COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL • MARCH 20, 2019 • 5A
Cook’s Corner —
Pet Tips
‘n’ Tales
Prepping for the unexpected
By Betty Kaiser
U
h, oh! Sunday, Feb-
ruary 24, snowflakes
greeted us as we left
church. As long-time resi-
dents at Cottage Grove Lake,
we have learned to go into
survival mode when it snows.
Inevitably, we will lose pow-
er, whatever the conditions.
So, we made sure that we had
groceries, bottled water and
that the car was gassed up.
We headed home, walked in
the door, and the power went
off. Groan.
Living in the country I
have put to good use my
Girl Scout motto to “Be Pre-
pared.” And my husband was
a Boy Scout. Together we
make a great team. Following
are some ways for all of us to
be prepared for winter living.
It may be a little late for this
year but it’s never too late to
be prepared. You may nev-
er need this stuff, but you’ll
have it “just in case.”
We Kaisers have a small
generator that enabled us to
go 11 days without electric-
ity. That still meant that we
had no heat, no shower, no
oven to cook in, no telephone
and more. It also meant that
we needed copious amounts
of gasoline to keep Genny
the generator running inter-
mittently.
Because I went to the gro-
cery store just as the storm
started, I had stocked up
on bananas, bread, frozen
stir fry meals, soups from
the deli, canned meats, etc.
Mostly we just ate simple
stuff from the freezer because
Genny generator allowed us
to use the microwave and
one burner on the stovetop.
A sample recipe is at the end
of this column.
Now, giving advice after a
storm is sort of like locking
the barn door after the horse
has runaway. However, just
in case you need a be-pre-
pared-refresher course, here
are some basics to stock up
on for another unexpected
3-11-day Snowmagedden:
COMMUNICATION:
OUTSIDE:
Try and keep at least 10 days
on hand at all times
Firewood for wood stove (we
almost ran out!)
Fire Logs (backup)
Full tank of gas in car
Full 5-gallon gas cans for
generator (thanks to our
friends)
Tire chains (a 4-wheel drive
Jeep)
Snow Shovel and strong back
(or neighbor)
Bags of sand (didn’t use)
Cooler to fill with ice or
snow
A camp stove to cook on
INSIDE:
Non-electric light sources.
i.e. Battery-operated lan-
terns, flashlights
Wireless or battery-operated
RADIO
Batteries for everything (we
didn’t have ‘C’ for our radio!)
Matches and lighters for
candles, firewood, etc.
First Aid Kit
Extra blankets, warm jackets,
hats, gloves
Good luck! Phones will and
do go down
Internet only if generator is
on and sometimes not then
PEOPLE FOOD:
Think non-perishables and
ready-to-eat like canned
soup, chicken, tuna, salmon,
beans, fruit, crackers, energy
bars, peanut butter, cookies!
BABY FOOD and supplies
PET FOOD and supplies
WATER:
1 gallon per person, per
day; juices, instant coffee, tea
bags.
MEDICATION:
TOILETRIES:
Keep an ample supply of
toilet paper on hand, wipes
and hand sanitizers.
REFRIGERATION: (it will
go out with when genera-
tor is turned off)
Put meat, etc. in coolers
outside in the snow.
We had intermittent
electric, so I put bowls
of snow in our frig and
freezer, changing daily. It
worked!
Whew! Now that we’re all
up-to-date on how to stock
up for a snow storm, let’s eat!
Following is a one-pot chick-
en chili dish that everyone
will love.
WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup frozen whole kernel
corn
• 1 large red bell pepper,
diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 2 cups shredded cooked
chicken OR
• 1 can (12.5 oz) Swanson
white chicken
• 1 can Campbell’s Cream of
Chicken Soup
• 1 cup Pace Chunky Salsa
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans (15 ounces ea.) white
cannellini beans, drained,
rinsed
• 1 can tomatoes (with juice
and liquid); or Rotel toma-
toes.
Add garlic salt and pepper to
taste
GARNISH:
• 2 green onions, sliced
• Cheddar Cheese to taste
Heat the oil in a
3-quart saucepan over me-
dium-high heat. Add corn,
green peppers, diced onion
and chili powder. Cook for 2
minutes. Stir in the chicken.
Stir in the soup, salsa,
water, tomatoes and beans
in the saucepan and heat to
a boil. Reduce the heat to
low. Cover and simmer for
awhile. Serve hot, topped
with the cheese and green
onions.
Note: If you like a hotter
chili, I substitute white chili
beans for the cannellini. Sea-
son to your taste, garnish and
serve with crackers. Serves
4-5.
COURTESY PHOTO/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Pictured from left: Dale Wilhelm, Marie Ammon, Julia Morrill
and Mary Nisewander
6
-day
weather forecast
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
78° | 48°
76° | 47°
Mostly Sunny
Mostly Sunny
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
67° | 41°
80° | 44°
Partly Cloudy
Mostly Sunny
MONDAY
TUESDAY
74° | 43°
76° | 42°
Mostly Sunny
Mostly sunny
60% of smalled businesses
close their doors within
6 months following a
cyber-attack.
Sonya, ‘The Pet Psychic’
W
hat are your pets thinking? Wouldn't it be nice to find
someone who could read their minds? I did! Meet
world famous pet psychic Sonya Fitzpatrick.
For 17 years, Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales has been telling pets’ tales through
their owners’ points of view. Sonya Fitzpatrick, however, enables
pets to relate their tales in their own words to their humans. She
suffered a hearing loss as a child and says she was unexplainably
given the rare gift of clairaudience: The ability to perceive sounds
or words from outside sources in the spirit world. (Note: During
this interview, she received a phone call from China to help find
a missing pet.)
“I telepathically tune in to the animal and can communicate
with it regardless of its loca-tion on earth or the Other Side
through a heart-to-heart connection,” said Sonya. “I hear them
in my head and heart, not my ears — as clear as anyone talking.
Pet psychic Sonya Fitzpatrick says she can hear the
thoughts of her grandog, Joy, a Rhodesian Ridgeback.
Contact Betty Kaiser’s
Cook’s Corner at 942-1317
or email her at bchatty@
bettykaiser.com
Elks donate to 90by30 Baby Box Project
The
Cottage
Grove
Elks Lodge #1904 recent-
ly made a donation to
the South Lane Welcome
Baby Box Project. Marie
Ammon, Exalted Ruler of
Lodge #1904, worked with
the Cottage Grove Bi-Mart
to purchase 70 cases of
disposable diapers and 12
cases of baby wipes for the
project.
Diapers and wipes from
this donation will be in-
cluded in the Welcome
Baby Box gift provided to
expecting families residing
in the South Lane county
(Cottage Grove, Creswell
and surrounding areas).
South Lane has been at
the forefront of 90by30’s
child abuse efforts since
day one. The first team to
finish its prevention plan
By Mary Ellen
“Angel Scribe”
and the first to roll out a
strategy — the Welcome
Baby Box — is paving the
way for other areas of the
county.
The Welcome Baby Box,
modeled after a similar
box in Finland with a 75-
year history of reducing
infant mortality rates, is
free to any infant born in
South Lane. It contains di-
apers, clothes, wipes and
other physical necessities,
as well as a guide to com-
munity resources available
to families.
The box strengthens so-
cial connections between
parents and the rest of the
community.
Animals have feelings and emotions, experience happiness and
sadness and pain. Some animals cry when sad. They are as aware
of their surroundings as we are and deserve to be treated with
kindness and respect. They are living/feeling souls.”
Sonya explained that the majority of her clients have rescued
pets, and that these animals tell her their background by talking
about their homes, if they were dumped or if they lived with
someone who loved them. “They also tell me what their needs
are today and what they want their parents to know,” said Sonya.
“They often relay how grateful they are to have a wonderful home
and wish to thank their parents.”
Sonya has a kind heart and a sweet English accent. Her goal is
to enrich our lives and those of our pets.
Pets’ purr-sonalities are as diverse as ours, Sonya said. “Animals
feel deep love for each other and us. One of their greatest attri-
butes is their ability to teach us how to love,” said Sonya. “Just like
us, animals grieve when a beloved human or animal companion
transitions, sometimes refusing to eat. When we reach the Other
Side, our pets meet us, sur-rounding us with indescribable feel-
ings of love and peace. Actually, Heaven would not be Heaven if
our pets were not there. Know that they are waiting!”
Sonya said that our pets’ unconditional love and emotional
support is invaluable. Being in a pet’s presence brings joy, hap-
piness and laughter. When we feel love, our bodies relax, which
promotes healing and lowers blood pressure.
“Stroking and touching pets is therapeutic,” said Sonya. “Their
loyalty and affection are healing energies.”
Then out of the blue, Sonya asked if I had pets. I told her their
names and she said, “Myster E’s favorite color is blue.”
Seriously, I thought? Cats have furr-verite colors? So, after the
phone call, we put down blue towels on the bed and couch and
he changed his cat napping patterns, going from one to the other.
Sonya added, “Myster E.(Mystery) loves his name, is proud he’s
named after something important and says that he is in charge.”
(And he is. We meet his every demand and whim!)
Sonya added that Myster E is easygoing and not easily annoyed,
like his sister, Whyspurr. (So true. He is a relaxed character, and
she is a nervous sort.) “He says, ‘I tell her to calm down,’” Sonya
continued, adding: “The orange cat across the street is quite love-
ly, but I am prettier.’”
Sonya is 77-years-young, extremely active and has no plans to
retire. She continues lectur-ing, doing readings, seminars and her
main passion: contributing to animal shelters. She has appeared
on “The Little Couple” chatting with the hosts’ dogs, and ap-
peared on “Live with Kelly” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
TIPS:
“I know what my animals know and feel,” said Sonya. “You,
too, can read your animals. A majority of pet parents already do
this and then second-guess themselves. Animals speak into your
heart and mind with thoughts, feelings and pictures. They are
telepathic by na-ture. Trust your feelings and the emotions that
they send to you.”
Sonya's books are “The Pet Psychic,” “What the Animals Tell
Me” and “Cat Talk: The Se-crets of Communicating With Your
Cat.” Find out more at www.SonyaFitzpatrick.com .
PRICES VALID MARCH 20TH - 30TH 2019
Call today (541) 942-0555.
PayneWest.com/Cottage-Grove
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00am-6:00pm | Sat 9am-6pm | Sun 11am-4pm
118 Gateway Blvd., Cottage Grove (Next to Bi-Mart) • 541-942-7377
Share your fun, amazing or crazing pet tips and tales at an-
gelscribe@msn.com or Follow Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/PetTipsandTales. Adopt loving pets online
at www.PetFinder.com. For spay or neutering, call the Humane
Society at 541-942-2789.
