“We choose to be optimists or pessimists. Pessimists may be right sometimes, but so are optimists. Optimists are happier and have more fun. Choose wisely.”
— Cathy Burnham Martin – American author, voiceover artist & dedicated foodie
(Photo by Susan Q. Yin)
“The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. There will always be people seeking to take away freedom, and they must always be resisted.”
— Tom Ellis, Partner at Ai Law in Liverpool, UK in 2021
(Photo by Pete Linforth)
As a dedicated fan of the delectably tender, sweet cold water lobster, how could I possibly not share a favorite lobster recipe (first published in my 2012 book) with you on National Lobster Newburg Day? Here it is… straight out of my first full-color cookbook, “Lobacious Lobster” from 2017.
This is one of the most wonderful ways to present a splashy-looking and tasting entrée without all the “fuss.”
¼ c butter
2 T flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp paprika (& a dash of cayenne pepper, optional)
2 T dry sherry (you can substitute dry white wine)
2 lg egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 and ½ c light cream
2 c (about 1 lb) cooked lobster meat, cut in ½ – 1” pieces
In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt the butter; stir in flour. Then stir in salt, paprika & sherry, followed by lobster. In a small bowl, combine yolks and cream. Stir a couple of spoonfuls of the hot butter mixture into the cream mixture; then gradually stir the entire cream mixture into the butter mixture in the top of the double boiler. Continue to cook over the lowest heat over the hot simmering water just until thickened, stirring often. Stir in the lobster and let cook 1-2 more minutes, just to heat the lobster through. Serve on its own, over crispy toast points or puff pastry patty shells, or in a crusty bread bowl. Makes 4 appetizers or 2 entrée servings.
KISS Tip: Do NOT overcook this or any other lobster dish or you will get tough lobster.
KISS Variation: For One-Bite Newburgs spoon the hot filling into pre-made miniature phyllo pastry cups and serve with a touch of freshly chopped parsley on top. Mini pastry cups can typically be found in boxes of 15 in a supermarket frozen food section.
“As for courage and will — we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead.”
— Andre Alice Norton (1912 – 2005)
American science fiction and fantasy writer
“Happiness is a warm puppy.” 
– Charles Monroe “Sparky” Schulz (1922 – 2000)
American cartoonist; creator of comic strip “Peanuts”
Cathy Chats, Daily Thoughts, recipes, books, audiobooks, and all my articles can be found at www.GoodLiving123.com, where I strive to share information that helps make Good Living as easy as 1-2-3.
I read a cartoon once that said something like, “Job satisfaction comes from doing what you enjoy… without the boss finding out.”
Wayyyy better when we can love our work! As my hubby often says to me, “That’s not work. You like it!” (We call such statements from him “Ronnerisms.”)
Today, however, may goofing off be among your goals attained!
(Photo by Holger Langmaier)
“We all fare better when we can balance freely expressing and quietly listening.”
― Cathy Burnham Martin, Encouragement: How to Be and Find the Best
(Image by Jeremy Bishop)
Because this is Harmony Day, I also love Nature’s harmony. The little video shows our weeping cherry tree, literally swarming with all varieties of bees, as they celebrate the return of Nature’s sweet nectars. I love seeing the bees and butterflies busily doing their work, which pollinates so many other treasures!
When our precious little Maltipoo published “A Dangerous Book for Dogs: Train Your Humans with the Bandit Method” in 2016, he warned his fellow pooch pals to not let the book fall into human hands. He made one important exception, however, for this special bonus chapter. We’re pleased to keep paying it forward during National Animal Poison Prevention Week, but we’ll also keep it on the GoodLiving123.com website indefinitely. Enjoy the read… in the words of our Furrrever Friend, Bandit.
FOOD & TREAT SAFETY
We’re not talking about overspending here; this is about teaching your humans to save your life! Probably most of us have been guilty of eating the wrong things, but we also must teach our humans not to offer some items to their favorite furry beasts… EVEN WHEN WE BEG MOST ADORABLY. They think they are giving us a treat, but they are likely giving us a tummy ache, at the very least. So, go ahead and tear out these pages. This Extra Treat of vital information should be left somewhere where your humans will see it.
Damage caused by some items, such as onions, is cumulative. So, a little in last night’s table scraps might not be such a big deal, right? Wrong. Because there may be a little more evilness than they realized… in the form of onion powder, or raw scraps while onions were being chopped, etc.
Keeping us safe and healthy is one of the most important ways that our humans show they love us! We show them love ALL the time.
I’ve seen many lists, but with lots of differences from list to list. I am one who’d rather be safe than sorry. So, here is an accumulated listing, gathered from my knowledge gained from my trusted veterinary staff at the Bedford Animal Hospital, and the following websites:
www.webMD.com
www.dogs.about.com
www.ASPCA.com
and the Pet Education site from www.DrsFosterSmith.com
There are many more sites, so I thought it might be helpful to compare lists. I learned a lot. For example, I’ve always had a great deal of confusion over which herbs, spices, and flavorings would be most important to avoid as pets. I had heard that cinnamon was bad, but it turns out that in small amounts it is just fine, along with other more traditional things like sage and mint. Nutmeg, on the other hand, is considered very bad… in any amount. That makes it extra important not to give us a human-type cookie or other sweet that could very well contain some ill-advised flavoring.
Most of us know that table scraps are a BIG no-no though we want them in a BIG yes-yes way. Our humans are trying to do their best, and they do not realize that they are NOT doing us a favor, nor are they “spoiling” us with such things as the extra fat they cut off the meat they just ate or a bite of buttery biscuit that they passed coyly under the table to our gleefully awaiting mouths. Healthy pets need healthy diets. Unhealthy is the only way to describe diets with too much fat, or sugar, or salt… for humans or us critters.
One bite may be no big deal to a human, but to a dog, especially a small dog, or a cat, that one bite is the size of a meal. It probably should be called “supersized.”
WebMD reported 100,000 cases of pet poisoning in the United States of America just last year. The ASPCA details a full 25% of emergency calls they received last year alone were because a pet had just gobbled up some human medication, frequently ibuprofen and acetaminophen. No matter what the medicine may be… human or pet… our humans need to keep them safely out of our reach.
Some items we critters may consume will cause varying symptoms and degrees of risk. These depend a lot on the quantity consumed, our individual size, and our personal constitution and sensitivity. Regardless, no one who loves their animals wants us to suffer indigestion, breathing difficulties, diarrhea, weakness, or vomiting, never mind kidney or liver damage, coma, or death.
So, let’s look at a basic list to share with your humans. This certainly does not contain every single item, but it does give you a strong starting point.
Human and Pet Medications
Chemical Poisons
Plants
I’d heard about this decades ago with regard to cats and some dangerous house plants such as Philodendron, but the list of items that are bad is quite lengthy and includes some common varieties:
Human Foods
Difficult to digest (causing vomiting, diarrhea, and other digestive upsets), though not poisonous:
There are several emergency numbers you may want to keep handy as help is available 24/7:
(These numbers/rates are effective as of 2016.)
ASPCA.org Poison Control Center 888-426-4435 ($65)
Pet Poison Helpline.com 855-764-7661 ($49)
National Animal Poison Control 800-548-2423 ($30)
Animal Poison Helpline.com 800-213-6680 ($39)
Kansas State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital
1-785-532-5679 (FREE)
While most of these lines charge fees, in an emergency, these may seem like a pretty small price to pay to keep from poisoning us. Humans should also find out where the 24-hour veterinary service providers are in their local area. Get your humans to keep those numbers on the same list.
“I like to laugh at myself.
It frees me from any pesky expectations or delusions of grandeur.”
― Cathy Burnham Martin, Author
“Encouragement: How to Be and Find the Best,” 2019
(Image by Sarah Richter)
“A faithful friend is the medicine of life.”
–Apocrypha: The Book of Ecclesiasticus 6:16
They say everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. All I know is we can all at least claim to have a bit of the blarney in us. Thank you, friends. Love, peace, good health, and calmness are in my daily prayers. Enjoy the day with this Irish Toast:
“There are good ships and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships, and may they ever be.”
(Photo by Claudia Welleson)
“Eagles come in all shapes and sizes, but you will recognize them chiefly by their attitudes.”
— Charles Prestwich Scott (1846-1932)
British newspaper editor
Also published in Cathy Burnham Martin’s “A Healthier You” (2005) and “Healthy Thinking Habits” (2015)
(Photo by Denis Doukhan)
“The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.”
— Hubert H. Humphrey (1911 – 1978)
American pharmacist & politician
38th vice president of the United States
“Government bailouts are like potato chips. They can’t stop with just one.”
— Thomas Sowell (1930 – )
American economist, social theorist, and political philosopher
“Everything you can imagine is real.”
— Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)
Spanish painter & sculptor
(Photo by Judith Girard-Marczak)
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”
— Ambrose Hollingworth Redmoon (born James Neil Hollingworth) (1933 – 1996); American beatnik, hippie, and band manager
(Image by Cristi Ursea)
Yesterday was the International Day of Awesomeness, but it inspired me to think that we may be well-served by a Day of Awareness. With so much naysaying, criticism, and divisiveness fluttering about, I present one of my lines from my 2019 book.
“I am calling for uncommon decency.
Respect that comes from awareness.”
― Cathy Burnham Martin, author
Encouragement: How to Be and Find the Best, 2019
(Photo by Goran Horvat)
“People always tell you, ‘Be humble. Be humble.’ When was the last time someone told you to be amazing? Be great! Be great! Be awesome! Be awesome!”
— Kanye West (1977 – ); American rapper and record producer
Make this day YOUR day! Then do it again tomorrow!
(Photo by Mohoshin Uddin)
“’Twixt the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut, but the pessimist sees the hole!”
— Florence McLandburgh (1850-1934)
American poet; wrote under pen name McLandburgh Wilson
(Photo by Thornsten Frenzel)
“I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles.”
— Audrey Hepburn (1929 – 1993); British actress and humanitarian
(Image by Evgen Rom)
“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
— Helen Keller (1880 – 1968)
American author, political activist, and disability rights advocate
(Photo by Sasin Tipchai)
“When we lock down ideas we do not understand, we lock up our ability to gain understanding.”
— Cathy Burnham Martin
American author, voiceover artist & dedicated foodie
Yum! If cheddar is better, then puffs are the stuff!
Whether you like your cheddar puffed, crispy, fried, or baked, today’s the day to celebrate with true finger-lickin’-good yumminess. No worries. Remember, we can’t make everyone happy, because we are not cheese!
While G.I. refers to army personnel, this day encompasses all military divisions. HUGE thank you’s & hugs to all who serve and have served, and their families, too. Of interest is the tidbit that this date, March 4, is the only day on the calendar that sounds like a military command when said… “March forth!”
“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”
— Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)
German-born theoretical physicist; developed theory of relativity
Image by Joan Greenman
Yes! This is a real thing. Every March 3rd National Soup It Forward Day encourages us to deliver love and kindness by the bowlful because a warm cup of kindness comes in many forms.
To that end, I gleefully serve up one of my published soup recipes from my Keep It Super Simple collections. I created this scrumptious bisque after being served one near The Hamptons on Long Island, New York in 2005. If you are a fan of beets, you will find this soup to be yummy, healthy, and Super Simple.
Café Martin Fresh Beet Bisque
3 c chopped fresh beets, peeled
2 c chopped sweet onions
1 c chopped baby carrots
2 c chopped, peeled, cored apples (Granny Smith, Cortland, or combo)
2 c chicken broth
2 c beef broth
¼ tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt (I love the pink Himalayan salt.)
Freshly ground black pepper, to suit your taste
Put all vegetables, apples, & broth in large soup pot. Simmer, covered, on med-low heat for about 30 min or until vegetables are tender. In batches of 2 c each, process on puree setting in a blender, or use an immersion blender directly in your pan. Add seasonings and serve in heated bowls. Makes 8 cups (2 qts) of soup.
KISS Tip: Add a luscious creaminess by serving each bowl topped with a pat of butter in the center.
You can find this and all my cookbooks in paperback and ebook formats on my GoodLiving123.com website and anywhere you shop for books.
Yes, today marks the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Whether you like “Green Eggs and Ham,” “You’re Only Old Once,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go,” or any of his other delightful works of whimsy, ’tis a day worth noting… at least, for me it is.
“Today you are you! That is truer than true!
There is no one alive who is you-er than you!
— Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel); March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991
American children’s author, illustrator, and political cartoonist
(Image by Noah Haggerty)
Sure, smile at someone… or smile back! (If you are wearing a mask, smile anyway! Those 52 muscles need to be exercised more.)
“The smile is the beginning of love.”
— Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (Saint Teresa of Calcutta); (1910-1997)
Quoted from her 1979 Nobel Peace Prize lecture.
“Discouragers see the gloom in every room, the cloud on every silver lining, and the problem in front of every solution.”
From “Encouragement: How to Be and Find the Best” by Cathy Burnham Martin, 2019
“I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry.”
— Cat Stevens – Yusef Islam
(Born Steven Demetre Georgiou) (1948 – ); British singer-songwriter
“There is little success where there is little laughter.”
— Andrew Carnegie (1835 – 1919); Scottish-American industrialist & philanthropist
Image by Gerd Altmann
“The destruction of a civilized society by a jealous, violent one is never a good thing for anyone involved.”
From “Destiny of Dreams: Time is Dear” by Cathy Burnham Martin, 2021
Image by Dmitry Abramov
“Always listen to the experts. They tell you what can’t be done and why. Then go do it.”
— Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988); American science-fiction writer
“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.”
— Kahlil Gibran (1883 – 1931); Lebanese-born writer & poet
Image by Gordon Johnson
“Whether or not we choose to believe something, reality remains reality.”
— Cathy Burnham Martin, American author, voiceover artist & dedicated foodie
Image by Gerd Altmann
“A problem cannot be solved with the same consciousness that created it.”
— Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)
German-born theoretical physicist; developed theory of relativity
“We do not write or paint or perform to become rich or famous. We create because we must let out what is locked inside.”
— Cathy Burnham Martin, American Author, Voiceover Artist, Dedicated Foodie
Image by Chris Martin
“God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.”
— Voltaire (Francois-Marie Arouet) (1694 – 1778) French writer & philosopher
Happy Birthday to my hubby, Sir Ronald…. And to all the other February birthday celebrants!
“A misty morning does not signify a cloudy day.”
— Ancient proverb
Image by Chakkree Chantakad
A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.
— Tom Stoppard, (1937 – ); British playwright
Image by Gerd Altmann
“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
— Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929 – 1968; American Baptist minister & civil rights activist; Quote is from his speech in St. Louis on March 22, 1964.
Image by John Hain