Columnists

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting The Easter Bunny and the vividly colored eggs and treats he leaves behind are one of the time-honored traditions of this spring holiday. However, many other customs also are enjoyed during Easter celebrations, including a holiday table resplendent with delicious foods. After the main meal is cleared, family and guests can relish in any […]

I was fortunate to have Afghan Hounds as canine companions for 40 years. A total of six, and often two at a time. The breed is known to be aloof, but only Juliet, my first and only young Afghan puppy, fit the bill as “aloof” at times. Independent thinkers, too. My two females had more cognitive skill than my four […]

Franco and Francesca were meant to be together. Franco is a special Last Hope black kitten from Puerto Rico. He and his four littermates became orphans at two-weeks-old when their mom was killed by a car. A kind lady found them and took the newborns to her friend who bottle-fed and fostered the litter. Franco blossomed into a sociable kitten […]

Cooking at home enables anyone to customize ingredients and gain control of the foods they eat. Too often commercially processed items are contain ingredients that compromise consumers’ overall health. This recipe for “Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake” is made from pantry staples. Whether baking alone or with the family, try this recipe, courtesy of “The Pampered Chef® Stoneware Inspirations” (The […]

Osteosarcoma is one type of bone cancer. Every year in the US alone, 10,000 dogs are diagnosed with osteosarcoma, from 4,000 to 8,000 dogs die from the disease and 80 percent of the dogs diagnosed perish within two years. Despite advances in canine oncology over the past 30 years, there has been no notable progress in treatment or survival of […]

Bugs are the cornerstone of the food web including the stunning Monarch Butterfly. Unfortunately, in developing Long Island over the past century, we have destroyed much of their natural habitat, reducing their ability to migrate and pollinate. With fewer bugs to eat, there has also been a drastic decline in the bird population, with some estimates at nearly 3 billion […]

Who couldn’t use a little more free time in his or her day? Slow cookers can create that by enabling home chefs to set their ingredients to simmer early in the day and then head to work, school, recreational activities — pretty much whatever they need to get done — as the food cooks. Not being beholden to the kitchen […]

Ripley was one of the most amazing dogs ever to step paw into Babylon Shelter and Last Hope. This perfectly behaved, eight-year-old Cockapoo was surrendered to Babylon Town Shelter in 2015 by a young owner who loved him but couldn’t afford to keep any dog. The man barely had a roof over his own head. After a short stay at […]

Earthquake Efforts Part 2: Last Hope Animal Rescue continues one of two campaigns to aid earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. Since the 2/16/23 “Pets” introduced our supply drive and request for monetary contributions for three grassroots groups, assisting people and pets, working on site of the devastation, the death toll has gone over 50,000 and more than 1.5 million […]

My “Pets” column turns 40 years old February 24th. At first, “Pets, Pets, Pets” columns were only published in the Babylon Beacon. Over 15 years ago, “Pets” was added to the Massapequa Post and Amityville Record. Initially, three of us were thrown together to help the League for Animal Protection-South Shore Chapter (LAP) advertise pets in need. The Babylon Shelter […]