It Was Time

"Birds are not late. A dog does not check its watch. Deer do not fret over passing birthdays."
"Man alone measures time.  Man alone chimes the hour. And because of this, man alone suffers a paralyzing fear that no other creature endures."
"A fear of time running out."
                                           ~ Mitch Albom "The Time Keeper"

Twenty-five years.  That's a lot of time.
It's the difference between youth and middle age.
Between having no children, to being empty nesters (almost).
Between having your whole life ahead of you, to realizing that you have lived through many of the "big events" of life already.
Between being the grown children of grown parents, to being the grown parents of grown children.

Twenty-five years goes by fast.

Twenty-five years is how long it's been since I have celebrated Christmas with my sister.
This year, I decided not to let another year go by.
So last week I flew to Alaska with my daughter, Kerry, to deliver a surprise gift - us!

We had the pleasure of surprising not only my sister,
                                                                         but each of her three daughters separately.
Even though it wasn't really Christmas yet,  the five days we spent together
                                                                        sure seemed like it.
And even though it was frigid outside, the warmth we felt inside
                                                                        made up for the air temperature.
Unlike get-togethers on December 25th,  there was no great preparation.
The house was not cleaned for guests.
No big feast was planned.
We just hung out and did ordinary things - TOGETHER.
That's what made it so special!


"With endless time, nothing is special.  With no loss or sacrifice, we can't appreciate what we have."
"There is a reason God limits our days.  To make each one precious"
                                           ~ Mitch Albom "The Time Keeper"

Random Thoughts

Just a few things that have been going through my mind...

1.  As I prepare to send out Christmas cards, I always feel a time
     of sorrow as I remove the names of those that have died this
     year.

2.  Should I buy this sweater for my daughter or keep it for myself?

3.  The no-lick stamp is the greatest!

4.  A paper cut on your tongue from licking an envelope
     doesn't hurt nearly as bad as one on your finger.

5.  Everyone Loves Raymond never fails to make me laugh.

6.  It's been about 3 years since I've been able to actually see
     the hair that I am shaving under my armpits!

7.  I'm always torn between buying a gift you know someone
     wants (because they have asked for it)  and taking a risk by
     surprising them with something else.

8.  When filling out online forms, I have noticed I need to
     scroll farther and farther down to find my birth year.

9.  Have you ever  gotten angry when your child doesn't return
     your text message, only to realize you forgot to press send?

10. I've eaten chili almost every day for lunch since March
      and I'm still not tired of it.  It's easier than thinking of
      something different every day.

11. Every year, I want fewer and simpler Christmas decorations.

12.  I don't bother hiding gifts anymore.  I put the bags in one corner
       of the family room and tell everyone they are welcome to
       peek if they want to spoil their Christmas by knowing what
       I got them.  It is much easier than hiding things and then
       forgetting where I hid them!

The Card

One of our grand traditions in this family is our Christmas card.
Not just the Christmas card, but the Christmas card picture!

For many years, it was just a picture of the kids.
They would complain and moan about having to
take so many pictures in the hopes of getting a picture
that was "just right".

As they got older, they started becoming a part of the planning
process.  What should we wear?  Where should we take it?
Dogs or no dogs? Cats or no cats?

This year, my daughter Kerry decreed it should be a
Patagonia fleece Christmas card and I suggested we
be walking down a country road with the dogs.

This is the photo that was finally chosen (after a little bit
of Photoshop to get everyone looking their best!)

Kerry's friend, Mel, was kind enough to be the photographer
for us, capturing many shots of us walking, and walking,
and walking.  Thanks, Mel!

We probably wouldn't have needed to take so many if it wasn't
for a certain member of the family...

Merry Christmas!

Raising Ravioli

We're babysitting for our daughter's new son.
Following in the path of those weird celebrity baby names,
Kerry chose to name her son "Ravioli".

Luckily, her son is not human.

He is a leopard gecko.

Kerry is a lover of small animals/reptiles, and this is her first official
adoption where she alone is responsible for its well-being.  She has been
very diligent so far.  It's only been a few months, however.  If all goes well,
Ravioli will live to be 17 years old.

He is kinda cute, as creepy crawly things go.

He eats mealworms and crickets.

Since he's nocturnal, Ravioli sleeps most of the day.  He is also growing, so
he sheds his skin almost weekly.  Since humidity helps him shed, Kerry made
him a little hut with a wet sponge inside where the environment is warm and
humid.  He loves it and spends a lot of time inside.

Once in a while he get active and climbs on his fake log cave

As pets go, he's pretty easy to care for.   Keep his heat light on for 12 hours,
off for 12 hours.  Clean the tank once a week.  Feed him every night.

 

He makes Kerry happy, so that's all that matters.

He's cute and growing on me!
I even bought him a Christmas present!

Thanks, Enzo!

The purpose of this blog is not to review books.
It's about my life.
But since this book made such a huge impact on my life,
I thought it only fitting that I talk about it!

I read this book a few weeks ago.
Well, I didn't actually read it.  I listened to it.
I do that a lot lately-listen to audiobooks as I work or walk my dogs.

"The Art of Racing in the Rain" is not a new book.
It's been around awhile.
I'm a little late to the party, but it's been on my "to read" list
for a long time.

When I listened to the first chapter, I admit I didn't love it
right away.  If I hadn't paid for the audiobook, I probably would
have stopped listening.   I'm soooo glad I didn't stop!

It's a simple book written in the voice of Enzo, a dog.
At the end of his life, Enzo looks back at the times of his life
with his beloved owner, Denny.  And the story unfolds.

In the telling, Enzo has a way of seeing the human world
that is funny and very insightful.  His simple observations
and wisdom teach us many things about how to live our lives.

I was literally sobbing in the last chapters of this book.
I didn't want it to end.  I didn't want Enzo to die.
And while the tears were still wet, I gave my dogs some extra
hugs as I listened to the last few chapters over again.

This book is not just for dog-lovers, although I think perhaps
it is a bit more enjoyable if you have ever known and loved one.
Dog lover or not, it forces you to look at life differently.
It shows you how to live a better life.
That's why I liked it so much!

“There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.” 
― Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

A Very Asian Thanksgiving

We had visitors for Thanksgiving this year!  Adam invited four of his friends
from Middlebury College to spend the Thanksgiving break with us.  Their
homes are too far away to spend the break with their own families, so they
became part of ours for a few days!

In the back row, left, is Wanning.  She is a freshman whose home is in
Singapore.  Jeff, right, is a senior, originally from Korea.  His family
relocated to Vancouver when he was young.  In the front row, left,
is another freshman named Ying.  Ying's family lives in Malaysia.
Next to Ying is David.  David is a sophomore from Seoul, South Korea.

They were the best kind of house guests - friendly, warm, helpful, appreciative,
considerate, and fun.  They asked a lot of questions about our culture and
traditions and were very willing to answer the many questions we asked
about theirs.

While they were here, they did a lot of studying around the dining room
table.

They also had fun.
They played games...

Rode the carousel in Bushnell Park...

Went bowling...

And took lots of pictures...

I am so very happy they were here to spend some time with us!

They were off to NYC on Saturday morning to spend the day and meet up
with more Middlebury friends.

I saw pictures of their exciting day on Facebook...

I saw these pictures on Facebook because they "friended" me.

It made me happy because I really do consider them my friends too!

Sweet Jafar!

I was never a big fan of Disney's Aladdin, but even I am able to recognize Jafar.

Look at the Jafar that Kerry is babysitting for during Thanksgiving break!

Jafar is a Python that belongs to Kerry's friend, Julie.  Julie had to fly home
for the Thanksgiving break and Kerry gladly offered to take care of Jafar!

We have all held Jafar.  He is really very soft and warm  - and friendly.

Jafar really needs very little care.  He just hangs out under his heat
lamp - sometimes stretched out on a log, and sometimes coiled up
under the log.

Jafar only eats once a week!  And Julie was nice enough not to feed him
before his trip so we could have that opportunity while he was staying
with us.

Jafar is fed in a cardboard box - a feeding box.  This is so he recognizes
when it's feeding time an when it's not.

His food of choice is a mouse.  Not alive, though.
We went to Petco and bought a package of frozen white mice.

You must first thaw it out in warm water.

When it's taken out of the water, it does not look furry.

So you need to dry him off with a paper towel to fluff him up.

Jafar was placed in the feeding box

And the mouse was dangled by his tail over the top of the box.

At first, Jafar didn't seem very interested.

But then, in the blink of any eye he had grabbed it and was squeezing
his prey to death.

Here is a short video clip of the moment of the snatching" < />
If you weren't watching closely, you probably missed the moment
of the attack.

Jafar's head was under the coil so it was difficult to see,
but we could see the mouse begin to disappear little by little.

The tail was the last to go down!

YUM!