Doo Doo Nice Puppy

It was so good to see my mother with the puppies today. (That's her with Laverne at the right.)

My mother has always been one of those cloying people who talk baby-talk to animals. I remember when my sister had a hamster named Tang, because he was the color of the drink.

My mother would hold him in her hands at night and croon "ooo...doo doo nice Tangers..." over and over again. (To this day we still tease her about that.)

Today the puppies made their ?third trip to San Rafael and this is the first time she's even really noticed them. The first time I brought them down, she did help give them a bath, since they were so poopy. And she's held one or the other of them in her lap to calm them down while was feeding the other puppy.

But there was no baby talk and no real cuddling and interacting with them.

Today she was scheduled for a blood test and I packed the puppies in the car around 7:30 and we headed off to her house. She still didn't remember what she was going to get or where she was supposed to get it and I probably had to explain a dozen times that her doctor is going to call her tomorrow.

My heart also sank when I got there. I had told her on Sunday and yesterday and this morning that this was a fasting blood test and as we were walking to the hospital she confessed she'd had a glass of orange juice. "That's ok," she laughed. "I'll just lie about it..." So I explained again the purpose of blood tests and warned that they might not take her blood. The receptionist had the same reaction, but apparently the phlebotomist decided to take it anyway. Fortunately. Next time I'll be more specific--no food OR drink!

But she is obviously feeling better physically. And when she took a puppy in her lap while I was feeding another puppy, the old baby talk was there. Of course how could you not? They are almost growing visibly each day. Their fur is growing out so that they feel fluffy, and they are sucking on each other less (possibly because they are drinking 6-8 oz of formula at each feeding and are too sated to do anything but lie on their backs and sleep).

(I can hardly wait for Brianna to see the puppies on Thursday. What is a better photo op than babies with puppies?)

If my turkey thaws out by tomorrow, I plan to try brining a turkey this year. I've never done it before, but people rave about how good the turkey is. Of course, the turkey right now is still mostly frozen, but definitely thawing. They say three days eis enough to thaw a frozen turkey.

Also going to make pumpkin pies tomorrow. I tried out the new pie crust maker that I bought a few weeks ago. Despite making pies all of my adult life, and proclaiming myself an "expert" especially at making crust, for some reason, using the same recipe, the same ingredients, the same procedure, I cannot roll out a crust to save my soul. They crack and break and sometimes I even throw them away because I've worked them so much I know they are going to be tough--and I hate a tough crust.

So someone told me about this pie crust maker, which is a plastic zippered pouch into which you put your ball of dough. Then you zip it up and roll it out. It was the first pie crust I've rolled out perfectly in a very lng time, so I am convinced that my pumpkin pies will go very well this year.