City Dog Style versus Mountain Dog style

Good Night Moon

from Babette and Friends on the occasion of 21st December 2010 Moon Eclipse

The Day of Christmas

A new decade

counting counting....

 In the meantime trying to find something to really cheer about!

Wooftmas and Meowmas

View more of Babetteandfriends cards on Snark blog or purchase them at her Shop

Encounter in the Wild.

Monday diary

Monday mornings there is the Metro Diary! I break my self imposed rule of not reading newspapers in the mornings as to not ruin my creative juices and my nervous system.

Monday's diary has usually quirky amusing anecdotes that put a smile on my face. Today I read such a story and if my dog could understand human language, she probably would have smiled at it! Here it is:

"Dear Diary:

I was attending a group-show gallery opening in Chelsea, when I noticed a small Jack Russell terrier in the middle of several people who were talking, drinks in hand.

I began to see the dog was moving about, situating himself in the middle of different groups of people. Occasionally he barked and scampered around, capturing the other gallery patrons’ attention.

At some point it struck me that the dog was in the gallery by himself. I reached down and looked at the tag around its neck. On it was written, “Don’t Mess With Me, I Know My Way Home.” On the other side of the tag was a Yankees logo.

Later that evening, I saw the dog in another gallery, and I felt that perhaps he was going to various openings and was networking."

Babette and Friends A- B- C's

We are working on the alphabet design and drawings and having a lot of fun. You will find the complete set in our Shop.

Proust and Madeleine Tea Cakes

After reading page after page of Proust's description of his madeleines and because there is not a decent french pastry shop in the vicinity I baked my own madeleine tea cakes. Proust makes you do the most amazing things...

Voila the recipe I used:

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
Grated zest of 1 lemon (or orange)
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 3/4 baking poser
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or three pinches of vanilla powder
5 oz unsalted butter, softened or melted but not warm
1/3 cup milk
Madeleine molds, pastry bag and plain tip

Instructions
1. Brush molds with softened butter and then flour. Tap out extra flour.
2. Cream eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl with whisk or electric mixer, until light yellow and creamy.
3. Add dry ingredients and zest and beat until blended.
4. Beat in the butter and then milk.
5. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
6. Set oven to 400˚F.
7. Pipe batter with pastry bag and tip into madeleine molds up to the rim. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool them before you eat.

PS: With whole wheat flour, yogurt, pieces of chicken liver and pieces of small cubed apple and crushed garlic make a mix and pour it in madeleine molds -very very lightly oil the molds with flux oil or olive oil- and bake and make "doggy madeleines" and spoil your doggies!

Three little bunnies and a Dove

Apparently there are three orphaned bunnies adopted and cared by a white dove who is affectionately named Noah by the staff at an animal sanctuary in Texas called Wild Rose. Noah is a permanent resident, a one legged non-releasable pigeon. He helps not just with the bunnies but, with all patients in need of tender loving care. He covers does and puppies in his feathers, keeps them safe under his wings.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY from BABETTE AND FRIENDS!

For Melis

IllustrationCurie@2010Babetteandfriends

Mille Feuille

Collage-Illustration©2010Babetteandfriends

It is a rainy Saturday, a perfect day for making sweets!

We decided to try and make Mille Feuille, since we woke up with a distinct sweet craving. While there are World Cup games going on, eyes are glued on "futbol" "soccer", whatever you call it, blood sugars may fall or rise and what better remedy than a perfect Mille Feuille?

Mille Feuille's success is all in the preparation of the dough.

Its thinness and freshness are essential for Mille Feuille.

Preparation is time consuming but, it is worth spending the extra time for crisp fluffy sheets. Once baked and filled with layers of fresh cream you will be delighted.

I watched the video of Master Pastry Chef,Keiko to refresh my memory for the dough and followed it for making my dough. It is very simple. She has also a great E book for novices. (thank you Keiko!)

For the cream you need:

Milk 500 g (17.5 oz) Butter (unsalted) 30 g (1 oz) Sugar 100 g (3.5 oz) Eggyolk 100g(3.5oz) Cake flour 40 g (1.4 oz) Vanilla essence

Bon Apetit.

Confession: For Babette and friends, I made their Doggie Mille Feuille with wheat flour and spread a bit of liver and cheddar in between their sheet of "mille woofs" so there would not be any "begging" while we are eating ours...

Iris to Ceres

Illustration@2010BabetteandFriends

Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas
Of wheat, rye, barley, vetches, oats and pease;
Thy turfy mountains, where live nibbling sheep,
And flat meads thatch'd with stover, them to keep;
Thy banks with pioned and twilled brims,
Which spongy April at thy hest betrims,
To make cold nymphs chaste crowns; and thy broom -groves,
Whose shadow the dismissed bachelor loves,
Being lass-lorn: thy pole-clipt vineyard;
And thy sea-marge, sterile and rocky-hard,
Where thou thyself dost air;--the queen o' the sky,
Whose watery arch and messenger am I,
Bids thee leave these, and with her sovereign grace,
Here on this grass-plot, in this very place,
To come and sport: her peacocks fly amain:
Approach, rich Ceres, her to entertain.

From: The Tempest by Shakespeare

Mushroom Princess

Last night we had a feast of mushrooms. I usually like to eat my mushrooms in olive oil with parsley and not overly disguised in heavy cream.

But, this recipe sounded great : wild dried porcini lasagna with sage, from Dean and Deluca Cook Book.

While washing the mushrooms I got an idea for a new fairy tale. I wrote it down immediately. It now waits to be edited. In summary it is about unlikely heroes, borzoi brothers named Oscar and Nico and their rescue of a princess. Because she had been turned into a porcini mushroom -by a wicked witch - this unlucky princess lives in the shape of a fungus without her feet to walk about, with a nice bunny family deep in the woods ... Lovely, isn't it? Now, how to rewrite this without scaring 7 year olds so that they don't cry every time they see a mushroom and get traumatized by seeing someone eat them...Hmmmm...

I read about the etymology of porcini and I came across this interesting information:

The standard Italian name porcini means 'piglets'(remember the expression porco miseria! porco=pig). Apparently the attribution derives from the young mushroom's resemblance to pig's ears.

In French we call them cèpe de Bordeaux.

Apparently it has derived from the Gascon cep which means "trunk" for porcini mushroom's fat stalk, ultimately from the Latin cippus "stake".

Whatever it is called, whichever continent it grows on and however it is cooked this meaty edible fungus is always so delicious!

Mystery Visitor at the Farm

Hello, it is Babette here!

We had a mystery visitor! A little black cat who must have left home in a hurry without wearing a collar. How unwise!

My human thinks it is a lost house cat, but I think not, it is a barn cat all right,  with all that hissing scratching my human (what bad manners) she ought to be wild.

Cooper, Willy and I approached to say welcome with gentle woofs.  You would think he had seen the devil!  He climbed the maple tree and would not come down even after scrumptious treats were offered.

Silly cat! 

Nonetheless he remained in the garden. In the mornings as soon we lifted the shade here he was with big yellow eyes, gently meowing.  I guess it is kind of cute in a feline way.

We put out milk for him and he made himself comfortable under the porch and cleaned the plate with good appetite. Finally we became good friends. She had that ‘je ne cat quoi’, a wise wildness and comforting quietness.

My first cat friend. 

Then one day he was recognized by the postman, he said this cat belongs to someone, a neighbour 3 miles away. Apparently he was being searched for days: “ Haven’t  you seen the posters?  “ he asked. No we didn’t.

And now he is gone. 

I never liked that postman. 

Next time he comes around I plan to nip his ankle…

Apparently the cat was a she. 

NO wonder...

The sea in my mind

Illustration-Collage©2010Babetteandfriends

My human dreams of Maine these days. 

She keeps saying ‘Babette, very soon we will go by the sea, hear the waves, walk on the cliffs, go down on the beach, collect pebbles and eat fish cakes in a simple shack by the ocean and then feed the gulls’.

Well, I don’t like that big gaping bathtub she calls sea. Who knows what could be lurking under that deep puddle. I have no intention to get my pretty hair wet. Besides the lulling sighing song drives me nuts!

But how to woof this to her? 

 Collage available in Shop.

Storm

Storm is definitely brewing... There is already the smell of rain and wild flowers and hay in the air. Time to get my thunder wrap on!

Early Morning Mist

It is hard to believe only two weeks ago this very apple tree was struggling with April snow.

Reality, so arduously beautiful…

Dream

Collage©2010Babetteandfriends

if you like the collage above you can find it and many more of Babette and friend's similar whimsical cards in our Shop.

Babette's dream

Last night Babette had an unusual and long dream. Her paws were in full motion and her ears and whiskers were twitching, her nose got very busy sniffing something interesting. Suddenly she moaned and made crying sounds and her legs moved more and more wildly as if she was now really really running and her tail started to go up and down and shake left and right. I believe what ever she was up to became not so pleasant anymore! When she opened her eyes, she had the face of a dazed dog. I wondered if she had a nightmare and was relieved to awake and get out of whatever she was dreaming. Of course we can never tell..

I read that not all animals that experience REM sleep necessarily dream. Some think that perhaps only mammals dream during REM sleep. However, dolphins, thought to be highly intelligent do not have any REM sleep whatsoever!

I was surprised to read that elephants,giraffes,cows,horses and even sheep dream too!

Apparently elephants don't change in posture when entering or exiting REM sleep. Therefore, it is often difficult to tell if they are in NonREM or REM sleep. It is hard to see the eye movements since their eyes are relatively small. However, some indicators of REM sleep in elephants, as well as other animals, are twitches, vocalizing and irregular breathing.

Giraffes have about 20 min. of REM sleep each night in episodes of 1-6 minutes each. During this time, they lie down, heads resting over their bodies or on the ground.

Horses which must lie down to experience REM sleep, sometimes move their legs while sleeping, and will even neigh in their sleep!

Sheep who often sleep in a "sphinx-like" position occasionally stretch out while sleeping. During this time, they experience many REM sleep-like sleep. During this time, they have eye movements and ears and their legs occasionally twitch.

Interesting, isn't it?

Mother's Days

Collage©2010Babetteandfriends

Come fly with me!

'Babette and friends' cards in the Shop.

Etymology of the word: Dog

Illustration©2010Babetteandfriends

Fascinating information about the word Dog:
Dog (noun) In Old English O.E. docga, a late, rare word used of a powerful breed of canine. It forced out O.E. hund (the general Germanic) by 16c. and subsequently was picked up in many continental languages (cf. Fr. dogue, Danish: dogge), but the origin remains one of the great mysteries of English etymology.

Many expressions -- a dog's life (c.1600), go to the dogs (1610s), etc. -- reflect earlier hard use of the animals as hunting accessories, not pampered pets.
In ancient times, "the dog" was the worst throw in dice (attested in Greek, Latin, where the word for "the lucky player" was "the dog-killer"), which plausibly explains the Greek word for "danger," kindynas, which appears to be "play the dog."

Slang meaning "ugly woman" is from 1930s; that of "sexually aggressive man" is from 1950s. Dog tag is from 1918. To dog-ear a book is from 1650s; dog-eared in extended sense of "worn, unkempt" is from 1894.

In a letter addressed To King Edward VI, 15th May 1546, Queen Elizabeth I, wrote the sentence below { read the whole letter by clicking on the sentence if you are interested in Tudor History and to understand the meaning of the whole sentence}
Notwithstanding, as a dog hath a day, so may I perchance have time to declare it in deeds. [Queen Elizabeth, 1546]

It is ill wakyng of a sleapyng dogge. [Heywood, 1562]

Phrase put on the dog "get dressed up" (1934) may refer back to the stiff stand-up shirt collars that in the 1890s were the height of male fashion (and were known as dog-collars at least from 1883), with reference to collars worn by dogs. The common Spanish word for "dog," perro, also is a mystery word of unknown origin, perhaps from Iberian.

Did you ever wonder where do the phrase "The Dog Days" come from?
Not from our dogs but from stars and calendars.
It is first recorded in 1538 as Dies Caniculares in Latin. In Greek it was known as Kyon Seirios. Greeks thus named time period around the heliacal rising of Sirius (q.v.), the Dog-star, noted as the hottest and most unwholesome time of the year; usually July 3 to Aug. 11. But variously calculated, depending on latitude and on whether the greater Dog-star (Sirius) or the lesser one (Procyon) is reckoned.
The heliacal rising of Sirius has shifted down the calendar with the precession of the equinoxes; in ancient Egypt c.3000 B.C.E. it coincided with the summer solstice, which was also the new year and the beginning of the inundation of the Nile. The "dog" association apparently began here (the star's hieroglyph was a dog)

Our friend Courage the Shepherd dog!

We got very good news today about our friend Courage's recovery. He had been neglected and starved for weeks and was struggling between life and death when rescued by German Shepherd Rescue of Orange county. He went through extensive and painful treatments and finally he is on his way to new beginnings. We send him love and happy kisses and woofs and many thanks to the good people at the German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County for their selfless work. We need more two leggeds like you!

Dogs Are Shakespearean, Children Are Strangers

BY DELMORE SCHWARTZ

Dogs are Shakespearean, children are strangers.
Let Freud and Wordsworth discuss the child,
Angels and Platonists shall judge the dog,
The running dog, who paused, distending nostrils,
Then barked and wailed; the boy who pinched his sister,
The little girl who sang the song from Twelfth Night,
As if she understood the wind and rain,
The dog who moaned, hearing the violins in concert.
—O I am sad when I see dogs or children!
For they are strangers, they are Shakespearean.

Tell us, Freud, can it be that lovely children
Have merely ugly dreams of natural functions?
And you, too, Wordsworth, are children truly
Clouded with glory, learned in dark Nature?
The dog in humble inquiry along the ground,
The child who credits dreams and fears the dark,
Know more and less than you: they know full well
Nor dream nor childhood answer questions well:
You too are strangers, children are Shakespearean.

Regard the child, regard the animal,
Welcome strangers, but study daily things,
Knowing that heaven and hell surround us,
But this, this which we say before we’re sorry,
This which we live behind our unseen faces,
Is neither dream, nor childhood, neither
Myth, nor landscape, final, nor finished,
For we are incomplete and know no future,
And we are howling or dancing out our souls
In beating syllables before the curtain:
We are Shakespearean, we are strangers.

Delmore Schwartz, “Dogs Are Shakespearean, Children Are Strangers” from Selected Poems (1938-1958): Summer Knowledge. Copyright © 1967 by Delmore Schwartz.

Science proves: Dogs Detect Human Emotion

They could have saved their time and money.  Anyone who lives with animals knows they do indeed detect emotions and navigate the changes.

Maybe the scientists should study why most humans do not.

Dog Sketches...

Perfect day for sketching as it did not stop raining cats and dogs. Phrase to rain cats and dogs is attested from 1738 (variation rain dogs and polecats is from 1652), of unknown origin, despite intense speculation. One of the more idiotic assertions is that it refers to pets sliding off sod roofs when the sod got too wet during a rainstorm. Ever see a cat react to a rainstorm by climbing up on an exposed roof? I really would like to find out where this phrase originated though. If you ever come across an interesting entry please do "comment".

Babette and friends stayed indoors all day. I simply love using conté crayon and pressed charcoal to draw my perfectly obedient and very patient dog and cat models while they lounge around and calmly chew their chews. All is peaceful until there is the much dreaded lightening right after a loud thunder, then they loose their cool and it is complete "bordello" in the house (as "we" pooches are still very scared of this phenomena) It is too bad, because their momkeep used to love to watch this particularly spectacular Nature show.

I will post more when I have more complete drawings of my 3 Graces together.. For now enjoy the below sketches by 17th century Flemish painter Francis Snyders. You can view more of his work and 17th century European Animal Genre Painting at Louvre's on line collection

Dogs in Ancient Greece and Rome

I came across fascinating information about dogs in Ancient Greece and Rome in Encylopaedia Romana. I hope you will find it as fascinating as we did at Babette and friends.

"There on the left as one entered...was a huge dog with a chain round its neck. It was painted on the wall and over it, in big capitals, was written: Beware of the Dog."

Petronius, Satyricon (XXIX)

19th Century Dog Paintings

FAVORITE GALLERY FOR 19TH CENTURY DOG PAINTINGS

~William Secord Gallery is a charming art gallery on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that specializes in fine 19th-century dog paintings. Anyone who loves dogs and fine portrait paintings should stop by and check out this whimsically extravagant gallery's collection. if you are are a doggie person you will enjoy the wonderful variety of dog portraits offered here in an elegant setting. I guess dog lovers were in 19th -and still are in 21st century-a "breed" apart!

Frog's Desiring a King

AESOP'S FABLES

The Frogs Desiring a King

'The Frogs were living as happy as could be in a marshy swamp that just suited them; they went splashing about caring for nobody and nobody troubling with them. But some of them thought that this was not right, that they should have a king and a proper constitution, so they determined to send up a petition to Jove to give them what they wanted.
"Mighty Jove," they cried, "send unto us a king that will rule over us and keep us in order." Jove laughed at their croaking, and threw down into the swamp a huge Log, which came down -Splash! - into the swamp.

The Frogs were frightened out of their lives by the commotion made in their midst, and all rushed to the bank to look at the horrible monster; but after a time, seeing that it did not move, one or two of the boldest of them ventured out towards the Log, and even dared to touch it; still it did not move. Then the greatest hero of the Frogs jumped upon the Log and commenced dancing up and down upon it, thereupon all the Frogs came and did the same; and for some time the Frogs went about their business every day without taking the slightest notice of their new King Log lying in their midst. But this did not suit them, so they sent another petition to Jove, and said to him,
"We want a real king; one that will really rule over us."

Now this made Jove angry, so he sent among them a big Stork that soon set to work gobbling them all up. Then the Frogs repented when too late. Better no rule than cruel rule.'

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I have copied the above Illustration from Wenceslaus Hollar titled 'Of the Frogs Desiring a King' etching he made in 1665 and I have altered it with my "flamingo like bird" and frogs and monkeys and bunnies to add a bit of whimsy!

Although the print is very beautiful, it does not need any such alterations, I wanted to "play" with it and imagine how I would have drawn such a subject myself for a children's books. Kids like to find "characters" hiding in the bushes, in the swamp, in a tree...

Although Hollar's reputation lies mainly in his topographical and architectural etchings, Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) is considered the first artist working in England to view book illustration as an independent art form, and this effect can be seen in his Aesop illustrations, which show a fresh approach to interpreting the story. Publisher John Ogilby (1600-1676) employed Hollar to provide new illustrations for his second edition of The Fables of Aesop , published in 1665. Václav (Wenceslaus or Wenzel) Hollar was an etcher-engraver from Prague who worked for booksellers in London from 1652. Along with Francis Barlow, he was one of the pre-eminent etchers working in Britain in the 17th century. An enormous number of Hollar's plates - around 2700 - survive. You can view them on line at Victoria and Albert Museum Collection which I frequently do and take immense pleasure doing it. Vive la technology!

Babette's new Friend

Apparently an abandoned dog needs a new home. Cruel people. They packed and left town and left him behind. A neighbour noticed it and informed town office. I went to visit him and I am hoping we could adopt him. 

But, as I approached our house I heard yowls, yelps, barks; do I hear my husband and the rest of menagerie howl their protest?

Zirus Animation and Get Well

I came across this animation Zirus Antivirotics « XVIVO Incredibly informative and reassuring when trying to recover from a cold...Thank goodness for our animals, their love is healing...Drinking water helps too.. You can purchase the card and many other whimsical cards and more of Babette and friends' designs in Shop

OM

Interestingly the moment I take my place on the floor and start stretching Babette also stretches like a cat!

Just reading and doodling....

Reading Babette's namesake!

Alice in the Wonderland

Illustration-Collage©Babetteandfriends

'Babette and Friends' is Reading Lewis Carroll.

`Who are YOU?' said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, `I--I hardly know, sir, just at present-- at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.'

Which Austen Character Are You?

Take the Quiz here!

Poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

To Flush, My Dog by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Yet, my pretty sportive friend,
Little is't to such an end
That I praise thy rareness!
Other dogs may be thy peers
Haply in these drooping ears,
And this glossy fairness.

But of thee it shall be said,
This dog watched beside a bed
Day and night unweary—
Watched within a curtained room,
Where no sunbeam brake the gloom
Round the sick and dreary.

Roses, gathered for a vase,
In that chamber died apace,
Beam and breeze resigning.
This dog only, waited on,
Knowing that when light is gone
Love remains for shining.

Other dogs in thymy dew
Tracked the hares, and followed through
Sunny moor or meadow.
This dog only, crept and crept
Next a languid cheek that slept,
Sharing in the shadow.

Other dogs of loyal cheer
Bounded at the whistle clear,
Up the woodside hieing.
This dog only, watched in reach
Of a faintly uttered speech,
Or a louder sighing.

And if one or two quick tears
Dropped upon his glossy ears,
Or a sigh came double—
Up he sprang in eager haste,
Fawning, fondling, breathing fast,
In a tender trouble.

And this dog was satisfied
If a pale thin hand would glide
Down his dewlaps sloping—
Which he pushed his nose within,
After—platforming his chin
On the palm left open.