It's a new year

Happy New Year! Belatedly. Had a very nice holiday. Mark and Danny were home! So glad to have my boys home together. We had so much fun. Mark had to go back to Madrid, Spain, on the 5th of January. Danny returned back to MSU on the 7th of January. Dad left for Florida on the 8th and so it was Jessie and me, alone. Quiet, but kind of welcome after the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

It has been a cold month so far. Temperatures hovering around the 5 degree mark. To warm up I have been taking line dance lessons! I have learned the hustle, locomotion and the chocolate city hustle. It is good exercise and I am having fun. So watch out when you see me on the dance floor.

Happy New Year

-pegs

The Lampshade

Jessie is wearing a lampshade. And she didn't even have a drink. She hates it. Took her to the vet to check out the lumps on her leg and the spot on her left hock. That spot became infected. So she is now taking antibiotics, has an ointment to put on and has to wear this collar. She really, really hates it. But we really, really love her so we do what we have to.

Penguins

Thanksgiving. I was asked to bring appetizers. Thought these looked cute. Everyone loved them. They were two black olives with cream cheese in the belly and carrots for feet and beak. Here was the lone penguin leftover. Thought you would enjoy seeing him. I call him - Penguin Pete - in honor of my brother.

-pegs

The Bridge

Jessie is getting old. She has a hard time getting up and down steps. She is 14+ years old. So we decided to make a ramp for her. Dad calls it "the bridge". Here is a picture of the ramp under construction.

It took Jessie 3 days to get comfortable going down then coming up the ramp. She is doing very well now. I think it took about 200 treats to get her used to it but she comes and goes like an old pro.

-pegs

Fire in the microwave

Went to work yesterday. Fr. Larry goes to annoint someone. Comes back and hands me a plastic bag. "Would you like some pierogies?" he asks. "Sure." Later I realize they came from a person who might not be long for this world. She gave them to him and he passed them to me. Any way, I will eat anything with potatoes, so I took them. Dinner rolls around so I decide to fry them up. They are frozen. With relief I realize they came from Jennie's Pierogi's, a store on Middlebelt Rd. So I take the whole bag and throw it into the microwave, press the button for defrost cook and the start button. Now I need onions to cut up. I go to the pantry and the most horrific smell consumes me. I look around and what do I see? A bag of rotten potatoes in a plastic bag. Dripping. I quickly toss them in the garbage. I gather my onions and start cutting up the onions that I will use to smother the pierogies in. Something smells like smoke! I turn and look. Inside the microwave is a fire. Not a small one either. I open the door and see that the twist tie is on fire as well as the plastic bag. I blow on it but it still burns. Finally i pushed it around and took a deep breath and was able to extinquish it. The pierogies were still semi-frozen but good. I transfered them to another plate and finished defrosting them. I fried up the onions and the pierogies and waited for Mr. Big to come home. He asks what that smell is while opening a jar of Classico spagetthi sauce. He has spagetthi for dinner. Jessie and I ate the pierogies. They were delicious!

-pegs

Fly Me to the Moon

Dressed in a blue NASA jumpsuit-
a real live astronaut.
Sunita Williams, U.S. Naval commander.
Visiting St. Damian school.

I remember we talked to her while she was aboard the International Space Station.
Circling 200 miles above earth.
She called, via Houston, to talk.
May 21st.

Now she is here, in person.
Along with NASA flight director, Robert Dempsey.
Answering questions.
I find it so interesting.
She must be very brave.
Holds the record for space walks for females -four walks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes.

Video she showed was fascinating.
-how a bathroom works in space.
-where they exercise.
-how they brush their teeth (water floats as tiny balls)
-sleeping station
-what they eat

Everything was intriguing.

Not sure I would like to be an astronaut.

Too far way from home.

No sounds in space.

But it would be cool to float!

Looks like fun.

-pegs

Happy Halloween............
Elvis, Fairy Princess,
Vampire,
Superman,
Dogs in costumes
Strange Halloween.
Daylight Savings Time ends next weekend.
Staying light until 7:00pm this week.
Trick or Treaters didn’t know when to start.
Some came early during the daylight.
Others waited. Till darkness fell.
“Trick or Treat”!!! they called.
Happy Halloween……
-pegs