Table for Two

Recently I had the pleasure to meet the author of Table for Two, A Cook Book for Couples--Mr. Warren Caterson. He asked me if I liked to cook. Indeed I do and the more free time in the evening,  the more elaborate my dishes.

Alas my free time in evenings is dwindling and consumed with work or charity work which I take very seriously both the former and latter.

As a single person who loves to eat, I always cook for two, three or more people and therefore count on leftovers. Nowadays, cooking is about saving time than the culinary skill or the artistic blend of ingredients.

Upon slicing open the first pages, I discovered the succinctly informative opening chapters on measurements, cooking terms, and ingredients, there are 'kitchen cook friendly', step-by-step recipes from soups, salads, side dishes, and main entrees. Of special note are the chapters devoted to vegetarian dishes, desserts, and what to do with leftovers!

On the culinary scale, these are quality, gourmet recipes suitable for any couple, empty-nester, or voracious apetiter like me. Best of all the 235 classic and nouveau recipes can be prepared and served in about an hour. 

So explore this cornucopia with a special loved one. Cooking together along with dining together keeps the romance alive!

How Soccer Explains the World

Years ago,  as a member of the Sexy Potato Peel Book club, I wanted to select a book that would be an unexpected surprise. Instead of turning to the NY Times  best seller list, I visited the local bookstore and eyed the book spines for something different, original, and enlightening where my fellow book mates would say "This was great--more than I expected!"  This World Cup season, whether you're experiencing soccer fever or are a pure novice drawn by this worldly sport, I highly recommend this book!

A book I thumbed upon was titled How Soccer Explains the World. The author, Franklin Foer, was a political journalist in Washington and took a six month sabbatical to embark on an odyssey to the soccer capitals of the world.

He set out to observe soccer as a way to understand the consequences of globalization -- the increasing interdependence of the world's nations -- by studying a sport in which "national borders and national identities had been swept into the dustbin of soccer history." The result is a travelogue full of important insights into both cultural change and persistence.

So does globalization, via soccer, ensure humane order? Liberate a nation from tyranny? Or wreak havoc like an organized cult? The result is a range of the good, the bad and the ugly. From Margaret Thatcher's cry of hooliganism that emerges from soccer fanatics and claimed it the "disgrace of a civilized society"; to the fans of Red Star Belgrade in Serbia who became, as Foer puts it, "Milosevic's shock troops, the most active agents of ethnic cleansing, highly efficient practitioners of genocide."; to the sophisticated FC Barcelona Club that redeems the game "by showing that fans can love a club and a country with passion" without stirring xenophobia and that patriotism and cosmopolitanism are compatible.

Even if you're not politically or socio-economically inclined, the real stories of players, a city, an entire nation are captivating sometimes nail-biting and well worth reading. Foer saved the best for last--the story of the country of Iran that hired a Brazilian coach, and the necktie he constantly wore was considered a European imposition. The women of Iran who risked their lives by penetrating the inner sanctum of the culture, forever a man's world, and secretly dressed as men to attend the soccer games. What happened to these brave women even after Iran captured the World Cup berth in 1997? You'll have to read the book.

From Brazil to Bosnia and from Italy to Iran, How Soccer Explains the World is an eye-opening chronicle of how a beautiful sport and its fanatical followers can illuminate the fault lines of a society, whether poverty, anti-Semitism, or radical Islam.

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Cat Caboodle Ranch

I have a dream. A dream to build a cat Disneyland, a sanctuary.  While there are many organizations dedicated to rescuing and caring for dogs, there are fewer ones for cats.  But one man built his field of dreams! You're going to love these videos!

After watching this video, please consider a donation, perhaps more than you normally give. As a caretaker of 17 outdoor cats, it's a tremendous job. It's always a few people that carry the burden when caring for the cats that live in our community-- a result of irresponsible cat owners who don't take the time and the few dollars to spay/neuter their cats. 

There are two videos. Watch them both!


Feeding a colony of cats takes a lot of money and work. I know I do it almost every day in my neighborhood. I feed 17 cats which takes almost an hour. I can only imagine feeding 500!!!

The reward is great as you see the immediate results--animals living humanely, healthy and happy. If you do not have the spare time to help the cats in your neighborhood, please consider donating to the Cat Network or Caboodle Ranch.

For Cat Network send checks to 90 SW 3rd Street, #3905, Miami, FL  33131

Many blessings!

Do You Give Back to Your Community?

This kitten may grow up wild in the streets near your home, licking its paws from car oil and discharge, suffering from agonizing pain, afraid of humans, or it may be lucky and find a loving home and grow up healthy and playful.

Are you looking to give back to your community? To volunteer your time or offer your skills to make a difference? Do you have strong desire to do more than just write a check?

In this economy many are grateful for their jobs, their health, their families. I know I am truly blessed for all of the above. My mother always raised me to give thanks for what I have, to give back, even in time of need. But writing a check was too easy and not as joyous. Then I stumbled upon a cause by accident where I make a tremendous difference with my time and skills and it is so rewarding! Won't you join me?

If you're an animal lover and like cats, then you can help with just a couple of hours of your time. Even if you think you're not a cat person, believe me, spending one day with these creatures and you will discover their unique traits, personalities, habits, antics, and a possibly a new love! This is a great way for students to fulfill their community service requirements!

"What's a home?"

      The Cat Network is in desperate need of volunteers!
 It's kitten season, and hundreds of homeless kittens are born everyday that shelters and organizations are overflowing. You can help in different ways and it's so easy and fun! Best of all--it's absolutely uplifting!

a. Foster a kitten or a few (we'll teach you how) until they are old enough to be adopted. You do have to be a CN member but it's only a $25 fee.

b. Supervise and show kittens at pet store adoption centers once a week or once a month. So they are not cooped up all day, that human touch and interaction is important to keep them socialized.

c. Help with TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) homeless cats in your neighborhood or nearby. Cat Network will teach you how.

What a difference a home makes!
Pebbles used to be scared and timid. Now she's an entertainer!

We are a network of volunteers from all professional backgrounds--teachers, lawyers, small business owners, housewives, scientists and other professionals. We are too few volunteers to care for record number of homeless kittens due to the recession--people dumping their indoor cats, unspayed/un-neutered, into the streets!

For example, the PetSmart in Midtown, PetSmart across from the Falls, and the new PetSmart in Coral Way are in need of volunteers! The Cat Network operates the adoption centers and we need responsible, animal-loving volunteers to help supervise, show cats to potential adopters and/or clean cages.

What a difference a home makes!

Misha is an older cat saved from the clutches of euthanasia after her owner passed away. She now lives in mid-Atlantic and loves the spring weather to explore outside, climb trees and watch the birds and butterflies.

Please know that the Cat Network does NOT have a physical facility to house cats. All cats temporarily live with volunteers or foster families or reside at the adoption center at pet stores. That's why we need more volunteers!

To volunteer in the Kendall area, please call Agnetta at the Cat Network at 786-380-1196 and leave a message. To volunteer at the PetSmart in Midtown Miami, please email Tia or Alan at midtowncats@hotmail.com
Thank you for considering! You can make a difference! And if you work insane hours with little free time to spare, then please don't hesitate to write that check!

Make check payable to CAT NETWORK and mail to:
90 SW 3rd Street
#3905
Miami, FL 33130



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I Am An Animal Rescuer

Sent by: Annette Kincker

I am an animal rescuer.

I will never bring about world peace.

I will not save the rain forest.

I'm not a brain surgeon and I'll never transplant an organ to save a life.

I don't have the ear of a powerful politician or world power.

I can't end world hunger. I'm not a celebrity, and God knows I'm not glamorous!

I'm not looked up to by millions around the world. Very few people even recognize my name.

I'll never win the Nobel Prize.

I'll never save the rain forest or end global warming.

There are a lot of things that I'll never do or become.

But today I placed a cat in a loving home!!!

It was a small, scared, bundle of flesh and bones that was dropped off by unfeeling people that didn't care what happened to it, but yet who were responsible for it even having existence in the first place. I found it a home. It now has contentment and an abundance of love. A warm place to sleep and plenty to eat. A child has a warm fuzzy new friend who will give them unquestioning devotion and teach them about responsibility and love. A wife and mother has a new spirit to nurture and care for. A husband and a father has a companion to sit at his feet at the end of a hard day of work and help him relax and enjoy life. And a sense of security, that when he is gone all day at work, that there is a protector and a guardian in his home to keep watch over his family.

No, I'm not a rocket scientist but today I saved one of God's precious creatures.

Today, I made a difference!

I Am An Animal Rescuer.

My job is to assist God's creatures.

I was born with the need to fulfill their needs. I take in new family members without plan, thought or selection. I have bought dog food with my last dime. I have patted a mangy head with a bare hand. I have hugged someone vicious and afraid. I have fallen in love a thousand times and I have cried into the fur of a lifeless body.

I have Animal Friends and friends who have Animal Friends. I don't often use the word "pet." I notice those lost at the road side and my heart aches.

I know of no creature unworthy of my time. I want to live forever if there aren't animals in Heaven but I believe there are!

Why would God make something so perfect and leave it behind? We may be master of the animals, but the animals have mastered themselves. Something people still haven't learned.

War and abuse make me hurt for the world but a rescue that makes the news gives me hope for humankind.

We are a quiet but determined army and making a difference every day.

There is nothing more necessary than warming an orphan.

There is nothing more rewarding than saving a life.

No higher recognition than watching them thrive.

There is no greater joy than seeing a baby play who only days ago, was too weak to eat.

I am an Animal Rescuer.

My work is never done. My home is never quiet.

My wallet is always empty, but my heart is always full.

In the game of life, I have already won!

~ Annette Kincker ~

As animal rescuers and caretakers, we thank Annette for her eloquent and moving words that beautifully sums up our never-ending efforts but brings us infinite joy.

Would you like to make a difference with a meager amount of your time, just a couple hours a month? Won't you consider volunteering in some way? Click here for more information.

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Christine Meets Greg Mortenson

My mother Elizabeth, me, and Greg Mortenson

Greg Mortenson-- a skilled nurse, talented mountain-climber, amateur fundraiser, and possessing the patience of an old oak tree is really, for lack of a better word--a saint. Not a hero, a saint.

While some reviewers offered slight criticism of his famed book (Three Cups of Tea, click here for my review) that the storytelling was dry and read more like an upbeat news report, the story alone is a miracle. Everyone should read this book. It is educational, uplifting, powerful, riveting, breathtaking and will leave you breathless.

As it turns out, the subject of most of the books I read is about the strength of one person, usually a woman, who survives incredible obstacles, pain, suffering without shattering mentally and physically into a thousand pieces. But Three Cups of Tea is not the self depending on one's self strength, worth and atonement. Rather the livelihood of others depends on you. Parents can relate. But what about a group of people with absolutely no familial blood lines or who don't even live on the same continent, are depending on you? "The world rests on your shoulders" is but an understatement.

Three Cups of Tea breathes new life to the over-wraught dictum that "one CAN make a difference." So when my mother and I were next in line for the meet-greet-book signing, with Greg Mortenson, the first thing she exclaimed "You should have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize!" I have to agree. Greg didn't just talk the talk (sorry but with all due respect to our President, how can anyone nominate him when he hadn't accomplished anything yet), he walked the walk and single-handedly fought back the terrorists without weapons, but by providing schools for village girls.

Hmm, incorporating the intelligence of a woman into everyday community affairs including the process of fighting evil doers! What a concept!

I was honored to meet Greg, shake his hand, and thank him for his valiant efforts. He should be canonized for his heart of spirit, devotion and miraculous feats! I second my mother's nomination!

Get your issue now on Amazon for the lowest price of $9.36. Click below!
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

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Spirit Airlines to Charge for Carry-on Baggage

Pondering: To Carry on or Check in baggage?

Spirit Airlines' decision to charge up to $45 per carry-on bag has sparked a public outcry. This more than the $19 they charge for checked-in baggage. However five other airlines-- American, Delta, United, US Airways, and JetBlue --have vowed not to follow Spirit's lead. Will you choose these airlines instead of Spirit?

If I recall, another airline in Europe was starting at $25 a ticket and charging literally for everything including using the bathroom. Does anyone know or have flown this airline?

POST YOUR COMMENT below by clicking on "Comments".

Personally, I will never fly SPIRIT Airlines unless for absolute emergency. After my first trip flying the no-thrills airline, there's no will, no spirit to return! Read my story below!