Never a dull moment or....

....how silly ilili scared the bejesus out of me yesterday.

I was upstairs talking to Papa via phone. She started to scream and I said bye to him as I almost killed myself going down the circular staircase. She screams sometimes when she hears me talking but this scream was different.

Relentless, heart-wrenching squeals at the top of her little lungs. I saw a leg sticking out limply from her crate. As I got closer, I realised she was stuck in the wiring of the crate by her bottom jaw. And still screaming. Her bottom k9's had prevented her from retracting her little mouth after she decided she couldn't bite the toggle open.

I tried to move her jaw around to remove it but to no avail. And she continued to scream. Talk about powerless? Shit, my baby is in trouble and I can't help her. Such a devastating feeling. One of the most horrible times in my recent life.

I sprinted next door, opened their door and yelled but no one was home. I could hear her screaming. It was Saturday afternoon and I guess everyone was out. In the three seconds I had to get back to my house, I prayed to the powers that be to help my little girl. I didn't hear her any more. Oh God, she passed out, I thought.

As I walked in, I saw she was free. She just sat there on her elbows. I opened the crate and she went into my open arms for a cuddle. Poor silly ilili!

All of her teeth were still intact but it looked like she was getting a fat lip. On closer inspection, she had a little abrasion under her chin which I cleansed with a peroxide soaked cotton pad.

I was more "shook up" than she. I called Papa back and told him what had transpired. "I hope she learned a lesson and won't try that again," was the only comment from the Sage. I hope so too. Poor ililiSit!

ilili is taking more than the spotlight away from Zazoo or...

..."Mommy, Mommy, look what I have!"

I just told Dominic two days ago that my kids have been good. Zaz hasn't killed anything in ages. And I felt like I wanted to suck it back in after I said it.

We had just done our dinner walk and I let him off the leash in the garden, noticing no critters on the ground. I went in to get mini-monkey and as we came through the door Zazoo was sitting in an odd place for him. I noticed something grey between his legs. Another friend of Bullwinkles. Dammit.

I dropped ilili's leash and went to the barn for a shovel. I know the drill. Zaz was throwing Rockie in the air and apparently she caught it for she raced around the garden with Rockie in her little mouth and Zazoo at her heels.

She wouldn't drop him so I turned on the faucet and grabbed the hose. Worked like a charm; she dropped it and I washed her down. I tied her to the picket fence so she couldn't get Rockie and I disposed of the poor creature.

Upstairs I had no mercy for her while I used the hair dryer without diffuser to dry her expediently. I didn't want her to catch her death. But let's see if she gets worms.

Oh, a mama's work is never done.

Rabid forest animals attacking domestic pets or...

...are Mr. Zazoo and miss ilili safe in these here burbs?

Damn, child, I'm so glad when Zaz had the ah, altercation with the skunks, the trapper told me to get him to the good Dr. Vierra for a rabies booster.

I didn't actually see if Zaz pounced on them or they came up behind him and attacked him! Mercy.

Here's the story so please read if you're in the 'burbs. http://larchmont.patch.com/articles/westchester-county-health-department-issues-rabies-alert

Jumpin'Jahosephats or...

...don't EVER say to the Jewel, or anyone, "I don't have any material."  A few hours after my prolific statement, the little rascals were at it again.

The Jewel and I were about five hours into a photo shoot yesterday. The weather has been nice so I let Mr. Zaz into the garden.  I must say, he's been a peach lately and ilili has been the trouble maker. I didn't check on him for at least an hour. Actually, I was totally immersed in my work. Then it dawned on me to glance out the den windows. Well, no Zazoo. Ok, sometimes he's hidden. I went to another window, then another.

Boots came off, slippers on and I told the Jewel to "man the engines," which means to start the car and I ran through the garden just to be sure he wasn't hiding. I wasn't in panic mode yet as I called his name. There wasn't a breach in the fence. WTF? I looked up and saw an exhausted Zazoo, with his head down and tongue drooping low in the neighbors yard. Son of a bitch.

I told Al to kill the engines and we jumped over the brick wall with a bottle of water, a plastic container to quench his thirst and treats in case I had to bribe him. Poor Zazoo came right to us and lapped up copious amounts of water as I pulled twigs, rose bush branches and Larchmont tree pods out out of his dense fur.

Poor Zazoo must have sprinted over the wall in pursue of his dinner but didn't dine. His beard was clean and he was exhausted. He obviously didn't find the breakout point to exit their property and the front gates were locked. Hah, hah, hah, Mr. Smarty!  And my good fortune so I didn't have to drive through the posh streets calling for him.

Just like it was planned, the wild goose chaser drove through the gate. I explained why we were there so he wouldn't call 5-0. I saddled up Joseph, Sweet Lucile's nickname for Zazoo. I wanted to name him Al Joharah, which means jewel of the Nile, but in the current world climate and the fact that I usually live in predominately Jewish neighbourhoods, she calls him Jo. Yelling out an Arabic name will simply bring more attention to my wacky family that I definitely don't want or need.

So we marched through their property past the pool and overlook to Long Island Sound and marched through the Day School to slip through the gate that will give us entrance to our road instead of marching through the whole 28 acres. It was really nice to be on both huge properties. I secretly promised Zaz that we will live on a piece of land like this someday.

Well, poor Zazoo was exhausted so I let him rest at least a half hour after his drink before I fed him and marched him. The chances for a bloat attack are greatly diminished following this rule. I was exhausted too, but we went out for dinner.

Sal's Pizza, Mamaroneck Ave. Mamaroneck. NY.

Zazoo barked incessantly as I turned the key upon our return. I shouted over him, "it's Mommy, Zazoo," but he wouldn't pipe down. I also heard a soft scratch at the door. He only does that when he wants to come in. Strange. As I pushed the door open slowly, I saw a little golden ball who tried to squirm out. Son of a bitch! How the heck did she get out of her cage?

I immediately went into panic mode. I didn't puppy-proof the house but I did pick up after myself even though I couldn't see straight. I pushed wiggle bunny back into her home and assessed the damage. One pair of rubber thongs chewed...that's it. She piddled on the wee-wee pads that I left for Zazoo and one pile of poopie, not on the paper. God or Mother Nature or the ghosts of my Nanas sure watched over me!

What a day! The photo shoot was fun and productive and the drama, all in all, quite minimal. Best case scenario for a little rascal "drive Mommy crazy day." Now there's a fastener clip on her door.  Did she jiggle the door open or did Zazoo?  I'll never know.

Restaurant Week in NY...hits and misses so far

I'm getting thru the second week of Restaurant Week, yes, it's not weeks, which is where restaurants try to drum up new business by offering a prix fixe 3 course limited menu at a reasonable price. Usually $24 for lunch and $30 for dinner. The point of it is to serve delicious food with great ambiance so diners will spread the word and also return with all their colleagues, friends and family.

Here's my summary so far:

Ilili.I give it 5 stars. http://www.ililinyc.com/

Fabulous Middle Eastern fare. Lovely, modern decor. Attentive, helpful staff. it had to be close to 100 F last Monday when I exited a taxi and walked in to a cool, spacious entry as gentle Middle Eastern music wafted thru and made me feel at home immediately. The sweet waitress suggested a refresher: lemonade. Sure. It had a hint of mint and a spear of cucumber. Out of this world! I'm going back, if I can just have this.

Actually, I've dined here before and couldn't resist the special pricing and an excuse to to go to another spot on earth and in my soul.

I had a beautiful green bean salad topped with pickled baby onions and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Lovely with a hint of lemon and olive oil. Next was a lamb sip with au jus and pink horseradish sauce. Simply divine. Tender, shredded lamb piles high on a tasty bun. I spread the sauce then dipped each bit. This hit the spot. Funky, old world flavours eminated throughout the sandwich.


These were sublime. The mix of flavors lingered on my palette and was soothed by the magic lemonade.

A tiny bit of bird's nest baklava was the dessert. Typical and lovely.