spaazliciousWednesday, June 30, 2004
Oh BARF!
Bones And Raw Food,that is. Also known as the Biologically Apropriate Raw Food Diet, as you can see from the link, although that name is a registered trademark of Dr. Billinghurst.
If you clicked on that first link, don't let it scare you. That person is doing it the Martha Stewart way. I am doing it the Dexter's Deli way. Which is to say, for the time being, I just went to the shop and picked up some prepackaged frozen patties and bones as extra treats. There are pre-packaged BARF foods that are meant to be incorporated into a larger diet scheme, but for the moment, we have the equivalent of the starter's kit for transition time. Pretty much the whole package. After I've learned more, I'll get more neurotic about it. ;)
I've been meaning to switch them for a long time. Tahoe is underweight, Bélu is overweight, and Tahoe's pickiness has pretty much meant free-feeding. Which will eventually kill Bélu, because she just can't stop herself.
I tried to implement diet plan feedings with commercial food (well, Solid Gold, a local company) but Tahoe only will eat a certain amount on a schedule if it is made very high value and Bélu's not so stupid she'll see a bowl full of supermix four times a day being made up for her brother and NOT notice that all she gets is dry kibble with just a sprinkle of liver powder...long story short, this will fulfill dietary needs and desires and be healthier for them, while being possibly less a pain in the ass than what we were doing before. We've just heard incredible things from other dog owners on the BARF.
Speaking of propaganda, I almost barfed (in the traditional sense) when I saw these bags of food in the dog food store:
The ingredients are good, but WOW, way to take a schlocky brand and really push it everywhere. Like the pet rock of the self-help world.
In fiber:
I am ready to throw the Firestar fiber out the window and let the birds in my neighborhood have wicked-cool nests. I'm trying to spin it really fine for plying, and it just isn't having it. The yarn keeps sliding apart. I've adjusted ratios, speeds, twists...it's not like this stuff is all that sweet to the hand in the first place. Any advice would certainly be welcome.
Even though I need to work on the second Critter Knitters blankie, I've started a lace shawl:
I'd used my swift to wind up a skein of Nandia cashmere's silk/cashmere laceweight, and in ten minutes I'd wound it all, when before, sans swift, it took ten minutes to wind a paltry fifty yards before breaking the yarn in knotted frustration.
BTW, if anyone is thinking about buying the Nandia cashmere from eBay, don't. Not worth the wait, and it feels like a wool/cotton blend. But, hey it's in the stash now, so I might as well use it.
What I really have to do is finish the Map of the World afghan panel I'm on, and start that crayon-coloured cardigan. Yeah, and...
Meanwhile, the house is a bit of a mess--is there anything more soul-suckingly dull than washing the same dishes, clothes, household surfaces over and over and over again?
Thankfully, crafting can really spice up one's life:
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If you clicked on that first link, don't let it scare you. That person is doing it the Martha Stewart way. I am doing it the Dexter's Deli way. Which is to say, for the time being, I just went to the shop and picked up some prepackaged frozen patties and bones as extra treats. There are pre-packaged BARF foods that are meant to be incorporated into a larger diet scheme, but for the moment, we have the equivalent of the starter's kit for transition time. Pretty much the whole package. After I've learned more, I'll get more neurotic about it. ;)
I've been meaning to switch them for a long time. Tahoe is underweight, Bélu is overweight, and Tahoe's pickiness has pretty much meant free-feeding. Which will eventually kill Bélu, because she just can't stop herself.
I tried to implement diet plan feedings with commercial food (well, Solid Gold, a local company) but Tahoe only will eat a certain amount on a schedule if it is made very high value and Bélu's not so stupid she'll see a bowl full of supermix four times a day being made up for her brother and NOT notice that all she gets is dry kibble with just a sprinkle of liver powder...long story short, this will fulfill dietary needs and desires and be healthier for them, while being possibly less a pain in the ass than what we were doing before. We've just heard incredible things from other dog owners on the BARF.
Speaking of propaganda, I almost barfed (in the traditional sense) when I saw these bags of food in the dog food store:
The ingredients are good, but WOW, way to take a schlocky brand and really push it everywhere. Like the pet rock of the self-help world.
In fiber:
I am ready to throw the Firestar fiber out the window and let the birds in my neighborhood have wicked-cool nests. I'm trying to spin it really fine for plying, and it just isn't having it. The yarn keeps sliding apart. I've adjusted ratios, speeds, twists...it's not like this stuff is all that sweet to the hand in the first place. Any advice would certainly be welcome.
Even though I need to work on the second Critter Knitters blankie, I've started a lace shawl:
I'd used my swift to wind up a skein of Nandia cashmere's silk/cashmere laceweight, and in ten minutes I'd wound it all, when before, sans swift, it took ten minutes to wind a paltry fifty yards before breaking the yarn in knotted frustration.
BTW, if anyone is thinking about buying the Nandia cashmere from eBay, don't. Not worth the wait, and it feels like a wool/cotton blend. But, hey it's in the stash now, so I might as well use it.
What I really have to do is finish the Map of the World afghan panel I'm on, and start that crayon-coloured cardigan. Yeah, and...
Meanwhile, the house is a bit of a mess--is there anything more soul-suckingly dull than washing the same dishes, clothes, household surfaces over and over and over again?
Thankfully, crafting can really spice up one's life:
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