Simple Facts we need to know:

Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are absolutely AWESOME when cooked on a b-b-q or grille. But I guess there are ‘right’ ways and ‘wrong’ ways to cook them. Case in point: a month ago, I wrapped sweet potatoes in tin foil and cooked them on the b-b-q along with some chicken for dinner. They cooked beautifully, coming piping hot, sweeter than sugar, and nice and moist. Mum, Ida and I all agreed they were the best sweet potatoes.

But last night I decided to slice and then grill the sweet potatoes, per a recipe I had found, spraying with Pam, and sprinkling with brown sugar before placing on grill, per directions. Cook 8 minutes per side. So I slap the steaks on the grill (marinated in Jack Daniels) and toss my ‘taters on the fire as well following instructions. MY POOR SWEET TATERS! Charred to a crisp, and I cooked them on a LOW flame. I was able to salvage some from the first batch and asked mom to scrap some of the black off as I cooked the second batch, hovering over the b-b-q. It didn’t matter; they still charred to some degree, or were under cooked in spots.

So what did we learn??? Slicing and grilling the sweet potatoes bad. Wrapping and cooking in tin foil GOOD.

Priorities of a vet’s office
Saturday I give my two little mushroom-noses breakfast which they enjoyed and then they went about playing the kitty-cat chasing games. Mum, Ida and I were watching TV and mom heard a noise and sees Cro`i slink out of the bathroom. Turned out my tabby had an upset tummy, and irked on the floor…her breakfast wasn’t digested. Saturday night dinner and yesterday’s feedings all were uneventful, and no more upset tummy for Cro`i.

But this morning when Ida called to check in with me, she told me Cro`i tossed her cookies again after she ate. So I give Ida the run down, check nose, eyes and body temperature of Cro`i. Make sure her and her brother have fresh water. Every time I check with Ida, it seems Cro`i is on the mend, and I’m glad. But then when I was talking with my friend Claire, she said maybe if Cro`i is drinking out of Snacks bowl, the bacteria from fish stuff is upsetting her tummy. *Ding-ding-ding* light bulb went off in my head, that seems like a valid point.

So I call a vet that we used when (our dog Scruffy) was alive. When I had gotten Pooka & Cro`i had switched vet’s because I wanted a change in pet care. Anyway, I call the (my old) vet’s office and ask: “If my cat drinks the water out of a fish bowl which does NOT have chemicals in it….can they still get sick? And if so, how much is an office visit?” (Because you just know how the vet tries to hose you on: shots, vitamins, expensive all-natural, non-processed food, and if you love your pet….you’ll buy them these things.) So the receptionist asks me if I have actually seen Cro`i drink the water, and I progress to say: “Well not her, but she does stick her little head in. Her brother on the other hand does manage to drink the water.” And in return I get: “Well that poor fish much be scared out of its wits with cats sticking their faces in its bowl.”

WOW! This then reminds me of why I opted to change vets after we had to put Scruffy down. Priorities. The receptionist then proceeds to tell me that an office visit is $45.00, and I proceed to tell her I’ll keep an eye on my cat to see if she is indeed drinking the water. But my goodness! Forget about my poor kitty who is feeling under the weather. How dare I allow my cats terrorize a 25 cent gold fish?