| Photo By Gerald E. McLeod
The Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge, northwest of Lubbock, looks like a French landscape painting. The rolling hills covered in a sea of long-stemmed prairie grass seem to move in waves, pushed by the relentless wind under an endless sky. The simplicity of the color palette of this small square of the giant quilt of the state's ecosystems gives the park an uncommon beauty. "We have a guy from England who visits us every year in the summer on his vacation," says Harold Beierman, manager of the federal preserve. "I guess he comes for the view and the experience." Muleshoe NWR was the first of 15 wildlife refuges in Texas maintained by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the refuge by executive order in 1935. The 5,809 acres were once part of the XIT Ranch and later the Muleshoe ranches.
Thrifting: Finding treasure in others' junk
While driving home from a story one day, I detoured through South Tampa with one mission in mind: The Salvation Army at MacDill Avenue and Bay to Bay Boulevard. As far as thrift stores go, this one is pretty good, I rarely walk away empty-handed and, over the years, have found some unique tchotchke, designer clothes, even one-of-a-kind collectibles. My impromptu foray proved worthy: No sooner had I walked in the door than I noticed the place was unusually packed. Elderly women hovered in the dishes aisle, customers were sweeping up armloads of clothes, pillows, books; one woman even admired a slightly tattered wedding dress, well-cut, I thought, sleeveless, with satin covered buttons and a tulle skirt. As it turned out, it was "Wacky Wednesday" - a weekly event where everything in the store was half off.
It's all about the sauce
Kids often love to lick the last bit of frosting from the bowl. Adults are really the ones who have it right, though. They are much more likely to be caught sneaking a spoonful of sauce or gravy from the pot. If you are a sauce aficionado, don't stop there. Fully enter the world of sauce cuisine. This is where the sauce - and not the item it's covering - is the focus of the dish. Sauces and gravies are pure comfort foods. Even better, they are simple to prepare, often taking just a couple of stirs and a few minutes of heating. As comforting as they are, however, sauces need not be heavy and unhealthful. Pureed fruits and vegetables - thickened, while warming, with a bit of low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock, wine and flour - make to-die-for concoctions. On her daytime syndicated TV talk show, best-selling cookbook author Rachael Ray prepared a two-minute, stunning, fresh-fruit dessert sauce that stole the spotlight from the other ingredients.
Tasmania's grain-fed lamb set to be this season's wagyu
NOW the hype about wagyu beef is slowly dying down, a new meat is set to hit gourmet butchers and fashionable restaurants with some force. Tasmanian grain-fed lamb is being launched in Sydney and Melbourne next week (at suitably glamorous events at Otto and Vue de Monde respectively) and many say it is going to be the new wagyu. .
Owners spend big bucks spoiling pets
BLOOMINGTON — During a typical trip to the store, Kari Bigger buys food, treats, toys and clothes — for her dogs.The Pontiac woman doesn't spare much expense when it comes to her greyhound, Nide, and Italian greyhound, Vinny. Monthly bills for basics and perks can reach $200 to $300.“My dogs are really spoiled," Bigger said. “I don't have kids, so they're kind of like my kids. They're great companions for me."Bigger was one of many shoppers who contributed to the $38.5 billion people spent on pets in 2006, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. National spending is almost double the $21 billion pet owners spent 10 years earlier.Pet owners increasingly treat their four-legged friends like family, and businesses are responding in kind with high quality pet food, gourmet treats, elaborate toys, clothes — even jewelry.“There's a growing trend for people to spoil their pets," said Mike Harpest, owner of Premium Pet Supply in Bloomington.
Avoid these five items from the grocery store
A TV reporter recently asked me to give her a list of items that you should not buy at the supermarket, assuming you are focused on getting the lowest prices for your groceries. I haven’t been asked that question before, so I had fun giving it some thought and doing a little research. Some of the price comparisons surprised me, and have changed my mind about where I will buy some items in the future.To clarify, when I compared prices for these common supermarket items to other store alternatives, I assumed that the items were selling for their full price to compare apples to apples. There are times when a sale price plus a double coupon on these items would make them less expensive to buy at the supermarket.Items not to buy at the supermarket, if you are looking for lowest prices).Spices.
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