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!

802-862-5247

Surprises are great!
Whether they are big or small, happy or sad.

Yes, even sad surprises can be good sometimes.

Yesterday, for instance.

I suddenly had a very strong urge to call my mom.

As I sat at my computer,  it was as if the clock had been
turned back to a time when it was normal for me to just pick
up the phone for no particular reason to just chat with my
mom while I was having my lunch or cooking dinner.  She was
always there, it seemed, and we would just pass the time
together for a little while.

I even picked up the phone and dialed her number.

802-862-5247

It rang.  I was ready to hang up until I heard the
comforting voice of the operator saying that this
line is no longer in service.

Inside my heart, I cheered!

Nobody has taken my mom's phone number yet.

Then I cried.

It's been a while since Grief has surprised me like this.

Still, I am grateful.  Grateful for that moment yesterday
when I felt connected to my mom.  Grateful that somehow
I was allowed to experience a normal moment that I
have had many thousands of times before.

But most of all, grateful for that precious moment
when I didn't remember.

Jesus, Take the Wheel!

This morning my husband took one of our cars in to the Toyota dealership for service.
I picked him up and we went out for breakfast.  We tried a different breakfast spot
on Sullivan Ave in South Windsor.  The Red Cabin.  It was ok.

After breakfast, I had to drop him back off at Toyota to pick up the car,
so I was driving.  But since it wouldn't be ready for another half hour,
I told him I needed to get something at JoAnn's Fabrics.

As we headed down Buckland Road toward JoAnn's,
he asked  "Where you going?"  in a semi-frantic kind of way.

I said "JoAnn's Fabrics, remember?"

He said "Why didn't you turn left?"

I said "Because that's not how you get there.  It's straight."

He said "I thought it was up by Target."

I said "No, it's straight ahead to the right."

So I drove to JoAnn's and parked.
I got what I needed (vinyl to put over the new sofa where the cat scratches it).
We got back in the car.
I was still driving.

Pulling out of the parking lot, I started to turn right to go back out
to Buckland Road, the way we came in.

He said "Where you going?"

I said "To drop you off at Toyota"

He said "You need to go left"

I said "No I don't.  I'm going back out the way I came in."

He said "You can't go out that way!"

I said "Yes you can. I do it all the time."

He said "No you can't"

Instead of arguing, I turned left instead.
I didn't mention that now I would have two extra traffic lights to make it through.

We got to the main intersection and I got in the right lane to turn right.

He said "Where you going?"

I said "To drop you off at Toyota."

He said "Why are you turning. You need to go straight."

This time I didn't answer, but continued to drive the way I wanted to.

Then he realized where I was going.

He said "Oh, you're taking the highway.  It's faster to go through the mall."

I said "I don't really care if I get there faster.  I like to go on the highway."

I DIDN'T question his reasoning.  You see, by going on the highway one
exit, I was avoiding 7 traffic lights on a busy road.  There was no doubt in
my mind it was faster to take the highway.

When I got off the exit, I pre-empted his query by announcing that I planned
to turn left at the end of the ramp.

He said "That's good."

This is why I don't like to drive when my husband is the passenger!