Chuki

So the pupsters is here and he's been with us for a smidge over 24 hours and we're in love. His name is Chuki. Its pronounced like chew-key. He's teeny tiny and mostly brown. He's got a little white spot under his mouth and 2 of his feet have little white spots. But other than that he's all brown.

He's only 6 weeks old. In America you probably wouldn't be allowed to take a puppy home at 6 weeks but here in Ecuador, "No problem man." He's been weened so he's eating dry puppy food. We're working on going potty outside. So far there haven't been too many full fledged accidents. Usually, we catch him right before or at the very beginning and we move him outside.

The main thing is that he's used to sleeping with 8 other little puppies all in one teeny tiny dog house. So his great comfy bed is scary and lonely. Basically, he whined all night. I think/hope he'll do better tonight. We've been playing a lot in his room (the laundry room) so that he actually likes being in there. Every time we've come back into the house he's gone straight for his room (YAY!). During the day he really doesn't whine at all, which is nice.

But about what's really important... his cuteness! Gosh he's soo stinking cute. Everything he does is just darling. I'm serious. I can't explain it. You'll just have to come and see for yourself. Although I can tell you that Ryan and I get the most laughs out of him doing the stairs in our apartment or anywhere really. He's just so small that he has to really work to get up anything. Then going down is more like PLOP.

We went for a really long walk today to tire him out. We'll probably go for another one in a little while so that he's tired for tonight. The best part about taking him out of the house is that EVERYONE just gushes and he LOVES it! In fact, when he sees someone coming he just sits down and waits for them to come over to him. For some reason, if they don't he looks at them like "why don't you think I'm cute" or something like that. Anyways, he's great with strangers and strangers love him.

He just got up from a nap and wandered into the living room. He's curled up next to me about to fall asleep. =) Ahh puppy love!

puppy love

Check out additional pictures on facebook. =)

Baking Woes

So we're sitting here at home, 20 minutes late for Casey's going away party because I'm waiting on this stupid cake to finish baking. Smittenkitchen told me it should olny take about 20 minutes, as did a ton of her fans' comments, but no, not here in Ecuador.

I'm in a baking rut. Everything that I've made lately comes out too light, too airy. Light and airy is good, dont get me wrong, but not when you want oozey and gooey or rich and creamy or just regular cake. I don't get it.

Does anyone have any ideas why everything I bake isn't cooking properly? and how I can adjust so that it does?

MULUB,

Taylor

Transitional Plan

If you don't have a transitional plan you run lots of risks with Home Cooking for your dog. First of all the pup may not actually like home cooking so you have to ween him on. I've never actually heard of that happening, but I suppose it's a possibility. 

More importantly is the pup needs time to adapt to new foods. Believe me, Chuki has enough stomach issues as it is, I wouldn't want to add one to your pup! So go slow and be aware. You're looking for anything out of the ordinary. Keep your eyes open for vomiting, diarrhea, dullness of coat or glassy eyes. Warning this is kind of gross: You will probably see a change in his poop for the first couple of days, maybe even a week. It will probably be softer and not pellet like. What you don't want is pure liquid coming from his bottom end. Just be mindful of it.  

The Tale of the Missing Cheese

Right after pay day we were feeling pretty low and so on our weekly Wednesday night trip to the grocery store, I decided to splurge and buy some cheese. Real cheese that is. None of this Queso Fresco bologna. It was $7 for a teeny, tiny round. The round was divided into four quarters of four different cheeses. One quarter was a mild cheddar, one was a herbed cheese, one was a gouda, and the other one I can't remember.

Now you may wonder why I can't remember what it was seeing that I, clearly, love cheese and remember the others. Well... let me tell you.

We had just opened said quarter of cheese in the kitchen. We were going to snack on it while watching a movie (or probably more accurately Big Bang Theory on DVD). Said cheese was on the counter in the kitchen, on a cutting board. We each cut ourselves a piece and then I gave a tiny piece to Chuki and we went into the living room to proceed with the movie. When I came back to the kitchen for my second piece (I had every intention of eating the whole quarter that night) it was gone. GONE! What's $7 divided by 4? Because whatever that is, just went down the drain. Or to be more exact down Chuki's little mouth, into his very happy tummy.

Needless to say, I was more than astonished and very, very mad! That was the first time I'd ever known him to jump up on the counter. Oh what a bad, bad dog! But even Chuki will do whatever it takes for some decent cheese in this country.

Now whenever we get the 'good cheese' out I guard it. It goes at the VERY back of the counter with a towel over it and something very noisy in front of it, like a pan with a medal spoon in it. That way the alarm will sound if he even tries to get to MY CHEESE!

MULUB,

Taylor

Photos of Cuyes

2nd consecutive post on sports...

Greetings, earthlings. It's been a while since I posted, and well, you know what they say, "If you don't use it, you lose it." And, well......

First off, and this is not just because I live in a socialist country now, I hate the Winter Olympics. And I couldn't care less about hockey, either. I'm sorry if that makes me a bad person. The only event I watched (not by choice) was the gold medal curling match. And it was terrible. But, back to hockey. It is unwatchable. It's like if soccer were played underwater and you couldn't ever see the ball. What's the point. And most of the other events are all variations on one theme: There's a mountain and you see who can go down it the fastest. Luge, skeleton, bobsled, slalom, downhill. It's all the same look. The Winter Olympics is the Derek Zoolander of sporting events.

Sure, the Summer Olympics has a lot of the same stuff too, but there is a lot more variation. Plus it's exciting. There's basketball, boxing, Eastern European women(possibly) lifting cars, or something. If the Winter Olympics put the pommel horse on the side of a mountain and said, "Okay Nadia, lets see what you're made of", than perhaps they would grab my attention. Or they could draw up a basketball court on a frozen lake. That would really be the Winter Olympics' Magnum.

I finally had my first taste of cuy (pictures to come). I thought it was pretty good, as far as deep fried rodents go. Roasted is up next. Gotta try 'em all. Once you pop the fun don't stop. When pizza's on a bagel.... Oh yeah, Doritos time! Gotta crunch it 'cuz it's good.

That's all, off to bed and a 5:30 alarm.

-Ryan