DeKalb Treasure

Sorry I didn't get your DeKalb Treasure up yesterday... it's been a long week, and I'm still not over that cold. :P But, here it is, a little late:

The first, and one of my particular favorites, is Paw Lickin' Good Treats.

Paw Lickin' Good Treats
2581 Sycamore Rd. in DeKalb (next to Aldi)
815-758-8300
http://www.pawlickingoodtreats.com



Hours:
10:00 – 6:00 Tuesday-Friday
10:00 – 5:00 Saturday
11:00 – 4:00 Sunday
Closed Monday



Paw Lickin' Good Treats is owned by Jody Meerdink and Carol Dean. They have been in business here in DeKalb for 2 years. This store is a bakery (for pet treats, not human ones), with a focus on holistic and natural foods. However, they also offer a lot of regular pet foods, toys, clothing (for both humans and pets), and grooming supplies. They also hold obedience classes from time to time.



What makes this store different from other pet food stores? A lot of things. First and foremost is the owners' dedication to your pets. Jody is a certified trainer and has a PhD in research psychology. Not only is she a good baker, but she can offer lots of advice on pet training and behavior. They have been to workshops and training sessions on pet nutrition and bring what they know to their store in what they bake and foods they choose to carry. You will find everything from kibble, to canned, to raw meat diets, all with a nutritional, holistic focus.

This dedication also shows itself in the company they keep. Jody and Carol have really done their research, and they network with other natural/holistic pet food stores and veterinarians nation-wide to keep themselves educated on what foods are healthiest for your pet.



You will also find commercial pet foods that you won't find anywhere else in DeKalb. Jody said that they generally only carry foods produced by “companies with really good products but won't sell out to big box stores.”

And last, but certainly not least, you will find Emma and Billie Jo, the official PLGT mascots. They are two of the sweetest dogs you will ever find, and they are frequently hanging out with Jody and Carol behind the counter.

This is truly a special place. Please go and check it out, and if you do, give Emma a pat on the head from me.

Learn more about what PLGT has to offer by going to their website: http://www.pawlickingoodtreats.com

Yay!

So, today is considerably better. I still have that cold, but the sinus pressure has almost completely gone away, so now it's just a stuffy nose and scratchy throat.

Also, I got a call Tuesday afternoon. I got an interview for a job I applied for a few weeks ago.... it's the job I REALLY want. It's truly my dream job. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but it's hard... I want it so bad!

So, all in all, today is shaping up a lot better than yesterday. :)

Blargh (v.2)

Colds still suck.

On the plus side, I was able to get off work this afternoon. Now I can go to sleep. Sleep is good.

Blargh [updated]

Colds suck.

On a related note, Gypsy Cold Care is awesome.

UPDATE: My roommate and his homemade soup/stew are awesome, as well.
However, going to work (where I care for 25 screaming school-aged children in an echoey elementary school gym) when I have a migraine/sinus headache REALLY sucks.

Foster Watch

Those who know me know that I was very enthusiastically behind John Laesch for the 14th District congressional seat. I have to admit to a bit of bitterness that being outspent almost 20:1 meant that John lost the 398 votes that he needed to win the primary. However, I have tried to be fair towards Foster. He has voted for some good bills, like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. But, he's also voted for some bad things.

Take this provision, for instance, buried deep in the Federal Stimulus Package:

SEC. 1112. ADDITIONAL ASSURANCE OF APPROPRIATE USE OF FUNDS.

None of the funds provided by this Act may be made available to the State of Illinois, or any agency of the State, unless (1) the use of such funds by the State is approved in legislation enacted by the State after the date of the enactment of this Act, or (2) Rod R. Blagojevich no longer holds the office of Governor of the State of Illinois.

Guess who put that into the bill. You guessed it: our very own Representative Foster, working along with Republican Mark Kirk from the 10th District.

Basically what this means is this: (from AdamB at DailyKos)

If you want the money, remove Blagojevich from power or otherwise pass a bill making clear that you trust him with the money. This provision ... could cost the state $50 billion in federal aid.

Also as AdamB points out, the Bill of Retainder Clause in the Constitution says that congress can't pass a law that punishes an individual without a fair trial. However, that's exactly what Foster and Kirk have done here. So, our governor's a laughingstock, and now our representatives don't know their Constitution? Illinois politics just gets better and better, doesn't it?

Plans for the Blog

This blog is mostly just me ranting away about knitting, politics, life, the universe, and everything. ;) Of course, I love it when other people comment and participate. As anyone who knows me can tell you, I love a good discussion.

However, my husband and I had a plan over the summer to start a website called DeKalb Treasures. But, we never got time to get it up and going. So, until we have time to create the site, I am going to do a weekly feature here at The Knitting Table. Every Friday, I will post about a little treasure that DeKalb (city and county) has to offer. Sometimes it will be local businesses, sometimes it will be historical sites, sometimes it will just be little hidden places of beauty that I have discovered. I hope to eventually make it a sort of visitor's guide to DeKalb.

So, if you're looking for something to do over the weekend, come on over here to The Knitting Table on Friday and see what treasure DeKalb has to offer you this week.

Knitting Funk

So, I've been in a bit of a knitting funk the last week or so, for a few reasons. First is my sock. I was knitting a really pretty cabled sock, but the cable needle was a pain in the butt, especially since these cables were just two stitch cables. So, I started, in the middle of the leg, mind you, to try and learn how to cable without a cable needle. Big mistake. I got so frustrated, I just frogged it. Also a big mistake, for now I have to start all over.

Second reason is books. Good books. I re-read the Ranger's Apprentice series (or what there is of it so far). The 5th one was released in the US not long ago, so I'm pretty excited. If you haven't read the ranger's apprentice, The way I describe it is this: Take the Lord of the Rings and the Knights of the Round Table, smash them together, and you have the Ranger's Apprentice. I'm also re-reading the Inheritance cycle (better known as the Eragon books). I'm halfway through Brisingr now. I've read all of these books in the span of about a week, starting right about the time I frogged that sock.

The third and last reason is politics. I'm really busy with the local elections. I am, of course, helping my husband, Jared Lash, in his campaign for alderman in Ward 6, and I'm also helping a candidate for township board, who is still collecting signatures. Hopefully he will have enough to file by tomorrow afternoon, since that's the deadline. I'm also managing Jessica Lyon's campaign for school board in district 428. She is an amazing candidate. But, all these campaigns mean a lot of work, so between that and my real job and reading, I have not much time for knitting. But, it's all been fun, anyway. :)

I Did It

I gave in. I have a blog. This could be trouble...