Food Security and Furry Friday

Hubby is back and Buddy has enjoyed playing rope this week in the yard with him between rain showers.  This along with walks is one of our primary ways for him to expend energy during the day so he is good in the evening.  

Buddy is looking a bit shaggy.  As you can see in this photo, it has been 4.5 weeks since his last trim.  He has an appointment with the groomer on Wednesday - next time I will book it for 4 weeks.  I hate not being able to see his eyes so shortly after this picture was taken we did a trim job on the hair over his eyes.  Now he looks a bit like a three year old who got a hold of scissors and did their own bangs lol (I did that as a kid).

Last week while hubby was away he was assisting one of our clients - who happens to be a chain of high end boutique pet stores.  Needless to say being around all those cool toys all week was too much for him - he caved and brought home the dinosaur and skunk in the background.  I hate to think how much they cost - at least he bought them off a client.  On the upside our company is expensive too - perhaps we best just build some pet toys into the contract next time.  

For Easter Sunday we are having my Mom over for a turkey feast.  She is bringing dessert and I am supplying everything else.  As there is only 3 of us I tried to buy the smallest turkey I could - an 11 pounder .95 cents a pound utility grade.  I have always had good luck with utility turkeys, at most they are usually missing a wing tip or have a bit of torn skin.  My family could care less.  They always taste good.  

Last week when I cleaned out the fridge I also did an inventory on both the side fridge freezer and our minichest freezer.  Both are full to bursting with food.  Strange since I ended up at the end of the month at $499.97 on a budget of $550.  Likely the difference was that hubby was away for the week.  I don't include Buddy's costs into our grocery budget as have a completely separate category for him and this way I can compare grocery costs from year to year properly.

Food security is something a lot of people don't talk about much.  When I was a kid my father left the country leaving my mother to take care of myself (age 5) and sister (age 11).  There was no child support - ever.  If that had happened these days there would have been something Mom could have done about it but back then it was difficult to force someone to pay child support when they lived in the USA.  At the time my Mom had been a stay at home Mom.  Did I mention that we had moved to Canada from the USA five years before and had zero family?  She survived, got a job and stayed in Canada with us.  There were food security issues at times - but we always got fed even when sometimes other things had to be delayed - like heating oil one time.  She raised a garden and did the best she could.  That's what a lot of people do.  It might be why I am so frugal - and always like to pay my bills first and have a full pantry and fridge.  Fortunately, through saving and paying our mortgage off it is unlikely not having enough food will ever be an issue again in my household, but you never know what could happen around the bend.  

Food security is an issue for many in Canada but none so prevalent as the far North - where winters are long and growing seasons almost non-existent.  Where animal meat that has been relied upon for hundreds of years is in short supply.  Where fuel costs are so high they have to pay $7.50 CAD for a litre of milk that I can get for $2. Many of these people are First Nations - the original inhabitants of Canada - moving away is not an option.   Just some food for thought this weekend when you are feasting - think about others who may not be so fortunate and what you can do about it.  I know I am.

CBC News - Nunavut's hunger problem