Sunday, October 10, 2021

It's already Sunday

 I finally gave in to my compulsion to own a food dehydrator and ordered one from the bad "A" place (sorry, Maddie) after being unable to find one to buy in person here in town. It took three days to get here and when it finally arrived and I unpacked it, the handle on the door was completely broken off. Shame on Mr. Bezos and his minions! Now I have to return the stupid thing and wait up to a week for my refund. Sigh. So disappointing! I already had a big bundle of bananas and apples I had planned to dry for healthy snacks next week. That won't be happening any time soon, now, and to be honest once I saw how much counter space a dehydrator will take up I'm not sure I want to try to reorder at this point. All the wind went out of my sails when I saw that broken handle.

One thing that did arrive safely was a little red-haired girlie that was a gift from Fresca. She and Marco were instant best friends, and she's brought a little cheer to the house this week. She  hasn't shared her name with me yet, but Marco seems to know it. For the moment, they're keeping their secret.


The girlie was watching me make an apple pie the evening after she arrived. She says that Autumn is her favorite season!

My friend Martina works for a veterinarian. She was upset on our behalf about the puppy situation last month, and yesterday she sent me this via text:


A sweet, 5 month old spaniel mix that was an owner surrender and needs a good home. Martina is having this lucky puppy thoroughly vetted and vaccinated, and she asked me if I'd be interested in setting up a meeting with George. She knows I have a soft spot for spaniels, and this one has lovely, shiny, soft black fur and a nice temperament.

Although we're (once again) sorely tempted, this puppy is a male and we think George would do better with a female. Also, late May or early June would be the absolute best time to adopt a new dog, when I'll have the long summer break at home to help everyone acclimate. I'm afraid we're going to probably pass on this cutie. Martina assures me that they can find him a great home either way, and that we can have a little time to think about it. At least there's a zero percent chance that Martina would flake out on us! She's as trustworthy as they come, especially where animals are concerned. This dog is lucky he landed with someone like her to see to his welfare.

Well, today is the last of my week off. It hasn't been all I hoped for, but the break from the office has been very welcome. The four-day Thanksgiving weekend is still over 6 weeks away, but there's book club and Halloween and Gregg's birthday between now and then to look forward to. Going back is easier with stuff to look forward to.

Enjoy your Sunday, friends.

39 comments:

  1. I've never had to wait a week for a refund from Amazon. I drop things off at the UPS Store and usually 5 - 6 hours later it's a ker-ching to my credit card. If George is fixed, there shouldn't be a problem.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love my dehydrator and used it a lot when we had a glut of plums and tomatoes. We might use it again to do some more dried apples. The machine does take up a lot of counter room but as it's a seasonal thing we shall pack it away as we come into winter.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so happy to see the girlie here!
    They are so adventurous--I'm sure she loves being with you & your household!

    I bet you already know this,
    but you can dehydrate fruit in your oven--
    or even just in the sun! The tried and true ancient way. (sun-dried tomatoes)

    Or---I saw instructions to build your own dehydrator!
    food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/dehydrate-food-without-dehydrator-0161531
    (Please forgive me if you've already considered all this and I'm bombarding you...)

    I hope your return to work goes smoothly and well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She seems very happy and at home here. Thank you!

      My oven only goes down to 170F. From what I understand, lots of foods are optimal if dried at a lower temperature than that. Also the dehydrators have fans to help the process along.

      Thank you for the links!

      Delete
  4. Lovely young dog but you are wise to say no if you can't be there with him full time for a few weeks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Pat. We think that the end of May/beginning of June next year would be the absolute best time, because I'll have 7 weeks off for the summer. Plenty of time to help George and a new friend adjust!

      Delete
  5. Awwww, poor spaniel. He IS very cute, but you sound like you're making wise decisions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He really is cute, and apparently very sweet. Martina is making sure he has wonderful care at the moment, and if no one locally works out for a new home, her office has an arrangement with a pet rescue that takes dogs to the Northeast. He'll find a great home either way.

      Delete
  6. I tried a dehydrator once, but when I saw how long I'd have to run it to get dried sweet potato chips, et al., I gave it away. And p.s., don't tell anyone but I disappoint certain folks a lot, but ordering from A is just too convenient, anything/everything from A to Z without running around endlessly searching for.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you check out the comments on my last post, you'll understand why I said, "Sorry Maddie!" Lol.

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  7. I completely understand your disappointment on the dehydrator. Is there a way to use your oven at a very low temperature? My husband says that his grandmother used to dry apples on the roof! I do not recommend this although it might work.
    Such a sweet-looking dog. But I think you are so wise to consider timing. And gender.
    May going back to work not be as hard as you fear.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gregg's grandmother in North Carolina dried apples on the roof, too! Then she turned the dried apples into wonderful little fried pies for him and his dad when they would visit. It's one of his fondest childhood memories.

      My oven only goes down to 170 degrees. Not quite low enough for everything.

      Delete
  8. When we used wood heat i strung slices of apple and hung the strings above the fire, high enough no worries about catching on fire. I love Marco's new Girlette friend, They will learn so much from one another! He will give her a great name I am sure, Might be a bit rude... And the little dog breaks my heart. Such a difficult but right decision. He will find the perfect family and you will find the perfect dog - perfect timing and George consideration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. George often acts kind of aggressive when he sees other dogs; he adored Ginger, but she was with us first when he was adopted as a youngster. We're just sure if he could get past the first moments with a new dog he'd be thrilled to have a new companion. I just need enough free time to make sure everyone is okay. Summer will be better.

      Delete
  9. Sorry about the state of the dehydrator when it arrived. I would like to have one but I won't buy one for just the reason you mentioned - the size. We do not have the space for one. I have been tempted to try the oven for drying fruit. That sweet dog looks so sad behind bars! I do think you are being wise to wait though for just the right dog. Two male dogs might get a little too competitive.
    How sweet of Fresca to send you that adorable doll! She will give Marco someone to talk to when you and Gregg are at work!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think the little girl's name is Autumn!

    I don't buy from the A place because I keep hearing about things arriving broken or the wrong item.
    And then there's that whole 'I loathe Jeff Bezos' thing too.
    I think you're smart about holding off on the dog until summer when you can be around more, but that is one adorable puppy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I could not say no to such eyes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know he looks sad, behind bars as he is in the photo, but he's staying in a kennel at a vet's office getting excellent care! He's going to be fine.

      Delete
  12. I'm waiting for Marco to say "Autumn, pretty girl."

    ReplyDelete
  13. I agree that you can try to dehydrate your fruit in the oven. There are lots of recipes for Banana chips and apple slices when I googled for it. So give it a try - what do you have to lose? And you won't have to buy another dehydrator. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gregg has suggested I look at thrift stores for a dehydrator. Lots of people impulse buy kitchen appliances (heck, I did!) and then donate them. We'll see.

      Delete
  14. I've been lucky..I've never gotten anything broken or not to my liking from that place..Let me know how it works when you get the new one..I've been wanting to get one for the longest time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was a first for me, but the return was quick and easy and I got my money back right away. I've even ordered clothes from them and it's always been fine so far!

      Delete
  15. I order from bad A regularly. It's too difficult to go out searching for items that a store might or might not have and then I have to schlep it home, while A puts what I need on my front steps. I have a NuWave countertop oven that does so many things I haven't tried them all yet, including dehydrating. And yes, it came from A.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Got got Amazon Prime when we discovered that the pet store my husband works for can't get certain large sizes of tank chemicals for his side job servicing aquariums. Now that we're paying for a monthly membership, it's silly to not use it as much as possible. Until now we've always had very positive experiences.

      Delete
  16. I wish that all dog owners were as good as you....not jumping in, but considering everything carefully.
    A few days ago a neighbour's dog was out on the busy road and it turned out that the ( single) Mum had gone to work, leaving 3 boys to get themselves off to school, and they had left the front door open!Apparently not the first time the dog had been out on his own!Luckily my husband was able to catch him and we eventually found out where he belonged. Never seen the dog before, and as they only live 5 houses away from us, I guess he doesn't ever get a walk!I hope that going back to work isn't as bad as you think it might be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We want our next dog experience to be a good one. We've never taken the time to think things through so much with a dog, but we're trying to do the right thing.

      I feel so bad for dogs that never get walks. Our George gets two short walks a day, at least.

      Delete
  17. Once again, you prove to be an admirably responsible pet owner - I wish more people were like you in that respect! The right dog will eventually come along at the right time for you, I am sure of that.
    You are so right about nice things to look forward to making the return to work easier. I hope the general situation at work will be OK for you.
    Your and Marco's new friend is adorable!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wasn't that nice of Fresca, to send that little red haired girlie to live with us? She has a place of honor in our home office (which also doubles as Marco's room).

      Delete
  18. Please investigate dehydrating sliced fruit in your regular oven. Surely, spread out on oven trays on a low heat you could get some satisfactory results.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what I suggested when Jennifer first wrote about getting a dehydrator. The only disadvantage is that she won't be able to use the oven for anything else while the drying is going on.

      Delete
    2. The problem is that my oven will only go so low, and there's a wide range of things I'd like to dehydrate. I'd really like to cut down on food waste.

      Delete
  19. I came down here to say the same thing as YP. You can dehydrate using your own oven. No lost counter space.

    ReplyDelete