Got the Time?

When we arrive at Central Park for our weekly Saturday romp - we enter off of 59th street - go through the zoo...and then to FREEDOM...we have to keep our leashes on in the zoo - even in the off leash hours. I guess some dogs would want to stay and play with the animals....I want to get to the other side - where Mom unsnaps my leash and I run around like a ....trying to come up with the right word...but truth be known...I RUN AROUND LIKE A FOOL! A very happy fool!


On our way through the zoo - we come upon the Delacorte Clock...


The Delacorte Clock, is located right above the arcade between the Wildlife Center and the Children's Zoo . It was a gift of publisher and philanthropist George T. Delacorte and was dedicated on June 4, 1965. Designer Fernando Texidor collaborated with architect Edward Coe Embury (son of the 1934 zoo’s designer, Aymar Embury II) to create a brick arcaded bridge between the Monkey House (now the Zoo School) and the main Central Park Zoo quadrangle to house the clock and its animal sculpture carousel. Italian sculptor Andrea Spadini (1912–1983) crafted the whimsical bronze sculptures, which depict a penguin, kangaroo, bear, elephant, goat, and hippo parading with a variety of musical instruments as well as two monkeys with mallets that strike the bell.

Each day between eight in the morning and six in the evening, the clock--now digitally programmed--plays one of thirty-two nursery rhyme tunes on the hour. On the half-hour, the mechanical performance is a bit shorter. The animals rotate on a track around the clock and each also turns on an axis.
In 1995, the Central Park Conservancy supervised a restoration of the clock and sculptures, financed through an endowment established by the family of Mr. Delacorte in 1993.

Just another fun spot we get to enjoy and I wanted to share with my friends.

NEXT UP: UNGA....to those who don't live in NYC - this is the United Nations General Assembly. It's an annual meeting - the streets in our neighborhood are blocked off due to all the motorcades coming and going from the UN...which means 1st Avenue will be lined with Police Officers and Firemen...Its my favorite time of year. It takes twice as long for me to get to the dog run in the morning, because I MUST stop and greet each and every one. And you know I'm not kidding...it embarasses Mom - which of course is half the fun. Now that I'm blogging I will remind her to take the camera!

Friday Night is Date Night

The evenings have started to get a little cooler here in New York. Just right for hanging out with my guy at 47th Street. Mom called Due's Mom as soon as she left the office. It was just too nice of a night to stay inside - so we met at the corner and headed to one of our favorite spots in the City.
Sometimes - It's just nice to hold someone close - on a cool late summer night! And tomorrow...I heard talk of an early start! 7:30AM people. Rise and shine....it's off to Central Park!

SAVE THE DATE

Central Bark Designs will be participating in our FIRST Craft Show! It should be a lot of fun. Of course since it's our first one - Mom's insisting that I stay home - but I wanted to invite all of our friends in the NYC area to stop by and say hello! (And give Mom a bad time about leaving me out of all the fun!)

In the meantime I'm extremely busy supervising production of our handpainted pet place mats. I've put Mom on a tight production schedule. 10-12 mats a week until the show! (That's double what she normally completes - plus we have company (Mom's Mom & Dad) next week....we'll see.)

We have another new design in the works. This one is inspired by a David Hicks pattern. Here's a sneak peak at it....


Once we finish it - Due and his Mom review it - and help us find just the right NYC landmark or neighborhood to name it after.

For more information on Crafts in Chelsea click here. We hope to see you there (I'm still working on Mom trying to convince her that having me along would be a great sales tool!)

In the meantime - forecast for tomorrow is BEAUTIFUL...Central Park here we come!

Ahhhh....Due

"What I feel for you seems less of earth and more

of a cloudless heaven." --Victor Hugo

It's just a little irritating when Due and I are sharing a private moment -

and Mom thinks it's a Kodak moment.

HEY - PUT THE CAMERA AWAY....

Paparazzi - even in my own home!

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.....

Tomorrow night - the DueMan, the Duester, the Dude-a-licous One....is coming to dinner...and if I play my cards right....I believe I heard talk of a sleepover! Oh baby! Of course that means that I'll let Due sleep with Mom....and I'll be close by just in case he wants to play...at all hours of the day or night...seriously People - I'm in H-E-A-V-E-N, absolute, cows jumping over the moon, HEAVEN!

We'll be sure to give you a full report on our activities....

Sunday Dinner

I'm ready....let me taste.....are you sure you know what you're doing.....

Mom took a break from cooking during the month of August. She claims it was due to the heat – sounded like a pretty lame excuse to me. Now it’s September, the weather is already cooler – and that means Mom is cooking again. And by that I mean Mom (with my supervision of course) is cooking FOR ME. She tends to order in for herself – we are Manhattan girls after all, although I don't think those lamp chops she bought today were for me. Hmmm. I digress.

A few years ago, after my bout with cancer – the vet recommended “Dr. Harvey’s Canine Health”. I had a Stage 2 Mast Cell tumor on my front left leg. Had surgery to remove it - then 16 rounds of radiation. Not a good time - I think Mom was a little more stressed over it all than me. Of course she kept calling me, "Paris", because she said I was running up credit card bills like an out of control hotel heiress. BOTTOM LINE - I had cancer. I got treated...and then I met Due and fell in love....so in other words...LIFE IS GOOD. Back to today's topic....DR. HARVEY'S....

It’s a dry mix of organic grains and vegetables that you cook up into an oatmeal-type base, then add a protein, mix together, divide into serving sizes and voila! It only takes about 20 minutes start to finish, and she has to do it twice a week. When she knows she’s going to be away – she makes a few batches and freezes them. (Honestly - it tastes the same to me whether it's freshly made or frozen)

It’s easy –

Brown up 3 lbs of your favorite protein (chicken, turkey, beef). Mom claims my favorite is which ever one is on sale. For special occasions (Christmas, Birthday – I get Bison!)

Add a little oil to the pan. (Canola, Sunflower, Olive). It is important to rotate the oils and proteins.

In a large pot, bring 9 cups of water to a boil, add 4 cups of the Dr. Harvey’s mix. Reduce heat, stir, continue to cook for 8:00. (Mom turns the heat off when there's 4:00 left on the timer)

Combine the meat with the “oatmeal”, mix well, divide into individual serving. Mom uses Ziploc 14oz round containers. One batch makes 7-8 servings depending on how much taste testing I insist upon. (And you know I insist)

A ten pound bag of the mix lasts a little over 2 months. It runs around $70 and it available online or at specialty pet stores. Between the mix and the protein, I know it’s expensive, but it’s been over 2 years since my episode with cancer – and I am running around the neighborhood and Central Park like a pup half my age.

I heard Mom talking earlier and it sounded like plans were being made for Due to stay with us Wednesday night....I can't wait!

Hope you had a lovely weekend.....until our next adventure....

ANOTHER RAIN DELAY

This is the face of a housebound pup. It's been raining all day - and TODAY WAS CENTRAL PARK DAY...as is every Saturday. Forecast says it will clear by the morning. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. If we're stuck inside the least Mom could do is bake me (& The Due-ster) some peanut buttery treats.....I'll keep you posted!