Do we need time to mull over banning exotic animals?

Did you know that in Chillicothe, Ohio you can't have a cow in the backyard, but you can keep a cougar? You must obtain permits for unusual pets such as alligators, goats, raccoons and even horses, but the law is often ignored , permits not obtained, and officials respond mostly to complaints according to the health department.How insane is that!

In reality, city ordinances prohibiting ownership of potentially dangerous animals are uncommon and ownership in rural areas is also a significant problem. A state wide bill is long overdue. Police Chief Roger Moore is urging the city council in Chillicothe to take action now to keep the city free of lions, tigers and bears. Following the disaster on Terry Thompson's farm where he freed dozens of exotic animals from their cages outside Zanesville, Ohio on October 18, 2011, this should be a "no-brainer" for city council. Immediate passage of a city ordinance would make possession of a dangerous animal a fourth-degree misdemeanor punishable by 30 days in jail and a $250 fine. In my opinion, the penalty should be more like a $1000 fine and 60 days in jail. The Ohio house Bill which Jack Hanna and other advocates have endorsed will prohibit the private ownership of exotic animals. Hearings on this bill begin in about 30 days. Stay tuned.

Someeone did this on purpose

Today is another blustery winter day.   Beautiful really, with big fluffy flakes sifting from the sky.  Feeding the horses always gives me time for reflection and I find myself thinking about what happened to an employee of Home Depot.     People like Gayle Weisler renew my faith in the human race  and yet her  recent experience reminds me of those who are cruel and persecute wildlife.   Earlier this month, Gayle  found an emaciated mallard duck pacing in the parking lot with a zip tie clamped tightly around the ducks orange beak.  The tie had become embedded in his beak.   Someone did this on purpose.  She engaged four others to capture the duck, clip off the zip tie and then she took the duck to the Ohio Wildlife Center's hospital.   The duck is now recuperating and weighs more than seven times what he did when he arrived.  He is healing.   I send a prayer of thanks to  those dear people who are kind at heart like Gayle and Dr. Donald Burton, the center's founder and director.   As they say, "What goes around, comes around".

A great find!

With great regret I just finished reading "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness, a novel of magic, history and romance taking the reader from Oxford to the mountains of Auvergne as a contemporary woman meets the power that is her legacy.    This is the first book in the All Souls Trilogy.  Book two, Shadow of Night, is set to release in July 2012.  I was engaged from the start.  This was a good read.   Deborah Harkness has information about her award winning wine blog "Good Wine Under $20" on her website www.deborahharkness.com

Soup's on

It is a cold and snowy night, snowflakes swirl and drift into a deep snowfall as I head out for a late night barn check.   The night is silent, all sound muffled by this white blanket.  This is the first snow of the season and it is beautiful.  The dogs walk in the tire tracks, root in the snow and roll over  making me laugh out loud.   They are covered in snow.   The horses all get a fat flake of hay and fresh water, the barn doors closed against the drifting snow, and I hurry back from the barn and head into the kitchen as it is a perfect night to make some soup.

I am making French Onion soup which will not be ready to serve for a day or two, as it takes time for the flavors to enhance.  This is one of my favorite winter soups to serve with a tossed salad.  I prepare the onion mix by baking it in a cast iron dutch oven.  You will need a 5 quart size Dutch Oven for this recipe.  I prefer cast iron.

Soup Ingredients:

• 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into  pieces
• 7 large yellow onions, cut in  half, cut pole to pole into 1/4-inch-thick slicees
• 1 cup water, plus extra for deglazing
• 2  10.5 oz. cans Campbell's chicken broth
• 1 can 14.5 oz. Swanson beef broth, low sodium, no fat
•  2 sprigs fresh thyme , tied with kitchen twine or sprinkle of dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Ground black pepper

1. Heat  oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray the inside of  the Dutch oven with a nonstick cooking spray. Add the onions and top with slices of the  butter.  Cook in covered dutch oven  for 1 hour.     Remove the pot from the oven and stir, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot.  Return the pot to the oven with the lid barely ajar and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown.  Stir every 30 minutes and cook for about  another 1 1/2 hours
3. Remove pot from oven and place over medium heat.  Stir frequently scraping  pot until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes.  Reduce heat if the onions are browning too quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently.
4. Stir in 1/4 cup water and cook until water evaporates.  Repeat process of deglazing , adding about 1/4 cup of water 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown.
5. Stir in the broth, 1 cup of water, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper to taste.
6. Increase heat to high and bring  to simmer.   Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard herbs.   You can sweeten to taste with a teaspoon of sugar. (optional).    Refrigerate for 1-2 days before serving for best flavor.

When ready to serve, top with baguette slices that have been baked in a 400 degree oven until bread is crisp and golden at edges.   This takes about 10 minutes.   Top each bowl of soup with 1-2 baguette slices and sprinlke with Gruyere cheese.   You can broil these to melt the cheese,  leaving about 6 inches from broiler, until the cheese melts.