You need to preheat the oven at 325 degrees. Take 4 baking sheets and lightly spray them with cooking spray. Set them aside. Leave your butter and cheese on the counter for a few hours to soften them. Once they are softened, put them in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and cheese together until they look like cream cheese. This should take about 15-30 minutes. This is easiest if you have a standing mixer. This allows you to leave the mixture to beat instead of holding a hand mixer. Sift 3 cups of flour with the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Add the seasoned flour to the cheese mixture one large spoonful at a time. Beat every time you add more flour. Add the remaining flour to the mixture until it is somewhat stiff but still pliable. You may not need to use all of the flour. If the mixture gets to this point before you use the whole cup, stop adding the flour. Pull off enough dough to make 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Roll them into a long strip. Flatten them into the shape of a straw with a fork, making long stripes down the side of them with the fork. Place them on the baking sheets until you have used all the dough.  If you have a cookie press, attach the star tip. Put part of the dough into the cookie press. Push out long strips of the dough onto each of the baking sheets until they are filled and the dough is gone. This recipe yields 4 dozen. If you want to make less, cut the recipe in half to make 2 dozen. Cook the pans of straws for 20 minutes. They should be golden and crispy. If not, continue to cook until they are. Let them cool. Once they are cool, break them apart if they are too long. If you made the straws with the cookie press, you can break the long strips apart in 3 inch (7.6 cm) pieces.
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One-sentence summary -- Preheat the oven. Prepare the cheese. Make the dough. Make the straws. Cook the straws.


Lumps on guinea pigs often require veterinary treatment. Frequently, treatment involves surgical removal of the lump. If the lump is infected, your guinea pig would need antibiotics to prevent the spread of infection after surgery. Do not try to treat a lump on your own. Removing a guinea pig’s lump can be challenging. If the lump is infected, surgically removing it could release bacteria into the bloodstream, causing a serious condition called septicemia. Also, the pus within a guinea pig abscess has a thick, cheese-like consistency, making the typical abscess treatment—lancing and draining—ineffective in many cases. Lancing an abscess involves cutting it open with a sharp instrument.  Sometimes, abscesses can form finger-like extensions and extend into nearby tissues, making complete removal difficult. Mouth abscesses are very challenging to treat because of their location. They can swell and block the throat. Also, if the abscess breaks open, the pus could fatally choke a guinea pig.  Removing a cyst may be challenging as well, since the fluid inside of it may contain bacteria. If your guinea pig can undergo surgery, your vet will anesthetize your guinea pig and remove the lump. In most cases, a guinea pig can go home on the same day of surgery. However, if your guinea pig has a mouth abscess, your vet may want to hospitalize your guinea pig because of the potential for serious health problems.  For an abscess, a complete removal is very important. If the removal is incomplete, the abscess could come back. Surgical removal of a skin tumor is often curative, meaning that no other treatment is needed to treat the tumor. However, a more aggressive tumor may require additional treatment after removal. Lancing may be a good option for mouth or jaw abscesses. After anesthetizing your guinea pig, your vet would first cut open the abscess and drain the fluid with a surgical drain. Next, they would flush the empty abscess with an antiseptic solution. Then, your vet may pack the empty abscess with antibiotic beads. Be aware that this treatment option makes it more likely for an abscess to come back.  Flushing the abscess means to fill it with a liquid solution (the antiseptic), then suction the liquid back out. Your vet may have to flush the abscess several times to make sure all of the pus is out. The antibiotic beads would be effective for 2‒6 months. Not all abscesses require surgical removal. If your guinea pig’s abscess is less than 1 cm in diameter, your vet could inject antibiotics directly into the abscess. Your vet would inject the antibiotic into the abscess’s wall. Alternatively, your vet may want to flush the abscess periodically, rather than removing it. Flushing the abscess periodically will help prevent the abscess from causing problems. Your vet will let you know how often the abscess should be flushed.
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One-sentence summary -- Seek veterinary treatment. Discuss treatment challenges. Allow your vet to surgically remove the lump. Have your vet lance and drain the abscess. Allow your vet to inject the abscess with antibiotics.


There’s no reason to be shy about going out to eat alone. In fact, it can be pretty nice to go wherever you want, order whatever you want, drink whatever you want, and have a whole table to yourself.  If you feel like being a bit social, sit at the bar to eat. People sitting at the bar tend to be friendlier and more open--and to have better stories.  Go to one of your favorite restaurants and order the meal you’ve been craving. Bring a book along if you’d like, or enjoy your meal while people-watching. If your house is usually full of people waiting to use the bathroom, take this time to spend as long as you want in the bathroom. Use all of your favorite bath and body products. Draw a bath and pour in some bubble bath or your favorite essential oil. Light candles, turn on music, and allow yourself to relax or have a leisurely shower. Make an appointment at a salon or walk in for a spur-of-the-moment treat. If you don’t want to spend money on a manicure, give yourself one at home. Don’t just paint your nails, give yourself the works: file your nails, soak them, and use several coats of polish. If you still have time and supplies left over, give yourself a pedicure, too. Having time all to yourself offers a great opportunity for sleep--take advantage!  Indulge in an afternoon nap, or go to bed as early as you want. If you’re alone in the morning, sleep in or wake up, make breakfast and go back to bed. Breakfast in bed!
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One-sentence summary -- Take yourself out for a meal. Take a long bath or shower. Get your nails done. Get some sleep.


Just a regular cooler is fine, like the one you use to keep food and drinks cool for a picnic, but it must be small enough to fit in your freezer. The cooler will insulate your ice cubes, forcing them to freeze slowly from the top down. Do not close the cooler. If you can, use trays that make larger ice cubes, or get a series of small, rectangular plastic or silicone containers. Proponents of this method claim tap water works as well as distilled and boiled water. This water will seal off your ice cubes, keeping cold air from freezing the sides or bottom. Make sure your freezer is not set too cold—17-25°F (-3 -8°C) should do it. Leave the cooler for 24 hours. The ice should have a thin cloudy layer at the top but be clear the rest of the way through.  You now have large, solidly crystal ice cubes.
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One-sentence summary --
Get a small cooler. Place your ice tray, mold or other freezing container at the bottom of the cooler. Fill your tray or molds with water. Pour water into the bottom of the cooler, filling in around your ice tray or molds. Place the cooler with the lid off in your freezer. Take out your cooler and carefully remove the block of ice with your ice tray or molds frozen in it. Chip away the ice around your tray or molds and remove your ice cubes. Leave them out for a minute to let the top cloudy later melt off.