Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Turkey Frank




I just happened across a great, albeit tragic, story on CNN's iReport page about a turkey named Frank who thought he was a duck. It's written by Frank's former owner, Jack Scheper, who has a pretty good sense of humor.

Frank was always running into the lake and he couldn't swim, and Jack felt he should be away from water, with other turkeys. So Jack gave Frank back to the lady who ran the feed store. But guess what? The feed store lady ATE HIM!

Here are the best parts of Jack's recounting. His writing has such a great cranky old man tone.:

Frank truly believed himself to be a duck. For some reason I found this annoying. But tolerance is a virtue, so if he wanted to be a duck that was his business.

. . .

Suddenly the ducks spotted me and excitedly swam in my direction hoping for the usual cracked corn handout. Desperately afraid he'd miss his share of the snack, Frank frantically splashed toward me too. Thrashing, wheezing, gasping,with eyes bugging and tongue hanging from his beak I could tell this turkey was in trouble. I came to the rescue by shoving a leaf rake under his fat butt and maneuvered him to shore. His eyes were crossed and he was hyperventilating but he managed to cough in appreciation. It was heartbreaking and pathetic.

. . .

When I came across these old pictures of Turkey Frank I felt nostalgic so I decided to share his story and the lesson he taught me. I have yet to figure out exactly what I learned but maybe it is this: No matter how much you think you're a duck, people will still eat you on Thanksgiving if you're actually a turkey.

. . .

Every Thanksgiving, because of Frank, I give thanks for who (and what) I am and for all that I have. I also want to say Rest in peace Turkey Frank, I'm sorry they ate you.

R.I.P., T.F.

"I beg your pardon!"


President Bush pardoned his last turkey this morning, and all I could think was, "OH MAN! This is gonna be so cute when Obams does it next year!"

Here's a snippet of Bush's speech at the ceremony. I hate to admit this, but it is so totally adorable. (If you love hokey dad humor and puns, which I do.)

This is a tradition that dates back to the presidency of Harry Truman. Just to be safe, I will be pardoning a second bird-- in the unlikely event the main act chickens out. Turkeys are not only the ones on edge this morning -- you see, it turns out the Rose Garden is Barney's turf. So the press corps is a little nervous, as well.

This is an election year, so it is fitting that the names of these two birds were chosen through the democratic process. After a long, drawn out election season, when the people finally spoke, the name of the ticket sent here to the White House was Pumpkin and Pecan. Pumpkin is right there. Pecan is in an undisclosed location.

Pumpkin and Pecan have an exciting trip ahead of them: Later today, they will fly to Disneyland aboard "Turkey One." Pumpkin will be the honorary Grand Marshal of Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Together these birds will gobble the rest of their days in "The Happiest Place on Earth." I just hope they stay humble there.

Isn't Pumpkin hilarious looking? He's so surly. Love it.

That'll do, Pig. That'll do.



Hey guys, remember how good Babe was? What a movie.

I was reminded of it last night when I was trying to think of something heartwarming and holiday-y to rent for Thanksgiving. That plucky little guy just wanted to herd sheep! So he wouldn't get butchered! Cute lil thing.

Just now, I started watching this clip of Farmer Hogget singing "If I Had Words" to Babe when he's sick and (NERD ALERT) I had to stop watching it because I was crying so much! Gotta keep it together.

The comments on this clip on YouTube are so good. A sampling:
People forgot this great part and children who would never know what a cool movie this is. We need more movies like this after all how many times can Jet Li save the day or get killed.

Reply: ESMR
not as many as Babe

me jo dillon and lucy harries acted this out in our p.e changing rooms at lunch today!

Luv this track my favourite part of the film. It was on telly today lol so many memories


So many memories, indeed. Can't wait to watch it this weekend! I forgot it was nominated for Best Picture back in '95. Well deserved!

Also, if you've never seen the sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, you should totally get on that. It is INSANE. It's so inappropriate for children. It was written and directed by the guy who directed Mad Max. It takes place in a dystopian urban setting and it's visually stunning.

It also made me cry more than I've cried at any movie (even more than White Squall or The Man Without a Face, which for some reason really struck a chord with my loser 10-year-old self). I know how pathetic that sounds, but here are two things that happen in the movie:

1) a dog almost hangs himself (by accident)!
2) a Jack Russell terrier named Flealick who ALREADY CAN'T USE HIS BACK LEGS and has a TINY WHEELCHAIR gets dragged down the street by an 18-wheeler. It is so upsetting. I had to turn it off and compose myself. (It's on YouTube if you must see it but it's very upsetting.)

Anyway, you should totally rent that too. Mickey Rooney is CRAZY in it. And there are some really good orangutans.



Happy Thanksgiving all!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Pigeon Commuter


Yesterday my friend Mike rode the subway three stops with a little pigeon! Here's our convo about it:

me: NO YOU DID NOT
mike: I DID
me: FUNNNNN
mike: so awesome
me: which stops?
was everyone happy?
did it fly around or just stand?
i think if it flew it would have been scary
mike:well, i assume it got on at smith & 9th. just sorta sat there on the floor, right near the doors. then when we got to jay st., it quietly stepped off. maybe he had jury duty.
me: UGH GOD
CUUUUTE
i wish it had a little hat
mike: it was so incredibly well behaved
i know
me: and like a little bag
UGH animals!
mike:
i know
man
me: a tiny briefcase!
just goin to work
omg and a TIE
mike: haha
me: hold on i'm drawing a pic


This reminded me of a New York Times story I read a few years ago about pigeons riding the A train in Far Rockaway.

Almond-Stuffed Dates wrapped in Bacon


I had these snacky delights at a friend's house on Saturday night. I will admit, I was a little hesitant because of the dates. I have texture issues with dried fruit. But oh man. I'm an idiot. Anything wrapped in bacon is delicious, obvs. And the texture was amazing- crispy bacon, chewy dates, crunchy almonds. Sweet and savory dancing a forbidden waltz.

I am def making these for Thanksgiving. Here's a recipe from Apartment Therapy's food blog, The Kitchn. I almost wish they weren't so easy to make, because now I'm going to want to eat them ALL. THE. TIME.

Tip: Apparently the toothpicks aren't necessary. So if you don't have them on hand or forget to pick them up at the store, proceed anyway!

upDATE: I tried making these on Thanksgiving and it was a total disaster. I should have fried them in a pan instead of baking them in the oven. There was a bacon grease spillover/neverending smoke situation which was somewhat embarrassing.

Panda ATTACK!




"Panda Attacks Man Who Wanted a Cuddle"? Ugh, best headline ever.

I love this quote:

"Yangyang was so cute and I just wanted to cuddle him," Liu was quoted as saying from his hospital bed. "I didn't expect he would attack."

I totally sympathize with this kid. I mean, obvs jumping into a panda enclave at a zoo is all kinds of stupid. But they look so SOFT!

Dead Duck



Oh dear. Normally great animal friends stories don't come with video, so this one really takes the cake.

This vid tells the tale of a beagle puppy named Toby and an old duck named Sheila who meet on a farm and become buddies.

Sheila dies of old age, and the MacKenzie family, who own the farm, have her stuffed. You know, as you do.

This video shows the moment when Toby sees the taxidermed Sheila for the first time. So cute! So sad! So gross, frankly. But sweet!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Poor Ethel



Ethel is a paralyzed rabbit who recently got a lil wheelchair.

The best/worst part of the article is:

"Ethel also lost control of her bladder and bowels due to the illness and has to wear a special nappy at night."

What a trooper!

Welcome to the Snuggle Factory!

Hi all!

I'm not sure what this blog will be just yet. Right now it's a half-baked idea that will definitely evolve (into who-knows-what!), but I hope you'll join me on this little adventure!

As I started shopping for holiday gifts, I started to get so excited about some of the items I was seeing that I felt like I had to share them. So, come back for news on my favorite shops and sales in the NYC area and online, and gift ideas.

I'll probably also talk about foodstuffs I want to snuggle. Lord knows I want to curl up with some bacon right now.

Also, speaking of snuggles, I love it when animals are friends. Especially different species that shouldn't be friends! So I will probably post some of those kinds of things as well.

Cheers (and snuggs),
Gretchen