My husband shot a brace of snowshoe hares, so I've been racking my brain on how to cook them. The first time I made rabbit, it didn't appeal to me for some reason, so this time I've tossed them in the crockpot with carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic, beef broth, bacon, and spices. I also added cream of mushroom soup to it.

The last time I made rabbit, it wasn't in a crockpot, so the meat was a bit tougher than I cared for. Almost every rabbit recipe I've read says to use bacon, so bacon it is.  I suspect it's because the meat is so lean, it needs added fat, hence it tasted tough.

Big game season is pretty much over with the exception of wolves, and unless they open up my game unit for game damaged hunts for deer, I won't be shooting any more deer this season, which is a pity. The last two bucks were tasty -- some of the best deer I've had yet.

After watching Alaska, the Last Frontier, my husband and I have been talking about putting together a greenhouse to grow plants. That would make life a lot easier and hopefully keep the bugs out.

Lachlan (gray) plays with Mishka

Last weekend, my DH and I adopted a Malamute from the puppy mill raid in 2011. It took that long for justice to be served but basically the dogs were finally released December 19th. After several photos, we settled on a dog named "Sikka" (SIC) who was 14 months old and born around the time of the raid.

I've nicknamed him "Encino Dog" after the movie Encino Man.  He has no clue how to behave in a house.

After a day, my DH renamed him Lachlan after the hero in my books. In retrospect, a better name might have been Loki (we were considering that, since we have Thor) because he is a troublemaker and has a very diabolical expression.  But, Lachlan knows his name and we have been thrown into the crazy world of puppy owners.

The dogs stayed at a place called the Malamute village. Basically it was an indoor facility where the shelter housed the dogs. If you've ever had to deal with an overwhelmingly large number of dogs, this blows it out of the water. Imagine 150+ Malamutes -- loud, food-aggressive, and starved for attention, in cages maybe 6x6 if that--and you'll get the idea how overwhelming it is. The people at the Lewis and Clark Shelter did amazing work with what got dumped in their laps, but the conditions were far from ideal for a dog growing up.

Lachlan's behavior is arrested (or maybe he should be arrested!) and he acts like a 4 month old puppy, not a 14 month old. He's skinny, resource-guarding, food-aggressive, puppy-hyper, fearful, attention-starved, and full of separation anxiety. He's gotten into a squabble with Haegl, my oldest dog who isn't a fighter, at least 3 times. Luckily no one got hurt and we were able to separate them, but sheesh, it reminds me what a pain my breed can be, especially with introductions.

You know he's bad when the three adult Malamutes are hiding from him in your bedroom.

The surprise has been Mishka. She has not only accepted Lachlan, but has taken him under her wing. She plays with him and goes out with him. She also gets between him and another male dog if tempers flare. Wow.  Seriously? This is the dog whose hackles go up if the wind blows. So, she has become Nanny Hoot and has become a force for peace.  Go figure.  Our little hellion has grown up.

So, I'm back up to four Malamutes in the house.