along some to try. They look like this.
Mountain House Adventure Meals. One pouch, rehydrated, feeds two. We ate them several nights. They are surprisingly better than terrible! Filling. Satisfying. We didn’t go to bed hungry. No worries about buying them and not using them in time before they age-out either. The sell-by dates are in the 2050s!
The other white meat. We hear it’s a healthier alternative to red meat. A lean pork roast just doesn’t do it for me though. No matter how much I eat, it just doesn’t feel like I’m done. I need something with a little more fat to balance it out; to feel like complete nutrition. Ribs seem to provide the right combination. Something that satisfies.
Pork Ribs. The other white meat. But after I’ve done my thing with pork ribs, they don’t look so white anymore.
But it doesn’t take much of them to make me feel good!
