Ruff Livin’

The dog – person emotional connection is so amazing. If one lives with you, you know exactly what I mean. Puppy love. . . yeah, it’s a thing. 

Dogs.  Dogs have always been, and continue to be, one of our most loyal companions, providing love, help and comfort in so many ways. Most often, dogs are a loyal addition to families everywhere. They can be best friends, always ready to play or hunters, tracking through forests with the keenest senses. In some settings, dogs are rescue and guard animals, by the sides of police officers, firemen and EMS members. Sometimes, they are sled dogs, pulling people and cargo through cold wintry terrain or therapy dogs assisting in living daily life. But most often, they are just part of our households.  One thing that’s vital to a dog’s wellbeing and longevity is a good place to rest and sleep.  A recent article in Smithsonian Magazine shares a fun story, when the great  Frank Lloyd Wright agrees to design a doghouse for a little boy.  For all my “dog loving” readers out there, here’s some fun info about dog houses – be sure to check out the video on “over the top” designs.  And send me your stories on doghouses you’ve built – pictures too! (skowalski@khtheat.com). Special thanks to youtube, smithsonianmag.com, embarkvet.com and thehousedesigners.com for the info and images.  Enjoy!

Tune from Buddy Jones
Tune from Bobby Monroe (and his dogs)

  • For the longest time, domesticated dogs simply inhabited the outdoor elements. The earliest known structures were kennels made of mud. Doghouses would not become a commodity for people until well into the nineteenth century, but even at that point, design would remain extremely crude, as they were made of whatever material owners could scrape together.
  • Eventually, canine homes started becoming mass-producible in factories, which allowed for better materials such as framing lumber and plywood that resisted weather and proved sturdier over time. But a dog’s place of rest and retreat was still arguably very uncomfortable and not completely protective yet. By the 1960s, companies began switching over to making plastic doghouses, the style of which became a much more popular way to go, and things were looking up for the canines.
  • In the past couple decades DIY doghouses have become a growing trend as owners focus on keeping their dogs safe and comfortable when outdoors. There really is much to consider in giving our beloved pets the best possible home away home, but with today’s modern offerings, keeping them comfortable and protected can be easy, stylish, and even environmentally friendly.
  • The changing seasons, depending on where you live, can test the suitability of a doghouse all year round with different kinds of weather. For one, a dog’s space is a shady refuge for your pet from the summer heat. Yet some features can really enhance this luxury for them, such as ventilators that can be closed in the winter months, or fans with quiet motors that won’t disturb the animal when sleeping.
  • If having your dog stay in their home during the colder winter months becomes a necessity, you can fret less by getting insulated materials, such as special siding that both resists weather and prevents rotting over long periods of time. Doggie doors can also be made of insulated and durable material, and to truly keep the structure toasty warm you might also consider pet heaters, which can be weather-resistant and thermostat regulated.
  • Doghouses can be built with better and more earth-friendly materials, such as sustainable roofing shingles that can make for trendy but also energy efficient doghouse coverings. There are options for recyclable material for both roofing and flooring that still look great and resist scratching and molding.
  • Solar power is becoming increasingly available for doghouses as well. Heaters and fans can keep your pet cozy any time of year. They can be completely solar powered, charging up in the daytime and working capably at night. Lighting might be another important factor for your pet’s space, so consider solar powered and LED options.
  • Of course, the look of your dog’s space or house can be just as vital a step in the process to giving them the best possible personal home. If one fancies that classic feel of an actual dog ‘house’, they can come in a variety of models that would match the very style of your own home, from rustic to ranch to even Greek-revival! Everything, from the construction to accessories to coloring can be chosen today, with limitless options, to get the exact look and feel both you and your companion adore.
  • See some outrageous dog houses
  • Finally, it would take way too many pages / pictures to show all of the options for the inside of your homes!  So just do what makes sense, and love those doggies!

 

 

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.

As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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$1,500 A Pound?

If you’re hunting truffles, the nose knows. And you need to get a good one on your side. It used to be pigs that did most of the truffle hunting but they tended to want to eat them. So, man’s best friend, as it turns out, could be trained to sniff-out those ripe underground fungi. And dogs do it for the thrill of the hunt (and maybe a few treats). But they won’t eat the profits! Awesome!!  :-))))  So, you see, it only looks like poop. To truffle hunters those balls are 24 carat gold.

What in the world could cost fifteen hundred dollars a pound?  For those of you who are gourmet cooks, you’ve probably already guessed it.  I was listening to the radio this week and heard a report that it’s “truffle season” in Europe, and prices for the rarest white truffles are over $1,500 per pound.  As a curious sort, I had to learn more about this – and as a foodie, I was intrigued.  I’ll admit I’ve not eaten real truffles before and now my interest is peaked (but my commonsense wallet is not).  Special thanks to Wikipedia. If the weather cooperates  this weekend plan to head out to the beautiful parks with Jackie for a little hiking – never know when I may stumble upon some rare white “ohio” beauties. Now,  in full disclosure I really wouldn’t know what to look for!

  • truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus Tuber. In addition to Tuber, many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including GeoporaPezizaChoiromycesLeucangium, and over a hundred others. These genera belong to the class Pezizomycetes and the Pezizales order. (yep, I paid attention in science class)
  • Some of the truffle species are highly prized as food. French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin called truffles “the diamond of the kitchen”. Edible truffles are used in French and numerous national haute cuisines.
  • Phylogenetic evidence suggests that the majority of subterranean fruiting bodies evolved from above-ground mushrooms. Over time mushroom stipes and caps were reduced, and caps began to enclose reproductive tissue. The dispersal of sexual spores then shifted from wind and rain to utilizing animals.
  • The first mention of truffles appears in the inscriptions of the neo-Sumerians regarding their Amorite enemy’s eating habits (Third Dynasty of Ur, 20th century BC) and later in writings of Theophrastus in the 4th century BC.  .
  • A truffle’s substance is pale, tinged with rose. Unlike truffles, terfez (known as the desert truffle) have little inherent flavor. The Romans used the terfez as a carrier of flavor, because the terfez tend to absorb surrounding flavors. Because Ancient Roman cuisine used many spices and flavorings, the terfez may have been appropriate in that context.
  • Truffles were rarely used during the Middle Ages. Truffle hunting is mentioned by Bartolomeo Platina, the papal historian, in 1481, when he recorded that the sows of Notza were without equal in hunting truffles, but they should be muzzled to prevent them from eating the prize.
  • During the Renaissance, truffles regained popularity in Europe and were honored at the court of King Francis I of France. They were popular in Parisian markets in the 1780s, imported seasonally from truffle grounds, where peasants had long enjoyed them. Brillat-Savarin (1825) noted that they were so expensive, they appeared only at the dinner tables of great nobles and kept women.
  • For discovering how to cultivate truffles, some sources now give priority to Pierre II Mauléon (1744–1831) of Loudun (in western France), who began to cultivate truffles around 1790. Mauléon saw an “obvious symbiosis” between the oak tree, the rocky soil, and the truffle, and attempted to reproduce such an environment by taking acorns from trees known to have produced truffles, and sowing them in chalky soil. His experiment was successful, with truffles being found in the soil around the newly grown oak trees years later.
  • These successful attempts were met with enthusiasm in southern France, which possessed the sweet limestone soils and dry, hot weather that truffles need to grow. In the late 19th century, an epidemic of phylloxera destroyed many of the vineyards in southern France and an epidemic killed most of the silkworms there, too, making the fields of mulberry trees useless.
  • Thus, large tracts of land were set free for the cultivation of truffles. Thousands of truffle-producing trees were planted, and production reached peaks of hundreds of tons at the end of the 19th century. In 1890, 75,000 hectares (190,000 acres) of truffle-producing trees had been planted.
  • In the 20th century, with the growing industrialization of France and the subsequent rural exodus, many of these truffle fields (champs truffiers or truffières) returned to wilderness. The First World War also dealt a serious blow to the French countryside, killing 20% or more of the male working force. As a consequence, newly acquired techniques of trufficulture were lost.
  • Between the two great world wars, the truffle groves planted in the 19th century stopped being productive. (The average lifecycle of a truffle-producing tree is 30 years.) Consequently, after 1945, the production of truffles plummeted, and the prices have risen dramatically. Today, they are a rare delicacy reserved for the rich, or used on very special occasions.
  • In the 1970s, new attempts for mass production of truffles were started to make up for the decline in wild truffles. About 80% of the truffles now produced in France come from specially planted truffle groves.
  • In 1999, the first Australian truffles were harvested in Tasmania, the result of eight years of work. Trees were inoculated with the truffle fungus in the hope of creating a local truffle industry. Their success and the value of the resulting truffles has encouraged a small industry to develop.
  • In June 2014, A grower harvested Australia’s largest truffle from their property at Robertson in South Wales.  It was a French black perigord fungus weighing in at 1.1172 kg (2 lb 7+716 oz) and was valued at over $2,000 per kilogram.
  • Tom Michaels, owner of Tennessee Truffle, began producing Périgord truffles commercially in 2007.  At its peak in the 2008–2009 season, his farm produced about 200 pounds of truffles, but Eastern filbert blight almost entirely wiped out his hazel trees by 2013 and production dropped, essentially driving him out of business.
  • The black truffle or black Périgord truffle (Tuber melanosporum), the second-most commercially valuable species, is named after the Périgord region in France.  Black truffles associate with oakshazelnut, cherry, and other deciduous trees and are harvested in late autumn and winter.
  • Tuber magnatum, the high-value white truffle or trifola d’Alba Madonna (“Truffle of the Madonna from Alba” in Italian) is found mainly in the Langhe and Montferrat areas of the Piedmont region in northern Italy, and most famously, in the countryside around the cities of Alba and Asti.  A large percentage of Italy’s white truffles also come from Molise.
  • In Spain, per government regulation, white summer truffles can be harvested only in May through July.
  • In the U.S. Pacific Northwest, several species of truffle are harvested both recreationally and commercially, most notably, the Leucangium carthusianum, Oregon black truffle; Tuber gibbosum, Oregon spring white truffle; and Tuber oregonense, the Oregon winter white truffle. Kalapuya brunnea, the Oregon brown truffle, has also been commercially harvested and is of culinary note.
  • The pecan truffle (Tuber lyonii) syn. Texense is found in the Southern United States, usually associated with pecantrees. Chefs who have experimented with them agree “they are very good and have potential as a food commodity”.  Although pecan farmers used to find them along with pecans and discard them, considering them a nuisance, they sell for about $160 a pound and have been used in some gourmet restaurants.
  • Because truffles are subterranean, they are often located with the help of an animal possessing a refined sense of smell. Traditionally, pigs have been used for the extraction of truffles.  Both the female pig’s natural truffle-seeking, and her usual intent to eat the truffle, were thought to be due to a compound within the truffle similar to androstenol, the sex pheromone of boar saliva, to which the sow is keenly attracted. Studies in 1990 demonstrated that the compound actively recognized by both truffle pigs and dogs is dimethyl sulfide.
  • I am simply letting everyone know,  I will not be walking a female pig through the forest looking for truffles anytime soon.   I would much rather be walking down a beautiful golf course looking for my ball!
  • If you are so inclined, here’s a recipe.

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.

As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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