tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77449423617765790412024-03-18T11:08:51.806-04:00Sweet Tea ReadsDanielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.comBlogger520125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-33604182618724403602024-03-11T21:25:00.000-04:002024-03-11T21:25:02.466-04:00Catching Up<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I didn’t mean to go quite so long in between posts, so this
is a little bit of a catch-up post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kJen5jlHC4ZWuEIwiVtdM3DvKzsrdjtG6jcpfTAKMEmoS61wzQ8vg-lPPW3KB4n_mL-idMtzO8G31NXwB_A5fWa0FYt_MY9p_64569ccT4XF0HOmSyNJOoCdq93XhLOnkTLFmQXwRo1203ODOLuYR3gP03XH5tIovf8XcroWagrzFZzosEHMJuJlh2Y/s4080/20231225_142423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kJen5jlHC4ZWuEIwiVtdM3DvKzsrdjtG6jcpfTAKMEmoS61wzQ8vg-lPPW3KB4n_mL-idMtzO8G31NXwB_A5fWa0FYt_MY9p_64569ccT4XF0HOmSyNJOoCdq93XhLOnkTLFmQXwRo1203ODOLuYR3gP03XH5tIovf8XcroWagrzFZzosEHMJuJlh2Y/s320/20231225_142423.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thank you for all of your kind comments about Frankie. I love that people who never met him cared
about him. He was special, and we miss
him a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zmHZ9Q_VJgapp-tjxEBO7elB6-gw13IcudkrfCZGZjy5Sqiy2C8wjSV6aW82mCCfyVr8gLJBhSP8xikeClGFH8iImmVOV8-pkpO-Uojx99MPwuN73Na5u7aA6uYmnv8Y5eZQfeAwA10tRC-TR-NjftdT6j8GlLxZJAsX8TblygNGLGa95A1kNO_0MKA/s960/416992814_10224499721222144_3449680680478937152_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="957" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-zmHZ9Q_VJgapp-tjxEBO7elB6-gw13IcudkrfCZGZjy5Sqiy2C8wjSV6aW82mCCfyVr8gLJBhSP8xikeClGFH8iImmVOV8-pkpO-Uojx99MPwuN73Na5u7aA6uYmnv8Y5eZQfeAwA10tRC-TR-NjftdT6j8GlLxZJAsX8TblygNGLGa95A1kNO_0MKA/s320/416992814_10224499721222144_3449680680478937152_n.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I am so happy that we’ll be having more daylight now. And very hopeful that warm weather won’t be
far behind. I’m not a fan of the cold
weather or the shorter days, and it seems like January and February are rarely
good. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On January 9<sup>th</sup>, we had torrential rain. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much rain
at one time. Our crawlspace flooded and
shorted out the sump pump and furnace.
It took several days to get the crawlspace dried out enough for the HVAC
company to even access the furnace. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here’s some video of the first day Nick set up a portable
sump pump. We bought a portable one to
keep on hand for future storms, and since we didn’t know the status of the one
installed under the house and there was more rain in the forecast. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nNXVVg2GWDg" width="320" youtube-src-id="nNXVVg2GWDg"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And here’s a video I took after the portable sump pump had
been running for over 24 hours. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dAncJ8diBl4" width="320" youtube-src-id="dAncJ8diBl4"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It was a lot of water! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The HVAC company came out again when we thought we’d pumped
out enough water to access the furnace, but after some more rain, they still
couldn’t get to it. They were able to
access the sump pump and were nice enough to get it working again, which helped
pump the water out sooner. It’s the same
company that <a href="https://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2023/09/breadsticks-birthdays-and-fall-weather.html">the technician who remembered Duke after rigging up a temporary cooling system so Duke wouldn’t get too hot works for</a>. They are awesome. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When the same technicians came back for the third time
during the furnace underwater fiasco, we fixed up a bag of snacks for them
since they had been so nice. (It’s just
one bag; just pictures of both sides.)
They seemed really surprised and happy with it. I’m always happy when I can feed people. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8nlDv0tM1xISqCEYS9YWGno_FsnNKzuzeF8JKEqqlq5tsI0UclB9zvYJU1z8lyynDp5yIAMlGw6OgqDnu4hOq_Lad809H5flNkWKesLQBXYXN0woLSnIJOcmm5La2KapqZXytYJUmiOjIOVGeFwt35LOWk1sdpZNud39G2-Bds2_4aLM4ctpZyXBJj4/s3443/20240111_190158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3443" data-original-width="3012" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8nlDv0tM1xISqCEYS9YWGno_FsnNKzuzeF8JKEqqlq5tsI0UclB9zvYJU1z8lyynDp5yIAMlGw6OgqDnu4hOq_Lad809H5flNkWKesLQBXYXN0woLSnIJOcmm5La2KapqZXytYJUmiOjIOVGeFwt35LOWk1sdpZNud39G2-Bds2_4aLM4ctpZyXBJj4/s320/20240111_190158.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvUiTYiwmRFoBMV90_ccQaSKsZqigY0Rf6Le-lgum2Ei24jP_odHfGQQODHXg5K6EeOvdv_sFpmEXimKGoB7HzkpmN2akpYtAjJiMIXoVQNFMb25Li3HovGSPpRYia-noNsKuxMtku3SUTf-IaNBKPc-ZALvLyCJYX06E-Ao6_5jRXWmOF4aRmVAGuTU/s3675/20240111_190145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3675" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvUiTYiwmRFoBMV90_ccQaSKsZqigY0Rf6Le-lgum2Ei24jP_odHfGQQODHXg5K6EeOvdv_sFpmEXimKGoB7HzkpmN2akpYtAjJiMIXoVQNFMb25Li3HovGSPpRYia-noNsKuxMtku3SUTf-IaNBKPc-ZALvLyCJYX06E-Ao6_5jRXWmOF4aRmVAGuTU/s320/20240111_190145.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The flooding had shorted out a circuit board in the
furnace, and they had to order a replacement.
They were awesome about looking for ways to get it cheaper, and we ended
up spending about half of what the highest cost would have been. Like I said, they’re awesome.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">By the time everything dried out and the part came in, it
was January 19<sup>th</sup> before the furnace was fixed, which was just in
time for temperatures that dropped down to the single digits. Being without heat for ten days definitely
wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Our neighbors loaned us a space heater, and
we bought two additional space heaters.
The house was chilly but not unbearable.
We weren’t comfortable with the idea of both of us leaving the house
with the space heaters on, and we didn’t want to turn them off and leave the
cats at home to be cold. So, we had to
do some schedule rearranging. I turned a
few usual office days into work-from-home days, and took a day off on a day
that I had to be in the office. January
is one of my busiest months at work, so I’m glad Nick was able to take the day
to be at home. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One of the things that goes on at work in January is an
annual meeting that covers mandatory training and any policy updates. They also present awards named our motto of
RITE (Relevant. Innovative. Timely.
Engaging). Anyone in our
organization can nominate someone for each category. I was pleasantly surprised to be a recipient
of the Engaging Award for my work on some of our programs. It was a nice confidence boost! All of my coworkers have a lot more education
and experience than I do, and most of my work is the behind-the-scenes
type. So, it meant a lot to me that they
nominated me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Work has been really busy for both of us. Nick does a fair amount of teaching this time
of year (in addition to his usual job) for mandatory training that has to be
done. Due to a shortage of people, he
has done even more lately. We’re
short-staffed at my job, too, and I got assigned to a project that will last
most of the year, with most of my part being toward the beginning of the project. It’s a mix of terrifying and exciting to be
involved in. I’m learning a lot, which
is always a good thing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The middle of February brought what we’re pretty sure was
the flu. Nick started getting sick the
third weekend of the month, and I thought I had dodged it up until the
following Thursday. We didn’t get tested
for the flu, but our symptoms matched, and our COVID tests were negative. I did a home test, and Nick had to take one
when he went back to work. That one was
apparently also supposed to test for if you had recently had COVID and was
negative. So we’re calling it the flu. We’re both back at work and feeling better;
we're just still coughing some and really tired. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Charlie is the world’s best cuddle buddy and was very happy
with the amount of time I spent in the recliner under blankets. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_fO3SgYkkDDQQD54Z9RECOl-SUeIO2MyLzu8ffwqEeYIF0rnCTXY_C6WvZeblhJ72sjqu5vJ_TKHZdID3tu8aSF-DueGLg5-tM-nhL1a9VoMprA-8rt3KDAfLTNptySSDdR0X2tpUzoibSC5sLjqIPlSd8gN6zePtKgB5DGHg2p2QOAcWfkLEr-LMKM/s4080/20240226_170713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_fO3SgYkkDDQQD54Z9RECOl-SUeIO2MyLzu8ffwqEeYIF0rnCTXY_C6WvZeblhJ72sjqu5vJ_TKHZdID3tu8aSF-DueGLg5-tM-nhL1a9VoMprA-8rt3KDAfLTNptySSDdR0X2tpUzoibSC5sLjqIPlSd8gN6zePtKgB5DGHg2p2QOAcWfkLEr-LMKM/s320/20240226_170713.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJWmkBfg23ljwJ4-g4tsAKg3JjxD-0T4lS0G5iT9L89cBOHLsWu_EGeK6IL538pUt9aaA9h5xSwYHyWbJygymAVxWMg8_lQRD4hx0UROZaM334gJ-1u3zg7bvJkJn_qzCunPET8dkz7x7B47sGS2Lo5olXdyz9UxCmKedKjXANaEgX3mKFzwFkl61miA/s4080/20240217_131751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJWmkBfg23ljwJ4-g4tsAKg3JjxD-0T4lS0G5iT9L89cBOHLsWu_EGeK6IL538pUt9aaA9h5xSwYHyWbJygymAVxWMg8_lQRD4hx0UROZaM334gJ-1u3zg7bvJkJn_qzCunPET8dkz7x7B47sGS2Lo5olXdyz9UxCmKedKjXANaEgX3mKFzwFkl61miA/s320/20240217_131751.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Despite everything that went on in January and February, we
did have two fun days of outings to parks.
I’ll post about those soon. In
the meantime, here’s a peek at one of the trails at Fort Ninety-Six. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I8ynEwdWMarf3XOxUBbpLz1Ht176J6H6kSSuYFiaHbXUi6i4ppWzu4sbHFF6LA18p-tQfLO3L6Zu5KWM_xvu-6li8_pLkULpTTKaIIhaDa9A2jewj4LJWL4i3JaSwkg8rdc3twMvf7mDI61m8An-K63i1ssRfB9ooPF-UE87WLD2Q6pfxoyian_Gbf0/s4080/20240210_123050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I8ynEwdWMarf3XOxUBbpLz1Ht176J6H6kSSuYFiaHbXUi6i4ppWzu4sbHFF6LA18p-tQfLO3L6Zu5KWM_xvu-6li8_pLkULpTTKaIIhaDa9A2jewj4LJWL4i3JaSwkg8rdc3twMvf7mDI61m8An-K63i1ssRfB9ooPF-UE87WLD2Q6pfxoyian_Gbf0/s320/20240210_123050.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How were January and February for you? Are you happy about the longer days and
warmer weather? <o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-78123429000018237102024-02-18T09:08:00.000-05:002024-02-18T09:08:41.663-05:00I Thought We Would Have More Time Before I Had to Write This Frankie Post <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As I mentioned in some of my posts, Frankie had been having
some health problems.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">He had
hyperthyroid, kidney disease, and most likely lymphoma.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We weren’t pursuing aggressive treatment and
chose to focus on his quality of life.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XZDbV2T3a7bzyjkAXLEwon5XLfNgZmULEjG4eOM9HTRuA6R9Cxwy4h0ESrFUALMaqIM4GvejIZ3V7qHrlRgGmjJRXzMXEQpPxV7gGkgRh_GxTu2YnQtDfKlY5NyjV2pw3fFerOKNILeo9AbroEQaVDDRJ7YkmldNOyboYeXDSt9wWUrmeYP1j92QR_I/s960/416992814_10224499721222144_3449680680478937152_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="957" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XZDbV2T3a7bzyjkAXLEwon5XLfNgZmULEjG4eOM9HTRuA6R9Cxwy4h0ESrFUALMaqIM4GvejIZ3V7qHrlRgGmjJRXzMXEQpPxV7gGkgRh_GxTu2YnQtDfKlY5NyjV2pw3fFerOKNILeo9AbroEQaVDDRJ7YkmldNOyboYeXDSt9wWUrmeYP1j92QR_I/s320/416992814_10224499721222144_3449680680478937152_n.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He was losing weight but still eating, and he didn’t seem
to be in pain. We took him for thyroid
testing on December 27<sup>th</sup>, and his weight was down a little, but the
bloodwork showed that the thyroid medication was helping. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgN9EqLpdt1pBF3kfEdNMOuM3ng77FeP-yg5H0FDOL7YhzNpLi18zGmYoy6Bbdlo1kRdKhbmjfo23uM2dFru_5tbaCl7C2NIQoA7rCvkQLLPga6uscrfYekMpc5uvFp8AN4kqdDVrwQV3OPaR7Y_7KXLzNe2U43SIfL3ml0CwN-DxFnwu3ZUtG6bvn374/s1080/413036175_10224499738222569_8319829313395044782_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgN9EqLpdt1pBF3kfEdNMOuM3ng77FeP-yg5H0FDOL7YhzNpLi18zGmYoy6Bbdlo1kRdKhbmjfo23uM2dFru_5tbaCl7C2NIQoA7rCvkQLLPga6uscrfYekMpc5uvFp8AN4kqdDVrwQV3OPaR7Y_7KXLzNe2U43SIfL3ml0CwN-DxFnwu3ZUtG6bvn374/s320/413036175_10224499738222569_8319829313395044782_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At around 1:00 pm on January 5<sup>th</sup>, when I was
working from home, Frankie collapsed in the living room. He had eaten his breakfast that morning, had
been in a chair looking out the window, then went and spent some time in their
little cardboard scratch house. He came
out of the house and just collapsed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I picked him up, and he was limp. He was breathing, but he was limp. I called Nick and the vet’s office. Dr. D isn’t in the office on Fridays, and the
vet who was covering her (that I’m not overly fond of anyway) was out of the
office, so they told us to go to the emergency vet. We called to say we were on the way and
rushed to the emergency vet. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I held Frankie, wrapped in one of his favorite blankets,
and Nick and I both talked to him and told him what a good cat he was and how
much we loved him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lW8O3sLB5fy_NAL5tPGb6YiH-o1w8xEjLnSgQaAlhBr6L3gaA76cF1SNvXfL8HVwDfFp1Z_w_2Vv_O_VKtSewpsFpknWvX5stX2mP30IwIcUKB88eyZ8vZH0lQE3d4gSd6iD9sXnOVsDK24JT0G_MZIpd1ccFzHoPwLhDmUCfN1_B_5pHBS1eA-Ryz8/s2048/413034125_10224499739142592_6660246161293743459_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lW8O3sLB5fy_NAL5tPGb6YiH-o1w8xEjLnSgQaAlhBr6L3gaA76cF1SNvXfL8HVwDfFp1Z_w_2Vv_O_VKtSewpsFpknWvX5stX2mP30IwIcUKB88eyZ8vZH0lQE3d4gSd6iD9sXnOVsDK24JT0G_MZIpd1ccFzHoPwLhDmUCfN1_B_5pHBS1eA-Ryz8/s320/413034125_10224499739142592_6660246161293743459_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Frankie died in my arms as we were handing him to the vet
staff. They took him back, but there was
nothing to be done at that point. It wasn’t
very long before they came into the room and told us he was gone. They were extremely kind and brought him back
into the room and gave us time to be with him before they came in and asked how
we wanted to handle his body.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We’ve opted for cremation with all of our pets, so we knew
we were going that route. We keep
everyone’s ashes together, and there’s some measure of closure when we bring
them home. I really wanted to take
Frankie to Dr. D’s office for that. They’re
wonderful at the emergency vet, but it’s just not the same as at Dr. D’s office
where they knew Frankie and know us.
Nick called and arranged for us to take Frankie to Dr. D's office. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As soon as we walked in with him at Dr. D’s office, I knew
we had made the right decision. They
took him, wrapped in his blanket, and promised to take care of him, and told us
how much they would miss seeing him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Frankie’s ashes are home now, and we’re slowly adjusting to
our new normal of only having four cats. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My dad said he always thought Frankie was the most
interesting cat we’d ever had, and that was a great way to describe
Frankie. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwW5FTvdJB3u7QB4XXD4K0RHV65xICrT36Qv_WryYhFZYP-RYb6OeR8jzdwVbS0tzsW1RxWo6xtxF3EtNGjjcdT_6VyyhcYE5pkTfHntTuCTWUWUD1Lzdl4FQmhs8D4io-huQQE7JZi0_CGZxiBbT3euGc8yKrPHD4NvA-HK9ojSVNZk1I-DUTkaaEPhc/s1056/413032533_10224499737462550_4745232263324904508_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="1056" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwW5FTvdJB3u7QB4XXD4K0RHV65xICrT36Qv_WryYhFZYP-RYb6OeR8jzdwVbS0tzsW1RxWo6xtxF3EtNGjjcdT_6VyyhcYE5pkTfHntTuCTWUWUD1Lzdl4FQmhs8D4io-huQQE7JZi0_CGZxiBbT3euGc8yKrPHD4NvA-HK9ojSVNZk1I-DUTkaaEPhc/s320/413032533_10224499737462550_4745232263324904508_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He was obsessed with hair products, particularly gels and pastes. I don’t use a lot of hair products, and he
was always delighted whenever someone who does came over. He loved sniffing my mom’s hair, he loved his
Aunt Gabby’s hair even more, and his Aunt Amy’s hair was the absolute
best. I had short hair when we got Frankie,
and when he was little, any time someone with long hair came over, he would
always play with their hair.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Frankie never found a box or a bag that he didn’t want to
get in.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrA_7bRKrTnT1Il60ucfF9JDQwuvH5iez3EK8kpvU0r-NTe03ecBd0IEFgcjKmOY6Hq50wX1R19BFxXQ6yENFNvB1LSGIaHAzQSY5aAC3fWaKyy7SUobQZ4Lb2UCVqM79D_uUuzR4f-6-Dz5oE2IbFjv4wt_KC0y6kVIukqGUygCWk6_jmW0MTX_1RZiQ/s1435/413032219_10224499738102566_468496208247899922_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrA_7bRKrTnT1Il60ucfF9JDQwuvH5iez3EK8kpvU0r-NTe03ecBd0IEFgcjKmOY6Hq50wX1R19BFxXQ6yENFNvB1LSGIaHAzQSY5aAC3fWaKyy7SUobQZ4Lb2UCVqM79D_uUuzR4f-6-Dz5oE2IbFjv4wt_KC0y6kVIukqGUygCWk6_jmW0MTX_1RZiQ/s320/413032219_10224499738102566_468496208247899922_n.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBC9l6XctGuMqGf9Jip9IaEaLrL_ST_XFHG7DvUXQ_ZeRLUGHWSjlIVZXlROu3YJTZ3uic0Q7F-1ZJG0CroeWN5gUf2H2FOFlEUM7wwLqUetElQaEhla-NWWQWAavPzxO22hg6vhhxId80WhhInuIzpaBwvs6m8N_h30zfGg7IlopxtnaAMD2yFuH_0Q0/s2048/413040056_10224499738862585_96123984632210126_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBC9l6XctGuMqGf9Jip9IaEaLrL_ST_XFHG7DvUXQ_ZeRLUGHWSjlIVZXlROu3YJTZ3uic0Q7F-1ZJG0CroeWN5gUf2H2FOFlEUM7wwLqUetElQaEhla-NWWQWAavPzxO22hg6vhhxId80WhhInuIzpaBwvs6m8N_h30zfGg7IlopxtnaAMD2yFuH_0Q0/s320/413040056_10224499738862585_96123984632210126_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGxskbw70hlJGOhcRn4V-2czBv77eWGnk6nvYDBKhneopmzs9C3V42sU3XaDMalGGTM4rgeokIpo1k8-d9Ai41RMRVB-VyEhLrswBbHwUa_77xZq4mX98tWoWzijWGOqK3bvsxpJYk5wdJVYZWwSGMBZRiehZ_OyPqlY9k93_fCjkB82LuH_0c7QjNIM/s2048/413040150_10224499738982588_4538036014956971210_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDGxskbw70hlJGOhcRn4V-2czBv77eWGnk6nvYDBKhneopmzs9C3V42sU3XaDMalGGTM4rgeokIpo1k8-d9Ai41RMRVB-VyEhLrswBbHwUa_77xZq4mX98tWoWzijWGOqK3bvsxpJYk5wdJVYZWwSGMBZRiehZ_OyPqlY9k93_fCjkB82LuH_0c7QjNIM/s320/413040150_10224499738982588_4538036014956971210_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNZR8JX0FD2XSxp12N1qxpTKNg9VEZR0QRZ7-zK9QLhQh0GCXL3nbHwqk7Nif_qVwln6kcHgtXh9Jo65hLEtHdQMoueXuH7KAllKywiiZqnmWD3V7N7ZevVa_k645EbtGqlLUUvoKB2VEV14w5bZbRA5zjfdYvP4xh8nLHYOYxQBM0GOALA1IJN7qImU/s1068/413041324_10224499738022564_3482933859146860852_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1068" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNZR8JX0FD2XSxp12N1qxpTKNg9VEZR0QRZ7-zK9QLhQh0GCXL3nbHwqk7Nif_qVwln6kcHgtXh9Jo65hLEtHdQMoueXuH7KAllKywiiZqnmWD3V7N7ZevVa_k645EbtGqlLUUvoKB2VEV14w5bZbRA5zjfdYvP4xh8nLHYOYxQBM0GOALA1IJN7qImU/s320/413041324_10224499738022564_3482933859146860852_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m5NG-yv94DOUMrm27N6gr_r3LjopijG6fkPz_UhViGVaAlqYE8Tgc2kfffPc-795HnDkXgvL9rq8dfiVgSJleTd81ZRmz_0ZFF3uJ6DFKDzOBLVD5ehjvgM7pbpHhgRjqz0S3TiH3HzWTHPGPskid6Gx7WZvnenXvEjiPjhF95NDxhSnKvPGIyLW1g0/s1080/413047429_10224499737702556_3272688470802816078_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1080" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m5NG-yv94DOUMrm27N6gr_r3LjopijG6fkPz_UhViGVaAlqYE8Tgc2kfffPc-795HnDkXgvL9rq8dfiVgSJleTd81ZRmz_0ZFF3uJ6DFKDzOBLVD5ehjvgM7pbpHhgRjqz0S3TiH3HzWTHPGPskid6Gx7WZvnenXvEjiPjhF95NDxhSnKvPGIyLW1g0/s320/413047429_10224499737702556_3272688470802816078_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ujmkensGg9ftJkj-TBMa8oXrXCoKJkM5XKCLRkHLPYlhGmgixuMu-VAmglJ9yga3v1xkObV6rlXP56xY8LMIO0zr1OoCbZiLhvtQRrrj64UuR8LzTP2d4XUhUFrqOcJj4BJfW7r8TVjjqFk85oAvLW4q7XFOawSMreK6cxQDMx79XXoWW5vSRQELTVI/s720/416996039_10224499732382423_5159544937848270869_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ujmkensGg9ftJkj-TBMa8oXrXCoKJkM5XKCLRkHLPYlhGmgixuMu-VAmglJ9yga3v1xkObV6rlXP56xY8LMIO0zr1OoCbZiLhvtQRrrj64UuR8LzTP2d4XUhUFrqOcJj4BJfW7r8TVjjqFk85oAvLW4q7XFOawSMreK6cxQDMx79XXoWW5vSRQELTVI/s320/416996039_10224499732382423_5159544937848270869_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He was the smallest kitten we’ve ever had. He was even still fuzzy when we brought him
home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsdE8QUM4KvdFWIbc_-auJ4_zoQRN2MH8x7gXwwAltjwNVmDtKMK12NKzHmwRcxPVQNUjZWb7xH8TXNEl7ozmyobZcWfDuh938epa8uatQ9CkdV60HxIGfxjynsRdj5zvc8r9cGXo1_h5Rn4IQ7LIl5iMZWIrg1prYyaYKj5PM2AGoBNjuWnUGFhlOb8/s603/417502917_10224499732742432_7909517403022666563_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsdE8QUM4KvdFWIbc_-auJ4_zoQRN2MH8x7gXwwAltjwNVmDtKMK12NKzHmwRcxPVQNUjZWb7xH8TXNEl7ozmyobZcWfDuh938epa8uatQ9CkdV60HxIGfxjynsRdj5zvc8r9cGXo1_h5Rn4IQ7LIl5iMZWIrg1prYyaYKj5PM2AGoBNjuWnUGFhlOb8/s320/417502917_10224499732742432_7909517403022666563_n.jpg" width="173" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheTRT_rf8mC8o2PdJa4poyB-CHu59vhWtHwNOGQq5uKOkfsy9M_smTXlYz_J1fyem8LSs3f1hi3RfZvGA3x0tiW-xWzNJfkoCxZdQp2xrJtTut3ULh6ogauvGqd1y8xUsNVkTMQphQyGDYx2ZphvNnPIQsh4nEUTJmjo30Z1zEXfdGqJVFOw6_ZMhyfI/s604/417543692_10224499733022439_4659592846868049759_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="604" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjheTRT_rf8mC8o2PdJa4poyB-CHu59vhWtHwNOGQq5uKOkfsy9M_smTXlYz_J1fyem8LSs3f1hi3RfZvGA3x0tiW-xWzNJfkoCxZdQp2xrJtTut3ULh6ogauvGqd1y8xUsNVkTMQphQyGDYx2ZphvNnPIQsh4nEUTJmjo30Z1zEXfdGqJVFOw6_ZMhyfI/s320/417543692_10224499733022439_4659592846868049759_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Frankie was also one of the wildest kittens we’ve ever
had. He’s asleep in most of his kitten
pictures because that was usually the only time we could get a picture of him
that wasn’t blurry. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xbk3OEsPwRSS_RqFquUdRl9_M27QL6V8lIPz7PF9o82L6WNwufyqz1eWl0x6bWUiTn8ouE5pHFPkQbuTgi0WxduqnMNJ-QdqVkpWjPQTDPs62KM9jjSBKEA9BKQo0KojqfxF69cmFVUJu4Cf5cJW-O3Uvbx2xrZjzHQfyut9emXJg9IG5jG02vFiBnI/s1080/413039129_10224499737182543_7782426913547548302_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1080" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xbk3OEsPwRSS_RqFquUdRl9_M27QL6V8lIPz7PF9o82L6WNwufyqz1eWl0x6bWUiTn8ouE5pHFPkQbuTgi0WxduqnMNJ-QdqVkpWjPQTDPs62KM9jjSBKEA9BKQo0KojqfxF69cmFVUJu4Cf5cJW-O3Uvbx2xrZjzHQfyut9emXJg9IG5jG02vFiBnI/s320/413039129_10224499737182543_7782426913547548302_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OMbU7pPM6lxQESECh17kT5AwtjM1fhH0zLNCZAGTM0yC5R8uyaNZ2FRqVKEwe_J4E3UFnyl6HRIzuWMgp_K2Y6fBrs48ZdyNhEAJrOHHSvP6ew5qVtzwQcSytO0IW-Vrx6zBX9WjZ-XUZ_qtBnEqgfG9tAb5t-BXCXt3GJnuzfm8wu2Ht_I8DXIXe_0/s1075/413039222_10224499736822534_369574998904157471_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1075" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OMbU7pPM6lxQESECh17kT5AwtjM1fhH0zLNCZAGTM0yC5R8uyaNZ2FRqVKEwe_J4E3UFnyl6HRIzuWMgp_K2Y6fBrs48ZdyNhEAJrOHHSvP6ew5qVtzwQcSytO0IW-Vrx6zBX9WjZ-XUZ_qtBnEqgfG9tAb5t-BXCXt3GJnuzfm8wu2Ht_I8DXIXe_0/s320/413039222_10224499736822534_369574998904157471_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYC5w0yxkObCYDLqAUUbKMQZ2VMOpce8ifoOg4jSGN6UyBNXc8uF0N7JOH8dXo4wrlQ0kGRBrxvNlHimC8YX2Mu873QT3FthO8h8XuGlJr7lbvUGvYteKdFW5aEoWqS6hKN5awogWRiDX-bt_wHJWZxhneH0E1VzJrmwxVroiOfxw8Bu1NeDfVhf2MwDo/s1080/413040304_10224499735222494_4235027788533640621_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="1080" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYC5w0yxkObCYDLqAUUbKMQZ2VMOpce8ifoOg4jSGN6UyBNXc8uF0N7JOH8dXo4wrlQ0kGRBrxvNlHimC8YX2Mu873QT3FthO8h8XuGlJr7lbvUGvYteKdFW5aEoWqS6hKN5awogWRiDX-bt_wHJWZxhneH0E1VzJrmwxVroiOfxw8Bu1NeDfVhf2MwDo/s320/413040304_10224499735222494_4235027788533640621_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjvP_Lt6VTl49ZkfNJ36MU4yWvTa0Ml5JvLrnhXy1CLFG4xu-CDqTJWTEKImdNLmzRdxsQJ3zYU5cPqCOCRZuur4N82zsxbvxMfx12szfszVqjW2h2tVLwNiPZ01-686-YnV7xeaT3TvsCu-2ULZSI-Kik61B80XdlyW9RJFSKYotrSxH1N6kcswhH-A/s1076/413040599_10224499737262545_976910048796767765_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="1076" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjvP_Lt6VTl49ZkfNJ36MU4yWvTa0Ml5JvLrnhXy1CLFG4xu-CDqTJWTEKImdNLmzRdxsQJ3zYU5cPqCOCRZuur4N82zsxbvxMfx12szfszVqjW2h2tVLwNiPZ01-686-YnV7xeaT3TvsCu-2ULZSI-Kik61B80XdlyW9RJFSKYotrSxH1N6kcswhH-A/s320/413040599_10224499737262545_976910048796767765_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He only had 14 years, but I think they were good years. At times, I wonder if we should have been
more aggressive in his treatment and maybe had more time, but then I remember
how much he hated the vet and taking medication. I really don’t think he was in pain, even on his
last day. He did things he loved doing
that day. So that makes me think that
maybe we made the right choice, even if it’s the one that ultimately broke our
hearts a little sooner. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFOtj5QchU6yj2eKBadVmiLYnL918DWl9djJskP7leFA3Z_obVWlwjD54TLkCoDX5-47s0Zyok19mEwougUAM-7Ni1mKLpNlyjtFpJjoSPGUt4polgz7JgfqxNmxm5K6dcCQdW7ZdndPQfA_HNYq3W23nqVG5zMMhK4jTeC-XPoYmt99rebss8ZjBapk/s1600/IMG_2647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFOtj5QchU6yj2eKBadVmiLYnL918DWl9djJskP7leFA3Z_obVWlwjD54TLkCoDX5-47s0Zyok19mEwougUAM-7Ni1mKLpNlyjtFpJjoSPGUt4polgz7JgfqxNmxm5K6dcCQdW7ZdndPQfA_HNYq3W23nqVG5zMMhK4jTeC-XPoYmt99rebss8ZjBapk/s320/IMG_2647.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSyvGVH3z0dKsgMcFhc0EnR1sb6tkX2vXPeq4OcUwfhgD7B0ggXj5S3wBe_ISITU65nbjqsg7bn6Be_DVPTru9xi2Aho-jiH6D9vTLMrGUhEvTJtwaKpy7WrgmkTQ6Rell8-dpsoI_6j8nApmxn5TilEvACjJGYamwLEbVzJhyphenhyphenl1gw5OLmBzpfd16EtA/s960/Frankie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="960" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSyvGVH3z0dKsgMcFhc0EnR1sb6tkX2vXPeq4OcUwfhgD7B0ggXj5S3wBe_ISITU65nbjqsg7bn6Be_DVPTru9xi2Aho-jiH6D9vTLMrGUhEvTJtwaKpy7WrgmkTQ6Rell8-dpsoI_6j8nApmxn5TilEvACjJGYamwLEbVzJhyphenhyphenl1gw5OLmBzpfd16EtA/s320/Frankie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFapPZEqxV5pNDsZSNWLxwZRJbMbHUU21f5Huuhlfto-NdnlourY0qAUL2MdbRiLa8-W0e5m44wIPmGpAZDt4cKXQrqNLtlZNsdvstOnk5rcs0kI7gPk8c4qaLZHDoYzXZ19DxWpDCI48WnsUKvIsMWhiYi7P-gkZMCS-KbNKPp1lfekR09vUY_DTp8I/s3648/IMG_1379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFapPZEqxV5pNDsZSNWLxwZRJbMbHUU21f5Huuhlfto-NdnlourY0qAUL2MdbRiLa8-W0e5m44wIPmGpAZDt4cKXQrqNLtlZNsdvstOnk5rcs0kI7gPk8c4qaLZHDoYzXZ19DxWpDCI48WnsUKvIsMWhiYi7P-gkZMCS-KbNKPp1lfekR09vUY_DTp8I/s320/IMG_1379.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1yhgbCwGMDuI8gK_BePF7V86rPSe6hGK-uP1LhyphenhyphenIn-vI9TLGSQhRCyCn0r8ossGafLaYAYiDcwyJOn9YO7p-5nUP3U7WzqbfieTPUpg6AmjJ7t1GJqn4k5jbjNcwGXjm0drVqn7a0DhiHq3CD-e5axbzkxALZTpOo0nfOdCF_c5C-JMQO3x5edCR67Q/s2048/IMG_1653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO1yhgbCwGMDuI8gK_BePF7V86rPSe6hGK-uP1LhyphenhyphenIn-vI9TLGSQhRCyCn0r8ossGafLaYAYiDcwyJOn9YO7p-5nUP3U7WzqbfieTPUpg6AmjJ7t1GJqn4k5jbjNcwGXjm0drVqn7a0DhiHq3CD-e5axbzkxALZTpOo0nfOdCF_c5C-JMQO3x5edCR67Q/s320/IMG_1653.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG2MdCYxQ_ww61d4SYx3IoblB58CMkW-mMUHXBIDBJ9vC_GW5kw06sotmjtKCaNkgzl5HKdLb9C7JjckkGajlZZwm1U5ulU2oKJmZfhiyv1e1edS4NYTsUUqnwHN2vDDs4sWw9Z3M78bFCnBafPcKBpgWrOeOKR_LBnXEO_pg2-nQwBrUv-IF6nPzn0Y/s2048/IMG_2403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFG2MdCYxQ_ww61d4SYx3IoblB58CMkW-mMUHXBIDBJ9vC_GW5kw06sotmjtKCaNkgzl5HKdLb9C7JjckkGajlZZwm1U5ulU2oKJmZfhiyv1e1edS4NYTsUUqnwHN2vDDs4sWw9Z3M78bFCnBafPcKBpgWrOeOKR_LBnXEO_pg2-nQwBrUv-IF6nPzn0Y/s320/IMG_2403.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8DhLY50qe7h55A_fhEva-qP0xLm9D_gPOSZUGWFDwnt-btWn9WWGfikQYLOj5Hqt2Ngs07l53uEkRd5JEIW2vAXGIYAwmMlThl9IZaHInsuZgPBYF4sKjxHTaT9YwBgBQINTUzce8hLRgGF4_x9zQYz4NbbZCy66Ik0HyEW7I0rR5eARiVt_0uG5xLQ/s2048/IMG_1343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM8DhLY50qe7h55A_fhEva-qP0xLm9D_gPOSZUGWFDwnt-btWn9WWGfikQYLOj5Hqt2Ngs07l53uEkRd5JEIW2vAXGIYAwmMlThl9IZaHInsuZgPBYF4sKjxHTaT9YwBgBQINTUzce8hLRgGF4_x9zQYz4NbbZCy66Ik0HyEW7I0rR5eARiVt_0uG5xLQ/s320/IMG_1343.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFzKTMAYaQbngtvjQeNusiogMzMznIkDfsCM3RICFb6-Ze0kv8EmpAgp2PmK-EKhyThjd1Yd6Bfl3w-MmZD98cZU3yZE-6ZgbW8lXjHoI3uFqaYrh5B7zAHkuB_czlCy79fzd5fK__TmOI78sWGa0pswQ2PIQB36Yq43_49DifdEAlKSxB0iOZuBgTSA/s2048/IMG_1556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFzKTMAYaQbngtvjQeNusiogMzMznIkDfsCM3RICFb6-Ze0kv8EmpAgp2PmK-EKhyThjd1Yd6Bfl3w-MmZD98cZU3yZE-6ZgbW8lXjHoI3uFqaYrh5B7zAHkuB_czlCy79fzd5fK__TmOI78sWGa0pswQ2PIQB36Yq43_49DifdEAlKSxB0iOZuBgTSA/s320/IMG_1556.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNFGD7EYECelTkglsmD7-cUe4TkN_CqbCiojY-Z4UwDpyY_xxhDPa1ZeGoGiMVXbllKx-Yk213JPU1uU0wxKILTo7ZhyphenhyphenwdzqKN9VYN3eKJ7BQgDYw3r9VbuB1HROdq4qEcGqf5BFPpv6IqZYEt_LkH9zyEDePQhA_bmXzj8olforu1iW9pH_EqMYD5Dw/s960/242601227_10220074647238060_7352719045456958133_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwNFGD7EYECelTkglsmD7-cUe4TkN_CqbCiojY-Z4UwDpyY_xxhDPa1ZeGoGiMVXbllKx-Yk213JPU1uU0wxKILTo7ZhyphenhyphenwdzqKN9VYN3eKJ7BQgDYw3r9VbuB1HROdq4qEcGqf5BFPpv6IqZYEt_LkH9zyEDePQhA_bmXzj8olforu1iW9pH_EqMYD5Dw/s320/242601227_10220074647238060_7352719045456958133_n.jpg" width="176" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKNiTbczo8yhbVPQKXY9KQ3zDeUNUQXCWMrYQfUsofCU7t8A41ahiouOoNpPBjrGlikCvxFLxED9hFT8_pOLmSfyLhfKL6qdVJrmSsuvtKKqRXUdTmLwawq8uOdfs4Bt9Dzb9nck_afn1ak8OIy0-w5WzhT3v-D0XuUsY-aNIbAjEuUIDrRkyB96IxcI/s1440/FB_IMG_1693875126470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKNiTbczo8yhbVPQKXY9KQ3zDeUNUQXCWMrYQfUsofCU7t8A41ahiouOoNpPBjrGlikCvxFLxED9hFT8_pOLmSfyLhfKL6qdVJrmSsuvtKKqRXUdTmLwawq8uOdfs4Bt9Dzb9nck_afn1ak8OIy0-w5WzhT3v-D0XuUsY-aNIbAjEuUIDrRkyB96IxcI/s320/FB_IMG_1693875126470.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjN2jGXglhpdWlszM2NH27tJOIGP_0ejW3FTrMqzyudLd8Z-gP7clayBEP3b0Ghiuzn2wsV37IC0Mz1EnzS3XxXFRBh9rNQK9M7ZnED0qdH37TXhRvS9dPZsUEn8wGT7GIZdsZzIf5Cc0eiyG_yHLEo8O12Yd4IAr0ufZ32KrVpSYKPLKg5EqkirxyQ3A/s4080/20231121_194415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjN2jGXglhpdWlszM2NH27tJOIGP_0ejW3FTrMqzyudLd8Z-gP7clayBEP3b0Ghiuzn2wsV37IC0Mz1EnzS3XxXFRBh9rNQK9M7ZnED0qdH37TXhRvS9dPZsUEn8wGT7GIZdsZzIf5Cc0eiyG_yHLEo8O12Yd4IAr0ufZ32KrVpSYKPLKg5EqkirxyQ3A/s320/20231121_194415.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFb9J7ffHCGjfxR4VQcEelWI-oRsFWtBQeUPw-4E0075ZtWLmpmtBwmNS8IbdMR-6vTFX_38czEwVsES2zHaVnI9q_zqq_dS2BHMHOL3ym9vgGVFhIuJudl73uTe-mrbKIKR0DU1_2S4BliwdtzO3SazMSuI8MT0flb8e_x6cxvczABD8nygQc3ca9pls/s4080/20231215_062251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFb9J7ffHCGjfxR4VQcEelWI-oRsFWtBQeUPw-4E0075ZtWLmpmtBwmNS8IbdMR-6vTFX_38czEwVsES2zHaVnI9q_zqq_dS2BHMHOL3ym9vgGVFhIuJudl73uTe-mrbKIKR0DU1_2S4BliwdtzO3SazMSuI8MT0flb8e_x6cxvczABD8nygQc3ca9pls/s320/20231215_062251.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOJ3ZC_8IBO-Pb6FZAmRYxaiLdrVD8HYPS8232gmq4eqleTjzgRvtTJo-_0A-H4M0PpNyPKSqSJXawe-p0H07u0b4QcRzVUL0EeEdKwjXRUhs6DHDujF5V1EnfzoLRGUiHA72T3KlVnn1XYu55TEnBRe_Gfi5lm9Spudefoldk5H6IWsJOpBznnVfktA/s1008/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOJ3ZC_8IBO-Pb6FZAmRYxaiLdrVD8HYPS8232gmq4eqleTjzgRvtTJo-_0A-H4M0PpNyPKSqSJXawe-p0H07u0b4QcRzVUL0EeEdKwjXRUhs6DHDujF5V1EnfzoLRGUiHA72T3KlVnn1XYu55TEnBRe_Gfi5lm9Spudefoldk5H6IWsJOpBznnVfktA/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-45809152130015289932023-12-31T01:37:00.000-05:002023-12-31T01:37:22.729-05:00Twenty-Three Pictures for the End of 2023 <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I decided to do a wrap-up post for the year by sharing
twenty-three pictures from the year.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
looking through pictures for this post, I realized that I didn’t take very many
pictures this year.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I can’t remember the
last time I had so few pictures for a year.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s something to work on in 2024.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These are a mix of cellphone and camera pictures. I’m sharing some of them because I think they’re
really good pictures, some because they’re something important from the year,
and some because they’re special now.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s start with some pictures of flowers. Because I always take lots of pictures of
flowers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB58hFONCz6QNqEktS2D0hb9QbeJYZAQsWJflBHJoVtwcuC2aKK6YGvBBRp2O0cfaiyjz87hSuBdzvuQ3JB74qbkcdRxGtp8gPxkUWx39J07015mk0R27Kggz7AjIQqEtjWFM3M4CGmveGRCljascEKxMbP_hz4AHg7kIKD7zADTo2XcBpJozCr73siTQ/s6000/_DSC0088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB58hFONCz6QNqEktS2D0hb9QbeJYZAQsWJflBHJoVtwcuC2aKK6YGvBBRp2O0cfaiyjz87hSuBdzvuQ3JB74qbkcdRxGtp8gPxkUWx39J07015mk0R27Kggz7AjIQqEtjWFM3M4CGmveGRCljascEKxMbP_hz4AHg7kIKD7zADTo2XcBpJozCr73siTQ/s320/_DSC0088.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF5HgQWgV7RefTTF3Q6iq8tx96gKLHKKNcHeue9npE-PMVUeFIFlFTloaSqh4PkBjENH8rXqYdB63OKrScJhDeUWEi7Obejo6iOTdmGLi2_qrbu4P5So11fpQ8My1dLVfgG8pu7B7rSVbsLzs_0zB74N_4IJPrr0zXBOlmNwUxbYaVtPVVKaxqhP1uyQ/s6000/_DSC0064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF5HgQWgV7RefTTF3Q6iq8tx96gKLHKKNcHeue9npE-PMVUeFIFlFTloaSqh4PkBjENH8rXqYdB63OKrScJhDeUWEi7Obejo6iOTdmGLi2_qrbu4P5So11fpQ8My1dLVfgG8pu7B7rSVbsLzs_0zB74N_4IJPrr0zXBOlmNwUxbYaVtPVVKaxqhP1uyQ/s320/_DSC0064.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMm7hc482FE_0U8hXvNeBpGSkkTeqOTPueQIZkMRZM5Uabih_SSnFncpGPh-idRQCe5RXG0tpPkJT90nu6J5F13kFWT9xKn4X3ja7TW5R9yWMW_LykwbaoccY1kHd8A-cOYiBnXzMRAw-aNjgJjzXF2NrN9oDl3_m3FWOmd8-3DxTuuhuMZT8rmJxoq-k/s4080/20231225_142423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMm7hc482FE_0U8hXvNeBpGSkkTeqOTPueQIZkMRZM5Uabih_SSnFncpGPh-idRQCe5RXG0tpPkJT90nu6J5F13kFWT9xKn4X3ja7TW5R9yWMW_LykwbaoccY1kHd8A-cOYiBnXzMRAw-aNjgJjzXF2NrN9oDl3_m3FWOmd8-3DxTuuhuMZT8rmJxoq-k/s320/20231225_142423.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The crocheted cat couch that I made for Gabby and Amy is
the biggest crochet project I’ve ever finished, so that was a highlight from
the year. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGG4fqTS8g1tV_BsJj59rZ8Jzz7-bm_QwnspPgiuQ5bQfjqVkhOxbimwrEg16nLbzdVCAVjhEb-jH_tFGgyShl4VHC4dpssxDOm-AsmWrHxTng5egK3ovqJRaURpF6mA_3QlH61w7Orse8IpIAKZO_hIiNoj3hMESNk5VYJlLwsGGqQQtPeLs72VisIM/s3264/20230428_205556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFGG4fqTS8g1tV_BsJj59rZ8Jzz7-bm_QwnspPgiuQ5bQfjqVkhOxbimwrEg16nLbzdVCAVjhEb-jH_tFGgyShl4VHC4dpssxDOm-AsmWrHxTng5egK3ovqJRaURpF6mA_3QlH61w7Orse8IpIAKZO_hIiNoj3hMESNk5VYJlLwsGGqQQtPeLs72VisIM/s320/20230428_205556.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWkBcXqkUiL0-sw6-d2lIv1R0qnVZSmK1y3cvlhXd_z1hz2Np7cyiaIOV6Qdwidlr8OhFv8_SsaQRcKaVCJHfKh0XeKqAVSC_bHqV-PhcymIUk0zJYkg2znEH1yfyE3HOnSE51qL877IHkF_8ju7G8Pn7XC38w2h7acJ9JY_dNL0jqECQaWxkj5fr61Y/s3264/20230428_205740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWkBcXqkUiL0-sw6-d2lIv1R0qnVZSmK1y3cvlhXd_z1hz2Np7cyiaIOV6Qdwidlr8OhFv8_SsaQRcKaVCJHfKh0XeKqAVSC_bHqV-PhcymIUk0zJYkg2znEH1yfyE3HOnSE51qL877IHkF_8ju7G8Pn7XC38w2h7acJ9JY_dNL0jqECQaWxkj5fr61Y/s320/20230428_205740.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s Dobby-approved.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Carl Sandburg Home. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4D2nRvsmlnPmad8y6Gja8HQJ-mzDfmG-4s_Wjyv6uffOee39CaOYY8O3e0nn00FGXGxHkINsSnskGBUogh31mKuM0mUSamiLhWh6jyEDrSria9nvXKXBPp6e8TIRsf1ywnBoF2-foaq5oVnksS3s7hcxMzoJnCDchjoJaL-4ZfvBRyp8GpzJMlGg3bI/s6000/_DSC0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu4D2nRvsmlnPmad8y6Gja8HQJ-mzDfmG-4s_Wjyv6uffOee39CaOYY8O3e0nn00FGXGxHkINsSnskGBUogh31mKuM0mUSamiLhWh6jyEDrSria9nvXKXBPp6e8TIRsf1ywnBoF2-foaq5oVnksS3s7hcxMzoJnCDchjoJaL-4ZfvBRyp8GpzJMlGg3bI/s320/_DSC0002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeflW7WGbRBm4vuUVwSAn_xKx20sgvz1n2eIku4QZuTIbnDq7FTK-9oKRPpgWAqutJKX27ql7NgC4KtUoeCGJlzW2Wj3gSNE23aqYtcS1M5jeeLH_2MG_-eAs2sKmT7tWVaDSpaeUSOVxW4Fhq-UlpSeKQhMlhlPgCM0ItgGEaXrlcNiVcjn7bxBJ3Dos/s6000/_DSC0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeflW7WGbRBm4vuUVwSAn_xKx20sgvz1n2eIku4QZuTIbnDq7FTK-9oKRPpgWAqutJKX27ql7NgC4KtUoeCGJlzW2Wj3gSNE23aqYtcS1M5jeeLH_2MG_-eAs2sKmT7tWVaDSpaeUSOVxW4Fhq-UlpSeKQhMlhlPgCM0ItgGEaXrlcNiVcjn7bxBJ3Dos/s320/_DSC0003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m glad I took pictures of Howard and Frankie cuddling
together.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZHohtAtP7NJijKPZ9wonFVyqI14GN8DlcHI8xoCfm8aptrN9a1j-Q1qXZKlO7PZPfqVjvwLG7jTK-EhMCdTrZ1zq7mP8SZiaBsvPbobMC9MyjNwFu_fDXiqhFMnBCzVfcbNF6PcrCvpyomGRMFSlMjIG5OBthvCG61Osr_CZZ4dL3fIUj2cqlFQ6YOA/s3264/20230706_210051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZHohtAtP7NJijKPZ9wonFVyqI14GN8DlcHI8xoCfm8aptrN9a1j-Q1qXZKlO7PZPfqVjvwLG7jTK-EhMCdTrZ1zq7mP8SZiaBsvPbobMC9MyjNwFu_fDXiqhFMnBCzVfcbNF6PcrCvpyomGRMFSlMjIG5OBthvCG61Osr_CZZ4dL3fIUj2cqlFQ6YOA/s320/20230706_210051.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN4wl_wL-zQS9DI-9g9bziyixEIzkZTzACV02YMCJL8gjEhZooQxHab7RwaC2am7wOT5KD16nn4iHyRu-Irn5aH4fEMdxqnmerRKQXAs9ve31NuyUqstqmmqArt2JQCREy6A-mtkc5DHxWYAi-WKR7KwurJFTEqAVmZ6fAeUk4BLn5ER07P63fd59oAk/s3264/20230426_125842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJN4wl_wL-zQS9DI-9g9bziyixEIzkZTzACV02YMCJL8gjEhZooQxHab7RwaC2am7wOT5KD16nn4iHyRu-Irn5aH4fEMdxqnmerRKQXAs9ve31NuyUqstqmmqArt2JQCREy6A-mtkc5DHxWYAi-WKR7KwurJFTEqAVmZ6fAeUk4BLn5ER07P63fd59oAk/s320/20230426_125842.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I befriended the free-range chickens.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Can you believe they used to run from
me?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now, I half-way expect them to
follow me into the house one day.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7fT0-KKbfPMqt4H9xibEcf496W_k_azzUJIfLFdw3bxVWxMchyk7Htz0cFO5te21U0ctgaDWYrk_mJLEl4thFU2CLlmAdi75AtnmVD2BzbPIzpxJr3E6QvTLdTlSk5DK_8X_HllenqvGFJ_uEK1jlvxl__acUbOgvwhku89W59O5Fqw9JGrW6lhHxX8/s4080/20230912_164752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7fT0-KKbfPMqt4H9xibEcf496W_k_azzUJIfLFdw3bxVWxMchyk7Htz0cFO5te21U0ctgaDWYrk_mJLEl4thFU2CLlmAdi75AtnmVD2BzbPIzpxJr3E6QvTLdTlSk5DK_8X_HllenqvGFJ_uEK1jlvxl__acUbOgvwhku89W59O5Fqw9JGrW6lhHxX8/s320/20230912_164752.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Kiawah Island, SC. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOWoRqvKr4sUzts7-JSHJ-fw014qXVjX64bgUJytTzcbl7yzZYgw90aUgpYFQHQ8c5ZdsT9aOc249X2mm0YfP4fjohcCE_PADjt5upKHgsO62qVTtoy_-lPi8ObbV392VVtVDey46fjiespFz3sEjVptjGSifO1eO5e4DFSSRUvh9nSJcGZjIOr2rRE4/s6000/_DSC0113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDOWoRqvKr4sUzts7-JSHJ-fw014qXVjX64bgUJytTzcbl7yzZYgw90aUgpYFQHQ8c5ZdsT9aOc249X2mm0YfP4fjohcCE_PADjt5upKHgsO62qVTtoy_-lPi8ObbV392VVtVDey46fjiespFz3sEjVptjGSifO1eO5e4DFSSRUvh9nSJcGZjIOr2rRE4/s320/_DSC0113.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">More flowers.
Always. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbreRZpz5NgI9CAvjZdwjn0AcsAJEb6w7RyvWkJ4X7nYTNz1m75LPhkuKKsdppoL1yqowkSSQ-ACYL9J4ZWIt-4VQWvW0I-VDIlYDrA9Fa3wbEnwp4K1mZX_BFeuQJ8EZQD_gWyx1rltVXcdu-_lbgFIZDeUKIifmGLcuHbpD1O9NBhOCrhamrgv-HKk/s6000/_DSC0075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbreRZpz5NgI9CAvjZdwjn0AcsAJEb6w7RyvWkJ4X7nYTNz1m75LPhkuKKsdppoL1yqowkSSQ-ACYL9J4ZWIt-4VQWvW0I-VDIlYDrA9Fa3wbEnwp4K1mZX_BFeuQJ8EZQD_gWyx1rltVXcdu-_lbgFIZDeUKIifmGLcuHbpD1O9NBhOCrhamrgv-HKk/s320/_DSC0075.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SO1Y_LqCmD0avXHOUkjMYHJZK-kCR-kPOhAsjba7BNt9HkL3cXDN9bDEJOpXiv7RYkBpGOq9w0myFGm6fDnSSULoY2xZd5p0N8NRGQoPjhNK3gKYOuXM3vWm2mDOYBHeNyW5ia85KIm5Wy58qQdU8Yby4bkID2JQ3uyDgavuG7OHpc5BG4sqmzdgTq4/s6000/_DSC0066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1SO1Y_LqCmD0avXHOUkjMYHJZK-kCR-kPOhAsjba7BNt9HkL3cXDN9bDEJOpXiv7RYkBpGOq9w0myFGm6fDnSSULoY2xZd5p0N8NRGQoPjhNK3gKYOuXM3vWm2mDOYBHeNyW5ia85KIm5Wy58qQdU8Yby4bkID2JQ3uyDgavuG7OHpc5BG4sqmzdgTq4/s320/_DSC0066.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbY5IqX0jSgQpXBtLBSLIUZdQYyInGS2vBvO9cipn4t5RnX-mXij-elkR3sZzeHIeldCe-W6wQ-oDNmX4X0MawCRNfnGvisjKc6VII0OG58Gh5dekuXl0lLhp8rb6VaH8CcSCjeYqpzGu_1hRBMgNm9U3GrluC2NQ3LMD5f4Nf7BDRFYzh_KXrOlP8KG0/s4080/20230810_110105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbY5IqX0jSgQpXBtLBSLIUZdQYyInGS2vBvO9cipn4t5RnX-mXij-elkR3sZzeHIeldCe-W6wQ-oDNmX4X0MawCRNfnGvisjKc6VII0OG58Gh5dekuXl0lLhp8rb6VaH8CcSCjeYqpzGu_1hRBMgNm9U3GrluC2NQ3LMD5f4Nf7BDRFYzh_KXrOlP8KG0/s320/20230810_110105.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">View of the Ravenel Bridge from Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston,
SC. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfBU0NaE12V0p2T3xjT2mA3l8KZ_qSJCb2LIQNXJCQTGgMlJb2_862dCiDgBfdcq1PAPsAN42aaUVy3sZ42xZASznU_-JXmQBFBT-pVx7k9-0O7CBU3vi-6f2GD6m0NGdFAn_EftZdN2aELYhaJmfpLNDyi-ciMQl3gIFONNUsX9jNv32rmui3gyw2Aw/s6000/_DSC0237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfBU0NaE12V0p2T3xjT2mA3l8KZ_qSJCb2LIQNXJCQTGgMlJb2_862dCiDgBfdcq1PAPsAN42aaUVy3sZ42xZASznU_-JXmQBFBT-pVx7k9-0O7CBU3vi-6f2GD6m0NGdFAn_EftZdN2aELYhaJmfpLNDyi-ciMQl3gIFONNUsX9jNv32rmui3gyw2Aw/s320/_DSC0237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mortimer and Charlie.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi218CwIsOSY-M3C7HyMhakLDGziic4_HOCQBY4atdGMxtRDY3gO46n9J80wbcAEUi7nBBbB5sqWDcobBd3WIyw4uTWzvTe2C0qsULBTzGt0rLvUU998ARMKmHsBpnYx2LqyF6CZCd-3LBmE_QPzI7qwrEvOCG3NeE_-5FvFSR_KF0uCX4H3_Y9240AyEc/s893/43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="669" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi218CwIsOSY-M3C7HyMhakLDGziic4_HOCQBY4atdGMxtRDY3gO46n9J80wbcAEUi7nBBbB5sqWDcobBd3WIyw4uTWzvTe2C0qsULBTzGt0rLvUU998ARMKmHsBpnYx2LqyF6CZCd-3LBmE_QPzI7qwrEvOCG3NeE_-5FvFSR_KF0uCX4H3_Y9240AyEc/s320/43.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Colonial Dorchester, SC.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgZk4og44W8SiSDNlBa7BXPHvor8yS5YUykWotuOoJpKo9vuy1zosONfsHelAg7Kb-tntqqo4OIZ-OW-5BJNK5Imu515HtBteoap5YMYmMPNTMvo-FT48kwiOWjAf0cAHVDZdvnKeICsG4lvF6-zkR3PaaoWAuaWm23jx0Gs2WBr-GoaqaONHwMUmuC8/s6000/_DSC0383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSgZk4og44W8SiSDNlBa7BXPHvor8yS5YUykWotuOoJpKo9vuy1zosONfsHelAg7Kb-tntqqo4OIZ-OW-5BJNK5Imu515HtBteoap5YMYmMPNTMvo-FT48kwiOWjAf0cAHVDZdvnKeICsG4lvF6-zkR3PaaoWAuaWm23jx0Gs2WBr-GoaqaONHwMUmuC8/s320/_DSC0383.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLcpv4R6JgC7kmKD2U0xlcwoHJA4u6DKQatr8w0lfD-gQ8fCDTosvNYCm9HuCicOMmp4XnA-cLukDw5ZDHAWrAqi2RDEsT435ckiYP4wcCVtpjzs_CR6phpN2-tDZCWixA6H8J5KVfw2qm0xoHiuHbMuFmgYTAtHZaEQMgztOK1yexolkiKy2hqMKnlc/s6000/_DSC0378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLcpv4R6JgC7kmKD2U0xlcwoHJA4u6DKQatr8w0lfD-gQ8fCDTosvNYCm9HuCicOMmp4XnA-cLukDw5ZDHAWrAqi2RDEsT435ckiYP4wcCVtpjzs_CR6phpN2-tDZCWixA6H8J5KVfw2qm0xoHiuHbMuFmgYTAtHZaEQMgztOK1yexolkiKy2hqMKnlc/s320/_DSC0378.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LB3ihld6nIQxBDGczsFzNQhU4pBBNY9UqB-DGGAxGad_RaXEi5blEsJMBR5d2H6NapnMTUGaXSdfYK33llUzF_f077wb3JK2DMAXC2tZT02Z5S1WryEY6ex-Ku4mTIuy0UdKufi8G_GoWf08ZBrlOiaANIG5VlE2qCrs-p_vhEM9r0WZYk1pqO2iez8/s6000/_DSC0370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LB3ihld6nIQxBDGczsFzNQhU4pBBNY9UqB-DGGAxGad_RaXEi5blEsJMBR5d2H6NapnMTUGaXSdfYK33llUzF_f077wb3JK2DMAXC2tZT02Z5S1WryEY6ex-Ku4mTIuy0UdKufi8G_GoWf08ZBrlOiaANIG5VlE2qCrs-p_vhEM9r0WZYk1pqO2iez8/s320/_DSC0370.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Angel Oak, Johns Island, SC.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsk_5PwchQ1aYQGe_aHZ0SognQvsHcdKhURTV8Ey0gjE-yczUSYVJ9_NFVHQBqLyOe7Ws5A00G4APwEbhphKqtF5Z8McFvdXvklane_Yx9DV7YhN0_exlyjMy8Ythty2Yy3ZJz9ytcCm1tfngCHFVEi1ZEyb-Ks7B5wJH-ZDWEZlujtnapZxlvEaUxWY/s6000/_DSC0180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsk_5PwchQ1aYQGe_aHZ0SognQvsHcdKhURTV8Ey0gjE-yczUSYVJ9_NFVHQBqLyOe7Ws5A00G4APwEbhphKqtF5Z8McFvdXvklane_Yx9DV7YhN0_exlyjMy8Ythty2Yy3ZJz9ytcCm1tfngCHFVEi1ZEyb-Ks7B5wJH-ZDWEZlujtnapZxlvEaUxWY/s320/_DSC0180.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMH3IcguquPFVIxwa9cGsqn6SG16PvFvDGFKD9eS2UbVImNpN_DhIwyJFQXWhJL5yK6WIco27Z2Lie6TxIy4EjLIkBpftdQgRh-glmXPXjrKd90_tHN_yuYRgxIeqkLrcMRv9OHoZbQ9Cwp7sX39MFcMRpcUuygTXqlH9ZEQrlOlvigduZycON50s_CY/s6000/_DSC0164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMH3IcguquPFVIxwa9cGsqn6SG16PvFvDGFKD9eS2UbVImNpN_DhIwyJFQXWhJL5yK6WIco27Z2Lie6TxIy4EjLIkBpftdQgRh-glmXPXjrKd90_tHN_yuYRgxIeqkLrcMRv9OHoZbQ9Cwp7sX39MFcMRpcUuygTXqlH9ZEQrlOlvigduZycON50s_CY/s320/_DSC0164.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvk71umOlo7b-xnSlMLqaaHS6No5LZfNZ46sLCS39SUslG375xJMEV-eyslpv3B6YxQ6lg7vmNAxLMfZAwROtuCb2W3oCB8SsAaVCANH00jdaP78z8rTtd7AYhp4LWgRZltE5s1hyphenhyphenogVAsVslySOERk2woHf_9mKJgyl3LEhiKSQt8aHUXVGhkdVG-fW0/s6000/_DSC0145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvk71umOlo7b-xnSlMLqaaHS6No5LZfNZ46sLCS39SUslG375xJMEV-eyslpv3B6YxQ6lg7vmNAxLMfZAwROtuCb2W3oCB8SsAaVCANH00jdaP78z8rTtd7AYhp4LWgRZltE5s1hyphenhyphenogVAsVslySOERk2woHf_9mKJgyl3LEhiKSQt8aHUXVGhkdVG-fW0/s320/_DSC0145.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_wFIy8RKpWpsJjTPlbyVHHoDv_vfaio-B4djiDfPR_fLrhZjBxN0NAdEdO3K-lY4ucKeJVK5xzG9Il8VyQ4zNQD4EjllRLJecJnmq8k8-nm-9IM_fMTb0moAl5J7sk-eKopeYFHsncgpCiwOwiBappGSrAf36ecxS3XVcgfD_FwUMWLHNL6kvV3HLTE/s6000/_DSC0122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_wFIy8RKpWpsJjTPlbyVHHoDv_vfaio-B4djiDfPR_fLrhZjBxN0NAdEdO3K-lY4ucKeJVK5xzG9Il8VyQ4zNQD4EjllRLJecJnmq8k8-nm-9IM_fMTb0moAl5J7sk-eKopeYFHsncgpCiwOwiBappGSrAf36ecxS3XVcgfD_FwUMWLHNL6kvV3HLTE/s320/_DSC0122.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-60935765839456672222023-12-27T21:06:00.004-05:002023-12-27T21:06:57.223-05:00We Had a Very Laid-Back Christmas<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Christmas this year was very laid back, which was nice.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We left on Saturday to go to my sister’s (Gabby)
and her girlfriend (Amy) house.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was
mostly just the four of us.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Amy’s brother,
Jason, came over on Christmas Day.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
was the first time we met him, and he was very nice.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">He’s a pet person, too.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0bqrDbNOQRZZUTlrGSX51tJQWlgldI7ml8z18j2ol9nR4WlLuCXd4GxwVXHNIzbZnhfcEm1miTvOi2xYmgvhqEFUcoOThwm__nXlVQDa_J18pb3YqhdWpOg87hBgHWt8JAoOuo7L7Z5tG0vEIHaWhTjFT4j4br6MwbTQ6xKN2EZ8pNw3u9DlGiKwrtA/s4080/20231225_142542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0bqrDbNOQRZZUTlrGSX51tJQWlgldI7ml8z18j2ol9nR4WlLuCXd4GxwVXHNIzbZnhfcEm1miTvOi2xYmgvhqEFUcoOThwm__nXlVQDa_J18pb3YqhdWpOg87hBgHWt8JAoOuo7L7Z5tG0vEIHaWhTjFT4j4br6MwbTQ6xKN2EZ8pNw3u9DlGiKwrtA/s320/20231225_142542.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We left a little later than we originally planned to on
Saturday morning. Our friends Cathey and
John have been dealing with a lot. He
has Alzheimer’s and recently went into a care facility. Unfortunately, he was in the hospital with
COVID and pneumonia over Christmas. Cathey
was exposed, so was in quarantine. We
stopped to get Cathey some flowers and a little grocery store care package
(orange juice, Christmas cupcakes, hot chocolate mix, tea, and some canned
soup) and dropped it all off on her porch.
The good news is that John recovered well from COVID and pneumonia, and
Cathey didn’t get sick.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYP2fofPVDZWMkJiCEtG6Do9D5r9YP1VY0BX0F_LHy7HozhDrteHbTnzaQ1rHVMwjNUziJRvA324QSAdiw8bzjUiP3cUkhP8e_2pD8utJiY6yLvySHpvUIs1nyRUkNIFtZqJmsDObab8oq-VPDHh5mMFNhIt-GYBXTqyruAnbnyMSRKXmQxgDc4WenUI/s3785/20231223_102619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3785" data-original-width="2343" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYP2fofPVDZWMkJiCEtG6Do9D5r9YP1VY0BX0F_LHy7HozhDrteHbTnzaQ1rHVMwjNUziJRvA324QSAdiw8bzjUiP3cUkhP8e_2pD8utJiY6yLvySHpvUIs1nyRUkNIFtZqJmsDObab8oq-VPDHh5mMFNhIt-GYBXTqyruAnbnyMSRKXmQxgDc4WenUI/s320/20231223_102619.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Despite leaving a little later than we planned, traffic on
the way to Gabby and Amy’s wasn’t bad. We
took a different route this year due to road construction, and it was a good
choice. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Gabby likes to cook as much as I do, so we had tons of
food. She made a chocolate and
strawberry cake for Nick’s birthday on Christmas Eve. She also made cookies, several different
kinds of soup, pistachio cake, and cheese grits. We ate well!
I forgot to take any food pictures, though. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We got to pet six of their eight cats. Their cat Severus slept with us two of the
three nights we were there. Doesn’t he
look like such a distinguished gentleman in this picture? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Y5AvaBjf8szbem9tugU8PITakuLL-tPjiHzpwD3UMPxXH7M2x9bxnGZ2f-K4IpCoqIrRd2CeIXadqCxkaiknmqeMvYaYPPVhBX2Ht_aY0v8bQHJR85GKJVBGAmEwmd792hyphenhyphenc43kumvEgf4KXK2YiD50qiipKctRrWKAde3H4PzPFfqV3QjZVg8ig1Nw/s4080/20231224_130216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Y5AvaBjf8szbem9tugU8PITakuLL-tPjiHzpwD3UMPxXH7M2x9bxnGZ2f-K4IpCoqIrRd2CeIXadqCxkaiknmqeMvYaYPPVhBX2Ht_aY0v8bQHJR85GKJVBGAmEwmd792hyphenhyphenc43kumvEgf4KXK2YiD50qiipKctRrWKAde3H4PzPFfqV3QjZVg8ig1Nw/s320/20231224_130216.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Severus is a relatively calm cat, so they’re able to put
hats on them. I think he’s adorable in
his hat.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOT8gwESZSWguVWAEbpL1tCfRtahMAmnEofNW7JjO1hZjITRDrgxWB3CZ9k7bJHwxM0HWoDv1nt8thaMrLoMMoP_i8LanDV3B2DwikDdB6d6Ku6JxdUEZd6KcH7tx2NGf-X2cdddcNh_NVCH0fjTVFfTsa1iFyAsL814a4QqbEE0cc0GZLRvTvdv2K6Yk/s496/IMG_9719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="341" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOT8gwESZSWguVWAEbpL1tCfRtahMAmnEofNW7JjO1hZjITRDrgxWB3CZ9k7bJHwxM0HWoDv1nt8thaMrLoMMoP_i8LanDV3B2DwikDdB6d6Ku6JxdUEZd6KcH7tx2NGf-X2cdddcNh_NVCH0fjTVFfTsa1iFyAsL814a4QqbEE0cc0GZLRvTvdv2K6Yk/s320/IMG_9719.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here’s a picture of Binx enjoying the couch I crocheted. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSNO35murfWNb7I5wBDctFCEE0uNVKI0l_KWE31AEYFJSC_Z7sNKUIvPybHCh7uW0EHXixRW0iLGpCtHKTeUzI3hnYu-m83QJrDFl7TItIu2E3s2guGlgQ2dTxfP4_nw9xx-Uy_OtF22iv3gixMLO-5CCBx7T6SOqdZ37cDRiRRx0RY40XtmGP1nLU9w/s640/IMG_9486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSNO35murfWNb7I5wBDctFCEE0uNVKI0l_KWE31AEYFJSC_Z7sNKUIvPybHCh7uW0EHXixRW0iLGpCtHKTeUzI3hnYu-m83QJrDFl7TItIu2E3s2guGlgQ2dTxfP4_nw9xx-Uy_OtF22iv3gixMLO-5CCBx7T6SOqdZ37cDRiRRx0RY40XtmGP1nLU9w/s320/IMG_9486.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is Kreacher. He’s
normally a little stand-offish with us, but we both got to pet him quite a bit
on this trip.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDP-34zrft5XNlxzgu-ulHG9xmzhske5ogtOqHLObZ54nN91Pq9D-b_CVTUpWLOjHffPxOlhY4wxkwrXdhowgkCZMUB4p6m4Ll_pYuERhyphenhyphenMboQ-NYVGLTjIS27FDl6cGPNxWzrodPEl3Ze6mG_hYjVMQkEPtzmrkT6CctJfKJJofsZ8FgzGBpbEevOCCA/s4080/20231224_084457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDP-34zrft5XNlxzgu-ulHG9xmzhske5ogtOqHLObZ54nN91Pq9D-b_CVTUpWLOjHffPxOlhY4wxkwrXdhowgkCZMUB4p6m4Ll_pYuERhyphenhyphenMboQ-NYVGLTjIS27FDl6cGPNxWzrodPEl3Ze6mG_hYjVMQkEPtzmrkT6CctJfKJJofsZ8FgzGBpbEevOCCA/s320/20231224_084457.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The four of us agreed early this year that we wouldn’t do
birthday or Christmas presents for each other this year. We’ve all been dealing with pets having a lot
of health issues, which has been expensive and stressful. So, we decided it would be much easier if we
all skipped presents for each other this year.
It definitely helped with the laid-back vibe. We did watch <a href="https://amzn.to/4avqdPz">Arthur Christmas</a>
as usual. It’s just such a happy
movie. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nick and I were talking about it on the drive there. We both like that some years there are so many
presents, some years we skip them entirely, and some years are somewhere in between. I’m not sure that any of those would be great
every year, but I like that we get to do them all, depending on the year. I guess that’s one good thing about growing
up not celebrating any holidays; I’m not locked into a lot of traditions. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Speaking of traditions, though, I did get to fulfill a
life-long wish. I loved Barbies when I
was a kid. They were my absolute
favorite toys, and I especially loved the ones in the fancy ballgowns. I always wanted the holiday Barbies but was
never allowed to have them since they were for the holidays. I didn’t know the ornaments existed, but I
absolutely loved the gowns the holiday Barbies had and was always disappointed
that I couldn’t have one. I kind of
forgot about the holiday Barbies by the time I grew up and started celebrating
Christmas. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Amy was never into Barbies, but her great-aunt gave her a
holiday Barbie ornament every year until she passed away in the early 2000s. The ornaments are special to Amy because they
came from her great-aunt. This is also
Amy’s busy time of year at work, so she never got around to putting the Barbie
ornaments up. They had a little tree in
the living room that was going to be the Barbie tree.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Barbie ornaments still weren’t up by Christmas Eve, but
Amy knew that Jason would be happy to see them when he came over on Christmas. So Gabby and Amy decided that I could be in
charge of the Barbie tree. I had so much
fun! As Gabby put it, I was in the corner
with the little Christmas tree, living my best life with lots of Barbie ornaments. I kind of feel like I did get a Christmas present.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Isn’t the Barbie tree cute?
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVVIXThNnCQhxccL21L5aUqK4RG-1TP_gKAP4hv1WaXazr385-V0fZbl6wG_P-vWFeDNEZ3zzwhyvdyRBfFPb_f8BMFzCidFKMs1k0uLrTzOwNNXm-OlNZjybMw0d_cBMoRyvLjbSes-UwZo7zCWI4l1Tad1LNJwbJOlNIxriLjBvu2tVSw5BWpM9h9s/s4080/20231224_213614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVVIXThNnCQhxccL21L5aUqK4RG-1TP_gKAP4hv1WaXazr385-V0fZbl6wG_P-vWFeDNEZ3zzwhyvdyRBfFPb_f8BMFzCidFKMs1k0uLrTzOwNNXm-OlNZjybMw0d_cBMoRyvLjbSes-UwZo7zCWI4l1Tad1LNJwbJOlNIxriLjBvu2tVSw5BWpM9h9s/s320/20231224_213614.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here are a few of the ones I really liked.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbjXvYec83GtxmD9kRYasczaDzRLqSgfQyg5oV7U-pJsE-pojK0EUiFpA9Ihpy-XxefTkdPYQDRakxe0QVUpel1wz8gVNpAtyaet7E6PFC2LomUpmGl3XqL15FKfQ4FLLOB4AHVTXnRLwOyOWI3X3A_ZuhNewhC07BPVmPKh4egr7x5r_jx8EGg1cvpI/s4080/20231224_212644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbjXvYec83GtxmD9kRYasczaDzRLqSgfQyg5oV7U-pJsE-pojK0EUiFpA9Ihpy-XxefTkdPYQDRakxe0QVUpel1wz8gVNpAtyaet7E6PFC2LomUpmGl3XqL15FKfQ4FLLOB4AHVTXnRLwOyOWI3X3A_ZuhNewhC07BPVmPKh4egr7x5r_jx8EGg1cvpI/s320/20231224_212644.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSdErRyy6OKdsv336RXydE-7sLliEzfEmeFzy1HBNmMV47gBOVXvAuCk-Mv6ncTEfkxV7BxZ_KVwzqcMP7_xSL4A1WLj6_ktF3VNISBgJWYtYwXDt7jw1Hab4r5upR-S7oHxLT6KwSFqb1H1a2LCNpfyEn1gwsIDnrYwukDB4Dvj9yb-65dDo5CMetU0/s4080/20231224_212607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSdErRyy6OKdsv336RXydE-7sLliEzfEmeFzy1HBNmMV47gBOVXvAuCk-Mv6ncTEfkxV7BxZ_KVwzqcMP7_xSL4A1WLj6_ktF3VNISBgJWYtYwXDt7jw1Hab4r5upR-S7oHxLT6KwSFqb1H1a2LCNpfyEn1gwsIDnrYwukDB4Dvj9yb-65dDo5CMetU0/s320/20231224_212607.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXyMn17V4K0z9drGGs-YmYOcCVyWq5vZ_Tn5F8ons6I5NRwQBxkpcDIkdzvnLceHOg6a0HJnChfrLzWEw7ys8CYsff-98iGVgqhsbeo84ETiMkVjnshwL4mq6D5Vr4fd6lCs8ipMn8cOgL3Uw0rqSP4cwCpt220ibLGW9BOFvHeGa8dqfQR77geXlaOY/s4080/20231224_211905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXyMn17V4K0z9drGGs-YmYOcCVyWq5vZ_Tn5F8ons6I5NRwQBxkpcDIkdzvnLceHOg6a0HJnChfrLzWEw7ys8CYsff-98iGVgqhsbeo84ETiMkVjnshwL4mq6D5Vr4fd6lCs8ipMn8cOgL3Uw0rqSP4cwCpt220ibLGW9BOFvHeGa8dqfQR77geXlaOY/s320/20231224_211905.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsFjoQwQvmtlysu6XqES_ZzgZuEnd6v2959N0xWcsh-thVbh1bNO8YgpbCmv7DJ5hWHQN-6GbqARSZ9DpYBhTvQ2-dLHa65D6GJHTWUeIbXYyisyuCNDKAIYQImH7siqtyX0veR3CtVSB96QcFH54eTMVOVD5R42eb7dQ0tmwOuJi893WBEQtYR1FYRM/s4080/20231224_212354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="2691" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsFjoQwQvmtlysu6XqES_ZzgZuEnd6v2959N0xWcsh-thVbh1bNO8YgpbCmv7DJ5hWHQN-6GbqARSZ9DpYBhTvQ2-dLHa65D6GJHTWUeIbXYyisyuCNDKAIYQImH7siqtyX0veR3CtVSB96QcFH54eTMVOVD5R42eb7dQ0tmwOuJi893WBEQtYR1FYRM/s320/20231224_212354.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I ordered the <a href="https://amzn.to/3vc3yHL">2023 Holiday Barbie ornament</a> that night. I’m planning to get the Barbie ornament every
year now. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our wonderful neighbors took care of the cats for us while
we were gone. It’s so nice that they take
care of them because they don’t just feed them and give them their medicine. They spend time petting them and playing with
them, and they always send us pictures. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfoYbotsY9M6ko7xTfXfp284xKwhgbdhpwuJKmpB8C28ww5uX05QxR0tnpOqgLBCtkfYCwWIFFZHU-wyjfr3AOL-9eHw3clGEBy6ZD1QlNEWc7Hdflrlrx-xtUvFCdTrsi9Xqcj-eL3PT2LUyRRfAh3FkF2p5kodZzTrC2sxKWA9__k1isD7ZFs_aJUU/s1008/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfoYbotsY9M6ko7xTfXfp284xKwhgbdhpwuJKmpB8C28ww5uX05QxR0tnpOqgLBCtkfYCwWIFFZHU-wyjfr3AOL-9eHw3clGEBy6ZD1QlNEWc7Hdflrlrx-xtUvFCdTrsi9Xqcj-eL3PT2LUyRRfAh3FkF2p5kodZzTrC2sxKWA9__k1isD7ZFs_aJUU/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caroline</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-Q81f93jkCYXKHi7sVoBIeBuhI9X0DTBs-j9xfj1aKD8WBpAfhFvX2Qi2nO_1LhvZSAEFoaQ0cKiN2niF8_14iP2Nsdlguy7bWT6OzX2NLn5fsp6o9Dfu_bZeNrRObhq2sZFqhr0h_-iFtXwLcRSC4jZvs7AnIoDyl8vJvRgEsepnzPzhZzQAfC_pgc/s1008/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-Q81f93jkCYXKHi7sVoBIeBuhI9X0DTBs-j9xfj1aKD8WBpAfhFvX2Qi2nO_1LhvZSAEFoaQ0cKiN2niF8_14iP2Nsdlguy7bWT6OzX2NLn5fsp6o9Dfu_bZeNrRObhq2sZFqhr0h_-iFtXwLcRSC4jZvs7AnIoDyl8vJvRgEsepnzPzhZzQAfC_pgc/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqwWkiRsA_X8uwMz27F2cC0CCE676XrGYkhdOJPv1yNCm3gENDIKQKdZu02WfppvbaKunhZCRUFC069h2ZVP89X5oFnwE-1GvWrnPRr2Ci2Ns6zE-2N-lNshjPdmAws78ERUDmX46AAFjmwyUYZBtMoxH9c5UhR-4uFLpzjhgZ5rvFFHCDmrpaUkjUIM/s1008/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="756" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqwWkiRsA_X8uwMz27F2cC0CCE676XrGYkhdOJPv1yNCm3gENDIKQKdZu02WfppvbaKunhZCRUFC069h2ZVP89X5oFnwE-1GvWrnPRr2Ci2Ns6zE-2N-lNshjPdmAws78ERUDmX46AAFjmwyUYZBtMoxH9c5UhR-4uFLpzjhgZ5rvFFHCDmrpaUkjUIM/s320/image.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frankie</td></tr></tbody></table></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How was your Christmas?
Were there lots of activities, or was this a more laid-back year for
you? <o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-66307444846058781622023-12-22T23:36:00.000-05:002023-12-22T23:36:10.207-05:00Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve loved that so many bloggers have been sharing their Christmas
and holiday trees and decorations this week, so I thought I would join in.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2llbC963tl9ozCygwNxW-316iWdYn4pMCXz6Ak8AprYkWzHpzN4HvNjD9uLoz6zkC2ecjWk4DWIxhfnSx_hRdaCT5xO1S43jiAC6oO1WfeLlHGXNprx1G2qY2Gpuxu-q3vVlDW4gzeXHMGbe1TaRYo_tTiWON0BtnJZEXzZpY42HJe8CikMLZfbgwkc/s4080/20231127_201543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2llbC963tl9ozCygwNxW-316iWdYn4pMCXz6Ak8AprYkWzHpzN4HvNjD9uLoz6zkC2ecjWk4DWIxhfnSx_hRdaCT5xO1S43jiAC6oO1WfeLlHGXNprx1G2qY2Gpuxu-q3vVlDW4gzeXHMGbe1TaRYo_tTiWON0BtnJZEXzZpY42HJe8CikMLZfbgwkc/s320/20231127_201543.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s start outside and work our way in.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">First up is our inflatable sloth in a Christmas
sweater. Nick loves sloths, so we’ve added
some sloths to our Christmas decorations.
This one is named Stuart. Apparently,
not everyone immediately recognizes Stuart as a sloth. When I posted his picture on Facebook, my
aunt messaged me asking if we really had a drunk raccoon inflatable. No drunk raccoons here.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YAiwEufNAMmyf6nqgiy1riTrxNqpBEKVNk47GeNMQgIlaUXY0IJkFaPxGudby9qHP2QXL1y2I_RZbK9k4tbvLoBCO4OPOqyXfNYlgI6-aO-Jt8i3NON5hwRLm8tUHaRB-EUTbxCIZpBMtcfzlQaVRTXO9Vkg-aV166gUFJ5Jsx2shGry79es7mb7ba8/s4080/20231128_180526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YAiwEufNAMmyf6nqgiy1riTrxNqpBEKVNk47GeNMQgIlaUXY0IJkFaPxGudby9qHP2QXL1y2I_RZbK9k4tbvLoBCO4OPOqyXfNYlgI6-aO-Jt8i3NON5hwRLm8tUHaRB-EUTbxCIZpBMtcfzlQaVRTXO9Vkg-aV166gUFJ5Jsx2shGry79es7mb7ba8/s320/20231128_180526.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I know inflatables can be somewhat polarizing; people seem
to love them or hate them, with no middle ground. I love them.
I think they’re fun and cheery. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Next up is the Christmas flag.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbdfAeQvgC_ID3Gm9q-TR3_s9gDJgMmTwAfmxb0ClXuD0YmxCSSfaZmzFfxPhrOnVy1DxGgK8-b1qF2Tz9jyWiUe10sXAsHuERgbLG9OAr9o6CduF2X67lpPxloU5rHz9uclgU6dMP8zVFqdXybQlbEO2OvtmKxfQeYfjI_KCoBxpZAOoWNHu48qlJGY/s960/xmas%20flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbdfAeQvgC_ID3Gm9q-TR3_s9gDJgMmTwAfmxb0ClXuD0YmxCSSfaZmzFfxPhrOnVy1DxGgK8-b1qF2Tz9jyWiUe10sXAsHuERgbLG9OAr9o6CduF2X67lpPxloU5rHz9uclgU6dMP8zVFqdXybQlbEO2OvtmKxfQeYfjI_KCoBxpZAOoWNHu48qlJGY/s320/xmas%20flag.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Then, the wreaths, matching wreaths on the front door and
carport door.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWOJxFe007vUnQ-OSSz_LQme46YDZ90NzmuTbj0ouUBORUbPC1T_6cVraXOYUcTC_JYffrzKGIXfVlat7HPmVe4RxQk1sAphBdS-pueWighFjEaaZHddVUbDVbL2ahJyOqGcd6INVJl5C4jswX9T-TknGuu-aai4TwmniSvYbDKLN5vSo4K0Fd3s20W4/s4080/20231220_182219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWOJxFe007vUnQ-OSSz_LQme46YDZ90NzmuTbj0ouUBORUbPC1T_6cVraXOYUcTC_JYffrzKGIXfVlat7HPmVe4RxQk1sAphBdS-pueWighFjEaaZHddVUbDVbL2ahJyOqGcd6INVJl5C4jswX9T-TknGuu-aai4TwmniSvYbDKLN5vSo4K0Fd3s20W4/s320/20231220_182219.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Inside the house, we have the Christmas tree with lots of
<a href="https://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2022/04/ornaments.html">ornaments</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD-hS9ssrKc8t_exch6aBSEJ6fgWiRjSnFnTzuPQ212rK5VWLAgJgpyVOG_AuU2q2s_WlLm4MNGE2Z9th0qhg9Q3fW3ipLyhgOjhRdlbXZx9JNQlxXWMwJJZ8KREMPClVjhArdhFqSNbTowGrC3xtJq2-p1jnTBW-L7gCQRG7oOcjKVvlsxyk_E97x5Y/s4080/20231222_153221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD-hS9ssrKc8t_exch6aBSEJ6fgWiRjSnFnTzuPQ212rK5VWLAgJgpyVOG_AuU2q2s_WlLm4MNGE2Z9th0qhg9Q3fW3ipLyhgOjhRdlbXZx9JNQlxXWMwJJZ8KREMPClVjhArdhFqSNbTowGrC3xtJq2-p1jnTBW-L7gCQRG7oOcjKVvlsxyk_E97x5Y/s320/20231222_153221.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The house we were renting <a href="https://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2014/11/my-husband-traded-me-for-christmas-tree.html">when we bought the tree</a> had a
huge living room, so it’s a little big for our much smaller living room
here. I really don’t care. It’s the only Christmas tree I’ve ever had,
and I love it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nick loves sloths, so we added a sloth ornament this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbmpLE5_kc8J2DrThyphenhyphenxFW7MaWACSOykXTidWsDl709XZd3hhko7xR6Fz-vfnm5E7rVRYpo-bdSHN51Gay0hWUxP0qK4t4EwahubstMPYqpb24Vzq3jFZzqethc_loZp32t2nKzxubPneJu-L3GuZM_HL8BkIsI0mHLRw62e6gzEN16r135vC-aTSxYw4/s4080/20231222_153250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbmpLE5_kc8J2DrThyphenhyphenxFW7MaWACSOykXTidWsDl709XZd3hhko7xR6Fz-vfnm5E7rVRYpo-bdSHN51Gay0hWUxP0qK4t4EwahubstMPYqpb24Vzq3jFZzqethc_loZp32t2nKzxubPneJu-L3GuZM_HL8BkIsI0mHLRw62e6gzEN16r135vC-aTSxYw4/s320/20231222_153250.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We bought this ornament at an antique store when we were
first looking for a house.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53czzoANoBkmb7288mM1sfUA3NMIUXySBZj0ualkES9ZxIOu0CG0qMVkoBlDKoSh1QLvWl1yO4-ssGTJlateSpQaWv8Y5V7SBy1XwD2kxs95id2eovIVhJQcffzA0HJdMMWgwvvguBigDAd2-eahoqcgpD-kWO-9qNe8RSLNQqI479UhgtBZhstUS2Gc/s4080/20231222_153412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh53czzoANoBkmb7288mM1sfUA3NMIUXySBZj0ualkES9ZxIOu0CG0qMVkoBlDKoSh1QLvWl1yO4-ssGTJlateSpQaWv8Y5V7SBy1XwD2kxs95id2eovIVhJQcffzA0HJdMMWgwvvguBigDAd2-eahoqcgpD-kWO-9qNe8RSLNQqI479UhgtBZhstUS2Gc/s320/20231222_153412.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m a huge Friends fan, so we have some Friends
ornaments. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54FujVDd1G8F0LWBYkXSFEwK8DzL899JqUUFzsES2rqbCJ0VXxKcaAiUVDVerFQNdd6h88PyoglaeZJawavgq41jP_NTwE1uhH7jIeXMIKkpx6wpm56pWBJgJsenAprJShbPWYS7Ducuzr06yaHsDFKuPZ2PyRTMa56lrBoDlRlIMvPdcTPBkctHFUrM/s4080/20231222_153348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54FujVDd1G8F0LWBYkXSFEwK8DzL899JqUUFzsES2rqbCJ0VXxKcaAiUVDVerFQNdd6h88PyoglaeZJawavgq41jP_NTwE1uhH7jIeXMIKkpx6wpm56pWBJgJsenAprJShbPWYS7Ducuzr06yaHsDFKuPZ2PyRTMa56lrBoDlRlIMvPdcTPBkctHFUrM/s320/20231222_153348.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYCK23GWcZlrKWkf8piXG6sFUVWawWUscL9zsjlUAwswZ-jJMW-1xKeH6HuddWJbqTSCCWPaLmzMdP4zeb__B5VEp3fbN13_ccPAETsi_TEzm4-WC8l-he0NJh4UJNFcMhxezM-mKtQ3G0a_g5j09czldwu2z4lcpunbK4YAZgoWwZnzq_r4dn7WYcW0/s4080/20231127_201840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPYCK23GWcZlrKWkf8piXG6sFUVWawWUscL9zsjlUAwswZ-jJMW-1xKeH6HuddWJbqTSCCWPaLmzMdP4zeb__B5VEp3fbN13_ccPAETsi_TEzm4-WC8l-he0NJh4UJNFcMhxezM-mKtQ3G0a_g5j09czldwu2z4lcpunbK4YAZgoWwZnzq_r4dn7WYcW0/s320/20231127_201840.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I put off buying a dumpster fire ornament until this year,
but after a few dumpster fire years, I gave in and bought one. It’s not year-specific, so it will work for
any dumpster fire year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAX-k4Le6r9c6cBlJYl9MoXXItJ5JA4PK6N7HfL7UWudPTUNAEFUKb_9Qc5IvnQDrZ5WxAbqWnIPjheeWjz_xFw-5kLkLYjoGGel5xxzwwf3U7JjcyENPkjZk8R_wjbre7Gv6cUDlHyE6EBp9XXjX4NDgmBx4mOL8cDePLcA2SH5sblXhj0HxxRoTUrXg/s4080/20231127_201558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAX-k4Le6r9c6cBlJYl9MoXXItJ5JA4PK6N7HfL7UWudPTUNAEFUKb_9Qc5IvnQDrZ5WxAbqWnIPjheeWjz_xFw-5kLkLYjoGGel5xxzwwf3U7JjcyENPkjZk8R_wjbre7Gv6cUDlHyE6EBp9XXjX4NDgmBx4mOL8cDePLcA2SH5sblXhj0HxxRoTUrXg/s320/20231127_201558.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nick’s mom, Susan, gave me this book lover’s ornament last
year. I love it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOSn79USLxVIrbZ0s1tDDLb6cPWG4u4Q3fmZkECp70AOydCsWLosXgNuUsqLK5dgL38muEJgI6No7NAQ-tXIJ1ub5uSKp9AKYVDvtw9Tqmte6gGy86QybQHdukhT3wLfwoyV6Q3tulOAiVFAUAdl9sQgLsCqtKrzI7AqFmMRbJZl1q1QSN3LGNoqt-H8/s4080/20231127_201834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOSn79USLxVIrbZ0s1tDDLb6cPWG4u4Q3fmZkECp70AOydCsWLosXgNuUsqLK5dgL38muEJgI6No7NAQ-tXIJ1ub5uSKp9AKYVDvtw9Tqmte6gGy86QybQHdukhT3wLfwoyV6Q3tulOAiVFAUAdl9sQgLsCqtKrzI7AqFmMRbJZl1q1QSN3LGNoqt-H8/s320/20231127_201834.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This one is self-explanatory.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS9hIPtNFb-ySQn-HCrvICZ2mM3xhaaTw_OPHk820wTKFIu8cHoELBzT0cPZvG8HhHf1M94bfosUk9Pt9IA0hWExF0JvRZCNU5Ynje9QftP_VZgRUsL18XI8RzyAGzIvN1RnPOotkiPV0JLRvVRlyTDsReDbP1yBIgnOhsaJTZGyQ1vi3730AtvOyhgo/s4080/20231222_153327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS9hIPtNFb-ySQn-HCrvICZ2mM3xhaaTw_OPHk820wTKFIu8cHoELBzT0cPZvG8HhHf1M94bfosUk9Pt9IA0hWExF0JvRZCNU5Ynje9QftP_VZgRUsL18XI8RzyAGzIvN1RnPOotkiPV0JLRvVRlyTDsReDbP1yBIgnOhsaJTZGyQ1vi3730AtvOyhgo/s320/20231222_153327.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Since we met on E-harmony, I was happy when I found this.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazBN65iES9Jnt5mlisnRFwjiaCP2_8obpplRxaueODSZD4wdB7yPE0iHRJ9jCFJ56csRZgTK5tIR98hcN8m9U8iaRvKKhf43dAYBBuMeQmMoWNo2U3tk_43auUnB7ZN3hIe0qYA6Nwi_Oq1H4vFB_sOYUHjcn_rG0zftKV8PIgj2T06egjD_pNDnnuYM/s4080/20231222_153321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazBN65iES9Jnt5mlisnRFwjiaCP2_8obpplRxaueODSZD4wdB7yPE0iHRJ9jCFJ56csRZgTK5tIR98hcN8m9U8iaRvKKhf43dAYBBuMeQmMoWNo2U3tk_43auUnB7ZN3hIe0qYA6Nwi_Oq1H4vFB_sOYUHjcn_rG0zftKV8PIgj2T06egjD_pNDnnuYM/s320/20231222_153321.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nick gave me this butterfly ornament our first Christmas
together. It was also my first Christmas
ornament. It’s one of my favorites.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3FAoThGZpyqKrZ_bhqOp2veq2HwZmucwxEjKUQYSUm696iL-Bp1CDWk7IblfLuHpr0Ba3F58dSvbNYX6F9SfACc5eVMCP18vVBpl_unx9uCsHG9wLPoBVoQZSGR4Na7JAfoeA0nXbvlMR-dB4b8aZ9wFeXAHnwvpCT_T5AL7SBn0qSkK-nabvPSndS0/s4080/20231222_153304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3FAoThGZpyqKrZ_bhqOp2veq2HwZmucwxEjKUQYSUm696iL-Bp1CDWk7IblfLuHpr0Ba3F58dSvbNYX6F9SfACc5eVMCP18vVBpl_unx9uCsHG9wLPoBVoQZSGR4Na7JAfoeA0nXbvlMR-dB4b8aZ9wFeXAHnwvpCT_T5AL7SBn0qSkK-nabvPSndS0/s320/20231222_153304.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I love this cute little gingerbread house ornament.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9HYs4fJ-gKeSBFncvhUp_jDhVVecGXwCoOuvsRuHYtTBLL2vwwxnKAr99WIuxLW3leYf_6sz6h4NHaB5jivoJN9UgzZkcylZsBhz-RLTuL9zAUFIlzd3FoG6c3XYRLHZnXHujL4wHv9Bt1cMu69Y-DlWfSj43T03_TnIY_E-TvzxUw3PjcV_Z1hX8KY/s4080/20231222_153235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9HYs4fJ-gKeSBFncvhUp_jDhVVecGXwCoOuvsRuHYtTBLL2vwwxnKAr99WIuxLW3leYf_6sz6h4NHaB5jivoJN9UgzZkcylZsBhz-RLTuL9zAUFIlzd3FoG6c3XYRLHZnXHujL4wHv9Bt1cMu69Y-DlWfSj43T03_TnIY_E-TvzxUw3PjcV_Z1hX8KY/s320/20231222_153235.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our friend Martha gave us this ornament the first Christmas
after we were married. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpj17mSvz8DphEtqQVimFNdO_jDOF5yOvxp_LOzgCCcNnaSZRvjR3qerZxnU6BoK4zJngmS0T_E-A9DS3-hPnEYqad4KWSdAth3QjidLSWrLxYmQ0jChDe8LD9NlJiRLPyqW3ZB-cG0ynuiOivEKbKlGNXLLeUh39GksEZ6-H15lt2L7sLEz5DwHwVD4/s4080/20231127_201634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpj17mSvz8DphEtqQVimFNdO_jDOF5yOvxp_LOzgCCcNnaSZRvjR3qerZxnU6BoK4zJngmS0T_E-A9DS3-hPnEYqad4KWSdAth3QjidLSWrLxYmQ0jChDe8LD9NlJiRLPyqW3ZB-cG0ynuiOivEKbKlGNXLLeUh39GksEZ6-H15lt2L7sLEz5DwHwVD4/s320/20231127_201634.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our friend Alex gave us this one. I call it the Thanksgiving ornament, so you
know I like it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1ukj1OLupze6XgCskQAZPX4FPvl6pemfc1MCcZuLIROddxNiHRLkhK9MNMH2n0IRS22pA4EGf15JrI4N5LY4pgit3zkDGVikwjarF02UfkHSv0tKFmbQWXK0vUi1Z5GKssdeKi_HiiWXtxPT3__fNq2NuwIIO75Fa7sfojZi3r1VC9DtEyC6aXO9l4A/s4080/20231127_201617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1ukj1OLupze6XgCskQAZPX4FPvl6pemfc1MCcZuLIROddxNiHRLkhK9MNMH2n0IRS22pA4EGf15JrI4N5LY4pgit3zkDGVikwjarF02UfkHSv0tKFmbQWXK0vUi1Z5GKssdeKi_HiiWXtxPT3__fNq2NuwIIO75Fa7sfojZi3r1VC9DtEyC6aXO9l4A/s320/20231127_201617.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The tree skirt has sloths.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWJrwh8-Brcoofhb7oz5T8TjLPdfXQEEA7nfXof7B87_eD61W0MpsceBi6iSAzIWJeHJfmXK_QlUWFdeLsq9IXdomCJR7Bkz5lny2YNdhsKg7dyuDKoyx-O-rCi5dvAokttlwkPXqClERSxxN3-SnqwPF9qgTkNyjYzTSSVhedZs8tWwSh8y5k0U8-iU/s4080/20231127_201812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWJrwh8-Brcoofhb7oz5T8TjLPdfXQEEA7nfXof7B87_eD61W0MpsceBi6iSAzIWJeHJfmXK_QlUWFdeLsq9IXdomCJR7Bkz5lny2YNdhsKg7dyuDKoyx-O-rCi5dvAokttlwkPXqClERSxxN3-SnqwPF9qgTkNyjYzTSSVhedZs8tWwSh8y5k0U8-iU/s320/20231127_201812.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Before we move on from the tree, 2023 isn’t the year Caroline
stops climbing the Christmas tree. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5bvPRTllr79UeY2QgYslpwr86K_QajX7UmlhSr1DMpJV9a5LwUTt4d3MzB22-sCj4d1RaUhyQrhGQXs2AeVmlE1yPs5sobU3e4zpRj3JOkU7CBVG2AYKSSFPn6oRZ1UzzE7IX_WLmmlOcJyMQZyTPLEh3ttCVelfAPJNu0DJreX02phAdyfP1rZ7bLg/s4080/20231126_191722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5bvPRTllr79UeY2QgYslpwr86K_QajX7UmlhSr1DMpJV9a5LwUTt4d3MzB22-sCj4d1RaUhyQrhGQXs2AeVmlE1yPs5sobU3e4zpRj3JOkU7CBVG2AYKSSFPn6oRZ1UzzE7IX_WLmmlOcJyMQZyTPLEh3ttCVelfAPJNu0DJreX02phAdyfP1rZ7bLg/s320/20231126_191722.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkYIdE7EFfiDbqDPaCOUbZpENdvGfnjC_H789WxJTXVUsldT0puK-LplkDYHL7eMUruzWBYN9XvQeuX_YaCClZCzqMbD46Z_tAPHbYvscexN7sEOEKjtYKT52V9HsLg-T_I_hJkzFpLpjX2pL7az8sLr8hoF8EiV2BtDru6H6YTlu2nhKkYKUGeGx02Q/s4080/20231126_184531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkYIdE7EFfiDbqDPaCOUbZpENdvGfnjC_H789WxJTXVUsldT0puK-LplkDYHL7eMUruzWBYN9XvQeuX_YaCClZCzqMbD46Z_tAPHbYvscexN7sEOEKjtYKT52V9HsLg-T_I_hJkzFpLpjX2pL7az8sLr8hoF8EiV2BtDru6H6YTlu2nhKkYKUGeGx02Q/s320/20231126_184531.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZwOY0NJXgxjl-nDpKX55DC9YL32g56tXrhwLvrNvKS1_SNhaEKyDtl6r6UVUN7eSjFj974dr9rDE8hudhes8ioVtpu3J9_GU9c67GergslEWptAeXgrSg-r7KldA_3-NMIgeAUXzdtVZVphyXQqQZb57csFurJwV9Uz2DqDJUzvSlzm2vIwmBPwb744/s4080/20231126_184252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZwOY0NJXgxjl-nDpKX55DC9YL32g56tXrhwLvrNvKS1_SNhaEKyDtl6r6UVUN7eSjFj974dr9rDE8hudhes8ioVtpu3J9_GU9c67GergslEWptAeXgrSg-r7KldA_3-NMIgeAUXzdtVZVphyXQqQZb57csFurJwV9Uz2DqDJUzvSlzm2vIwmBPwb744/s320/20231126_184252.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s
a good thing she’s cute! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dznA6yhuJW5QoswxMgE_uyXuDGYcSut2mAl5jgGLYRbbkeH8Tzvy7Zzi0YuibT6ekeMEFrQMN0iHCmFJHwM3g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Moving on from the tree, we have a Winter Solstice candle
this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNsNnYeDD1-KF2b1dIn9xQmTvez7ksFjQ8M3GvYA962dk_WpVmWHf32Vf3j5KswOrYAQu2Qui328mqrjDTfV5HrEc_6TKMokQAbHk2W6vfObautizu0x0iMAgPcrZhV4ujIgW6dJy_8glESk9HAQp3COBvECpjs7QxzjlU4w3byuJMe0iUvT4lutFq-E/s4080/20231222_165908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNsNnYeDD1-KF2b1dIn9xQmTvez7ksFjQ8M3GvYA962dk_WpVmWHf32Vf3j5KswOrYAQu2Qui328mqrjDTfV5HrEc_6TKMokQAbHk2W6vfObautizu0x0iMAgPcrZhV4ujIgW6dJy_8glESk9HAQp3COBvECpjs7QxzjlU4w3byuJMe0iUvT4lutFq-E/s320/20231222_165908.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And a Yule log candle holder.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivOP7A5Q9VU5WJBd3XGdPTAGURlCYLni2F04WrLMTTPTMuRWekYk4Awuz-qXiEu2iSSqDRAVQ9eqlmqB7wAme_UdgFqUiyddTAqADErHf_9qYRRXm6nEOnjwJaECxAsVI7jCOd1mEa-boMh21hBFdPEo617HwqntAhyphenhyphenY9w491nSIur4r1QUc3h9ISzak/s4080/20231222_165657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhivOP7A5Q9VU5WJBd3XGdPTAGURlCYLni2F04WrLMTTPTMuRWekYk4Awuz-qXiEu2iSSqDRAVQ9eqlmqB7wAme_UdgFqUiyddTAqADErHf_9qYRRXm6nEOnjwJaECxAsVI7jCOd1mEa-boMh21hBFdPEo617HwqntAhyphenhyphenY9w491nSIur4r1QUc3h9ISzak/s320/20231222_165657.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One more winter candle holder.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGL5u0iQsxhkTj5ngu3NevpKE1oqRV0fXUbxwjcgwDYlHJs_3V4Gk-S69lCTYkHnS4omVqG7-kTG7XnTZ3NRzsuKIZ7z5lRQ16EoTFmauEGKGLkzEIFe2UUX40DsZJccKAMSnivLmyAcFDmliygfvOp0zCLrRlrKMsUoTFoKP3UH1JsfpydEZ3gCEipAo/s4080/20231222_165758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGL5u0iQsxhkTj5ngu3NevpKE1oqRV0fXUbxwjcgwDYlHJs_3V4Gk-S69lCTYkHnS4omVqG7-kTG7XnTZ3NRzsuKIZ7z5lRQ16EoTFmauEGKGLkzEIFe2UUX40DsZJccKAMSnivLmyAcFDmliygfvOp0zCLrRlrKMsUoTFoKP3UH1JsfpydEZ3gCEipAo/s320/20231222_165758.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I think this pink gingerbread house is adorable. (The shelf isn’t dusty; I promise it’s
glitter!) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-M3cWghYPnx2_agGUdihwK7yX0INbLPMX9Gl-qGsggHTHKUzKf_J96pmnYi6fFhUdR6c4VCxo3AKBjjWXcQQCZRrtPODS6xHFZa9PDu_ph_Nnx3kcOFO1kPPra3bB_AxUcrDZ8dQUHn__CiM4quXQRbuslp-E0i3SPMaH9eHyLMETChxz4Yq-JLjmZmo/s4080/20231222_165355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-M3cWghYPnx2_agGUdihwK7yX0INbLPMX9Gl-qGsggHTHKUzKf_J96pmnYi6fFhUdR6c4VCxo3AKBjjWXcQQCZRrtPODS6xHFZa9PDu_ph_Nnx3kcOFO1kPPra3bB_AxUcrDZ8dQUHn__CiM4quXQRbuslp-E0i3SPMaH9eHyLMETChxz4Yq-JLjmZmo/s320/20231222_165355.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I found this little winter house on Etsy and thought it was
so cute.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax4lLn2qLCadJAkR9z4Y3eeYx0BaEfdmM5lWD5eeZ1IXtIMQufTtEcTPk950c7N7boc_7TVqDH0BkFs2f5gKz39Yrsop0rRcQ34xsXmcTq3Mth5bAWZ9kajTqVcDR7eJqOa2rpklW3yHF7wlT5IhrLG6W_clzpuF65G2PXezfilqzqBX6LRxIMAV1l1g/s4080/20231222_165314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhax4lLn2qLCadJAkR9z4Y3eeYx0BaEfdmM5lWD5eeZ1IXtIMQufTtEcTPk950c7N7boc_7TVqDH0BkFs2f5gKz39Yrsop0rRcQ34xsXmcTq3Mth5bAWZ9kajTqVcDR7eJqOa2rpklW3yHF7wlT5IhrLG6W_clzpuF65G2PXezfilqzqBX6LRxIMAV1l1g/s320/20231222_165314.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Finally, we have the Christmas decoration my old coworker
EJ gave me for Secret Santa several years ago.
The skiers move down the slope. It
was a great Secret Santa present.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjju8_hNQsouc_hbNGJKCIfofEJs6nwLEDAGRL601yyJBl3aoYF2NC3SWj9-3ny-TUyODQMhZKSRsZyXi0MZj88RENi4C7HscLC5NQ42TW3VPQ35aovPpHCdaDvaFgVuDdva6QSytlU6CNDBASzlnmycpuskeykglDxvEUIyFQZqqhCfqhQpTGUbfQIYi4/s4080/20231222_195646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjju8_hNQsouc_hbNGJKCIfofEJs6nwLEDAGRL601yyJBl3aoYF2NC3SWj9-3ny-TUyODQMhZKSRsZyXi0MZj88RENi4C7HscLC5NQ42TW3VPQ35aovPpHCdaDvaFgVuDdva6QSytlU6CNDBASzlnmycpuskeykglDxvEUIyFQZqqhCfqhQpTGUbfQIYi4/s320/20231222_195646.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas, happy
holidays, and a joy-filled time in whatever your chosen celebrations are. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-38733925164942231222023-12-21T21:46:00.001-05:002023-12-21T21:46:48.315-05:00A Few More Things<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">First, I think this picture of Mortimer is just too cute
and must be shared.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZ0JCCc_Q2Td7RubTp9p48p9NxdidcFL1jPBEGFJ04DK1vrCMHw09vT0vcFUZ56JGQvcp2ybyH8orT3en8xIvY35xcBMb47oFOFTuAsUTutYt55GWxfXETaj3JGciMTBR_jHGHi60X873NOKC2KYiiCVo95O_Sr4yhrs_Y1kEZHTct2b8BKo4zM04UT0/s3815/20231217_104802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3815" data-original-width="2817" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZ0JCCc_Q2Td7RubTp9p48p9NxdidcFL1jPBEGFJ04DK1vrCMHw09vT0vcFUZ56JGQvcp2ybyH8orT3en8xIvY35xcBMb47oFOFTuAsUTutYt55GWxfXETaj3JGciMTBR_jHGHi60X873NOKC2KYiiCVo95O_Sr4yhrs_Y1kEZHTct2b8BKo4zM04UT0/s320/20231217_104802.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He has decided that this particular chair is his spot and
spends most of his resting time in it.
He definitely doesn’t have a couch potato personality, so he still
spends plenty of time running around, playing, and getting into things. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Since there were some questions about the Bethlem journey
experience from my last post, here’s a little more information about it:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The church that holds it is huge. When you go inside, there’s a little foyer
where they find out how many people are in your group, and you’re given tickets
(it’s entirely donation-based) with a family name. Then you go into the main part of the
church. This year, it was crowded, so
everyone sat in pews. They had someone
playing Christmas music, and there was a big screen at the front where the
family names came up. When your family
name comes up, you go to the back of the church, and they take you down an
elevator. Someone in modern clothes
greets you, gives a brief spiel about what to expect, and encourages you to
open your heart to the experience. Then
you walk down a hallway, and that’s when the Bethlehem experience begins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You’re greeted at the city gate by a census taker and a
Roman guard and asked how many people are in your family. Then you go into the city and walk through
it. There are various market stalls, and
you stop at each one. They also have
real herbs and spices, so it smells incredible!
There are also a couple of beggars along the way, which is where you can
make a donation to the fundraiser. Each
stall is a little different; some of them talk about how crowded the city is
because of the census, some of them talk about prophesies and strange things
happening, a few mention seeing a young couple and that the woman was heavily
pregnant (as you walk through, you learn that she had the baby the night
before), and some are really funny with couples bickering or someone being
determined to make a sale. When it’s
time to move on to the next one, either a Roman guard comes and yells to move
along and clear the street, or the person at that stall says you have to see
what the next person has. The props and
costumes are incredible. Almost at the
very end, you stop at the inn, where they tell you that they can only offer you
food and drink because all of their rooms are full, and that they even have a
couple who had a baby in their stable.
The last stop is the stable, where there’s a couple with a baby, and
they tell you a little about Jesus. After
that, there’s one person collecting alms for the poor (one final opportunity to
donate), and then you exit to outside. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It's a lot of fun. I
absolutely love doing traditional Christmas activities since I didn’t get to do
them growing up. Nick’s family went
almost every year when he was a child, so there are a lot of good memories
associated with it for him. I can’t
imagine the time and effort that goes into making it all happen. Nick looked it up online, and there are
hundreds of volunteers, usually about 15 families with a baby up to three
months old (I’m no baby expert, but I’m assuming at that age, dressed in a
plain white outfit, they can probably use boy or girl babies), and various
farms that bring animals. It seems very
appropriate for Christmas time that so many people work so hard to make it
happen and that so many people give generously to the fundraiser. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Finally, in case you’re wondering about the chickens, since
I haven’t posted about them in a while, they’re still getting their snacks from
me. They’re eating more now that it’s
cold (not just snacks; our neighbor said they’re going through a lot more
chicken food since it has been cold). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The free-range chickens are very persistent in making sure
I remember their snack every day. Here’s
a video of them enjoying some tortillas. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sRJPn7T6Y6w" width="320" youtube-src-id="sRJPn7T6Y6w"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-20454716689665727372023-12-19T18:02:00.000-05:002023-12-19T18:02:03.189-05:00Some More Catching Up<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m still working on catching up from my blogging break, so
here are a few more recent happenings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s get the not-so-good news out of the way first. Frankie is having some health problems. At 14, he’s an older kitty, so it’s
concerning. He had an abdominal
ultrasound in January due to some unexplained vomiting. It showed some minor thickening of his
intestinal lining, which could be indicative of lymphoma. After talking with Dr. D, we chose not to
pursue exploratory surgery and biopsies; the outlook for treating cats with
lymphoma isn’t great, and we’d rather give Frankie a good quality of life. Dr. D put him on some different medication,
and the vomiting stopped. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOgneqmFy3ba1tLuSO_WfqF8OvlfM8yHEKhyphenhyphenEYq1M2Md1wksSA7QNtvDGE0Bw7pe3s38fjgg6Xnr9CYGEeKKW2ATR2wpP9TG-3R3N6iot-vfORN-zQfQ8-c6JK6GllCay7kmMy-f7IXIadR-sc_kFNCsAfMy3XKUMmmzoaP1evmdOVVO6W5ZMNASF3gA/s1440/FB_IMG_1693875126470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOgneqmFy3ba1tLuSO_WfqF8OvlfM8yHEKhyphenhyphenEYq1M2Md1wksSA7QNtvDGE0Bw7pe3s38fjgg6Xnr9CYGEeKKW2ATR2wpP9TG-3R3N6iot-vfORN-zQfQ8-c6JK6GllCay7kmMy-f7IXIadR-sc_kFNCsAfMy3XKUMmmzoaP1evmdOVVO6W5ZMNASF3gA/s320/FB_IMG_1693875126470.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Last month, the excessive vomiting started again, so we
took Frankie back to the vet. Dr. D did
some x-rays and a lot of bloodwork and determined that Frankie is in the early
stages of kidney disease, lymphoma is still a real possibility, and he also has
thyroid disease. Out of all of those,
thyroid disease is the easiest/least invasive to treat, so Frankie is now on
thyroid medication. Dr. D also adjusted
his dose of some other medications, and the vomiting has stopped. Frankie goes back on the 27<sup>th</sup> to
have his thyroid levels checked again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF55FLsB1FxMdDWStA6htxfNvqB8tnTcIVY3i8b3Jms_jZiuGcexp8jFCAzgKTZfehBwPMYWrdeqDgdxDxxC4AVqp6PEz0JxcSjkTj-6yXto3bUu0X_ECdp3QJoP7AkHGe3DtI7IvizGxWoTNOsIuJHAKHwMuHH9RvKxC5CgdwE8V-eWmjWtITT_3Hpl4/s4080/20231215_062251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF55FLsB1FxMdDWStA6htxfNvqB8tnTcIVY3i8b3Jms_jZiuGcexp8jFCAzgKTZfehBwPMYWrdeqDgdxDxxC4AVqp6PEz0JxcSjkTj-6yXto3bUu0X_ECdp3QJoP7AkHGe3DtI7IvizGxWoTNOsIuJHAKHwMuHH9RvKxC5CgdwE8V-eWmjWtITT_3Hpl4/s320/20231215_062251.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He has lost some weight, but he’s eating and seems to be
happy. Frankie still plays and likes to
get into things, so as long as he’s happy and has a good quality of life, we’re
happy. We’ll continue to treat his
thyroid issues and go from there when he has his appointment later this
month. With any luck, he still has quite
a few good years ahead of him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In other news, it has been cold and insanely windy
here. Everyone at work has been running
space heaters, and this morning, there were lots of trashcans blown over when I
was leaving for work. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://bestfriends.org/partners/rustys-legacy">One of the local animal shelters</a> has been asking for extra
blankets since it has been so cold. It
has been nice to see people step up and drop off and/or ship blankets. It just shows how much people working
together can do.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our local sheriff’s office did a women’s self-defense class
last week. It was a great class! They did it at a community center, and
several female deputies taught it. It
was a good mix of teaching situational awareness and teaching and practicing
specific self-defense techniques. I
definitely learned some things. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One of my coworkers is retiring this month, and we had his
going away party last week. We did a
potluck and ended up with tons of food.
I brought <a href="https://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2012/05/creamy-slow-cooker-macaroni-cheese.html">macaroni and cheese</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We’ve also managed to squeeze in some Christmas fun. One of the churches does a fundraiser event
that’s a journey to Bethlehem. They have
people in costume, live animals, and tons of props to recreate walking through
Bethlehem. Nick’s family used to go
every year. I went for the first time
last year. This year, our neighbors went
with us. It was a lot more crowded this
year, but we got to listen to Christmas music (which I love) while we waited
for our turn. It was fun going through with
a bigger group this time. We also drove
around and looked at Christmas lights.
There’s a subdivision where almost everyone goes all out on the lights
and decorations, and it’s so fun to drive through it. This is a Pixabay picture since I don’t think
I’d be able to get good pictures from the car.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4jcG0b2NYiDLxuRl1i2_AZNbRbpf48KhKRnfkpDSdl-n9D8Bo0jTF8A6CUh97-aNlXZfKeBrweebYOYUF00coT6iO603dhySQIpq_xdUt3OyI04MO5MoC3LXE4ac5sIxNKjWGQTaNuU5sdu4rzi2LRFHfrCU3SkE9py-nmHdtSFJBvi-9UhDVokyz6g/s1280/christmas-2594038_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4jcG0b2NYiDLxuRl1i2_AZNbRbpf48KhKRnfkpDSdl-n9D8Bo0jTF8A6CUh97-aNlXZfKeBrweebYOYUF00coT6iO603dhySQIpq_xdUt3OyI04MO5MoC3LXE4ac5sIxNKjWGQTaNuU5sdu4rzi2LRFHfrCU3SkE9py-nmHdtSFJBvi-9UhDVokyz6g/s320/christmas-2594038_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Finally, I’ll leave you with this funny picture of
Charlie. He seems to have no concept of
his size, and yesterday, he spent quite a while trying to stuff himself into
this box. I don’t think he ever figured
out why he couldn’t get in the box. He
definitely looked cute trying! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqJxxKyVCQrurRK9HSeaVBAdjPIWG-4GmsaauPVk_MM0Wul_IuFatFzggIMCaxsbEzmROop_vbw1xMR6qatkm5Um57Y_rNwVBTACZrdFjPiu8LNpz0RLGgixICz9yks3Jy0nOZ88osKjHYfqfm62boEEezPAXY6ya7nIz6k_LTX5N0dMGYfCZvtqw-Cc/s4080/20231217_134257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqJxxKyVCQrurRK9HSeaVBAdjPIWG-4GmsaauPVk_MM0Wul_IuFatFzggIMCaxsbEzmROop_vbw1xMR6qatkm5Um57Y_rNwVBTACZrdFjPiu8LNpz0RLGgixICz9yks3Jy0nOZ88osKjHYfqfm62boEEezPAXY6ya7nIz6k_LTX5N0dMGYfCZvtqw-Cc/s320/20231217_134257.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-7514267524920135182023-12-14T18:34:00.001-05:002023-12-14T18:34:18.811-05:00Catching Up<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thank you all for your kind comments about Howard. I love that people who never met him enjoyed
his pictures and personality. He really
was a very special cat.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdP-9DpzeUORbJp9-Ce8qCc_k6k9ohtkyKJ2PCpPAonzoEielPmGetjUjtAqw1P2c5ZnR_8iISslF4M6k27WR6M5l7WWFZeaN50j-pvG399cI7eEbLcIhj1excA7aDi2pf4Ag36jxHGYVAphAqRXmx0tvMfPw2OEaGiDwy50cn1MiBmOl_-ZpB7KGuIM/s1024/401736027_10224310901541770_6863156671822539625_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdP-9DpzeUORbJp9-Ce8qCc_k6k9ohtkyKJ2PCpPAonzoEielPmGetjUjtAqw1P2c5ZnR_8iISslF4M6k27WR6M5l7WWFZeaN50j-pvG399cI7eEbLcIhj1excA7aDi2pf4Ag36jxHGYVAphAqRXmx0tvMfPw2OEaGiDwy50cn1MiBmOl_-ZpB7KGuIM/s320/401736027_10224310901541770_6863156671822539625_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Since I didn’t blog at all in October or November, I’ll
share some highlights to catch you up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our neighbors did tons of great Halloween decorations,
including a miniature cemetery in their front yard. There were “tombstones” for everyone on our
section of the street.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here’s mine:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybr5a-GgpcgwGcuN5PpNHHvdOS2gVCSETOJwcidRE3RIJFlExpkBrZDWziV9VWLVO6iXQGtAwFAd4va6ysz5UbW0vlRKTkCdOjrl2CX7pqsz3o8Z2AuxAkiD5iUyWTfUhkya944_dAsCCXsqJgJExGBlk0AHcWNHHyuG3Eu8AQvsv5eBCG4KXR3qY5AI/s4080/20230918_170640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybr5a-GgpcgwGcuN5PpNHHvdOS2gVCSETOJwcidRE3RIJFlExpkBrZDWziV9VWLVO6iXQGtAwFAd4va6ysz5UbW0vlRKTkCdOjrl2CX7pqsz3o8Z2AuxAkiD5iUyWTfUhkya944_dAsCCXsqJgJExGBlk0AHcWNHHyuG3Eu8AQvsv5eBCG4KXR3qY5AI/s320/20230918_170640.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Caroline is definitely our most temperamental cat and takes
<a href="https://www.catster.com/guides/tortitude-unique-personality-tortoiseshell-cats-fact-fiction/">tortitude</a> to a whole new level.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And here’s Nick’s:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpmlFjgKXpaIMbH3Ig1bzECbICS6iCiKUGojHcGxm4i331BP11tFx_K_l41pAqJEfueKcWtUOWK3Gr4-ZcUv-Cy6f2OKSMsP0_G7TZ3g-PZ0MMwSvSR6PVOBwy4a53vpra_Psac7oGyLu8EWUQhJvbq-LRmzlJfH0uQDEsPlXiucryayqwSifYpGouFw/s4080/20230918_191011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpmlFjgKXpaIMbH3Ig1bzECbICS6iCiKUGojHcGxm4i331BP11tFx_K_l41pAqJEfueKcWtUOWK3Gr4-ZcUv-Cy6f2OKSMsP0_G7TZ3g-PZ0MMwSvSR6PVOBwy4a53vpra_Psac7oGyLu8EWUQhJvbq-LRmzlJfH0uQDEsPlXiucryayqwSifYpGouFw/s320/20230918_191011.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We also did a neighborhood Halloween event on the last
Sunday in October. It was surprisingly
warm that day, so we sat outside by one of the neighbor’s fire pits. I made a huge batch of chili, and our
neighbor Lori made jalapeno popper bread and desserts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uRUtODxpb_vCn4R8CtPO2hESz7qWJn9bp3AdsBzoeK19ZRFmf-GIfHJpr0axZbnkNQ4i2DvKb8O8vPDoBQaKtdbc_nK-p8EH_kiwlnBtM7SG8kJKkCJgOn3_2Hcs5iLFwfBAYX8M1qbxF4OeHpZwpGJi5lO9MTSsO0Ug3L07ly2VNeY6k9Ocqifm4bI/s4080/20231029_135552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uRUtODxpb_vCn4R8CtPO2hESz7qWJn9bp3AdsBzoeK19ZRFmf-GIfHJpr0axZbnkNQ4i2DvKb8O8vPDoBQaKtdbc_nK-p8EH_kiwlnBtM7SG8kJKkCJgOn3_2Hcs5iLFwfBAYX8M1qbxF4OeHpZwpGJi5lO9MTSsO0Ug3L07ly2VNeY6k9Ocqifm4bI/s320/20231029_135552.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Three of the adults (including Nick) and two of the older
kids went to a haunted farm. The other
three adults (including me), one of the older kids who wasn’t feeling well, and
the two younger kids stayed behind to watch Hocus Pocus. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Everyone had a great time, and it worked out well that some
people wanted to do the haunted farm while some of us weren’t into that kind of
thing at all. We’re talking about making
it an annual thing. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve struggled some with getting into the holiday spirit
since we lost Howard, but I knew I wouldn’t be happy skipping Thanksgiving, so
we had our usual huge Thanksgiving.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Since our fridge is a little bit smaller than the old one,
I had Thanksgiving food stashed in four different mini-fridges at work the week
before. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving,
I took several things we wouldn’t need over the holiday weekend and left them
at work to make sure we had room for all of the Thanksgiving stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I took the day before Thanksgiving off to do all of the
baking. I couldn’t fit all of the
desserts and sweet potato bread on the table, so there are two pictures. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1foXUawShR0PFxtrM1nArMT-FFqSap4AuQt5r9uc8h2lFJFaEltcei5WTnZKpx8VLJJlcgG8PUDJOqiM4vAlBcoGxMCLJWvnQXiTy9eaakG6mtZa9Y3VoF_JAHrS-iFDxzOaDd5d_sE_3iObl2N89XGBw9w2DX3juuuXbfeeeq_kFkHGqRB-B5PPVIjc/s4080/20231122_230633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1foXUawShR0PFxtrM1nArMT-FFqSap4AuQt5r9uc8h2lFJFaEltcei5WTnZKpx8VLJJlcgG8PUDJOqiM4vAlBcoGxMCLJWvnQXiTy9eaakG6mtZa9Y3VoF_JAHrS-iFDxzOaDd5d_sE_3iObl2N89XGBw9w2DX3juuuXbfeeeq_kFkHGqRB-B5PPVIjc/s320/20231122_230633.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDXJO844kmkaIn2zGGKSmVgqJk7nBmMpSQmhfPsTPlvOSQhq9wc3xfrQjhyAb46bpPWgH9fbVRteTP4MmzFnEcp81BQb4PfzTFh_11HPZ40FdQcJxaCmvMi0ZuVBgZclMITrXs0ke1bxw_LFWOXu9-IFrTgS-0Dm55-TY_14CEGnKMuTNk0b4SqsAnN8/s4080/20231122_230648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDXJO844kmkaIn2zGGKSmVgqJk7nBmMpSQmhfPsTPlvOSQhq9wc3xfrQjhyAb46bpPWgH9fbVRteTP4MmzFnEcp81BQb4PfzTFh_11HPZ40FdQcJxaCmvMi0ZuVBgZclMITrXs0ke1bxw_LFWOXu9-IFrTgS-0Dm55-TY_14CEGnKMuTNk0b4SqsAnN8/s320/20231122_230648.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As usual, Nick did a lot of cleaning. I’m a very messy cook, so helping clean up
when I do that much cooking is a massive job.
At one point, he was dashing into the kitchen with the vacuum or Swiffer
every time I left it. And one of the
neighbor kids very sweetly came over and helped out with some food prep and
cleaning on Wednesday night. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86SoTTfzUQDZMYNAp3icD4WLiBncWojRYSZbGZs4XWn1S8cINTAs6dSzOQK79G9WBa8HeRFGbqR9yV4AorH_a1ejNNuB3efshvF-MmiTuQUtpmQmuBNU_czlQwbxfqphWfRP_LH35jef7daD7hfCYxsaqNBaW7nvfbji0PhZ-BXEBM2ipSfcdNw_UOu4/s2408/Screenshot_20231122_233732_VeryFitPro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2408" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86SoTTfzUQDZMYNAp3icD4WLiBncWojRYSZbGZs4XWn1S8cINTAs6dSzOQK79G9WBa8HeRFGbqR9yV4AorH_a1ejNNuB3efshvF-MmiTuQUtpmQmuBNU_czlQwbxfqphWfRP_LH35jef7daD7hfCYxsaqNBaW7nvfbji0PhZ-BXEBM2ipSfcdNw_UOu4/s320/Screenshot_20231122_233732_VeryFitPro.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The day before Thanksgiving is always my highest step count for the year!</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We took Thanksgiving dinner to the hospice house for
lunch.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As always, they were so kind and
made me cry.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There’s a nurse we’ve seen
for the past several years, and she hugged both of us and was just incredibly
nice.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After we dropped the food off there, we went home and
finished getting ready for our Thanksgiving dinner that evening. I almost forgot to get any pictures of the
food until someone else mentioned taking pictures, so I only got two not-so-great
pictures of the food. We had food and
desserts on nearly every available surface.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPcKnQ4NqnLExixItzNMXTAXJyRzDEh_g5kCUszelAoYhuUDtaltHYFrCByV7Dg7QzgYEwwmw1bNemvHZaYGnVYXrOGhXQhuWmKXTAoukWBEbH-4IeHJwAZbI9TCSrnWBd0iBjDZwpytue-uRzSb3opB-FiyB52zI90eRMbE1HZeQOeBYjWlH994Ilew/s4080/20231123_185251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPcKnQ4NqnLExixItzNMXTAXJyRzDEh_g5kCUszelAoYhuUDtaltHYFrCByV7Dg7QzgYEwwmw1bNemvHZaYGnVYXrOGhXQhuWmKXTAoukWBEbH-4IeHJwAZbI9TCSrnWBd0iBjDZwpytue-uRzSb3opB-FiyB52zI90eRMbE1HZeQOeBYjWlH994Ilew/s320/20231123_185251.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvuwXY2Tw8OVSULlbuulSrymFFDiE4k9lotHFR2nwdKmJk9dLkZu2rtqolV8GEovq1Igq6gcmOCF3xwe4QeNDxwl8RgaqOBkr6PQBYlf7qudpKksOgRUKYm07W5GBjrsiWH5vSnQbm9-e0SD2kvitfw5mcshujcYKmgz0mWu9D3Q_kU7fUSBerL2F3PE/s4080/20231123_185256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvuwXY2Tw8OVSULlbuulSrymFFDiE4k9lotHFR2nwdKmJk9dLkZu2rtqolV8GEovq1Igq6gcmOCF3xwe4QeNDxwl8RgaqOBkr6PQBYlf7qudpKksOgRUKYm07W5GBjrsiWH5vSnQbm9-e0SD2kvitfw5mcshujcYKmgz0mWu9D3Q_kU7fUSBerL2F3PE/s320/20231123_185256.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We had a total of 14 people: all of the neighbors on our
end of the street and some friends from Nick’s job. Everyone ate, talked, and played games. It was everything I love about Thanksgiving. As usual, we had tons of leftovers, so no one
had to cook for the next couple of days.
After everyone left, Nick and I were talking about how you can always
tell whether or not it’s someone’s first Thanksgiving at our house by whether
or not they bring storage containers for leftovers. No one does the first time, but everyone does
the next time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We also had an inflatable Thanksgiving decoration this
year. I bought him on sale after
Thanksgiving last year. His name is
Gregory. Good for you if you get the
reference to the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=by+the+light+of+the+silvery+moon&crid=3JZ2XLD5GFR5X&sprefix=by+the+light+of+the+%2Caps%2C124&linkCode=ll2&tag=swetearea-20&linkId=8a51c7ad3f057d0787557fbc800ca1b6&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl">Doris Day movie, “By the Light of the Silvery Moon.”</a> I’m hoping to add more Thanksgiving
decorations every year. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Mnw-JGor-ozk4qioUSbKE1j2s4NaBnLiYA_Qz6AOcG21cp8Ed9Ph2lWEjuwu9ykGjjVhobP7H1Ov_4D0QMuGzkD_P5pdD9YLSu5V-Hq85CXPhSOD52uYC1P9kvPHEsil2xAXFwBhhLvug268fOJAk44d8pTVTsikjUCY6SITENcxYPnSvGBop4nzSiU/s4080/20231112_175906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Mnw-JGor-ozk4qioUSbKE1j2s4NaBnLiYA_Qz6AOcG21cp8Ed9Ph2lWEjuwu9ykGjjVhobP7H1Ov_4D0QMuGzkD_P5pdD9YLSu5V-Hq85CXPhSOD52uYC1P9kvPHEsil2xAXFwBhhLvug268fOJAk44d8pTVTsikjUCY6SITENcxYPnSvGBop4nzSiU/s320/20231112_175906.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Frankie absolutely loves the box that Gregory came in.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m not sure how he managed to stuff himself inside the
box, but he happily hung out in it for hours at a time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8shw6NwOEr0ZdewIIYUGoL8HWGCEwLCOpfJhafE1TwDdxRSZmb-_kDAbNK65HKA017t4bLwTICkCx3EAMU-AASLa616MqPCV9KXx5fLYvm6PSrSDrpDg6l8dwNiORH84uHwevHcxjc-jUG65N7PbQJFj3jhNTGG-TZjbC5RMsw1JO6tvwyXID6_Fgn4/s4080/20231121_194415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8shw6NwOEr0ZdewIIYUGoL8HWGCEwLCOpfJhafE1TwDdxRSZmb-_kDAbNK65HKA017t4bLwTICkCx3EAMU-AASLa616MqPCV9KXx5fLYvm6PSrSDrpDg6l8dwNiORH84uHwevHcxjc-jUG65N7PbQJFj3jhNTGG-TZjbC5RMsw1JO6tvwyXID6_Fgn4/s320/20231121_194415.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So what about you?
How were your October and November?
And how were your fall holidays? <o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-43366919555463916892023-12-03T15:33:00.001-05:002023-12-03T15:33:53.141-05:00The Howard Post I Never Wanted to Write<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We knew for a while that it was coming, but that didn’t make
it any easier.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We had to make the
unbearable decision to say goodbye to Howard on November 1</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPRSBj9ZmfHjL54wKs3DW3p70BSFtpNuo5N6d5H44JWYxPxP3PcXWMzWIxcu9htYCsOzNLcM4GtC7ur37FN45Te1-Z9uEpmZex7z1AcHoLJXFNjCGyqVwepV0OtyG6ns-N81GQI5PRhHvKGLxqTnf5mHZaz7fwTcw-9NbATkeoFiADcXVJFp-v6A8yls/s1440/49253489_10213370439037045_1112111318065741824_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPRSBj9ZmfHjL54wKs3DW3p70BSFtpNuo5N6d5H44JWYxPxP3PcXWMzWIxcu9htYCsOzNLcM4GtC7ur37FN45Te1-Z9uEpmZex7z1AcHoLJXFNjCGyqVwepV0OtyG6ns-N81GQI5PRhHvKGLxqTnf5mHZaz7fwTcw-9NbATkeoFiADcXVJFp-v6A8yls/s320/49253489_10213370439037045_1112111318065741824_n.jpg" width="178" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">His health had been declining since December of last year,
and we said from the beginning that we’d do everything possible as long as
Howard seemed happy and like he had a good life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8P7q23fo4qoBgajis-1KUyXMLSaocv0hyJEUkd4t4e8-Y5bubgXDjY2Z5lJzKWr3Q9wnIX_00-lU6d_KgOEHyHhqCN4MIKbjON3fzyWcUAx-B-QvM0pH5QLU0O9EJCGNp2rH9llYYx-N8wZniw0ZjvkYmcz02NDa6qj3zxiikRTiUYq4hXocMsriiI_E/s960/242563682_10220074646918052_2712336655953297698_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="528" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8P7q23fo4qoBgajis-1KUyXMLSaocv0hyJEUkd4t4e8-Y5bubgXDjY2Z5lJzKWr3Q9wnIX_00-lU6d_KgOEHyHhqCN4MIKbjON3fzyWcUAx-B-QvM0pH5QLU0O9EJCGNp2rH9llYYx-N8wZniw0ZjvkYmcz02NDa6qj3zxiikRTiUYq4hXocMsriiI_E/s320/242563682_10220074646918052_2712336655953297698_n.jpg" width="176" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He was wobbly on his feet and lost a lot of weight, but
seemed happy and not like he was in pain.
Then, he just started to seem like he was never comfortable, and he
cried and meowed in a new and different way.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We took him to the vet, and Dr. D said that even with
heroic measures, we wouldn’t buy him much time, and that it wouldn’t be quality
time. She was concerned that if we tried
to do anything to prolong his life, Howard would die alone in the
hospital. The one thing Howard hated was
being alone, so we knew we were never going to do that to him. We made the decision to let him go.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDiDhV0V9oD0s7qElDsthfv5srVAe6_48XTgXAmIINY_Qqks3dmdbMlcLii5tAe3VAgJHJddHn7Lkk0XG2gZYldT-ABq-jKFsdkMI9wXT2CMPtJsADvrNfeq55U2C6NinL4ZhmprEamJiFL8s1ddUOOCV-gx2zlNnqzFO0mykuSoyvZHvXPxsMtzdUnk/s6000/27.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDiDhV0V9oD0s7qElDsthfv5srVAe6_48XTgXAmIINY_Qqks3dmdbMlcLii5tAe3VAgJHJddHn7Lkk0XG2gZYldT-ABq-jKFsdkMI9wXT2CMPtJsADvrNfeq55U2C6NinL4ZhmprEamJiFL8s1ddUOOCV-gx2zlNnqzFO0mykuSoyvZHvXPxsMtzdUnk/s320/27.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Howard drifted off to sleep with Dr. D and the vet tech
telling him that he had always been everyone’s favorite and with me and Nick
petting him and telling him how much we loved him. We fed him a chicken churu treat and part of
a tuna churu treat right before. He was
purring, and he was loved. I just hope
he knew how much. Our hearts are broken,
but Howard isn’t in pain.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOott3-XHgnhmYnCiJP3bZje0u__EK7rWJE8tl_Zf6qE5ax78F6Jsn81t3U2t4d0-Qopn0lAOqoDjdFKH9eHXEAIHkpM8O5Udk2UcSgd0YVZBo2Evcsm0ol0Vx1woH5ypegHQq1_gxGpUyk8ttt9e3dFtzQgkALahkQa2abnkrClZFpD9tCmYzlu3I7ug/s1440/51020995_10213550472177761_1822026982112624640_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOott3-XHgnhmYnCiJP3bZje0u__EK7rWJE8tl_Zf6qE5ax78F6Jsn81t3U2t4d0-Qopn0lAOqoDjdFKH9eHXEAIHkpM8O5Udk2UcSgd0YVZBo2Evcsm0ol0Vx1woH5ypegHQq1_gxGpUyk8ttt9e3dFtzQgkALahkQa2abnkrClZFpD9tCmYzlu3I7ug/s320/51020995_10213550472177761_1822026982112624640_n.jpg" width="178" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It's hard to capture everything that Howard was in a blog
post. He wasn’t at all what I was
looking for when I went to the animal shelter, but he was exactly what I
needed. I went with the intention of
adopting a dignified middle-aged cat to be a friend for my dignified
middle-aged cat, Edison. Howard was so
many things, but dignified was never one of them. And he was six months old when I adopted him,
so he wasn’t the middle-aged cat I intended to get. But, when he bounced to the front of the cage
as if to say, “Hi, I’m your new best friend,” I knew he was mine. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggszCHqQhBp0y5mgGsIapPvtti5f0hNs7b9Ua2GgvOsWpF8Zh2eeGKCl5Y_PW9EFQCGMtY_S5jjpD7T_rAEvzkjCB0oMk4cB4Ga5RWgiHH1fhquDe44692hqXwZX7EiEnoqrYHpHPHKdrPqNC_-5HV6hbJWSoyXFGcb6ni_CRKgXhZIaFmQ0HDoxHmsuU/s604/1910393_1053638662806_5768188_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="604" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggszCHqQhBp0y5mgGsIapPvtti5f0hNs7b9Ua2GgvOsWpF8Zh2eeGKCl5Y_PW9EFQCGMtY_S5jjpD7T_rAEvzkjCB0oMk4cB4Ga5RWgiHH1fhquDe44692hqXwZX7EiEnoqrYHpHPHKdrPqNC_-5HV6hbJWSoyXFGcb6ni_CRKgXhZIaFmQ0HDoxHmsuU/s320/1910393_1053638662806_5768188_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Howard’s first year was quite an adventure. He nearly died from an upper respiratory
infection, he ate an earring that had to be surgically removed, ended up in the
cone of shame after the earring surgery, experienced an apartment fire, and moved
three times, including the move to NC after we met Nick. Howard wasn’t phased or upset by any of it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTycEXbeDUrS1nni1KQKCY6hUrv7eoyZO9SKuN9mcIcREeAx0ffpVzCh739b-8PojNete8yLPeNekMjvIkEoGITnRehisN5Eq7VMcyjTxnaMvWs8WjPhh3vIOhAMm3YLdhKytnEkBHn2QFg6-w4Aom1I1bOYlRp-x1vq-KOJj2vrG_BHt3U8JtMRJjp0/s604/1910393_1053638782809_7866825_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="604" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTycEXbeDUrS1nni1KQKCY6hUrv7eoyZO9SKuN9mcIcREeAx0ffpVzCh739b-8PojNete8yLPeNekMjvIkEoGITnRehisN5Eq7VMcyjTxnaMvWs8WjPhh3vIOhAMm3YLdhKytnEkBHn2QFg6-w4Aom1I1bOYlRp-x1vq-KOJj2vrG_BHt3U8JtMRJjp0/s320/1910393_1053638782809_7866825_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Howard adored his siblings and was always the first pet to
welcome any new foster pets or newly adopted pets. It didn’t matter if they were dogs or cats,
young or old, healthy or sick. Howard
loved them all, and cuddled with everyone.
His ashes are next to Duke’s because he loved Duke so much.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2INFobBRlfqj0KqUCbP4u7waUkAocUrBb7QiCxRyOg87D7dsDv1OYQJMXlVqqhLDigVDVLCO3W5UV7bKEmoz8uCogtla7Fy033OlfjaJpfznxz9T4BCG61ZNZT4iarD5aoUzZEETSh0d95hbG9HXlhyphenhyphenhrXvgJ8EQmEavQEb-ckSWLoif9i6zw2b-pSb0/s1598/20220203_170351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1598" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2INFobBRlfqj0KqUCbP4u7waUkAocUrBb7QiCxRyOg87D7dsDv1OYQJMXlVqqhLDigVDVLCO3W5UV7bKEmoz8uCogtla7Fy033OlfjaJpfznxz9T4BCG61ZNZT4iarD5aoUzZEETSh0d95hbG9HXlhyphenhyphenhrXvgJ8EQmEavQEb-ckSWLoif9i6zw2b-pSb0/s320/20220203_170351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Howard loved people as much as he loved other animals. He greeted everyone who ever came to the
house and loved being brushed and petted.
Everyone loved Howard. Even
people who don’t like cats loved Howard.
People would always ask to take pictures of Howard; people here to trick
or treat, delivery drivers, repair people.
There are lots of Howard being a meerkat pictures out in the world. One of the neighbor kids brought his girlfriend
to meet Howard because he was the “coolest cat.” Howard loved people and loved posing for
pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_q0G78_wtMsqbi7xBbH6EC0V41QpLrSfqvTpuCMsg9MPlyaG1ZZnhxvEx3y2QHb4s2Kxt5IknLnEgCo7tA7HG0UM6DXhl9E4wLv28Jen-90mIGtBvy3dPtUMNpSAZAi96yCcHjTyeAXIjD3aiVoc0h_5q9jvBwyKuWZj0Vsx63qgWGizocTr7Iv5itCY/s1024/401736027_10224310901541770_6863156671822539625_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_q0G78_wtMsqbi7xBbH6EC0V41QpLrSfqvTpuCMsg9MPlyaG1ZZnhxvEx3y2QHb4s2Kxt5IknLnEgCo7tA7HG0UM6DXhl9E4wLv28Jen-90mIGtBvy3dPtUMNpSAZAi96yCcHjTyeAXIjD3aiVoc0h_5q9jvBwyKuWZj0Vsx63qgWGizocTr7Iv5itCY/s320/401736027_10224310901541770_6863156671822539625_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It's so weird not having Howard in the house. You’d think with five other cats, it wouldn’t
seem empty, but it does. I think, of all
the other cats, Frankie misses him the most.
They were good friends and liked to cuddle together. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3orrlab0KxhsTkpCFYhAt3Gog9LylQQbRXEXr4yHDWvZVqUJHFnC4ErBerMBkOUpS8109clBTgXsXizcu14o6kltUO_wwAYvYnllL3PZ-SI2qZ2TZ6YJKr8e1P4an4S6v1CgBUOj3Fu6fR76yPBHaCl-NuZvM8VM46kvEdLwuejhGrWwfVGLDggdpzA/s4080/20230823_173804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3orrlab0KxhsTkpCFYhAt3Gog9LylQQbRXEXr4yHDWvZVqUJHFnC4ErBerMBkOUpS8109clBTgXsXizcu14o6kltUO_wwAYvYnllL3PZ-SI2qZ2TZ6YJKr8e1P4an4S6v1CgBUOj3Fu6fR76yPBHaCl-NuZvM8VM46kvEdLwuejhGrWwfVGLDggdpzA/s320/20230823_173804.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicI38MuE_D2zzhLEqmnTgGpXrJM0xKoR9wSkHKBlvOMBtUbArHWwocpcyRrAHpFpeFdqmOR918PAk_bjZmWxpSBlVzwivQGQzdu1juy2YeGseYmAkhMGcKuQzkPw-KXURgr9vXDXmpZKKcKu0iVxEVCjbnLzxU6IkdoVvbmZgKoW8UyvLhwnm2HvIgZ5o/s3264/20230426_125842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicI38MuE_D2zzhLEqmnTgGpXrJM0xKoR9wSkHKBlvOMBtUbArHWwocpcyRrAHpFpeFdqmOR918PAk_bjZmWxpSBlVzwivQGQzdu1juy2YeGseYmAkhMGcKuQzkPw-KXURgr9vXDXmpZKKcKu0iVxEVCjbnLzxU6IkdoVvbmZgKoW8UyvLhwnm2HvIgZ5o/s320/20230426_125842.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwWDLAcu2R0y283yNInSKWWBnN5ZQuvVeCQpMwN_7pk2jeHb5z-7lLre23R30GieVPoDc3gVFU7TCiMeEgiXG4YjxGlmRL3z6gk8Wm9xsOiLE4RKaAGgeBYlO2nGSA6zNiCp-26yv4Pymy1iSrZk80IGH7w4FE9iEMx18wM03G67s5EqOpVZy8In5E0w/s3264/20221229_095722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJwWDLAcu2R0y283yNInSKWWBnN5ZQuvVeCQpMwN_7pk2jeHb5z-7lLre23R30GieVPoDc3gVFU7TCiMeEgiXG4YjxGlmRL3z6gk8Wm9xsOiLE4RKaAGgeBYlO2nGSA6zNiCp-26yv4Pymy1iSrZk80IGH7w4FE9iEMx18wM03G67s5EqOpVZy8In5E0w/s320/20221229_095722.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDRFcTD0-iRNCZDM83H8JfuBpEUoYfKOMrTB4JjTSroZ06c02p4mp3ikjRvDLhUEY76boPRSYw-LQfEmgIQd_TPhcRNKUazHsz75IKR7Uz___1p9RXCDHyRBjBrD7gwoDe-Qwa6aoQ2pNOncDDQZCN4dD9Ofi3eqRYP0qSOEYHu42jZ481ZZJLc87R1c/s3264/20221229_093313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDRFcTD0-iRNCZDM83H8JfuBpEUoYfKOMrTB4JjTSroZ06c02p4mp3ikjRvDLhUEY76boPRSYw-LQfEmgIQd_TPhcRNKUazHsz75IKR7Uz___1p9RXCDHyRBjBrD7gwoDe-Qwa6aoQ2pNOncDDQZCN4dD9Ofi3eqRYP0qSOEYHu42jZ481ZZJLc87R1c/s320/20221229_093313.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He was a constant presence in my life for
almost 17 years and a constant presence in Nick’s life for almost 16
years. It’s still weird not having
him. Christmas looks different this
year, too. As you know, I’ve always
loved the song, “I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas.” We changed it to Howardpotamus and would sing
it to him. The song makes me cry now,
instead of smile. All of the hippopotamus
ornaments are packed away because I can’t look at them without crying. Maybe next year, they’ll make me smile
again. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIlOMmRiO4Y9OBSEWvxCjFvrcWS-SXuu-rXQgi07NSSffqvEQpq0qfCAWnIn17Pm2ZTsssfAWU7WZAfTT95GHpMWNko6mT2Ld5tdJix91Wrq_NR1GB9exwWv5hZhQU27efbvIpHaVQNa4aki4iAM8JZ0LF-ny0aDnjwfIYjTx65R9KzX9MxD79aFSeb0/s1920/397496105_10224248703426856_7845083286879600681_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEIlOMmRiO4Y9OBSEWvxCjFvrcWS-SXuu-rXQgi07NSSffqvEQpq0qfCAWnIn17Pm2ZTsssfAWU7WZAfTT95GHpMWNko6mT2Ld5tdJix91Wrq_NR1GB9exwWv5hZhQU27efbvIpHaVQNa4aki4iAM8JZ0LF-ny0aDnjwfIYjTx65R9KzX9MxD79aFSeb0/s320/397496105_10224248703426856_7845083286879600681_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHr4gvrZ9bhv3045B30YGWx1nvqTBlezlN8bBOGyfoCTgkwQrAxUQV0pwZuJrvPJ0eCL1SIT2VV9EjStGTW-Bq9fR0XhMCS6gRqicB3p87i_NdoUyKFHsBdXLTvA-7YRalFrS7h7pXjULlyshIlFDYQ1CaltNAEoag6khGrizkBrCXnSx3Ddx2BuIS2Ds/s3264/20221225_164421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHr4gvrZ9bhv3045B30YGWx1nvqTBlezlN8bBOGyfoCTgkwQrAxUQV0pwZuJrvPJ0eCL1SIT2VV9EjStGTW-Bq9fR0XhMCS6gRqicB3p87i_NdoUyKFHsBdXLTvA-7YRalFrS7h7pXjULlyshIlFDYQ1CaltNAEoag6khGrizkBrCXnSx3Ddx2BuIS2Ds/s320/20221225_164421.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I know that everyone says the best way to honor a cat you’ve
loved and lost is to adopt another cat, but we’re not planning to adopt anyone
for now. We still have five cats, and we
actually never intended to have six.
Remember, Charlie and Mortimer arrived as short-term fosters. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We’re also dealing with some health problems with Frankie. I’ll post more about that later, but we need
to be able to focus on him, not on bringing another cat in the house. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have no doubt that we’ll end up with another cat eventually. We’re always going to have cats, and they
have a habit of just coming into our lives (we weren’t looking for Carloine when
she arrived in our lives), but now isn’t the right time. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For now, we’re giving Frankie the extra care he needs and
giving all five of the cats extra love and cuddles. A purring cat is good for the heart and
soul. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbcCzErSLJbtZZxLm3TXhTBokBbD2YR7h5D9mL6sn4RYp012rdwaMVt7gwbIjZO54lwiRuJkSjIBvrZuGRraaLmPY2z8szPmwfhbyip9W45Ow_VbCpCvbqCu_oA2T8L47cM0PyvE2f8I14CauefsallIF3uns8UFrOheMWYCPsGjC7Rjuf6Ej01K6YJw/s960/409283_2683905138449_1507126779_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbcCzErSLJbtZZxLm3TXhTBokBbD2YR7h5D9mL6sn4RYp012rdwaMVt7gwbIjZO54lwiRuJkSjIBvrZuGRraaLmPY2z8szPmwfhbyip9W45Ow_VbCpCvbqCu_oA2T8L47cM0PyvE2f8I14CauefsallIF3uns8UFrOheMWYCPsGjC7Rjuf6Ej01K6YJw/s320/409283_2683905138449_1507126779_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJw2QBA7zqGplgL76sWH6U6Ah80_6PGr8965WjWO1XBksdec-2-7YVA8XVWgiBvkoHkPt39DkD6GzgdaTibErZz1AO9H5eCjeY-HYOh5uOJShSLztdSPGO1KKc6y15UWd3Ph97haUlnkJJj_ovXV1h6TTDwSbEKL8FDVrXIrIk7PxoZ9nVlzjiW27FZQ/s1024/23926499_10210589680599822_657987725980655598_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJw2QBA7zqGplgL76sWH6U6Ah80_6PGr8965WjWO1XBksdec-2-7YVA8XVWgiBvkoHkPt39DkD6GzgdaTibErZz1AO9H5eCjeY-HYOh5uOJShSLztdSPGO1KKc6y15UWd3Ph97haUlnkJJj_ovXV1h6TTDwSbEKL8FDVrXIrIk7PxoZ9nVlzjiW27FZQ/s320/23926499_10210589680599822_657987725980655598_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-67035596544312411282023-09-26T20:54:00.001-04:002023-09-26T20:54:24.530-04:00Breadsticks, Birthdays, and Fall Weather <p>Since I missed posting a Thursday 13 last week, I’m doing a
list post today. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We’ll start with a picture of Caroline tucked into bed. The cats tend to get a little more cuddly
when it starts to cool down.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtz3fEBnb7LSGhQRH6G1mU0Zn31IZHelxX5fEGlHX77dr7pXMCWImO1UhP1GXVDpQGe6YEnV0-3euXZ6IgnLeyupEz5bquAiYJhUBSzPJM6eaAhqE-VfQf5E4XN26YgjwEKJ64wyBH6HMTpGP4HfCZoRFIARPRmocWbkAsXz-fK7H_99QQL3EzzagXfI4/s4080/20230908_075633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtz3fEBnb7LSGhQRH6G1mU0Zn31IZHelxX5fEGlHX77dr7pXMCWImO1UhP1GXVDpQGe6YEnV0-3euXZ6IgnLeyupEz5bquAiYJhUBSzPJM6eaAhqE-VfQf5E4XN26YgjwEKJ64wyBH6HMTpGP4HfCZoRFIARPRmocWbkAsXz-fK7H_99QQL3EzzagXfI4/s320/20230908_075633.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We’re supposed to have warmer weather for the first part of
this week, but we’ve had a few days that have felt very much like fall. It’s the perfect weather for reading in the
hammock.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYqA_1dCYRY5UwFvVXUv2KZyIt-pIHfMHPEEQXvoosY3xdWbEdhHOBn9WvUQLuYLq0YoXhasNu0JofqpSpQqUXn6j5Nk91U9VShzbRIibVsH2SCia9h2XEMztpt8FQYMp-tSGl7NcqzPa6qYl0YCoOzpHn20KUrzCZE75UqonNIuZA2XLW6UG22vN_io/s4080/20230920_183447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYqA_1dCYRY5UwFvVXUv2KZyIt-pIHfMHPEEQXvoosY3xdWbEdhHOBn9WvUQLuYLq0YoXhasNu0JofqpSpQqUXn6j5Nk91U9VShzbRIibVsH2SCia9h2XEMztpt8FQYMp-tSGl7NcqzPa6qYl0YCoOzpHn20KUrzCZE75UqonNIuZA2XLW6UG22vN_io/s320/20230920_183447.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">We had perfect weather and beautiful blue skies over the
weekend, so we went and walked at a park that’s just far enough from home that
we usually only go on the weekends. It
was so nice to spend time outside and enjoy the perfect weather.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZPTD5pCWvdrwqHY4bw7JKOjbb86XDt451c1PZ4kZIrTLv-ezhCspkvfdWfClABwwuIoYAkDqw1HOzaJC8NJb_UnrHxVrxDzI_zuxW9OCZw43fO75o13xRh6uhVcDAa-wHdNSMbBISl9BtXaNHZ78Wrgnze7EXiwdPdU6dhjeTCBoZgEWEejorsW6QYQ/s4080/20230920_183431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZPTD5pCWvdrwqHY4bw7JKOjbb86XDt451c1PZ4kZIrTLv-ezhCspkvfdWfClABwwuIoYAkDqw1HOzaJC8NJb_UnrHxVrxDzI_zuxW9OCZw43fO75o13xRh6uhVcDAa-wHdNSMbBISl9BtXaNHZ78Wrgnze7EXiwdPdU6dhjeTCBoZgEWEejorsW6QYQ/s320/20230920_183431.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">We had some work done on the HVAC system. Fortunately, it was minor. Yay!
We’ve used the same company for years, and we had the same technician
who came out last year when so many things got zapped with lighting. He loved Duke and spent some time petting him
and even rigged up a temporary cooling solution so Duke wouldn’t get too hot. He remembered Duke and asked where his
three-legged buddy was when he came in the house. In some ways, it was really sad to explain
that Duke had died. But, it was also
really sweet that someone who met Duke over a year ago still remembered him and
asked about him. It was a reminder of
just how many people that Duke made happy.
<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULl4g8TFuWXhvIzoxaeBQlkAzWr_xtbI95mkvG32zNNzNrnwzbbORyb4ZKaWWz23WJJHXyTeMaGYAMnwaALV1EwzNpXKgcsMj0SSuaEDwD-eTmLOqXUs8LzumbD2Q4rDzioyL3vt9Vri4SDCT82GWw4F5dF8FewwFwIzpcUXvy5cbHKVa3nqnguHSNig/s6000/_DSC0218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULl4g8TFuWXhvIzoxaeBQlkAzWr_xtbI95mkvG32zNNzNrnwzbbORyb4ZKaWWz23WJJHXyTeMaGYAMnwaALV1EwzNpXKgcsMj0SSuaEDwD-eTmLOqXUs8LzumbD2Q4rDzioyL3vt9Vri4SDCT82GWw4F5dF8FewwFwIzpcUXvy5cbHKVa3nqnguHSNig/s320/_DSC0218.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Two of my coworkers had birthdays this month. I usually decorate people’s offices for their
birthdays. My boss was one of the
birthday people, and he likes to tease me about my pink office, so I opted to
decorate his office with a lot of pink. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLz2cQdpM4zVnl2HDOhtOnU28nI_MuIEIKmfzqA_3zoVrtYXGj-i-n1l3M9kZ2ua3wcEW7dyOZuMRlZ1HCOaUIBzcDx4LS2ZnClWYXbrU6My_GwQ-Q9MH5desXfmImkWn3da_sayMyatQxWukgvpQYNZGOlDy_yzRYd6mZ6vh4pNEgi82_-peZ6YiKiOo/s4080/20230911_151957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="2538" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLz2cQdpM4zVnl2HDOhtOnU28nI_MuIEIKmfzqA_3zoVrtYXGj-i-n1l3M9kZ2ua3wcEW7dyOZuMRlZ1HCOaUIBzcDx4LS2ZnClWYXbrU6My_GwQ-Q9MH5desXfmImkWn3da_sayMyatQxWukgvpQYNZGOlDy_yzRYd6mZ6vh4pNEgi82_-peZ6YiKiOo/s320/20230911_151957.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDgIybAUgBEyq3PWTSFbKMt7uklMLhWWmnNKkRPqJuTZLM7XGHFXs1yTqTD2QyQbtgGkOTQskNYNHvRArBQMSVCZLmEWEIOIzrSPqI8Ao5LmHpo5xm1Mu0XAAPK6YDK_c-3l8pltBPh7hVhypEpl5oSq5yudsMdTVQcFMmfTR7YXz0q9653MTzyJmUEs/s3060/20230911_151918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2349" data-original-width="3060" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDgIybAUgBEyq3PWTSFbKMt7uklMLhWWmnNKkRPqJuTZLM7XGHFXs1yTqTD2QyQbtgGkOTQskNYNHvRArBQMSVCZLmEWEIOIzrSPqI8Ao5LmHpo5xm1Mu0XAAPK6YDK_c-3l8pltBPh7hVhypEpl5oSq5yudsMdTVQcFMmfTR7YXz0q9653MTzyJmUEs/s320/20230911_151918.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve still been giving the neighbors’ chickens snacks. The free-range chickens followed me back and
forth while I was carrying in groceries and waited outside the door in between
trips to the car. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5ujfu_5InC0o84XN5C5oXNUyfkldf-lWuekeZLOuAQdmTs0jqRUXQga5pnaMfaV6sRWp5wXNUZNrNCMzOozmeRDKKFe-BKgGKmJGU5DmoOniDCcSRN72SUNC3RCWQ78kEW6ArdjuqQJFl5WZzbP5R8P0y0U5qDeyy__HcJn9s1_pD5f4k-Vy1bgolmA/s4080/20230912_164752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR5ujfu_5InC0o84XN5C5oXNUyfkldf-lWuekeZLOuAQdmTs0jqRUXQga5pnaMfaV6sRWp5wXNUZNrNCMzOozmeRDKKFe-BKgGKmJGU5DmoOniDCcSRN72SUNC3RCWQ78kEW6ArdjuqQJFl5WZzbP5R8P0y0U5qDeyy__HcJn9s1_pD5f4k-Vy1bgolmA/s320/20230912_164752.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I gave the chickens leftover breadsticks one day, which they
loved. The next day, I gave them rice
cakes, which they’ve happily eaten before.
Apparently, though, they thought the breadsticks would/should become a
regular thing because they were very unenthusiastic about the rice cakes the
day after the breadsticks. They’ve
since resigned themselves to not getting breadsticks every day and are back to
eating whatever I give them. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ll leave you with this picture of Howard and Frankie cuddled
up together. They’re so precious. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsR3D87TlbedHCiZt1w2krLZAcpVa85tmxAX4xRzqTgOUWiVco4oOwrY73KIS4oqn2xY05rthagxlBGYjzV6KffOgMbdFJ6l2DOQtIyhJuANCsczggtew50RKQfu8qQ6kBDu6GD44kJrKwQJfY_5R3vhMPtFp6fi5fcb579wv1r8NeKJaaQXvODQPpVao/s4080/20230908_181716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsR3D87TlbedHCiZt1w2krLZAcpVa85tmxAX4xRzqTgOUWiVco4oOwrY73KIS4oqn2xY05rthagxlBGYjzV6KffOgMbdFJ6l2DOQtIyhJuANCsczggtew50RKQfu8qQ6kBDu6GD44kJrKwQJfY_5R3vhMPtFp6fi5fcb579wv1r8NeKJaaQXvODQPpVao/s320/20230908_181716.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">What have you been up to lately? <o:p></o:p></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-30904737118396371832023-09-14T20:39:00.000-04:002023-09-14T20:39:15.120-04:00How It Started and How It’s Going <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It’s hard to believe, but it has been five years since we
brought Mortimer and Charlie (then known as Malmo and Copenhagen)<a href="https://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2018/09/our-hurricane-roommates.html"> home as our short-term fosters</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">They were so little!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwHMSOMxa6Vo0Zoz0X6_m6NBWzHGnlBqn6kWXoRUV7xtRFgBlm8TRHm5qit0EN1yKwnCL3VQat1vgFkLelWPumsg5d0n-Pz5EpM5wgZevoXdsS1pcKZ5YlnfR9B5gDkMnzWOJBKYa6CgfmpWjFNpNzgr4_4u6ks4B3wOfhTF6J813Qo3VFXr_n3_HEb4/s1621/Screenshot_20230805_141906_Facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1621" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwHMSOMxa6Vo0Zoz0X6_m6NBWzHGnlBqn6kWXoRUV7xtRFgBlm8TRHm5qit0EN1yKwnCL3VQat1vgFkLelWPumsg5d0n-Pz5EpM5wgZevoXdsS1pcKZ5YlnfR9B5gDkMnzWOJBKYa6CgfmpWjFNpNzgr4_4u6ks4B3wOfhTF6J813Qo3VFXr_n3_HEb4/s320/Screenshot_20230805_141906_Facebook.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">They were only supposed to stay with us for two weeks to
ride out Hurricane Florence and the aftermath.
But we couldn’t give these little guys back and risk them being separated.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZYnxoMtSB0MrqyjYQpvLxiQZ2ZPGq8EP0NOHrG6ddZWj8rrEJTup6gEJkHsI7V-XeBA1KeFqDkd334twWqHxV0DRiOIxbiuXV68EJ0PwaChZuthTIOUvSiIFMV1P0aw2QOGygsyk-WINaRqps9zAeaMiYaFUAy2ILG31MiUZlTEl8HjiK0XAA38voAQ/s1440/FB_IMG_1691258674656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZYnxoMtSB0MrqyjYQpvLxiQZ2ZPGq8EP0NOHrG6ddZWj8rrEJTup6gEJkHsI7V-XeBA1KeFqDkd334twWqHxV0DRiOIxbiuXV68EJ0PwaChZuthTIOUvSiIFMV1P0aw2QOGygsyk-WINaRqps9zAeaMiYaFUAy2ILG31MiUZlTEl8HjiK0XAA38voAQ/s320/FB_IMG_1691258674656.jpg" width="178" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, here we are, five years later. They’re still incredibly bonded. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4odrQUvsGcm9tnhMgbWvQ8nUgohmE1YJTmZ0Gq9UCOyg2JuwIz_m0-ZB_m96nO99E0GMeHBwhSsYoowAK7goR843ccFvWBouWpio1ExItITqyLpnkeGioRG1wBWPT4aI42tNWGlhGFe0g1pqi6P20DEXy_TdNrpU2bbqVS3LHG70YZNz2-uFvF5rQH0U/s893/43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="669" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4odrQUvsGcm9tnhMgbWvQ8nUgohmE1YJTmZ0Gq9UCOyg2JuwIz_m0-ZB_m96nO99E0GMeHBwhSsYoowAK7goR843ccFvWBouWpio1ExItITqyLpnkeGioRG1wBWPT4aI42tNWGlhGFe0g1pqi6P20DEXy_TdNrpU2bbqVS3LHG70YZNz2-uFvF5rQH0U/s320/43.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And we have no regrets over<a href="https://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2018/10/we-failed-again.html"> failing as their foster family</a>. I can’t imagine our family without these two. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-28608521203691383242023-09-07T17:19:00.001-04:002023-09-07T17:19:44.604-04:00Thursday 13: Hot, Fun, and Productive <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I just
want to start off by saying thank you to everyone for your awesome comments on
my post about growing up as a JW and leaving the cult. I appreciate all of your kind words, and
you’ve made me feel good about having written it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I
finished with a fairly large project at work.
The deadline got moved up it, so I ended up working late a couple of
days, but it’s finished now, and it went well.
The coworker I worked with was very kind and very adamant about making
sure my name went on the finished product.
They said I’d worked really hard and deserved credit. It’s always nice to get good feedback at
work.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My
sister, Gabby, and her girlfriend, Amy, came to visit. They arrived Saturday just before lunch and
stayed until late Sunday afternoon. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Amy
got some good pictures of the cats while they were here. Here’s one she took of Frankie.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinySL9XoVWzyejKRKbXZOF0k1BFKuhv8MP4pLV73OJkom6dssLpSjx9uT1ZzacLIR_-MhuNbb-WxuCtg25JShsN76Q-T1ZC7r98bUiRVav6UZ4E8plWlzAz_hWnA-lzfNarziBNBWkDz2zXHH2O5goM_39u5v-N4wxhPvw5KFwL9Sd8cxytH1VWnKSFjU/s1440/FB_IMG_1693875126470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinySL9XoVWzyejKRKbXZOF0k1BFKuhv8MP4pLV73OJkom6dssLpSjx9uT1ZzacLIR_-MhuNbb-WxuCtg25JShsN76Q-T1ZC7r98bUiRVav6UZ4E8plWlzAz_hWnA-lzfNarziBNBWkDz2zXHH2O5goM_39u5v-N4wxhPvw5KFwL9Sd8cxytH1VWnKSFjU/s320/FB_IMG_1693875126470.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We had
a great time. Gabby and Nick get along
well, and Nick and I both get along well with Amy. Gabby recently referred to me as the founder
and CEO of the We Love Amy Club. She’s
not wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
went to an awesome local restaurant for lunch on Saturday. Gabby had been before and loves it, but this
was Amy’s first time eating there. She
says it’s one of her favorites now. We
grilled out for dinner Saturday night and stayed up late talking and playing
trivia games.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Gabby
and Amy both went out to give the chickens snacks with me. They didn’t realize that some of the chickens
are free-range and thought there had been a chicken escape when they pulled up
in the driveway and were greeted by chickens.
Fortunately, no free-range chickens were captured, and Gabby and Amy
enjoyed feeding all of the chickens their snacks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrALAZfcBE5PVOGt_L8hEoqQW-5EiZb11fkC6mJGFL2_f3yRL-TE6xTg8LZVkM0A3prX7FzDMdEEbLHAh1WAtBMKekuaLNdQQ2X08qtJxNZP1OJrJ0_wnfQRKUY9gKRWV7uPOA63IZU-kJOc8msUwVoCFe4IMlDcCE--6XsJpbTBBo8_hbwOIkZUrlT2g/s4080/20230905_111858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrALAZfcBE5PVOGt_L8hEoqQW-5EiZb11fkC6mJGFL2_f3yRL-TE6xTg8LZVkM0A3prX7FzDMdEEbLHAh1WAtBMKekuaLNdQQ2X08qtJxNZP1OJrJ0_wnfQRKUY9gKRWV7uPOA63IZU-kJOc8msUwVoCFe4IMlDcCE--6XsJpbTBBo8_hbwOIkZUrlT2g/s320/20230905_111858.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyu3e_umooSSJh8wSFD_ZZWx8uhTODZIxgRiAvRG97InPdmbwm2e9Ik1A4E5FyHdUC2z0Q0QMMdh7SYZ8gMjZHwI_mDp-49_nEvsmae4e6sCfFv-LnW4wEmP1UE1gj_yAx5mvL1FIMePXqbbSJkfJQ661j-c6OveIDWf266cCeeYjWZBkmvBm4ikoSl6o/s4080/20230905_111854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyu3e_umooSSJh8wSFD_ZZWx8uhTODZIxgRiAvRG97InPdmbwm2e9Ik1A4E5FyHdUC2z0Q0QMMdh7SYZ8gMjZHwI_mDp-49_nEvsmae4e6sCfFv-LnW4wEmP1UE1gj_yAx5mvL1FIMePXqbbSJkfJQ661j-c6OveIDWf266cCeeYjWZBkmvBm4ikoSl6o/s320/20230905_111854.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It
seems like sometimes, with a long weekend, we end up feeling like we’ve wasted
it by not doing anything productive, or we vastly overestimate how much we can
do with the extra day, and it feels like the weekend wasn’t at all fun or
restful. This time, though, we actually
hit a good balance. We had a lot of fun
visiting with Gabby and Amy on Saturday and Sunday. We spent Sunday evening reading instead of
our usual, getting ready for the week.
On Monday, we went to the gym in the afternoon and spent more time than
we usually do, went out for an early dinner, went to the grocery store, and
spent some time getting ahead on things for the week. It was a nice balance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Mortimer
spent most of the weekend chilling out.
Amy took this picture of him. He
was completely zonked out in this position.
It doesn’t look very comfortable to me, but he was happy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgbsKjwQStQL4GJH8IUPUKZf9xPfgsKv1GxgF5kyH53MA7O_cGEsptpTbTiJ8UNmhrnnuys3YhmmhTTo-_B2N9z_O2eT31HYsFlhBpGYZvbPbai_z5jNs30bjyoiIyK_IwHOjBb6xV5W1rHZpBqLX4Cb0s5b7OmwX5jonL33-7HjN1ELZxY3kJtgcC1E/s1440/FB_IMG_1693875133285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihgbsKjwQStQL4GJH8IUPUKZf9xPfgsKv1GxgF5kyH53MA7O_cGEsptpTbTiJ8UNmhrnnuys3YhmmhTTo-_B2N9z_O2eT31HYsFlhBpGYZvbPbai_z5jNs30bjyoiIyK_IwHOjBb6xV5W1rHZpBqLX4Cb0s5b7OmwX5jonL33-7HjN1ELZxY3kJtgcC1E/s320/FB_IMG_1693875133285.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It has
been HOT this week. We’re back in the
high 80s and low 90s, with high humidity.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlG8DOo06nldjUWaZiAnHllqxGKpiWs94VhMR4oeRLbPr1ws-XvgcZOBghESTd5GGe3S49tpY5aRC2eLtF7F2nKUzZsasIDIfyeBQSK1usXU-e6UZcFLydGeAkurDhAh7kAafKqH2SafO4Yc7LxtdI9PLQ3PNkwTgkM7kRTwxU7cJ7Qis6X4sxJmvKGE/s4080/20230907_131744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlG8DOo06nldjUWaZiAnHllqxGKpiWs94VhMR4oeRLbPr1ws-XvgcZOBghESTd5GGe3S49tpY5aRC2eLtF7F2nKUzZsasIDIfyeBQSK1usXU-e6UZcFLydGeAkurDhAh7kAafKqH2SafO4Yc7LxtdI9PLQ3PNkwTgkM7kRTwxU7cJ7Qis6X4sxJmvKGE/s320/20230907_131744.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
air conditioning was out at work on Tuesday.
By 10:30, it was 85 degrees in the building, and efforts to fix the air
conditioning thus far hadn’t worked.
Since we hadn’t even hit our high temperature yet (and it was hotter in
the building than it was outside), my boss sent us all home to work from home
for the rest of the day. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It’s
supposed to cool down to the mid-70s over the weekend, which everyone is very
much looking forward to. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
immortal tomatoes (also known as cherry tomatoes) are back. It has been years since we’ve planted any of
these, and we never planted them where they’re currently growing. Yet, every year, they come back, so I’ve
taken to calling them the immortal tomatoes. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCg2Ck0TkTN-lDqWv36EX0y9mDFL0bF61VkI_IeuXHVLH6sFTydnlsYtw8zQKqzzv9zHDCCvVVGFqqS9mZktcsQ8UKH-TwPkCA8XYpeSgWYm320URf10kiDsp62r4MS1tNcWDC0ZA5icsETIVu2d8_w3XSb1KupICiaSWM5H8LgART0NVIFc7bbdo_sqs/s4080/20230907_134706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCg2Ck0TkTN-lDqWv36EX0y9mDFL0bF61VkI_IeuXHVLH6sFTydnlsYtw8zQKqzzv9zHDCCvVVGFqqS9mZktcsQ8UKH-TwPkCA8XYpeSgWYm320URf10kiDsp62r4MS1tNcWDC0ZA5icsETIVu2d8_w3XSb1KupICiaSWM5H8LgART0NVIFc7bbdo_sqs/s320/20230907_134706.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So, how has your week been? </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-68838483808032408092023-09-05T17:05:00.000-04:002023-09-05T17:05:36.961-04:00Finally Realizing I Grew Up In A Cult <p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The pictures in this post don’t have anything to do with
the subject matter.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">I just chose some
random ones to break up the text.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWRTFsj-bwUxlvhaB7CvHE2AGW0o9DMYulBTY6ZiLpBRwrgakCyZPdjoKzGnL53Kz0gUMwK47vIfy5LFdTWi3HGMzRK56RmDPXkBA2V9OBBj1mCBtqo-3FnKk8J8rAzlmFTV7Hz6yk8M0-BAc8FRP0j-ih2dmEZE-2rKPeruY2zmcY6UnIc73T0l2MT0/s6000/_DSC0223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWRTFsj-bwUxlvhaB7CvHE2AGW0o9DMYulBTY6ZiLpBRwrgakCyZPdjoKzGnL53Kz0gUMwK47vIfy5LFdTWi3HGMzRK56RmDPXkBA2V9OBBj1mCBtqo-3FnKk8J8rAzlmFTV7Hz6yk8M0-BAc8FRP0j-ih2dmEZE-2rKPeruY2zmcY6UnIc73T0l2MT0/s320/_DSC0223.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve hinted before, and Bijoux even figured it out and
asked <a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2018/11/thanksgiving-questions-answers.html">when I’ve talked about growing up in a religion where no holidays </a>were celebrated, but I’ve never actually said it on my blog before. I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. I am not one now, and when I first started
blogging, I didn’t think I’d ever write about it publicly. I’ve journaled some; I tend to process and organize
my thoughts by writing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I am so ashamed of some of the things I used to believe and
of how long it took me to figure out how messed up it was. It’s hard to write about something you’re
ashamed of having been a part of. My
parents are also still very much a part of it.
They don’t know about my blog, but since I use my real name, it wouldn’t
be hard for them to find. It would be
awkward, at best, if they were to read this post. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglemcTVobWV_FXrcaTZG8SEUyME4Zt37xlIboDnLxS7pGbcp7crM5lkPElYqTfTFVe6jRF8qI_8Sh8n-48QxR5-pdyL3W6Oa_TG2mxmi_Bz9_eAeFF1VKc28XhRGIdcbWocvs8xHcHajzlDb7y1sgDnNj6NUlXrML_pMgRqSsB9PW8xG1AkmmaDywJyu8/s6000/_DSC0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglemcTVobWV_FXrcaTZG8SEUyME4Zt37xlIboDnLxS7pGbcp7crM5lkPElYqTfTFVe6jRF8qI_8Sh8n-48QxR5-pdyL3W6Oa_TG2mxmi_Bz9_eAeFF1VKc28XhRGIdcbWocvs8xHcHajzlDb7y1sgDnNj6NUlXrML_pMgRqSsB9PW8xG1AkmmaDywJyu8/s320/_DSC0264.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve been slowly changing my mind about talking about it
publicly. I’ve been through a lot of
therapy and joined some online support groups, and earlier this year, I
participated in an interview for a dissertation someone was writing about the
effects of having been born into and subsequently leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses. My sister also participated. We have had many, many conversations about
the way we grew up and related things, and the interview questions we were both
asked led us to have a lot more conversations about it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I received a copy of the dissertation last week. It isn’t available online right now. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9142413/#:~:text=2019)%2C%20this%20study%20examined%20how,worth%20and%20mental%20well%2Dbeing">This is the most similar one I could find</a>. When the one I participated in
becomes available online, I’ll share the link.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdI4o9f0OfoMIf6tHY9L4izp66cz_n6qRloGJoUPSM1ZKLBziGp8XTmr5yZXZcWswHpWkhMOVTEht_t4BZ9RMrqO2LumrgqTpDDFgmnMBNjopfG7tiig2ObTA90GkZ5ATT-tPU5GffVuu6YgmSSndcQ-3IgLfsGtGZNbeonBumZdrH9IUBwNHV8bo13M/s6000/_DSC0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdI4o9f0OfoMIf6tHY9L4izp66cz_n6qRloGJoUPSM1ZKLBziGp8XTmr5yZXZcWswHpWkhMOVTEht_t4BZ9RMrqO2LumrgqTpDDFgmnMBNjopfG7tiig2ObTA90GkZ5ATT-tPU5GffVuu6YgmSSndcQ-3IgLfsGtGZNbeonBumZdrH9IUBwNHV8bo13M/s320/_DSC0309.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I appreciate the fact that we’re all identified by
pseudonyms in the dissertation, but lately, I’ve been thinking more and more
about writing publicly about it. Recently,
I participated in a Meet A Reader interview on The Frugal Girl, and for the
first time ever, I publicly wrote that I left a cult. The comments were overwhelmingly kind and
supportive, so I feel like it’s time to write more about it. I’ve written half of a novel about it, but
even if I ever finish and publish it, it doesn’t feel like enough. I’ve started and deleted this post so many
times because it’s something I’ve felt like I have to get exactly right, but
I’m not sure there is one right way to write about this. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I left the religion when I was in my early 20s, and it took
me even longer than that to realize that I grew up in a cult. Again, not something I’m proud of.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Now, the Jehovah’s Witnesses will vehemently deny that
they’re a cult. I was taught,
practically from the time I could speak, all of the “reasons” and “proof” that
they’re not a cult. However, using the
BITE (Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control) model, which was
developed by Steven Hassan “to describe cults’ specific methods to recruit and
maintain control over people,” it’s easy to see that they are, in fact, a
cult. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGsrsjuxMYZTlJJunqhRMlx86Zo7XgKia_kXFlDuZeW-7eAp2Ysz3UBjs040dg1xa4ZZm_OD4lRDqLy4NFG6GNMPYNkTJYqTPaZEnp56tP6bcC5jdK_9rrvJjUssgfE6MQQ2bOohRBS6lk8Vg9CmCQyNPv5EaKfgJeiJKHei1x51LtzmJfhq4Df2QZPA/s720/FB_IMG_1658019944855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGsrsjuxMYZTlJJunqhRMlx86Zo7XgKia_kXFlDuZeW-7eAp2Ysz3UBjs040dg1xa4ZZm_OD4lRDqLy4NFG6GNMPYNkTJYqTPaZEnp56tP6bcC5jdK_9rrvJjUssgfE6MQQ2bOohRBS6lk8Vg9CmCQyNPv5EaKfgJeiJKHei1x51LtzmJfhq4Df2QZPA/s320/FB_IMG_1658019944855.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://freedomofmind.com/the-bite-model-and-religious-cult-groups/">This video</a> (it’s only about ten minutes long) does a great
job of using the BITE model to explain what a cult is.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://freedomofmind.com/jehovahs-witnesses/">This article </a>compares a lot of common cult practices to the
JWs and uses a color-coded system for what applies to them. As a former JW, I think it’s fairly
accurate, though there are some things coded orange (applies to a subsection of
members) that, based on my experiences, I would code as red (absolutely
applies).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I don’t like talking about their beliefs since I wasted my
childhood and teen years on that, but for the purpose of this post, here’s a
rundown of some of their basic beliefs:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">They call their churches kingdom halls, what most religions
would call a sermon, they refer to as a talk.
They have some ranks within the organization: elder (can only be held by
men), ministerial servant (can only be held by men), and different levels of
pioneer (can be held by men or women), which require various (large) amounts of
time spent in their preaching work. They
have their own literature, including books, magazines, bible, and hymns (though
they don’t call them hymns). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">They’re very patriarchal.
They believe that men are in charge and that women are to be in
subjection to men. Women are not allowed
to hold most positions or address the congregation directly. Women are, however, allowed the “privilege”
of performing more menial tasks such as cleaning and food service, as long as
there’s a man in charge. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Part of their method of control is constant
indoctrination. At the time I was in,
they had meetings three times a week (mandatory attendance) and released new
magazines every week, which you were expected to read and study, as well as
other books and literature. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">They refer to their religion as “the truth,” and believe
that all other religions are wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">They do not believe in blood transfusions and require their
members to carry cards that say they won’t accept blood transfusions. From the time I was a small child, I was
taught the phrase, “I would rather die than take a blood transfusion.” As children, our parents told us that they
would gladly let us die before they would consent for us to receive a blood
transfusion. As a child, this seemed
normal. As an adult, it’s terrifying to
think how brainwashed they are. I’ve
also realized that “I would gladly let you die,” isn’t a phrase a parent should
ever say to their child. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">They’re very insular and discourage members from pursuing
friendships/relationships with anyone outside of the religion. They’re discouraged from becoming friendly
with coworkers or neighbors. They don’t
allow their children to participate in extracurricular activities. Homeschooling isn’t a requirement, but it’s a
very common choice since it allows for more indoctrination of children and
gives them even less exposure to non-members.
If your family members aren’t part of the religion, you’re expected to
severely limit the time you spend with them.
As I’ve mentioned before, they don’t celebrate any holidays, which
further limits the time members are able to spend with non-member extended
family. Since leaving, I’ve learned
that my aunt sent my sister and me Christmas presents that we were never
given. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Higher education, especially for women, is frowned
upon. They teach that the world will end
“very soon,” so it’s unnecessary to get a good-paying job, plan for the future,
or save for retirement. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">They don’t practice infant baptism, but instead talk about
being baptized at what they refer to as “the age of accountability.” It’s expected that children born into it are
baptized by their mid-teens, at the very latest. I was baptized when I was ten years old. Because, of course, a ten-year-old should
make a lifelong commitment to something.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">While they don’t refer to it as such, what is now known as
purity culture is a huge part of their belief system. They forbid sex before marriage, normal
dating, being alone with a member of the opposite sex, divorce in most
circumstances (including domestic violence situations), and homosexuality. They also have rules about what even married
couples are and aren’t allowed to do in the bedroom.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I think that covers what you need to know for this
post. If you want to know more and/or
you’re interested in other people’s experiences of leaving, I highly recommend
<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/leah-remini-tackles-jehovahs-witnesses-scientology-aftermath-1153437/">Leah Remini’s documentary.</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9GOPo_LWXKEAQC1YR2CfLRntK8JWZ_bJV2pvPonPu4d_8Xk9Ekk9-ShKXnWkwwPqADSTsMJXD3sn3sK1Gd1SiHGCx3mCXowA2m4argFwjIV5Vq-6EPLrQdYHG-WNx2eROYqNCnlYqI-fhLrQpSQ2JdQQmNHYfzBZxx8EW69kw8Vh4hIuSLmgJE7vPXw/s6000/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9GOPo_LWXKEAQC1YR2CfLRntK8JWZ_bJV2pvPonPu4d_8Xk9Ekk9-ShKXnWkwwPqADSTsMJXD3sn3sK1Gd1SiHGCx3mCXowA2m4argFwjIV5Vq-6EPLrQdYHG-WNx2eROYqNCnlYqI-fhLrQpSQ2JdQQmNHYfzBZxx8EW69kw8Vh4hIuSLmgJE7vPXw/s320/4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I was born into the religion, as was my sister. My parents were not. My mom joined the religion through her stepmother,
who became a JW as an adult. These are
the grandparents who died in a car accident when I was six, so I don’t know
what drew her to the religion. My
grandfather on that side resisted becoming a JW for years but was baptized as
one a few months before they died, a fact that later came in very handy for
emotional manipulation to get my sister and me baptized.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">My other maternal grandmother was vehemently opposed to the
JWs, and it had a very negative impact on her relationship with my mom, and,
subsequently, us. They didn’t speak from
the time I was five until I was ten.
Later, when I was a teenager, my grandmother began attending the JW
meetings. She was never baptized as one,
but my mom considers her to have been one.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">My paternal grandparents studied with the JWs. My grandmother was deeply spiritual and was
interested in learning about a variety of faiths and spiritual practices. My dad joined in some of the studies and
joined that way. My grandparents and
aunt quickly decided that the JWs were not for them, but my dad was all in by
then. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLFbCsN0Hu9t_OGg-1d1YBUrNCB4tm5NyPIv07ZbeCxnHSZt8LxwyvR1v9oC8JoCTPW57YDvhRqp2alt__KfXPOQJNqeLfVt_EAcLGlzXn6GdlS8OJ7P4mqYLIQhRng3twrjw4-NKfv3JV-QfFFYbd7cwO9a4pit0dKWkOVTv1K0eH5YpQyhpnFSRwCc/s6000/_DSC0166%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLFbCsN0Hu9t_OGg-1d1YBUrNCB4tm5NyPIv07ZbeCxnHSZt8LxwyvR1v9oC8JoCTPW57YDvhRqp2alt__KfXPOQJNqeLfVt_EAcLGlzXn6GdlS8OJ7P4mqYLIQhRng3twrjw4-NKfv3JV-QfFFYbd7cwO9a4pit0dKWkOVTv1K0eH5YpQyhpnFSRwCc/s320/_DSC0166%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When your parents are in, you’re born in. My sister and I were never given a choice
about being JWs. Our indoctrination began as babies. The JWs don’t separate children from adults
during their services, so from just a few weeks old on, we were subject to the
same messaging and indoctrination as adults.
We were expected to read the literature as soon as we were able to read,
to participate in the meetings, and of course, to participate in their
preaching work. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Our family was considered exemplary in a lot of ways
(though I spent most of my life feeling like I never quite fit in and was
always on the outside looking in). My
parents took us out of public school to homeschool us when my sister was
starting third grade, and I was starting fifth grade. This meant that we had practically no
exposure to anyone who wasn’t a JW. It
also meant that we spent a lot of time in their preaching work; when I was 13,
we started doing what they called pioneering and spent upwards of 90 hours a
month in their preaching work, in addition to the mandatory meetings and
reading their literature. We spent very
little time actually homeschooling, and our education definitely suffered for
it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I hated it. If you
were to ask my parents, they would tell you that I wanted to do it. The truth is that it was expected, and once
you started, there was almost no way to stop.
I hated feeling like my time was never my own, and never getting to be a
normal kid. Part of the JW meetings is
interviewing people who are thought to be doing what they’re supposed to. The interviews are very scripted and
well-rehearsed. I now know it’s to make
sure the message is what they want.
Once, when I was being interviewed, the interviewer threw in an extra
question along the lines of “What sacrifices do you have to make to spend so
much time in the ministry?” The expected
answer was something along the lines of no sacrifice being too great; I can’t
imagine what else I’d be doing with my time, etc. Well, I panicked and answered honestly, “I
never get to do anything fun, and I just want to stay home sometimes and do
whatever I want.” That was the wrong
answer, and I was required to spend even more time studying their literature
for a few weeks to “adjust my thinking.”
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In addition to controlling your time and relationships, the
JWs also control how you dress. Men
aren’t allowed to have facial hair.
Tattoos are forbidden for everyone.
And women are required to dress “modestly.” I was once taken home to change clothes on a
day we’d gone out to go door to door because I was “dressed like a whore and
would tempt men and boys.” I was 14, and
I was wearing a dress that stopped just above my knees. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Because the JWs believe that the world as we know it will
end “any day” and turn into a paradise, there’s absolutely no reason for them
to plan for the future, get a good-paying job, or save for retirement. My dad actually had a decent-paying job, but my
parents took the not planning for the future thing to an extreme level. As a result, we grew up in a very financially
unstable home where utilities were regularly turned off, checks were regularly
bounced, and any extra expense was a disaster.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTmuF1L-703viuCD2WFVcr-E9IKuIFt-Js1LKIEKCW4nrbA6_ybVfONsKjzMMU-pFz-mo6ewMrn_zKmsX7Fypp1OMYJBL6HGowBnnnIQXvT4rZf2ARmWx-QumO2mPIWujcYYGJPCbwIJG8TzPF6KygInDLLanz-xRy2Po9f5_GQB3u4sj0xFkJeoghrw/s720/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="720" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTmuF1L-703viuCD2WFVcr-E9IKuIFt-Js1LKIEKCW4nrbA6_ybVfONsKjzMMU-pFz-mo6ewMrn_zKmsX7Fypp1OMYJBL6HGowBnnnIQXvT4rZf2ARmWx-QumO2mPIWujcYYGJPCbwIJG8TzPF6KygInDLLanz-xRy2Po9f5_GQB3u4sj0xFkJeoghrw/s320/20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I think my sister and I owe our desire for an education to
our paternal grandmother. She talked to
us a lot about getting an Associate’s degree and the importance of an
education. In hindsight, I think she
knew our parents would actively try to stop us from getting a college degree,
but going to a community college could be seen as a way to a part-time job that
would allow us to spend more time on things the JWs wanted us to. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">There are basically three ways to leave the JWs once you’re
baptized as one. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The first is one you might be familiar with, called
disfellowshipping. It’s their version of
shunning. It’s what happens if you’re
caught breaking their rules and aren’t adequately repentant. They have what they call a judicial
committee, made up of at least three elders (all men) who decide your
fate. I’ve never experienced one myself,
but I’m told by people who have that the process is humiliating. For many young people who are born in and
disfellowshipped, it’s because they’ve been accused of engaging in some form of
sexual activity. I’m told the questions
(even if the person is a minor) include things like position, birth control,
orgasm, etc. Refusal to answer any of the
questions means you have a bad attitude/aren’t repentant, and you’ll be
disfellowshipped. Answering the
questions doesn’t mean you won’t be disfellowshipped. If they decide your sins were so egregious or
that you’re not repentant enough, you’re disfellowshipped. They make the announcement that you’ve been
disfellowshipped at one of their meetings, and then no one speaks to you. Your entire family, all of your friends,
pretty much everyone you’ve ever known if you were born in, treats you like
you’re dead or invisible. You’re still
allowed to attend the kingdom hall, but you have to sit in the back by yourself,
and no one will speak to you. If they’re
legally able to, your parents will more than likely throw you out of their
home. If you’re allowed to stay, no one
will speak to you; you won’t even be allowed to eat a meal with the rest of
your family. I saw this happen to so
many of the kids I grew up with. Even at
funerals, they weren’t allowed to sit with their families, and no one was
allowed to speak to them or hug them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The second way to leave the JWs is what is known as
disassociating yourself. You’re required
to write a letter to your congregation saying that you no longer wish to be a
JW. You’re treated just like someone who
is disfellowshipped. The only difference
is that there’s no judicial committee.
Basically, it means you make the decision instead of letting someone
else. You still lose your family,
friends, and everyone you know.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The third way to leave (which is what my sister and I did)
is known as the slow fade. It’s not
officially recognized by the JWs, and if either of us got involved with them
again (which we never will!), we’d be disfellowshipped. You just stop going to their meetings and
stop participating in their activities.
It’s pretty much impossible to do this as a minor or even as an adult if
you live with JW parents, but once you’re an adult on your own, it becomes a
lot easier. The one huge downside is
that they still see you as being able to be brought back to the congregation. My sister and I have both moved to other
states and have dealt with our parents sending people from the local
congregations to our homes to essentially harass us. The upside to leaving this way is that our
parents still speak to us. The
relationship is very strained at times, but for now, we still have a
relationship with them. We’re both very
aware that our relationship with our parents is a gray area according to their
doctrine and that if the JW’s official position on people who have left by
fading away like we did ever changes, our parents will stop speaking to
us. I love my parents, and they weren’t
bad parents, but they made a lot of bad decisions based on being in a
cult. To say that things are complicated
is a massive understatement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKKbLw-F_bSqvRUPxvhI3t4HIRT5ClzISSgdUNGjEayz0gFjnUC7Iic_x_I40eQLijqQU90tdbjQfqzqU8iIzhtvAWCO6csnXEaZw-SRkZJbJf5_-fb6SfT8YgluN82bQglCfgMGjNBKYsX1xLpK7xWbWXpmYrWTEQsW0bYWSb_Lhf3UWq3I2EksOfWw/s6000/_DSC0152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKKbLw-F_bSqvRUPxvhI3t4HIRT5ClzISSgdUNGjEayz0gFjnUC7Iic_x_I40eQLijqQU90tdbjQfqzqU8iIzhtvAWCO6csnXEaZw-SRkZJbJf5_-fb6SfT8YgluN82bQglCfgMGjNBKYsX1xLpK7xWbWXpmYrWTEQsW0bYWSb_Lhf3UWq3I2EksOfWw/s320/_DSC0152.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I wish I could tell you that there was a big lightbulb
moment that made me leave, but there really isn’t. Getting to go to community college was a huge
step toward leaving. It was the first
time I really spent much time with people who weren’t JW’s and learned how to
think and learn. Getting my first job as
a paralegal also played a big part in finally leaving. It was an hour away from where I grew up, and
I think that geographical distance made a huge difference for me. In a lot of ways, it’s easier to physically
leave what you’ve always known. It also
helped that I worked for the prosecutor’s office, and got to see people who
weren’t JWs doing a lot of good in the world.
One of the things the JWs really pound into their kids is that the world
is a terrible place and that no one who isn’t a JW is really a good person;
they’re all out to get you or harm you in some way. Finally seeing how untrue that is was a huge
eye-opener. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It also helped a lot that my sister was leaving around the
same time. It took us years to talk
about a lot of things, but seeing her do the same thing, and that she was also
alright, was very helpful. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">And I was just a lot happier. It was very liberating to feel like I was
finally in charge of my own life. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Of course, meeting Nick is one of the best things in my
life. I knew for sure that I’d never be
a JW again by the time I met him, but having been one carries a lot of baggage,
and he handles my baggage very well.
It’s an incredibly difficult conversation to have to tell the person
you’re dating that your parents may at some point treat you like you’ve
died. Because my parents gave my and my
sister’s contact information to people we knew when we were JWs, I received
some incredibly hateful phone calls and letters after Nick and I got
engaged. Some of them were so horrible
that we strongly considered hiring private security for our wedding. To this day, I won’t answer a call from a
number I don’t recognize. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Nick not only put up with all that but was incredibly
supportive. He also puts up with my childlike enthusiasm
for the holidays and has patiently explained them to me. Nick’s mom, Susan, has also patiently
explained so much about holidays and birthdays to me (and to my sister). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Leaving what I now know is a cult wasn’t easy, but I can’t
imagine having stayed. I would never
want the life I would have had if I had stayed.
I would never have met and married Nick, my sister and I wouldn’t be
close, and I wouldn’t have gotten as close to my aunt as I have. It’s weird sometimes trying to figure out how
to navigate certain social situations, though that has gotten much better with
time. My sister aptly describes it as
being like a foreign exchange student who not only has to learn the language
but also has to learn social customs and nuances. I think that really fits. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Thank you for reading this far. I know this is a long post, and I’m not sure
it’s my best writing. It was difficult
to write, but it feels good to have written.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As I mentioned earlier,<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/leah-remini-tackles-jehovahs-witnesses-scientology-aftermath-1153437/"> Leah Remini’s documentary</a> is a
great resource if you want to know more about leaving the JWs. I also highly recommend the book </span><a href="https://amzn.to/45XX7oH"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">Shunned: How I Lost My Religion
and Found Myself </span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;">by Linda Curtis</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://amzn.to/45XX7oH">.</a> And, recently, I’ve
connected with another JW survivor online who has written </span><a href="https://medium.com/@clauth" style="font-size: 12pt;">some articles </a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">on Medium that you might enjoy. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EJtht6UuDXF66u2BWlEhlfzqTXv1DwxESfRTJ7R7NfKEQZsZrNSe9s6AEziCjB73LibokZOXNc0Zf4Lw_smHNsN9ACHuhN2CIhH4492SpW_LPaJFTsU26rDWAVAq_5WlaLHbz1Rwb8Ng4KXGIlLCPjbI0YtRuCwH66fxgOLUFlT7sZGnjBlfWnGMiO0/s6000/_DSC0407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EJtht6UuDXF66u2BWlEhlfzqTXv1DwxESfRTJ7R7NfKEQZsZrNSe9s6AEziCjB73LibokZOXNc0Zf4Lw_smHNsN9ACHuhN2CIhH4492SpW_LPaJFTsU26rDWAVAq_5WlaLHbz1Rwb8Ng4KXGIlLCPjbI0YtRuCwH66fxgOLUFlT7sZGnjBlfWnGMiO0/s320/_DSC0407.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-47778847959131506902023-08-31T21:39:00.002-04:002023-08-31T21:39:44.079-04:00Thursday 13: Cats, Chickens, Flowers, Freezers, and Work <p> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It has been insanely busy at work this week, so I wasn’t sure
I’d have 13 things for Thursday 13, but I do.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Part
of why work has been so busy is that there have been some changes. I’m working with some people I haven’t worked
with before. I’m an assistant, so I’m
always working with someone else on almost everything I do. So, I was a little nervous about working with
different people. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When you’re an assistant, the people you
assist can be the difference between loving your job or hating your job.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I had a meeting with my boss and one of
the people I’ll be working with now, and I think we’ll work well together. I had a one-on-one meeting with another
person I’ll be working with now, and I’m pretty excited about some of the projects
I’ll get to work on with them. I think
we’ll work well together. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The rest of the year is likely to be super
busy, but knowing that I’ll work well with at least some of the people is a huge
relief. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Mortimer
was not the least bit concerned about my job stress. Doesn’t he look so relaxed?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoe6xAtVC1xAPpkKJkQPPlGvUQB-QXbtHGiXgmfWmH-qsDLxYt7Lff2nzicNB8C8s0VURxAT4A2rxFsJs1AEfFJkKCMJjbHNgXra0xoHmieZrnllYawzmhDTAgRpAFtey47KNh0_oqMuh2ZY2VaDoiSADSOrv0NKe3Dour_d2wUebGj2NAckpjb-uuvok/s3486/20230827_084911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3486" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoe6xAtVC1xAPpkKJkQPPlGvUQB-QXbtHGiXgmfWmH-qsDLxYt7Lff2nzicNB8C8s0VURxAT4A2rxFsJs1AEfFJkKCMJjbHNgXra0xoHmieZrnllYawzmhDTAgRpAFtey47KNh0_oqMuh2ZY2VaDoiSADSOrv0NKe3Dour_d2wUebGj2NAckpjb-uuvok/s320/20230827_084911.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcUARx6Xak3ZhrMMYoWbINs8W2Z-KLZrTWFVhV6c0pqkUsIMfPiPq9LGHFFxqj2M_Pmm5J-rqjKp_nhS9pwj0D5Fn-Fk4DgLE-JCfO11iNGKqkyYBDU8-LVrJ02wIZZ31t3is0Q4E40GgGM0jNMy4kJdx09nJCITN2QGjXye_9xh62W_KeQ7cs8awhGM/s3189/20230827_084906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3189" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcUARx6Xak3ZhrMMYoWbINs8W2Z-KLZrTWFVhV6c0pqkUsIMfPiPq9LGHFFxqj2M_Pmm5J-rqjKp_nhS9pwj0D5Fn-Fk4DgLE-JCfO11iNGKqkyYBDU8-LVrJ02wIZZ31t3is0Q4E40GgGM0jNMy4kJdx09nJCITN2QGjXye_9xh62W_KeQ7cs8awhGM/s320/20230827_084906.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The free-range
chickens have still been coming over for their snacks. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-42C8ddnBjLeaPg26taRzopPnB3nhqsjicVPwozqMvIkvWS2sBA8XjOtP9k_vdI28fyMxFMropbmyN2R5k86Jlp5XL9DhMPolGvnf42s2aVjkelIwNQswRbb3lVNWWSLVgbL-Vr9ppH7x0QPbNT1bcwhER94u0MDq7y4EeXnP0kNW0rqJx6T5EkgCq4/s4080/20230828_184423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-42C8ddnBjLeaPg26taRzopPnB3nhqsjicVPwozqMvIkvWS2sBA8XjOtP9k_vdI28fyMxFMropbmyN2R5k86Jlp5XL9DhMPolGvnf42s2aVjkelIwNQswRbb3lVNWWSLVgbL-Vr9ppH7x0QPbNT1bcwhER94u0MDq7y4EeXnP0kNW0rqJx6T5EkgCq4/s320/20230828_184423.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ01nD-gaWD7Mzn5lkqML1iueSLyhfQvDi_wDgm-c4X5iZ1sT_mPPhdnBymk2jlprQe7KVyLfzQSAs_l7cQJiY7hAxx0pb-f3biU6HkT-l7S1butXTkjqJXEsUOJUPWZsP_J68fwnq7XJwlRYGGltYK8xppedW7vBe4vpWv1JmXWXY2mEWJpoxdL6SSrc/s4080/20230828_184138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ01nD-gaWD7Mzn5lkqML1iueSLyhfQvDi_wDgm-c4X5iZ1sT_mPPhdnBymk2jlprQe7KVyLfzQSAs_l7cQJiY7hAxx0pb-f3biU6HkT-l7S1butXTkjqJXEsUOJUPWZsP_J68fwnq7XJwlRYGGltYK8xppedW7vBe4vpWv1JmXWXY2mEWJpoxdL6SSrc/s320/20230828_184138.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
chickens next door arrived in two batches.
The original chickens have been there almost a year and the new chickens
have only been there a few months. The
original chickens are the ones who run up to meet me for food. The new chickens are starting to do that, too. All of the gray chickens, except the front
right one, are the new chickens. It
looks like they’ve caught on that I’m the snack lady. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKbatx6oiZ86iZtMtkzU1-bv4E2QCjUHEviq_Yze6XK2IVaVKWCaKxjcVROKK41soVS-LiL8xZYTdBsra_lqlTslUhNLhQCDYb53Ho49EJZfVy0AbMZlcfrUgwYtYv0doKhD1zNWeiBJwfq8N5iF4-nBAcB7QgPi8DC-ggi5RCU9BCo7ZaLZ0FgzY3xk/s4080/20230831_094626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKbatx6oiZ86iZtMtkzU1-bv4E2QCjUHEviq_Yze6XK2IVaVKWCaKxjcVROKK41soVS-LiL8xZYTdBsra_lqlTslUhNLhQCDYb53Ho49EJZfVy0AbMZlcfrUgwYtYv0doKhD1zNWeiBJwfq8N5iF4-nBAcB7QgPi8DC-ggi5RCU9BCo7ZaLZ0FgzY3xk/s320/20230831_094626.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The smallest
of the new chickens still hangs back some, but I’m determined to win her
over. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRg7u1zwYdT1aTxzi_T24J4uNyO3shpDnIAzW5aUKI78VxtRVil1VrL85Dz530IWWXISOHoYll2zp-8JWjom5kO7lzm0KatDnrH6V2CJD3yJ48PJ0x4QcJgnZz-0lLOJunRs6nlxw8V78zhxZrMJQtDc7Go1lWdTUzWnyXstSZUe9BZPoMOngd-1AfKOA/s4080/20230831_095111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRg7u1zwYdT1aTxzi_T24J4uNyO3shpDnIAzW5aUKI78VxtRVil1VrL85Dz530IWWXISOHoYll2zp-8JWjom5kO7lzm0KatDnrH6V2CJD3yJ48PJ0x4QcJgnZz-0lLOJunRs6nlxw8V78zhxZrMJQtDc7Go1lWdTUzWnyXstSZUe9BZPoMOngd-1AfKOA/s320/20230831_095111.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Feeding
time is always a little bit chaotic in our house. Most of the cats are on different foods. ALL of the cats are positive that the other
cats get better food, so there’s a lot of trying to eat each other’s food. Charlie and Howard took it to a new level
this week.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN71NZvMv5PiEs4X536K_knyiMI8Ghq0AI8V37pTTVmVNL7OVCzWD-nLzcv4a5G0NJrtCNsfDvo_l-ThBvH_Ja-O1bs-tTmxi1wjSnuf7diSiKFD8UQDWwGi7mJtXw7Xbp2XxA5WfgPPpVsTioSXI28CD6X9rlh4cT7tA1Cz0AgnsS0yPakW72AW-3IE/s4080/20230830_070306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN71NZvMv5PiEs4X536K_knyiMI8Ghq0AI8V37pTTVmVNL7OVCzWD-nLzcv4a5G0NJrtCNsfDvo_l-ThBvH_Ja-O1bs-tTmxi1wjSnuf7diSiKFD8UQDWwGi7mJtXw7Xbp2XxA5WfgPPpVsTioSXI28CD6X9rlh4cT7tA1Cz0AgnsS0yPakW72AW-3IE/s320/20230830_070306.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURNw_TlamFDyvNlScihQB3aMnAOv-HwritBkBn-4gLJD6ZtVKZNAMLoWtKbYm3Qso31U8KWhRVUJi2zDzZuJKM70kxE85YFDwbRPamn_lvBmyXA_klu0T8RkmuBheRXZgbjhGtAT3jIQ9vG3GRyiyYM3G839UHiGmpjRSJFbBHCP5TLVig3eC1fgMBMU/s4080/20230830_070310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURNw_TlamFDyvNlScihQB3aMnAOv-HwritBkBn-4gLJD6ZtVKZNAMLoWtKbYm3Qso31U8KWhRVUJi2zDzZuJKM70kxE85YFDwbRPamn_lvBmyXA_klu0T8RkmuBheRXZgbjhGtAT3jIQ9vG3GRyiyYM3G839UHiGmpjRSJFbBHCP5TLVig3eC1fgMBMU/s320/20230830_070310.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m not sure if Howard went under Charlie,
if Charlie went over Howard, or if it was a joint effort. I feel like they deserve major points for
their efforts to eat each other’s food here.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We’ve
had some slightly cooler weather this week; 70s and 80s, which has been a welcome
change, but not cold enough to hurt the plants.
I don’t know what these pink flowers are (GrandDaddy (Nick’s
grandfather) gave them to me for Mother’s Day), but I think they’re pretty, and
I’m happy they’re still doing well. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNRxtAj42U_1HihfxUqHdQIFR2Cg83syV39bqJr24hVjd1p_BybYB6fKAQVsWp--g_6RCdL7T2Lq0379oVa4E-HL62Ft3yJS8c5SwbefIH3jDtTZxywd0omEQ58IUHe5Aa6y0bJ_pu2Z0yz2_IN6lWs8EG5Ep_fbiqkT-E24rDExonTipyTTcGLqNr_8/s4080/20230831_094241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNRxtAj42U_1HihfxUqHdQIFR2Cg83syV39bqJr24hVjd1p_BybYB6fKAQVsWp--g_6RCdL7T2Lq0379oVa4E-HL62Ft3yJS8c5SwbefIH3jDtTZxywd0omEQ58IUHe5Aa6y0bJ_pu2Z0yz2_IN6lWs8EG5Ep_fbiqkT-E24rDExonTipyTTcGLqNr_8/s320/20230831_094241.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
hydrangea is still doing well. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQ4z_BcCIS8RYdRKXAm7741IX4wO0Op6hAaSXQ6Cpw6JcHGKwAe4fuUy9rn4dm_yYj41F5RwwENKeQbxTrsZbVkNhSdtiumRs7us4W_brMMC6nHNB6ynC3qPxcmZxkCqARgxjfIqHn3ue00hq3wApd-e3L9Shptxvlw9ZYgGMpjePmtqBBNRPaB1tEX8/s4080/20230831_094438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQ4z_BcCIS8RYdRKXAm7741IX4wO0Op6hAaSXQ6Cpw6JcHGKwAe4fuUy9rn4dm_yYj41F5RwwENKeQbxTrsZbVkNhSdtiumRs7us4W_brMMC6nHNB6ynC3qPxcmZxkCqARgxjfIqHn3ue00hq3wApd-e3L9Shptxvlw9ZYgGMpjePmtqBBNRPaB1tEX8/s320/20230831_094438.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
roses aren’t in full bloom anymore, but we still have some roses to enjoy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKo-9IFsrRB0qXpmN8BQuPKblqjK4K5ammmlycV_eKXXBkxoMvkJd06QC6yamsQik1Irv_FLlvpHPzkVTHFg3suMTJs0A5KUNuZ-0gPrP_tZHjkMUF3VsaZ39323qak40fDvakW4_N06DmhK5QHkMlTGyohAqXj5KPouUeNaRvM1SYNUzKJcNxExHE8A/s4080/20230831_094404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKo-9IFsrRB0qXpmN8BQuPKblqjK4K5ammmlycV_eKXXBkxoMvkJd06QC6yamsQik1Irv_FLlvpHPzkVTHFg3suMTJs0A5KUNuZ-0gPrP_tZHjkMUF3VsaZ39323qak40fDvakW4_N06DmhK5QHkMlTGyohAqXj5KPouUeNaRvM1SYNUzKJcNxExHE8A/s320/20230831_094404.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
marigold is still doing well. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymz1SkBrR825k_SmF935BFXo2afEN5RdcrIx7TLc2WCfcF1TxSUSjDAw4MlB4ET1JhV77x-RLG-baGYNaEjVPJB-jNeD7Yd8nig0Aca3EOcvI9XUHmDTYx-ghamK8cOUQ8brxirKxUHdN2JKw2UlJVucpd3pWO2xu_gwP1wdLXw1q4kMy33I-F3q2WhQ/s4080/20230831_094303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymz1SkBrR825k_SmF935BFXo2afEN5RdcrIx7TLc2WCfcF1TxSUSjDAw4MlB4ET1JhV77x-RLG-baGYNaEjVPJB-jNeD7Yd8nig0Aca3EOcvI9XUHmDTYx-ghamK8cOUQ8brxirKxUHdN2JKw2UlJVucpd3pWO2xu_gwP1wdLXw1q4kMy33I-F3q2WhQ/s320/20230831_094303.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve realized
that it’s time to work on getting the freezers at least a little bit cleaned
out. Thanksgiving isn’t that far away,
and we’ll need the freezer space for when turkeys go on sale. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Right
now, both freezers are pretty jam-packed, and I’m not entirely sure what’s in
them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I thought
taking and sharing pictures of them might help hold me accountable and get me
to focus on working through what’s in there. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, here they are in their horribly
unorganized state. (I promise we don’t
actually live entirely on junk food/convenience food; it just seems like those
things work their way to the top whenever we dig something else out). </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQMH3OT6zotsnmojE0SZcQwt0V0gomOnlgca-Fs4q3FvV8tG9U5q6yUmMIRqkeVTevXG_cSQeCgYKqHZ8kUzU3gBgd8C5xhZNI_2VaTl3d5ASantyhdnsGIHBXRQdauE5erT24EI9X6pjT57tdudkXcRmVddqUMjI-GeQpXok8IISzh-1E8CO_QuMRWc/s4080/20230831_134958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQMH3OT6zotsnmojE0SZcQwt0V0gomOnlgca-Fs4q3FvV8tG9U5q6yUmMIRqkeVTevXG_cSQeCgYKqHZ8kUzU3gBgd8C5xhZNI_2VaTl3d5ASantyhdnsGIHBXRQdauE5erT24EI9X6pjT57tdudkXcRmVddqUMjI-GeQpXok8IISzh-1E8CO_QuMRWc/s320/20230831_134958.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBr9MVHnGOW2zfHIicNlAkSzOOiQUIWMUO-DILhSYyFqheWcC12eHfLtppKnO4a9ouSdykXMEJt6glSTfVein7TjcH0g3NCpFL7wVeANfI9ds2wgF8lV4Y_PPUulnDQaJqdEWJ9ihbDYk8lTYIfR8_Z83HXMsU-FCGrm2EDZneDQDy1n9ytB4qX-EM2Co/s4080/20230831_135022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBr9MVHnGOW2zfHIicNlAkSzOOiQUIWMUO-DILhSYyFqheWcC12eHfLtppKnO4a9ouSdykXMEJt6glSTfVein7TjcH0g3NCpFL7wVeANfI9ds2wgF8lV4Y_PPUulnDQaJqdEWJ9ihbDYk8lTYIfR8_Z83HXMsU-FCGrm2EDZneDQDy1n9ytB4qX-EM2Co/s320/20230831_135022.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAac-wh3vlK6E1pr_1b1LRmTPhk8LpJCYmH8uUImMirwHgPmT1Qe2SYPtPmrBbvDQP4FGkJl2c7kPHTgOLUAYBoy4eUrcBGNFtuWrQwQ_wEhGFy10aDZsQSFJC722_mAo8amYlQpI8FajewIwTBcwRiHklmdxU9B3b1txdHpz9P-a2_sEIkvbk8qApVc/s4080/20230831_135030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="4080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAac-wh3vlK6E1pr_1b1LRmTPhk8LpJCYmH8uUImMirwHgPmT1Qe2SYPtPmrBbvDQP4FGkJl2c7kPHTgOLUAYBoy4eUrcBGNFtuWrQwQ_wEhGFy10aDZsQSFJC722_mAo8amYlQpI8FajewIwTBcwRiHklmdxU9B3b1txdHpz9P-a2_sEIkvbk8qApVc/s320/20230831_135030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hopefully, there will be a future Thursday
13 about the progress I’ve made in cleaning out the freezers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How has your week been? <o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-33372811175901011912023-08-24T00:00:00.001-04:002023-08-24T00:00:00.149-04:00Thursday 13: Cats & Chickens <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I looked through the pictures on my phone from the
past week, almost all of them were cats or chickens.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, that’s my theme for this week’s Thursday
13.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Don’t worry, the cats and chickens
are safely apart.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s
start off with a picture of Howard and Frankie cuddled together. These two are such great friends. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhk0WC1iKzurPy0OZMuReYjHbQ68ZZfTM4G3CcW7HzUvlk1pcYDRNmli8SSoJHO6ymClBNLGDQ_ALUBDROZgNeNOs_O2mVbmzu5FnBCso5wj02VaIRFzMW95z6-naUwGaQ0SGTuAIpMyGKbtIQRXY5sEOCm7sp_j6hbFGjidluU7dFNBZjTkS6KxH0O4/s4080/20230823_173804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhk0WC1iKzurPy0OZMuReYjHbQ68ZZfTM4G3CcW7HzUvlk1pcYDRNmli8SSoJHO6ymClBNLGDQ_ALUBDROZgNeNOs_O2mVbmzu5FnBCso5wj02VaIRFzMW95z6-naUwGaQ0SGTuAIpMyGKbtIQRXY5sEOCm7sp_j6hbFGjidluU7dFNBZjTkS6KxH0O4/s320/20230823_173804.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Two different
neighbors have chickens. There are the free-range<a href="https://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2023/08/thursday-13-heres-whats-going-on-in-yard.html"> chickens I’ve mentioned before </a>(who live across the street) and the next-door
neighbors also have chickens. That’s why
there are chickens on both sides of the fence in this picture. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtF1KItu5M3VojnyytGdm8UoxyzP7ToqD_YMwE72yLZVGt0ZGkXNzjvEA6bTNdy6SDbaDTYXeKDoivy46p5pz7ks24rciZpN3Ew6gi9ztTs4qjyddXaYRHazWI4jYrmU_xZ6PKJFwL9BQLokkvpkbUHNwvFqTgVwF_Ip5adf-IYWuHfe4lEKr2Y7aRKo/s4080/20230823_102109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtF1KItu5M3VojnyytGdm8UoxyzP7ToqD_YMwE72yLZVGt0ZGkXNzjvEA6bTNdy6SDbaDTYXeKDoivy46p5pz7ks24rciZpN3Ew6gi9ztTs4qjyddXaYRHazWI4jYrmU_xZ6PKJFwL9BQLokkvpkbUHNwvFqTgVwF_Ip5adf-IYWuHfe4lEKr2Y7aRKo/s320/20230823_102109.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
chickens next door have a pen that’s right up against our yard, so it’s impossible
to go in or out of our house without walking past them. I have permission to feed them as well, and
they definitely associate me with food.
They all run up to the corner of their pen closest to our house whenever
I walk by. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA_1iVz2IOTxk7Aia_6VXhzl7ehau19hxeDgI443BJe7ViVoZ4ITTzdrAQiYa9sc1gf8_KC3gltRcC-zjwgrbHvzEDXw2ziQLLlHOwnoEJm571JoqVHrYkJAmRk-CP3bpvQ4QL-HDlNS-G5c6x7AakHAKf7lKxn4YnwGquORTSWV6Ox_J44dO8aQ4qs4/s3264/20230204_130118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDA_1iVz2IOTxk7Aia_6VXhzl7ehau19hxeDgI443BJe7ViVoZ4ITTzdrAQiYa9sc1gf8_KC3gltRcC-zjwgrbHvzEDXw2ziQLLlHOwnoEJm571JoqVHrYkJAmRk-CP3bpvQ4QL-HDlNS-G5c6x7AakHAKf7lKxn4YnwGquORTSWV6Ox_J44dO8aQ4qs4/s320/20230204_130118.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-kbsTiEJzzNEICogkW3VgS_62MoQIKuq9p9af9zU2ns6ACbDzSg7G7NdDDAiSDx7AdFnRsnJNDVekZtZ_B2-81KxZsDlNHaisUi8hGrePzEbJA_xi6lhQoNbCzf6aDIZUAjOLtDbiSzG83ZhFWqKx7ywc4y5Z7rng_opUGJzsu9kaZiqaGxkjPCvEIM/s3264/20230204_130109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-kbsTiEJzzNEICogkW3VgS_62MoQIKuq9p9af9zU2ns6ACbDzSg7G7NdDDAiSDx7AdFnRsnJNDVekZtZ_B2-81KxZsDlNHaisUi8hGrePzEbJA_xi6lhQoNbCzf6aDIZUAjOLtDbiSzG83ZhFWqKx7ywc4y5Z7rng_opUGJzsu9kaZiqaGxkjPCvEIM/s320/20230204_130109.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m
pretty sure that chickens never forget a food source. The free-range chickens know my voice and
come running when I call them. Here’s
one coming through to our yard for her snack.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmsq6siqwNheRY0DPoZ4SsK9Vnr3tW6vGZHrGM2Zq52CyRVEQ0nBx_igWNbJCqHhej1OJPciWnzsfOEZ6zf_WvbV0jzvx3ShBtFsQfCHu17ikh-QQ-qRDft1WnjUQm9NTbwkXJ1MmQHnV8qWTA-hCL_5XHMywe9eyHmlyy0GDx89W-J-QKX25AtqBYrU/s4080/20230823_120042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmsq6siqwNheRY0DPoZ4SsK9Vnr3tW6vGZHrGM2Zq52CyRVEQ0nBx_igWNbJCqHhej1OJPciWnzsfOEZ6zf_WvbV0jzvx3ShBtFsQfCHu17ikh-QQ-qRDft1WnjUQm9NTbwkXJ1MmQHnV8qWTA-hCL_5XHMywe9eyHmlyy0GDx89W-J-QKX25AtqBYrU/s320/20230823_120042.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m
fairly convinced that the answer to “Why did the chicken cross the road” is to
get a treat/snack. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQnonoATpoNhZzQ04EiCInZ0MaMRVOxdcEJK5fqsKlskWjicLdx_BbzxzZ8lg84_9c7lzF8pC1N68Yf0f3XDepYnqok87bWEm8zR9gFJDy8r0_kToMG7AQpacXE4OleQxpJoBkjBdTM4ITeGqs7pKDLUi7KYfHLJq4yia_Uq2LDHu2HPDAbk2jnZ5xv0/s4080/20230823_120045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQnonoATpoNhZzQ04EiCInZ0MaMRVOxdcEJK5fqsKlskWjicLdx_BbzxzZ8lg84_9c7lzF8pC1N68Yf0f3XDepYnqok87bWEm8zR9gFJDy8r0_kToMG7AQpacXE4OleQxpJoBkjBdTM4ITeGqs7pKDLUi7KYfHLJq4yia_Uq2LDHu2HPDAbk2jnZ5xv0/s320/20230823_120045.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Mortimer
is not at all concerned with why chickens cross the road.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFToq26sphqSzHdWa2PVntomcH2zYFbJEqk8sBR_1-urRV4TI2Rix8QJMja5Ng0YPTZeDXMvtpC_NUjOFquaZTMztGd9VwKgW8vZP8FaK2YIIVNH7aXwVKGCwG0HR8m7hRMWjZ8m05wUVFnpE2VIS4psmgD2gmPivjACAbZbZyg4LHyhqgI-Rlz6g7-Xs/s4080/20230817_092329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFToq26sphqSzHdWa2PVntomcH2zYFbJEqk8sBR_1-urRV4TI2Rix8QJMja5Ng0YPTZeDXMvtpC_NUjOFquaZTMztGd9VwKgW8vZP8FaK2YIIVNH7aXwVKGCwG0HR8m7hRMWjZ8m05wUVFnpE2VIS4psmgD2gmPivjACAbZbZyg4LHyhqgI-Rlz6g7-Xs/s320/20230817_092329.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Neither
is Charlie. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVrcAur-obQYzIOFqHqU9IJKHteVGSjK3uzFGOpU-PdmPOVnFhGGZgd-Qv1hT_4UB18n4Et9j8TGI_3ekR_cO7SFlCMnAoYetBMZ160pQTOnd7WBMZH9eVQjCOo7qRRgmsJUGf3hAYWqhZSSJ6pm1dnsyHf2IPh-qHlCbpHbwPplCZ-o_eGCEzOmmktg/s4080/20230823_174418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVrcAur-obQYzIOFqHqU9IJKHteVGSjK3uzFGOpU-PdmPOVnFhGGZgd-Qv1hT_4UB18n4Et9j8TGI_3ekR_cO7SFlCMnAoYetBMZ160pQTOnd7WBMZH9eVQjCOo7qRRgmsJUGf3hAYWqhZSSJ6pm1dnsyHf2IPh-qHlCbpHbwPplCZ-o_eGCEzOmmktg/s320/20230823_174418.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I had
no idea how entertaining chickens could be until our neighbors got them. They all seem to have such different personalities
and they do a lot of cute things.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4PvP4Ah8b8CiBrb-U-3B7c1lxP-rhL2gR_SWdj2G6Lbc6W7a3eH5Xr2JzHQyeOLMINk647fDE0jUv1tDJSdmdZmVy3lt5bfiXt5m8v3meCfTLzz5GBBxcg1Ds78UsnnJorkEyWXXjp_XaR2aniMoRAz8HhpowGx24X1krGoN83eLFkJyUwTj4VKOOO0/s4080/20230823_102156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4PvP4Ah8b8CiBrb-U-3B7c1lxP-rhL2gR_SWdj2G6Lbc6W7a3eH5Xr2JzHQyeOLMINk647fDE0jUv1tDJSdmdZmVy3lt5bfiXt5m8v3meCfTLzz5GBBxcg1Ds78UsnnJorkEyWXXjp_XaR2aniMoRAz8HhpowGx24X1krGoN83eLFkJyUwTj4VKOOO0/s320/20230823_102156.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0R4qE13Fog02nl9LvXFJNnvgVIuPVO2nmRVXa0mfY3yvrkCIhmmYlLBVMWa9pefezgCB3zOyec6KHS0f5VFIQD7umhR91JwxZoWmr998VkI2gkpWlcHN3tXWSnOYT8JRjAvBkIgDhEdsyZSxr1FHYjTLTCTDPRKztpmHGqeFRgGsPzeYshkm20RKrvcs/s4080/20230823_102239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0R4qE13Fog02nl9LvXFJNnvgVIuPVO2nmRVXa0mfY3yvrkCIhmmYlLBVMWa9pefezgCB3zOyec6KHS0f5VFIQD7umhR91JwxZoWmr998VkI2gkpWlcHN3tXWSnOYT8JRjAvBkIgDhEdsyZSxr1FHYjTLTCTDPRKztpmHGqeFRgGsPzeYshkm20RKrvcs/s320/20230823_102239.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Some
of them like to perch on top of things.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrf7N5kH3oqIARa99maWFTh0WRVfD-KNQ6Id-I5l33iDHP26gZfg6RL4oXyqv8bR_59AnEEakbYLBV2ts00k4Fc8uhfuE2b_5QaFuI64KsUl1qCi_FlNQvs2IpbSMEvAOWCwy7ScMerJ6XaTWMv_JuvlnYZB8R0NQ-gB3jCm8agqKRqr2kkcoOBiat1s/s4080/20230823_102124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrf7N5kH3oqIARa99maWFTh0WRVfD-KNQ6Id-I5l33iDHP26gZfg6RL4oXyqv8bR_59AnEEakbYLBV2ts00k4Fc8uhfuE2b_5QaFuI64KsUl1qCi_FlNQvs2IpbSMEvAOWCwy7ScMerJ6XaTWMv_JuvlnYZB8R0NQ-gB3jCm8agqKRqr2kkcoOBiat1s/s320/20230823_102124.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn473w0XTAfRQuHH_N9_Gx4jxvDSbIgJm5ES_mCmPzWCH5tPMPg7aFxqYvXripXw34LTuWmkQxeeTc9xL9KlnJWtjhGZSNJC78hbNduocc48DsJVQP_vwO5g7-7DvIbDdfpfz1T6iGAwL9dH6dZgNU5omE2efRBZEF6dlzBS0sT7sHBwSipLlYJ0c6Nw/s4080/20230823_102323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn473w0XTAfRQuHH_N9_Gx4jxvDSbIgJm5ES_mCmPzWCH5tPMPg7aFxqYvXripXw34LTuWmkQxeeTc9xL9KlnJWtjhGZSNJC78hbNduocc48DsJVQP_vwO5g7-7DvIbDdfpfz1T6iGAwL9dH6dZgNU5omE2efRBZEF6dlzBS0sT7sHBwSipLlYJ0c6Nw/s320/20230823_102323.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Some
of them like to sit under things.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQYJWbrRO69Yaa2azpEGyHofSQvoWFwfquhsbIif9rDq3dE0qpMy_ITc911comXcO1I_9KIvvOcvCTAVZowGBsBlenPY68gfZg0bXkxYc2xVvo8hPIi2_9pNkRL5f-nEf1IYcGzXp2q4JSJrB2bcAeUq7Ot8UohaQ-2raBsm03qEMo3FkPDy8bUL47yQ/s4080/20230823_102312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQYJWbrRO69Yaa2azpEGyHofSQvoWFwfquhsbIif9rDq3dE0qpMy_ITc911comXcO1I_9KIvvOcvCTAVZowGBsBlenPY68gfZg0bXkxYc2xVvo8hPIi2_9pNkRL5f-nEf1IYcGzXp2q4JSJrB2bcAeUq7Ot8UohaQ-2raBsm03qEMo3FkPDy8bUL47yQ/s320/20230823_102312.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybVcknfo3wGbsc7bq5DRiGRWW0P3dNNfQxs4suiYooHhO3iuBFe0oMfCc-HD9eotdcENXBySXa1neJjD5iYUIMl-P9W0cRdK7Odc8WgmQ0db2b6RZd-tjvKhnfuFiXNS3FmBBWzXP66KXl5D7yEfFDTyecMGM0xbvwHay2p168bcEYPcs1MD2A-Y_PGA/s4080/20230823_102206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybVcknfo3wGbsc7bq5DRiGRWW0P3dNNfQxs4suiYooHhO3iuBFe0oMfCc-HD9eotdcENXBySXa1neJjD5iYUIMl-P9W0cRdK7Odc8WgmQ0db2b6RZd-tjvKhnfuFiXNS3FmBBWzXP66KXl5D7yEfFDTyecMGM0xbvwHay2p168bcEYPcs1MD2A-Y_PGA/s320/20230823_102206.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
free-range chickens like to hang out under the azalea bushes after they’ve had
their snack.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOuUiTmlVHZYPMH5Naz9JDdCiRoR3INRWIbRaomrQVwyFmhkGESaRnhKTlZfr3xF9rCa4C-rjmbCclfCndQ3-StucCWETmK8rdFaEZI1T_dSFn6c_7v-vdnTVVlgOCe9Z8xC7NB-VVbDUBTrCQIg8DQhhpfitdzsNNoOodXbtvlcQGRgdTLd-gxKN4vE/s4080/20230823_102331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOuUiTmlVHZYPMH5Naz9JDdCiRoR3INRWIbRaomrQVwyFmhkGESaRnhKTlZfr3xF9rCa4C-rjmbCclfCndQ3-StucCWETmK8rdFaEZI1T_dSFn6c_7v-vdnTVVlgOCe9Z8xC7NB-VVbDUBTrCQIg8DQhhpfitdzsNNoOodXbtvlcQGRgdTLd-gxKN4vE/s320/20230823_102331.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">They
seem to always hope for more snacks.
This one followed me back to the door after I gave them their treats,
just in case I was going to get more. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34AMox8itPBZt-a4OV2rrFhm-A0zVGPOKIm_-Heg2pZer3P1JrU6CKEHYOSoPRHHyj1pIwzxOjtAfMX0YOwlBVHhdeU5m_hGLrwANWzRLP7Tvzh_75tM8_-7mUVcNssMBg0P1pMtSjkkIYmM7ks0AgRYweH1uKD9RhlTma2Axo6tUoMi2vrZEWCzw88o/s4080/20230823_170625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34AMox8itPBZt-a4OV2rrFhm-A0zVGPOKIm_-Heg2pZer3P1JrU6CKEHYOSoPRHHyj1pIwzxOjtAfMX0YOwlBVHhdeU5m_hGLrwANWzRLP7Tvzh_75tM8_-7mUVcNssMBg0P1pMtSjkkIYmM7ks0AgRYweH1uKD9RhlTma2Axo6tUoMi2vrZEWCzw88o/s320/20230823_170625.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I think
they have an adorable little walk.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8TIq_AiY_eiirw8hGLXCWtCZu6tszOcM8wkwBNaIKc6l6j_DfLkGvvN4u1Kg2HCBKqfhqr86xTvfW-ktG3cIm93MV01oNZ6IPzX-JJLLY7Bhg2vt9bvh996BCr4iTLEnYKTxKa-KhIBjYCWmHubDeMJuXAih1UzhyF-Rzzh0WIEdZ0y2vnWiMQHR0SI/s4080/20230823_120033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS8TIq_AiY_eiirw8hGLXCWtCZu6tszOcM8wkwBNaIKc6l6j_DfLkGvvN4u1Kg2HCBKqfhqr86xTvfW-ktG3cIm93MV01oNZ6IPzX-JJLLY7Bhg2vt9bvh996BCr4iTLEnYKTxKa-KhIBjYCWmHubDeMJuXAih1UzhyF-Rzzh0WIEdZ0y2vnWiMQHR0SI/s320/20230823_120033.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QACcVyufoNQvhnrgnov-qBuA2PLRMQNppDzJL-a-Oko8tqqOgNDPF6G5Amo3hUcMgpx4v6e8H8WhhPAOPHVh6BuScdvZh5P1cTDp2F84X6qc6dlQy70LgVIqTkjfjIDfCUJJUkIyQ3zFnz1xyZOxrnS-W1JhByZLYkdTnXkqX_ysKkHl_w2c-nJEV40/s4080/20230823_120031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-QACcVyufoNQvhnrgnov-qBuA2PLRMQNppDzJL-a-Oko8tqqOgNDPF6G5Amo3hUcMgpx4v6e8H8WhhPAOPHVh6BuScdvZh5P1cTDp2F84X6qc6dlQy70LgVIqTkjfjIDfCUJJUkIyQ3zFnz1xyZOxrnS-W1JhByZLYkdTnXkqX_ysKkHl_w2c-nJEV40/s320/20230823_120031.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How has your week been? </span><p></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-58483593160816358042023-08-17T19:39:00.000-04:002023-08-17T19:39:05.398-04:00Thursday, Not Quite 13<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It
has been a fairly busy week at work, and I’ve had an extra office day this
week, so I don’t have 13 interesting things I can share, but here are a few
highlights.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Howard
seems to be feeling pretty good this week.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He just seems perkier and was very excited about his breakfast this
morning.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExHc6wHxDeISItmFPv87VosAmljfgyLzsGKSzwchm8luS2pQNaKU0xomGdCMvg87oKuNclWMTccpqiXemxBAYk1wV_6b9i4dREytGWOoCabfLhDPouboq_k_0OiGVMFMf3mOlvfde-sDgumOo7aPzZjw9K6hcydKl_SJF2Ee8693wgSAh7Y99M51t84c/s4080/20230816_214640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExHc6wHxDeISItmFPv87VosAmljfgyLzsGKSzwchm8luS2pQNaKU0xomGdCMvg87oKuNclWMTccpqiXemxBAYk1wV_6b9i4dREytGWOoCabfLhDPouboq_k_0OiGVMFMf3mOlvfde-sDgumOo7aPzZjw9K6hcydKl_SJF2Ee8693wgSAh7Y99M51t84c/s320/20230816_214640.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
ended up working pretty late yesterday, so I only had one chicken visitor when
I came home from work.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">She seemed pretty
happy not having to share her treats with her sisters.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFBsrOPLkzST7K6_wqHCE4yJ3CFOQHoW3T5EuxkJOKdqFcZNbGnOiRbI_nNswe49Rq7jYDlmHe3Kt5h_pCjKxeDSs6Uwl6DxvSDFJRatZglbCYSWC0SWCupywG3TCVOE5iJtoluJbExSTOqzXkU7-0LYZO5wnPT7g0CCJ8P4WdndUtAA1QfFwQ8Js6z0/s4080/20230816_192605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFBsrOPLkzST7K6_wqHCE4yJ3CFOQHoW3T5EuxkJOKdqFcZNbGnOiRbI_nNswe49Rq7jYDlmHe3Kt5h_pCjKxeDSs6Uwl6DxvSDFJRatZglbCYSWC0SWCupywG3TCVOE5iJtoluJbExSTOqzXkU7-0LYZO5wnPT7g0CCJ8P4WdndUtAA1QfFwQ8Js6z0/s320/20230816_192605.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwgtbkczCz303zmtZ-KtomoIugneteJmr9COaNfL8aYysPQzHrRo9NN-S1aJvGx4CvWtTscO--qP2pwVdFXgojGJAj-KskxN3txWAvzOtRholoeJgLdlLbHJuLwSKicu2aBgqAxw4O4zFAs5eOxVI9a6sWY9iSaV7ocJdGb1RbSBF5EdZkHRp13Ma5mo/s4080/20230816_192545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwgtbkczCz303zmtZ-KtomoIugneteJmr9COaNfL8aYysPQzHrRo9NN-S1aJvGx4CvWtTscO--qP2pwVdFXgojGJAj-KskxN3txWAvzOtRholoeJgLdlLbHJuLwSKicu2aBgqAxw4O4zFAs5eOxVI9a6sWY9iSaV7ocJdGb1RbSBF5EdZkHRp13Ma5mo/s320/20230816_192545.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It
has been hot and rainy here, which the marigold has loved.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Look how much bigger it is this week.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9P40IVpljHQt3rDop-tA_nB1Ve2aG4-1MU28yOoOFljHH69yZGeaXUv8ixw07WAPVHj-SosuHlmI3tkfcY8K_51DCwXG_Pca6HHYGFYx4u0ZBztyIrN1iAa3ZTfIsEVWHBnBWEYr0lB_VbWPw7XkxrpOfr8AfaZPO6qPkzfLTOb3Jv3ardE0Iki2708Y/s4080/20230817_083915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9P40IVpljHQt3rDop-tA_nB1Ve2aG4-1MU28yOoOFljHH69yZGeaXUv8ixw07WAPVHj-SosuHlmI3tkfcY8K_51DCwXG_Pca6HHYGFYx4u0ZBztyIrN1iAa3ZTfIsEVWHBnBWEYr0lB_VbWPw7XkxrpOfr8AfaZPO6qPkzfLTOb3Jv3ardE0Iki2708Y/s320/20230817_083915.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrDGiXIjxWYqbJ-LE0E_ITWObnhG6mtV9Jyycf60HqhcHUf0syOW9se6o85ayiBN3or9eq0DEqJqowVGA4i7F3dpe76CsPm75DuW9XltBzF8qAODf3BSCNyofYEhoTqmEeAeD2bZmVHuE10SnU9QNOx2G-pWv3-wjhSP6yDUGxjzEx1tkvvO2x8_j0mw/s4080/20230817_083923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrDGiXIjxWYqbJ-LE0E_ITWObnhG6mtV9Jyycf60HqhcHUf0syOW9se6o85ayiBN3or9eq0DEqJqowVGA4i7F3dpe76CsPm75DuW9XltBzF8qAODf3BSCNyofYEhoTqmEeAeD2bZmVHuE10SnU9QNOx2G-pWv3-wjhSP6yDUGxjzEx1tkvvO2x8_j0mw/s320/20230817_083923.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">One
lone pansy has perked back up.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I think
the rain helped, but it has been too hot for the pansies.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_9-4wd5LrORK6G3mwtu-CG3C6kzCR1wJA-aLpU2f0MPAjGAjqwA_5RqoQBf5l4CGECjZEbh5L6dbQZHH_YRhnAxSv5hxTjeWpsEKJh1CFp5zb4vGBrCrRja4D9fnVdTCkGbnQ7sGY7AO_hyZfTK3N79ilqA9G4OPYsMPiqZoygyWT98WYv820ZCDVEw/s4080/20230817_084026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_9-4wd5LrORK6G3mwtu-CG3C6kzCR1wJA-aLpU2f0MPAjGAjqwA_5RqoQBf5l4CGECjZEbh5L6dbQZHH_YRhnAxSv5hxTjeWpsEKJh1CFp5zb4vGBrCrRja4D9fnVdTCkGbnQ7sGY7AO_hyZfTK3N79ilqA9G4OPYsMPiqZoygyWT98WYv820ZCDVEw/s320/20230817_084026.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">How
has your week been?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-38168701170462060832023-08-15T20:59:00.004-04:002023-08-16T06:37:51.170-04:00A Crocheted Sunflower <div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">One of the fun
things about learning to crochet is that your family and friends can ask you to
make things for them. Sometimes it’s
something you wouldn’t have thought of making on your own. That’s how I ended up making the cat couch
for my sister.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">Last year,
Nick’s mom, Susan sent me <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Natchia-Accessories-Sunflower-Decorations-Rearview/dp/B096WZSJWY/ref=sr_1_23_sspa?crid=19UX4RKBQPXDR&keywords=sunflowers&qid=1646089641&sprefix=sunflowers%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-23-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFVVE5VRDA2Q1k3NEcmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAwMjIwODMxMUxXUThIU0FOVFdFJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA1ODY2MjZEM0xPVkhZRktOUFomd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl">this link</a> and asked if it was something I could
make. This one is knitted, but
fortunately, there are lots of crochet sunflower patterns out there. Unfortunately, most of them start with a
magic ring, which I cannot seem to master.
I think it must actually involve magic, and I’m not magical. On a side note, if you’re a crocheter, and
you have any tips for mastering the magic ring, please share them. </span></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIBpZXUVWHNHg66NS8mXW7xqJoy7pYRS_tlAbJcQ_4jaBVLWiqdavAwO6q3EMA5KM-Zjz0qVfNeXkiKqojRKaU0Fj0MwOlEfmolSdIX1OX7P3QZ9RArtEIlgZZMxw4o4dR2Zl5AN45zDkHboREwkpMEssQFbb0iMw32V3aD709Z0SaKRU-oDfcgu1VwY/s893/100.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="503" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIBpZXUVWHNHg66NS8mXW7xqJoy7pYRS_tlAbJcQ_4jaBVLWiqdavAwO6q3EMA5KM-Zjz0qVfNeXkiKqojRKaU0Fj0MwOlEfmolSdIX1OX7P3QZ9RArtEIlgZZMxw4o4dR2Zl5AN45zDkHboREwkpMEssQFbb0iMw32V3aD709Z0SaKRU-oDfcgu1VwY/s320/100.jpg" width="180" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">I finally found
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQS1B0iuYAk">this one, that had a left-handed tutorial</a> and didn’t start with a magic
ring. I modified it a little bit by
shortening the stem and doing a chain to hang it from the rearview mirror. I don’t remember how many I chained for the
hanger. I just took it out to the car to
finish it and quit when it would go over the rearview mirror, but not hang down
too far. Yes, I did sit out in the car
in the rain and crochet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">The flower was
curling a little bit when I finished it, so I decided it needed some
flattening. I read a little bit about blocking
for granny squares and decided to improvise a flower flattening method. I lightly sprayed it with water and then set
some heavy cans on top of it to flatten it.
It seems to have worked. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQ4m6fAW-uya7h0lDvMwtO82FMmwUfEqRkUL2GSki5f_ywAQVuuoosbLkR9cX29CKRdnmMrO5GhcZroFOlGL43T9AoxmqGstJo_bFoS2yxUl6Bi4VWDaIK7zVW03QY32Y7tWDYfcV8KTS5-YbGbSgA24rc0WCAU104FqkCJ1NUtxZMGRMPjBjM-s9ksA/s3264/20221110_102708.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQ4m6fAW-uya7h0lDvMwtO82FMmwUfEqRkUL2GSki5f_ywAQVuuoosbLkR9cX29CKRdnmMrO5GhcZroFOlGL43T9AoxmqGstJo_bFoS2yxUl6Bi4VWDaIK7zVW03QY32Y7tWDYfcV8KTS5-YbGbSgA24rc0WCAU104FqkCJ1NUtxZMGRMPjBjM-s9ksA/s320/20221110_102708.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4f4YnajlqtUaU_9vY1VlJa6xLLCIycKYQ3Fe24_gVt5125bhP6KfVgvy5fM45awKsba6h5qxr3AB3ZpwCKJS629iCSa_mPqTZOlHfvH2HA8U-wH5plGSqBkN2UGyiDWUGUs3z1ooVDgF3siI72CDq6gebtea9eUnBwpup84qdp9jEroYZDSFIv7cVb90/s3264/20221110_102754.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4f4YnajlqtUaU_9vY1VlJa6xLLCIycKYQ3Fe24_gVt5125bhP6KfVgvy5fM45awKsba6h5qxr3AB3ZpwCKJS629iCSa_mPqTZOlHfvH2HA8U-wH5plGSqBkN2UGyiDWUGUs3z1ooVDgF3siI72CDq6gebtea9eUnBwpup84qdp9jEroYZDSFIv7cVb90/s320/20221110_102754.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif">It’s not
perfect, but overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, and Susan was
very happy with it. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8A0RGdU0FR6M6qpnYoYqFZOhJbywoIxnG1RUewci33jbZaCQE5Kh1CSFqxeFqAoS6KGFazHB4I4wyWeLuEyGU9YcdFQGbP50VZUaRygjv1xHEuRQAfqRhiiA3QSUuL5V1mbuWYNHHIYMglqk1TQHYkWikF46nK2FavWKNx7w_mJxsQDwA8v5EjyOpP8/s3264/20221110_102739.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8A0RGdU0FR6M6qpnYoYqFZOhJbywoIxnG1RUewci33jbZaCQE5Kh1CSFqxeFqAoS6KGFazHB4I4wyWeLuEyGU9YcdFQGbP50VZUaRygjv1xHEuRQAfqRhiiA3QSUuL5V1mbuWYNHHIYMglqk1TQHYkWikF46nK2FavWKNx7w_mJxsQDwA8v5EjyOpP8/s320/20221110_102739.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-47098455120457505682023-08-10T18:50:00.000-04:002023-08-10T18:50:08.456-04:00Thursday 13: Here’s What’s Going on In the Yard<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">We
have a few lilac blooms.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Gd_LqgXkN2xYJrU9NdvuvhWK1O0Eqxm3QJKpDFH8YZJcEo3VZxo5-ccttGfgfOmhDJGMjDpVsHxKLi68L3dmRRQYNXhgUuwFzM_M8kKhT-eVB_lFYhG9-cBfiZ70AHj3nDmW4E_pKpg_501J3gtWrbhq69IZzu6qktycx2-lsx-mQfE6Dq32EYNF9AU/s4080/20230810_105843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Gd_LqgXkN2xYJrU9NdvuvhWK1O0Eqxm3QJKpDFH8YZJcEo3VZxo5-ccttGfgfOmhDJGMjDpVsHxKLi68L3dmRRQYNXhgUuwFzM_M8kKhT-eVB_lFYhG9-cBfiZ70AHj3nDmW4E_pKpg_501J3gtWrbhq69IZzu6qktycx2-lsx-mQfE6Dq32EYNF9AU/s320/20230810_105843.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
hydrangea bush is in full bloom.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eQevpPtBgQsh391D0xVAy8uD5R_wGb5BNCirsRyZ8VpsgEouhLLAlpKPdkfWGxCEKYtVk0aRJfE-lX07baBhWl1L9xBbtdbF5OMz62dCgwbEITdvFIcnnegmZJbxnvEdsSXV6SSitNjdrD2VarWT2rN0sNg0oW-gbWnK_2GVEcg6SPMwK4SPYFrWjc0/s4080/20230810_105913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eQevpPtBgQsh391D0xVAy8uD5R_wGb5BNCirsRyZ8VpsgEouhLLAlpKPdkfWGxCEKYtVk0aRJfE-lX07baBhWl1L9xBbtdbF5OMz62dCgwbEITdvFIcnnegmZJbxnvEdsSXV6SSitNjdrD2VarWT2rN0sNg0oW-gbWnK_2GVEcg6SPMwK4SPYFrWjc0/s320/20230810_105913.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here’s
a close-up picture.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEb_y5QPvouJN7HPZZGQEZWgmGHHaIDce0ep_NP4bEZBQua_s0o6wHO0kStTw2GC6t6zh--s5i25H1KgLdKREspQlBGxKGkdeBvFYERUWcH50X3JS7YQsbQOtKf7Qhm3qapiANJA0kBLb_EjJGN4NoJzgy0l6FTtDY_KckuerfqMEHC9Aj7gEZINzHxLE/s4080/20230810_105900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEb_y5QPvouJN7HPZZGQEZWgmGHHaIDce0ep_NP4bEZBQua_s0o6wHO0kStTw2GC6t6zh--s5i25H1KgLdKREspQlBGxKGkdeBvFYERUWcH50X3JS7YQsbQOtKf7Qhm3qapiANJA0kBLb_EjJGN4NoJzgy0l6FTtDY_KckuerfqMEHC9Aj7gEZINzHxLE/s320/20230810_105900.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We have
one marigold going strong.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3gWvgIWhDiW-VU0IhDQGlF9yX5RxeGAfeiXo8WrWjMgie1NzeJEnX_sIUmD5ZpwqAMairtH3A0cLvBrKCpQT2JhbNZsbdUBMQDWnwI6yFVL-XMBV7tZHUBcDE2EcKHpm0HyuJVYPGtvnd-jBOgnoYUDFii-8aMw8jiOsnISvae6VVZZqQOA0wUcIAHs/s4080/20230810_105826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3gWvgIWhDiW-VU0IhDQGlF9yX5RxeGAfeiXo8WrWjMgie1NzeJEnX_sIUmD5ZpwqAMairtH3A0cLvBrKCpQT2JhbNZsbdUBMQDWnwI6yFVL-XMBV7tZHUBcDE2EcKHpm0HyuJVYPGtvnd-jBOgnoYUDFii-8aMw8jiOsnISvae6VVZZqQOA0wUcIAHs/s320/20230810_105826.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There
are a few straggler blackberries.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9u3MTvMuSbMMRSTLPO9GAN9ltCruMNz7ll0e_4IALt26SPkOVbHPjgE22tR6WFxx3naFinVQcHFS0Gxjxq_nAru7URfDyi-yc2zOg7lwasXK4-V4xPDqg227EeCqIh79yTsKF8N9S1t8OUrDy7lCYuo-jnZQpnRIannmN1OFh1iP1ddqU07WJiQsWDQk/s4080/20230810_110450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9u3MTvMuSbMMRSTLPO9GAN9ltCruMNz7ll0e_4IALt26SPkOVbHPjgE22tR6WFxx3naFinVQcHFS0Gxjxq_nAru7URfDyi-yc2zOg7lwasXK4-V4xPDqg227EeCqIh79yTsKF8N9S1t8OUrDy7lCYuo-jnZQpnRIannmN1OFh1iP1ddqU07WJiQsWDQk/s320/20230810_110450.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The clearance
rosebush is still doing well.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiro32qIfXhKZ9BwM9pxd3rEVQKg2HyK3Ygl0NiS98WAhwY15OpUiTHqiA5RF-uGzaqVL56dsHeIsBbgiQLV-9TY3GAQmXvgAL3VKTmVmhAeLBlUqLjJz_13KmuETzZeSucCOmT4DNq1og4vmF3Bq37JP5tTrMg2_ZTWO6KDht-IpvKckXxCPpVYLgDTUY/s4080/20230810_162330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiro32qIfXhKZ9BwM9pxd3rEVQKg2HyK3Ygl0NiS98WAhwY15OpUiTHqiA5RF-uGzaqVL56dsHeIsBbgiQLV-9TY3GAQmXvgAL3VKTmVmhAeLBlUqLjJz_13KmuETzZeSucCOmT4DNq1og4vmF3Bq37JP5tTrMg2_ZTWO6KDht-IpvKckXxCPpVYLgDTUY/s320/20230810_162330.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It has
gotten very tall.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRfC7N2cp9bI4HveeL523Gb4-u2Wn-8s8aCEx_n_QN8QwvbO0ClibHK2ckwUpq6dPpqdzqmVQEIPNxyZBT6VyKtBatWpvOGPSCdI2lKrPi3K-dBj_OPgUDCKdPZ4HJWeJMxrykO1H--g9ARP8ACwbT98rlLAmAbaDf1lILElOMjSceksDLoNzspW53sM/s4080/20230810_162339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRfC7N2cp9bI4HveeL523Gb4-u2Wn-8s8aCEx_n_QN8QwvbO0ClibHK2ckwUpq6dPpqdzqmVQEIPNxyZBT6VyKtBatWpvOGPSCdI2lKrPi3K-dBj_OPgUDCKdPZ4HJWeJMxrykO1H--g9ARP8ACwbT98rlLAmAbaDf1lILElOMjSceksDLoNzspW53sM/s320/20230810_162339.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Here’s
a close-up of some of the roses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nNd-E11vO2mmt2u9HV07GA2su-rPfxHOBeLs2Uk0zucZKpwpGr-c9tBVjktaCktFcFTtBqGuMPZiLa_0mUjt_rafRCN4KDIwLYknLWrZgX-dPbg5JgxNQ4t0xYuStinqL2zUSrah6w70K-WYPqxN_3tpczO49Mi28S_dT8vbXcj4ofoip6vVWXxiMfc/s4080/20230810_105957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nNd-E11vO2mmt2u9HV07GA2su-rPfxHOBeLs2Uk0zucZKpwpGr-c9tBVjktaCktFcFTtBqGuMPZiLa_0mUjt_rafRCN4KDIwLYknLWrZgX-dPbg5JgxNQ4t0xYuStinqL2zUSrah6w70K-WYPqxN_3tpczO49Mi28S_dT8vbXcj4ofoip6vVWXxiMfc/s320/20230810_105957.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">And there
are some buds that haven’t opened yet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeKGQQ3qdk3l9rZJeL9aKdglcyAkWpQbzmMGrwUGf2bIdknqUiUjCczmvUnXMCiKoESeUP23bTeLF40uWUeqlliFGMiI4Kk5XBCqCcXyCDIm1tB_U3c80v_uVmjfPsj4-a8H1EQGIRZa-2r9BTuF9PymF6wRLVjdKmmHuotVWZDV6RqNuzBcxpAvAedk/s4080/20230810_110202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeKGQQ3qdk3l9rZJeL9aKdglcyAkWpQbzmMGrwUGf2bIdknqUiUjCczmvUnXMCiKoESeUP23bTeLF40uWUeqlliFGMiI4Kk5XBCqCcXyCDIm1tB_U3c80v_uVmjfPsj4-a8H1EQGIRZa-2r9BTuF9PymF6wRLVjdKmmHuotVWZDV6RqNuzBcxpAvAedk/s320/20230810_110202.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
white rose of Sharon is blooming.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhSHZgwkAayvK42oyRj-ymOcHJ2Unn32xhWCrnCQWjbn3pV7j-Z5_SUyJEIJ9gzAD7pj-bkD2fN9u3JAWebXcQvCGibx-c7jkzKY3_Q-SENBqjPBSNRU8aSbrjL-c3bOYXlY36XXGFTdO-8x5VVj_caWLhvyCijHRSm2s2f5t9h1GrdUPLxgpvUgro3k/s4080/20230810_110105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhSHZgwkAayvK42oyRj-ymOcHJ2Unn32xhWCrnCQWjbn3pV7j-Z5_SUyJEIJ9gzAD7pj-bkD2fN9u3JAWebXcQvCGibx-c7jkzKY3_Q-SENBqjPBSNRU8aSbrjL-c3bOYXlY36XXGFTdO-8x5VVj_caWLhvyCijHRSm2s2f5t9h1GrdUPLxgpvUgro3k/s320/20230810_110105.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The purple
rose of Sharon is also blooming.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaniVEcBllokTJtVX3gOPkTgpzGRaO1IBH9WvQUM2MOb-DYQ56Ht3SLFOK8mAla5W3NV-_kKzf4knfSVby5NYhdFqLpn5rgTIJ2iO-qWnGpWaTAYCYPSTrX5u9vCNQL5SHAQeJnYV5uOlywy30WiV3RXm4_VtF0d-dUaX3o7JMwG47Y38d9HMQcAcVbnU/s4080/20230810_110033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaniVEcBllokTJtVX3gOPkTgpzGRaO1IBH9WvQUM2MOb-DYQ56Ht3SLFOK8mAla5W3NV-_kKzf4knfSVby5NYhdFqLpn5rgTIJ2iO-qWnGpWaTAYCYPSTrX5u9vCNQL5SHAQeJnYV5uOlywy30WiV3RXm4_VtF0d-dUaX3o7JMwG47Y38d9HMQcAcVbnU/s320/20230810_110033.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHQq6LXMn6QltK37aEfjZoi2ScPB382GbOaH-v5Bfr7KU1R6lds3P4rl4vquxr8rxfUjZ5vWV18z89x54Ol2mv4L4XDAkCTFbJvjxV3h6Fn_GMebPSm9DBBDrKeQ2zQ4nBuR9igoDzm6SRlr_v64RDrzNRHUGxnZ4-rWJnbWQHX8FlBFB6B_yhOZa72M/s4080/20230810_110018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwHQq6LXMn6QltK37aEfjZoi2ScPB382GbOaH-v5Bfr7KU1R6lds3P4rl4vquxr8rxfUjZ5vWV18z89x54Ol2mv4L4XDAkCTFbJvjxV3h6Fn_GMebPSm9DBBDrKeQ2zQ4nBuR9igoDzm6SRlr_v64RDrzNRHUGxnZ4-rWJnbWQHX8FlBFB6B_yhOZa72M/s320/20230810_110018.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Our neighbor’s free-range chickens came over
for a visit.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwXT9WnH4uzTWktAkF8bx8aS8WQBQ9Sy_D8fG3PUr3kr1m-7K_MOmtQKJ5f13MvqX_s2FqSjnHjljzup_VBrZlOddNVBN6WUit3BAslkPGsKD-w4yNvLlI28MXqctwVpyN5CVNHOS3bcpBylJ54at3PCD69MtaRHoYOnfL1RWlYEFZIFTAca4YJqaH5o/s4080/20230810_161956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwXT9WnH4uzTWktAkF8bx8aS8WQBQ9Sy_D8fG3PUr3kr1m-7K_MOmtQKJ5f13MvqX_s2FqSjnHjljzup_VBrZlOddNVBN6WUit3BAslkPGsKD-w4yNvLlI28MXqctwVpyN5CVNHOS3bcpBylJ54at3PCD69MtaRHoYOnfL1RWlYEFZIFTAca4YJqaH5o/s320/20230810_161956.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I feed
them treats, with our neighbor’s permission, so they come over almost every
day. They wait right outside the door for
me to bring their treats out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgth67TXuqj9oj27q75Fr9gDL15UcnhLmQM7FiEzuKnYbl-IuePvQL01Y0CednKOS_iYvDuQZ83JCq3t1G7eMpMDz9W_lCSyDWzgrJixQ-9lPObe1MvgJP3HJI1ispM2KQgOMgJ55-lsrEpZpATKvJ9_grHe0PIHGBWk0cB8Y8JRkOUFxzFict70ubdp-k/s2157/20230613_183527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2157" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgth67TXuqj9oj27q75Fr9gDL15UcnhLmQM7FiEzuKnYbl-IuePvQL01Y0CednKOS_iYvDuQZ83JCq3t1G7eMpMDz9W_lCSyDWzgrJixQ-9lPObe1MvgJP3HJI1ispM2KQgOMgJ55-lsrEpZpATKvJ9_grHe0PIHGBWk0cB8Y8JRkOUFxzFict70ubdp-k/s320/20230613_183527.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">What’s going on in your yard today? <o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-78918098473570772982023-08-05T11:52:00.004-04:002023-08-05T11:52:41.370-04:00Howard’s Glucose Rollercoaster <p>I’m still catching up with some things I meant to post about last year/earlier this year but haven’t gotten around to yet. So, here’s the story of Howard’s glucose rollercoaster. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvX77rL0l7qM9CGYMnunfenwoGtKkQHtttXPUetLUPLi0stIpetYQBNzYK2OxNnsy2Zzyjrk8ZEjITS8aj85YHDLVyBtuOCDz17VAnrZhKwj72HHrW1qnC6qC4zl5QVIMGCU3bAv_VLOStlJzHlckyM3MQ3fLpPnXSg07vJh-4LHjtfIT-a5i6DPmlh0A/s3264/20230707_164701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvX77rL0l7qM9CGYMnunfenwoGtKkQHtttXPUetLUPLi0stIpetYQBNzYK2OxNnsy2Zzyjrk8ZEjITS8aj85YHDLVyBtuOCDz17VAnrZhKwj72HHrW1qnC6qC4zl5QVIMGCU3bAv_VLOStlJzHlckyM3MQ3fLpPnXSg07vJh-4LHjtfIT-a5i6DPmlh0A/s320/20230707_164701.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The day after Duke died, I couldn’t find Howard when I got up, which was unusual. Howard is generally very enthusiastic about breakfast and greets us when we get up most mornings. If he doesn’t do that, there are a couple of places he likes to sleep, and he can usually be found in one of them. Finding Howard isn’t usually difficult, so I knew something was wrong.</p><p>I found Howard in the cat room (where we keep their food, litter boxes, and lots of random things). He was behind a laundry hamper, half in the closet, not moving. He wasn’t exactly asleep, but he wasn’t fully awake either. I picked him up, and he felt colder than he should have.</p><p>I gave him corn syrup, per Dr. D.’s instructions. She told us from the beginning of Howard going on insulin to rub corn syrup on his gums if it ever seemed like his glucose was too low. I wrapped him in a blanket, put him in a carrier, and called Dr. D.’s office to say we were on the way. </p><p>Dr. D. was off that day, so Howard saw Dr. L. They did a glucose test right away. Howard’s was 20. <a href="https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/vetsulin/cats/about-glucose-curves#:~:text=It%20helps%20to%20determine%20insulin,for%20most%20of%20the%20day.&text=Try%20our%20online%20glucose%20curve,on%20a%20blood%20glucose%20curve."> It should be between 120 and 300. </a>They also checked his temperature. It was 98. <a href="https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/taking-your-pets-temperature#:~:text=Normal%20body%20temperature%20for%20dogs,your%20pet%20to%20your%20veterinarian."> It should be between 101 and 102.</a> </p><p>Dr. L. started Howard on a glucose IV (one of the vet nurses used to be a paramedic, and she was able to get his IV in right away) and warm fluids. They also used some type of warmer on Howard that blew warm air under his blankets. </p><p>Howard perked up relatively quickly, and they offered him food, which he very enthusiastically ate. Dr. D. came into the office in the meantime (she seems to come in most of the time when she’s supposed to be off). Dr. D. and Dr. L. decided they wanted to keep Howard for the day so they could closely monitor his glucose. He dropped (though never as low as 20) several times throughout the day, so they recommended that we transfer Howard to the 24-hour/emergency vet since their office isn’t staffed at night anyway, and with it being December 22nd, they weren’t going to be open much longer. </p><p>So, I picked Howard up and took him straight to the 24-hour vet. They were extremely busy, so by the time a vet came in to talk to me (nurses had been in and out checking on Howard), it was the night-shift vet, Dr. H. We’ve seen Dr. H. before, and we really like him. I’m always nervous at the 24-hour/emergency vet because we’ve had a few vets that really seemed like they went into the wrong line of work. But Dr. H. has always been awesome. I was so relieved to see him that I almost cried. </p><p>Dr. D. and Dr. L. had apparently passed on that Duke had just died the day before because Dr. H. mentioned that right away. I had told Dr. D. and Dr. L. that Howard had been eating a lot of Duke’s food over the past few weeks. Duke wasn’t eating much and was losing a lot of weight, so we were trying a lot of things to get him to eat. He liked chicken and rice, so we mixed chicken and rice with his food. He still wasn’t eating all of it, and Howard was helping himself to Duke’s leftovers. Most cats would have just eaten the chicken. Howard isn’t like most cats. He was eating the dog food, the chicken, and the rice. Obviously, after Duke died, we didn’t set his dinner out, so Howard had no dog food or chicken and rice that night. </p><p>Dr. H. said that normally stress and grief tend to raise glucose, but in some unusual cats, it can lower it. Everyone agrees that Howard is an unusual cat! Dr. H. said that in addition to the stress and grief of losing Duke, Howard was probably picking up on us being sad and stressed and the extra stress of Duke being sick right before and Nick having COVID. All of that, plus not eating dog food, chicken, and rice (which would tend to raise his glucose), probably led to the crash. </p><p>Dr. H. suggested a <a href="https://www.freestyle.abbott/us-en/myfreestyle.html?product=fsl2&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=Brand&utm_content=FreeStyle&gclid=Cj0KCQjw7uSkBhDGARIsAMCZNJuMT24wqEE_RZBTwPGklT12wuWSoi4E6vH_jurptNTPW6ZISl8aC94aAtPXEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds">FreeStyle Libre monitor for Howard. If that sounds familiar to you, it’s the same one that’s used for humans. It’s a continuous glucose monitor. </a> There’s a little sensor (we’re told people usually put it on their arm) and a monitor that scans and records it. For pets, they like to put it on their back, near their shoulder blades; basically somewhere that they can’t mess with, and it’s not likely to get caught on anything. They shave a little patch of fur and put it on. </p><p>Here's a picture of Howard with his sensor when I got to visit him while he was in the hospital. He didn’t seem bothered by it at all.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHT17O-Xom3n0-mY-1JL4kT4LnqOfbACk_-a739xyeIwMgGzpggCSzfvbom721ECAwsfSrTh1CjOOT9BxDNxPx78hZOAuVU27uYbQAphmxkGjZeMDG85RyYUB_3fQF6-1yiTg4bQdnvbW_CTUwnGNdv1-it3ibors4OmS4MM9vSY-SvAFvoLr_5OUWe0/s3264/20221224_193849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHT17O-Xom3n0-mY-1JL4kT4LnqOfbACk_-a739xyeIwMgGzpggCSzfvbom721ECAwsfSrTh1CjOOT9BxDNxPx78hZOAuVU27uYbQAphmxkGjZeMDG85RyYUB_3fQF6-1yiTg4bQdnvbW_CTUwnGNdv1-it3ibors4OmS4MM9vSY-SvAFvoLr_5OUWe0/s320/20221224_193849.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfAcA706wH2-f_maDKw9rmTUd0v37ADNlUSwWi53fMqY63pCOTDdmtoGEz5kdW8u-uJHe0FcnGoppOTIiduttpNXCMWNfT5X4wbKwxpDRLGe-CbAvWQDxOGJIvRDUBDzz9Zp5TcPw3ebZrxfFM7V0v0gK83WmHz2Y90tQQdt3G1tPVJRWBdDXgMrimBc/s3264/20221224_201018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfAcA706wH2-f_maDKw9rmTUd0v37ADNlUSwWi53fMqY63pCOTDdmtoGEz5kdW8u-uJHe0FcnGoppOTIiduttpNXCMWNfT5X4wbKwxpDRLGe-CbAvWQDxOGJIvRDUBDzz9Zp5TcPw3ebZrxfFM7V0v0gK83WmHz2Y90tQQdt3G1tPVJRWBdDXgMrimBc/s320/20221224_201018.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUaOXeM7pYkWToeeg3X7qXSUsaCz89CNq2BO01OjdhbDYBdvsxwWNDFDViPUFs6XN_qobVU3NJ20EbHwQLVwZqCG2EAx_nosaPLgSuc7ZkFTXMdlZGZ_zlRAjGBC8esS6H1LDMtms9sxORD0793FcKN98M5e6kUOG4_MUA-8e2epMGLrbJx9Fj_nc3n0/s3264/20221223_185610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUaOXeM7pYkWToeeg3X7qXSUsaCz89CNq2BO01OjdhbDYBdvsxwWNDFDViPUFs6XN_qobVU3NJ20EbHwQLVwZqCG2EAx_nosaPLgSuc7ZkFTXMdlZGZ_zlRAjGBC8esS6H1LDMtms9sxORD0793FcKN98M5e6kUOG4_MUA-8e2epMGLrbJx9Fj_nc3n0/s320/20221223_185610.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p>With the Freestyle Libre, they were able to check Howard’s glucose without doing an ear stick. He was pretty sick of being stuck by then, and you really can’t blame him. Most of the time, you can scan him without even waking him up. They checked Howard’s glucose every hour for the first 24 hours. Dr. H. had me bring in his food and insulin and let me bring in his blankets. </p><p>The plan was to give Howard a very low dose of his insulin once his numbers stayed at a high enough level for long enough, then make sure he didn’t go too low again. It took a few days to get there, but Howard came home on Christmas Day. Definitely the best Christmas present we’ve ever gotten! </p><p>Here’s a picture of Howard under the Christmas tree the day he came home.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zwbqYDPv5x5un7MfyUHTHS6n8e89CvVG6xuFF3ch42W5evxD1nxcCvR3We9h1AV5grMcjaFQ7pVg6uIRku5771bcMD0pUG5NjQo9WsNl9e8CkQJGU6s6ryBIbtjqTQqBCwbMOH6HW9SsQM9ncLiqNi0CwOWvnlWMiU2jO46_pcfLtya_DtMf6ITSR6A/s3264/20221225_164421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zwbqYDPv5x5un7MfyUHTHS6n8e89CvVG6xuFF3ch42W5evxD1nxcCvR3We9h1AV5grMcjaFQ7pVg6uIRku5771bcMD0pUG5NjQo9WsNl9e8CkQJGU6s6ryBIbtjqTQqBCwbMOH6HW9SsQM9ncLiqNi0CwOWvnlWMiU2jO46_pcfLtya_DtMf6ITSR6A/s320/20221225_164421.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZ56TfIenMfLja9SmY8KATUvOWNT5SJgBvvsKgHRIKyfGSrdphJ8elkdB0ClHS_jWUhL3bE1xFmC5JzIufIChPs9g2aPZgZIH5t0G13MVktepe2KKpY7zpYW4-qdxX7OVNCKbHh9xGAPrIv6R_WoxjmoBmn_ehG0xlN0lcARr8ae2seC4GJQQV6RVHX4/s3264/20221229_095722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZ56TfIenMfLja9SmY8KATUvOWNT5SJgBvvsKgHRIKyfGSrdphJ8elkdB0ClHS_jWUhL3bE1xFmC5JzIufIChPs9g2aPZgZIH5t0G13MVktepe2KKpY7zpYW4-qdxX7OVNCKbHh9xGAPrIv6R_WoxjmoBmn_ehG0xlN0lcARr8ae2seC4GJQQV6RVHX4/s320/20221229_095722.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFXc4jaC1hXqcFqPqnkREkjzwe0N2AW6cgw6K0MV72r0MbNNSooGiLJbDIRGY2Px1QkP3n-e-3hSvsRXkMz4Y4Kb2XLojD3O3tefmdzeBNvDKtJfDAa22WoMGBjZaUH25sSglskrj7FHtYLbL7faUDb68cuGRMm6-tNLBqfr2f3IJGWFBUGwCamPNEPA/s3264/20221229_094357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNFXc4jaC1hXqcFqPqnkREkjzwe0N2AW6cgw6K0MV72r0MbNNSooGiLJbDIRGY2Px1QkP3n-e-3hSvsRXkMz4Y4Kb2XLojD3O3tefmdzeBNvDKtJfDAa22WoMGBjZaUH25sSglskrj7FHtYLbL7faUDb68cuGRMm6-tNLBqfr2f3IJGWFBUGwCamPNEPA/s320/20221229_094357.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jv5qb9iVlczlDM-JQeOAfUfQs2EaLO_lKqJXD2n8nlubKyuQqY-ZLr4yQnsNK30xQn-3MRgkXQf0IZv3LNZ5ksmRpJjSwzwCyQ_eULOeTVwRU-PASewmEipCGP3EycbtjJ6SBRnHa5V_AmlEPnNuGppGf5ygfuErssx5HYGhh3xFQ113FqmrhPVfFQ0/s3264/20221229_093313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jv5qb9iVlczlDM-JQeOAfUfQs2EaLO_lKqJXD2n8nlubKyuQqY-ZLr4yQnsNK30xQn-3MRgkXQf0IZv3LNZ5ksmRpJjSwzwCyQ_eULOeTVwRU-PASewmEipCGP3EycbtjJ6SBRnHa5V_AmlEPnNuGppGf5ygfuErssx5HYGhh3xFQ113FqmrhPVfFQ0/s320/20221229_093313.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p>Initially, they wanted us to scan Howard every two hours. It worked out well that we were off/home for Christmas because that was rough. Once Dr. D.’s office opened back up the day after Christmas, she took over managing Howard and had us email the numbers from the scanner every day. For a while, he was getting one unit of insulin about every 36 hours, then 24 hours, then 12 hours. We kept up every two hours of scanning for several days. Dr. D. finally told us to stop before we wore ourselves out. </p><p>The sensor lasts somewhere between ten days and two weeks, so Howard has had several sensors. We all wanted to make sure he wasn’t headed for another crash. Howard was the first kitty at Dr. D.’s office to have a sensor, but now she has lots of patients with them. Howard, the trendsetter! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09HuAKspoEzOLr0yCDoZqj3jHyAnzG54pkS5UGPmpt2Vct1HgVdc8KeZSUP0Etxyi-GXosWDhtE9f7_I0fsiUzMT-FrHX5JmgTk05ORHLQ_WhlvxeUgi4sBCfaiZU67d5AvbrATSV3CKeVqqqxRuTlfm65O1gydyH9rtHeqR1h296_12m8VuyXpf1Aow/s3264/20221225_132011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09HuAKspoEzOLr0yCDoZqj3jHyAnzG54pkS5UGPmpt2Vct1HgVdc8KeZSUP0Etxyi-GXosWDhtE9f7_I0fsiUzMT-FrHX5JmgTk05ORHLQ_WhlvxeUgi4sBCfaiZU67d5AvbrATSV3CKeVqqqxRuTlfm65O1gydyH9rtHeqR1h296_12m8VuyXpf1Aow/s320/20221225_132011.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p>Eventually, Howard started getting really agitated over having the sensors put on, so we all decided on a break. He was running a little high, but Dr. D. thought that was better than risking another crash. </p><p>Howard had his regular checkup in late June, and his glucose was high, so we opted for another round of Libre sensor monitoring. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcK-V_7xBhWCMX5H8I7pP383I5WiiIXIhwDys8fbvC69eYuWeBvrpm5OsXhFi2A85_fYTRb2wYxgv9-uKyD8EP-CEt1Er3a8FYRl0ad5OhbivAwRzgXGdeukVWEwLlgFFwYTsMeomGM0G53rhWoJHU09wkGJnMHF8-tXDyTjzaCyNFZSTPrUTXVoNYg8Q/s3264/20230704_210651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcK-V_7xBhWCMX5H8I7pP383I5WiiIXIhwDys8fbvC69eYuWeBvrpm5OsXhFi2A85_fYTRb2wYxgv9-uKyD8EP-CEt1Er3a8FYRl0ad5OhbivAwRzgXGdeukVWEwLlgFFwYTsMeomGM0G53rhWoJHU09wkGJnMHF8-tXDyTjzaCyNFZSTPrUTXVoNYg8Q/s320/20230704_210651.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>A few weeks ago, his glucose started fluctuating wildly. It would drop down as low as 60, then within a few hours shoot up to over 400, then drop again. </p><p>Dr. D. believes that Howard is experiencing <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11443-somogyi-effect#:~:text=The%20Somogyi%20(so%2DMOH%2D,it%20in%20the%201930s%20%E2%80%94%20Dr.">Somogyi swings</a>. You can read about it <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11443-somogyi-effect#:~:text=The%20Somogyi%20(so%2DMOH%2D,it%20in%20the%201930s%20%E2%80%94%20Dr.">here</a>, but the short version (at least for cats) is that somehow, the insulin contributes to the body, causing itself to drastically raise and lower glucose levels. So, we took Howard off of insulin, and his glucose has stayed much more stable. Howard has diabetes and asthma. The diabetes is likely caused, or at least contributed to, by all of the steroids to control his asthma. But, since breathing is vital, we can only limit the steroids so much. We’ve also lowered his steroid dose a little more. It may have to go back up in the fall (allergy season) and/or if he starts having breathing problems. </p><p>During all of this, Howard also started experiencing severe gastrointestinal issues. Dr. D. isn’t quite sure why, but thinks it may be due to an injection of a newer drug to help with arthritis. The G.I. issues Howard was having are one of the rare side effects of the drug. So, we’ve opted not to continue using that one. He’s currently on some medicine for his stomach and has started talking probiotics. Fortunately, all of the medications can go in Pill Pockets or be mixed with food, so Howard doesn’t mind taking them. </p><p>Howard is also starting to have some kidney issues, likely caused by a combination of age and diabetes. It’s not terrible yet, but we don’t know how long that will last. He’s seventeen, and I know we’re lucky to have had him this long, but it still feels like being punched in the gut to think about his time being limited. I feel like I don’t know how to exist in a world where I’m not Howard’s mom. I had Howard before I met Nick. Nick and I are coming up on sixteen years together in September, so Howard has been in his life for a long time, too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQhtJDVfPpxv9hdR7XKBjB_ghjZ22_PfYmC54Rcx5FiSfOx5SO0lmZtbdE_gj1yIGtxf6F5b7AaT5mdj_4iAHQeoC7DFnjcU7sqMKDhaAnN3YLfObySUoUBwAyDzt-Dy4D5fhz8AfkNavfABZ4Ll2iPDimJ0uACyeW74F7FkPDoHBKDxvYMP-jTeoOZM/s3264/20230711_111248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQhtJDVfPpxv9hdR7XKBjB_ghjZ22_PfYmC54Rcx5FiSfOx5SO0lmZtbdE_gj1yIGtxf6F5b7AaT5mdj_4iAHQeoC7DFnjcU7sqMKDhaAnN3YLfObySUoUBwAyDzt-Dy4D5fhz8AfkNavfABZ4Ll2iPDimJ0uACyeW74F7FkPDoHBKDxvYMP-jTeoOZM/s320/20230711_111248.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Dr. D. offered us a referral to the specialist, but after talking with her, we’ve decided not to go that route. Howard is very patient and good at the vet, but he seems to be reaching his limit for how much poking and prodding he’s willing to put up with. And, in talking with Dr. D., there’s not a fix for the kidney issues that are coming. There are only short term solutions that likely come at the cost of creating other problems to manage. It really feels like we’d be doing it for us, to buy ourselves more time with Howard (which is so incredibly tempting) at the cost of his quality of life. </p><p>Because of that, we’re not pursuing treatment of the kidney issues. We’re managing the diabetes and asthma as best and least invasively as we can, and we’re honestly evaluating Howard’s happiness and quality of life. Right now, he seems happy. At seventeen, he’s not very active, but his behavior hasn’t changed. One of the vet nurses described Howard as a watcher and said he likes to be in the middle of the room and watch everything that’s going on. That’s very accurate. He spends most of his time on the fluffy cat bed in the living room, keeping an eye on everyone’s comings and goings. He cuddles with Frankie, and he’s very enthusiastic about his food. He seems happy and doesn’t appear to be in pain. He still wants us to pet him every time we walk by, which we’re more than happy to do. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujFA4Ze4OErBb5PBl0W2FNCZBMbhKaUyoVpIiRHz83FKo16JjKtc94WJYGs2SvNAvaSvF5Y9Cb3rNZIuMGUXX3h1W0e5bMScBmm9SG1B1By26folgY0Q7cb0gjyXv_mzM7rGViL_UEVIp_3Ld_dBokcuoRN4xhPv9Bx_u1gGSPtAB841zXTFP626dS9A/s2303/20230713_182216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2303" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujFA4Ze4OErBb5PBl0W2FNCZBMbhKaUyoVpIiRHz83FKo16JjKtc94WJYGs2SvNAvaSvF5Y9Cb3rNZIuMGUXX3h1W0e5bMScBmm9SG1B1By26folgY0Q7cb0gjyXv_mzM7rGViL_UEVIp_3Ld_dBokcuoRN4xhPv9Bx_u1gGSPtAB841zXTFP626dS9A/s320/20230713_182216.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwxYldbEphJgOgLDscvNB1tJ5PsBLVZB37nwkbRVXElP5VfiUtJ-k6u-ufpRQb40hg9qc4MniBTiq8sLPXEhuzX-NlMf6EmYXWQtVJMdbbiEZ5UgNsryBQbRpMydxX0bshuI_uRh3VWfMaG07okv-o88UZ1Q7E9DyXjy7gz_fJVkN_tCCOtoSnZNqeUE/s3264/20230715_080231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwxYldbEphJgOgLDscvNB1tJ5PsBLVZB37nwkbRVXElP5VfiUtJ-k6u-ufpRQb40hg9qc4MniBTiq8sLPXEhuzX-NlMf6EmYXWQtVJMdbbiEZ5UgNsryBQbRpMydxX0bshuI_uRh3VWfMaG07okv-o88UZ1Q7E9DyXjy7gz_fJVkN_tCCOtoSnZNqeUE/s320/20230715_080231.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p>Howard’s quality of life seems good for now, so the plan is to keep his as happy and comfortable as possible for as long as possible, and love him as much as we can while we can. Howard still loves to cuddle with Frankie, is very enthusiastic about his food, and loves to be in the middle of everything. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQzjyBhDwdPABzmVpaq6WIJl2JrAAWiSwg4hLTPV9YOnWLgA3JKtzStxwmmg9tCKNqiQO8WyklszNJef_B1QoD0FCKmqge_LeX5-5ZTL6ivud3fSvzwSh6L9F6mfgvwuG-D5DTor1YlGkx8K6RcmD-yO4ikFQo-WgjCYPkeLaDApkEeO57S7z8-MHoN4/s3264/20230426_125842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQzjyBhDwdPABzmVpaq6WIJl2JrAAWiSwg4hLTPV9YOnWLgA3JKtzStxwmmg9tCKNqiQO8WyklszNJef_B1QoD0FCKmqge_LeX5-5ZTL6ivud3fSvzwSh6L9F6mfgvwuG-D5DTor1YlGkx8K6RcmD-yO4ikFQo-WgjCYPkeLaDApkEeO57S7z8-MHoN4/s320/20230426_125842.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-3893523762108502672023-06-26T20:01:00.000-04:002023-06-26T20:01:02.625-04:00A Catch-Up Post <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I thought a catch-up post was in order since it has been almost
two months since I posted anything.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sEy0qBZ739ie9cD1YxLF0yF0CyWF_UrFRnP9w2_YFw-5pMumESms78ceeL9Iz9K0hutMSneDCkVswfP9Wmij9uJxdURNUJgm2DGiRDNM_84odAiGUH7AuenEbdZDgb2PatQlpvMw5B4VzNf_ObHlpDuTbL5QHCdsbwLcXRLX6NOG369P8NPl_Mz17O0/s6000/_DSC0155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3sEy0qBZ739ie9cD1YxLF0yF0CyWF_UrFRnP9w2_YFw-5pMumESms78ceeL9Iz9K0hutMSneDCkVswfP9Wmij9uJxdURNUJgm2DGiRDNM_84odAiGUH7AuenEbdZDgb2PatQlpvMw5B4VzNf_ObHlpDuTbL5QHCdsbwLcXRLX6NOG369P8NPl_Mz17O0/s320/_DSC0155.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There hasn’t been anything especially interesting or
exciting going on. We’ve just been busy,
mostly with work. We’ve been stuck in a
rut of not leaving work on time/taking work home with us (sometimes the whole
“do more with less” gets really out of control), which hasn’t left time for
much else. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Most of this year has been that way, and it has felt like
we’re stuck in a cycle of just trying to make it through the week only to
arrive at the weekend exhausted and behind on all of the life stuff that got
put off during the week. When that
happens, we seem to spend the entire weekend trying to catch up and getting ready
for the next week of work. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We both struggle a little bit with setting boundaries, so
that’s something we’re making a real effort to work on. We’re also trying to work on better time
management. I think better time
management will follow if we get better at boundaries. You can’t really manage time that you’ve
allowed others to take control of. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETvHkELOr_jClFgYharaYvkNs8UH3dZOtkBsxwqXlao164HiconZZzz6lfQDOVeYVLtBwqXfRLF_o92QBv4Yv7DyxfreZx7LMfTlulPHrg9iYphvgDgT_swJXPkjICG4GIqOuWdHomf-IHDuq8aeKE_tlkNeefh_yBM4V6PDEWM7bfVa9_i1mNWRFGjE/s6000/_DSC0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhETvHkELOr_jClFgYharaYvkNs8UH3dZOtkBsxwqXlao164HiconZZzz6lfQDOVeYVLtBwqXfRLF_o92QBv4Yv7DyxfreZx7LMfTlulPHrg9iYphvgDgT_swJXPkjICG4GIqOuWdHomf-IHDuq8aeKE_tlkNeefh_yBM4V6PDEWM7bfVa9_i1mNWRFGjE/s320/_DSC0109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hopefully, this means we’ll have a little more time for
things we enjoy, which for me includes writing blog posts and visiting your
blogs. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We both still have a long way to go when it comes to
setting boundaries with work and leaving on time. Hopefully, we’ll see some improvements soon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We did finally make a plan and stick to it for this past
weekend, though, and it was wonderful.
We bought tickets in advance for a Saturday afternoon showing of The
Little Mermaid. It’s one of my absolute
favorite Disney cartoons, and I really wanted to see the live-action
movie. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It was so good! It
was just different enough from the cartoon not to be predictable but stayed
true enough to the cartoon to be familiar.
There were some new songs that were great. And I absolutely loved Melissa McCarthy as
Ursula. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLUgW_li0_0zFfEaAQixFA0-32e1b19LJzAIeCIky-Ft4SV79NVB9AHYFRCX_Pw6PeU3cH-yuZtlwMySvg8f5Bu4keR7uhTPHDN6PSSuwC-jlvIvbbWmcVOfXRMK1blYx-T4GB6YcYJkX1Ht0vAEa84Jj-xxBXAieZ9JFGZD28W9p1k971UrvrdtMM-g/s6000/_DSC0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLUgW_li0_0zFfEaAQixFA0-32e1b19LJzAIeCIky-Ft4SV79NVB9AHYFRCX_Pw6PeU3cH-yuZtlwMySvg8f5Bu4keR7uhTPHDN6PSSuwC-jlvIvbbWmcVOfXRMK1blYx-T4GB6YcYJkX1Ht0vAEa84Jj-xxBXAieZ9JFGZD28W9p1k971UrvrdtMM-g/s320/_DSC0311.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In other catch-up news, I took a CPR class. <a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2013/11/number-1-cpr-saturday.html">I took a compressions-only class years </a>ago but never a full CPR class. I had the
chance to take one with Nick, so I went for it.
I’m always nervous in medical settings, so going through the class with
Nick made me feel a lot better about it.
I did a lot better than I expected to with chest compressions, and I
learned how to use a bag valve mask. I
still hope I never, ever have to do CPR on a person, but at least I know I
can. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It was neat to take the class with Nick, too, because even
though he wasn’t teaching it (he’s not a CPR instructor, but has plenty of CPR
experience after spending over 20 years in the fire department), he was helping
people who were struggling during the practice and practicals. It was neat to watch him teach other people
and, in some cases, just help people find the confidence to do it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqNVAPI_HOyUuZEFfyO8ExhkKr6ZN1Nm8M753GEFAmLZ7U-cPnQH1B6phOXyndMXqPwwT1DOLw02lyrc_K6oosicPJC-KBwbZvqlpXjJeasHuzExmuuvVH4fz8ABXFdv5IlI7rjnplm81jmvuEASKCD_zakUz3K4EiALrrC2kzRSDanw3p_c76dcs_2M/s6000/_DSC0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqNVAPI_HOyUuZEFfyO8ExhkKr6ZN1Nm8M753GEFAmLZ7U-cPnQH1B6phOXyndMXqPwwT1DOLw02lyrc_K6oosicPJC-KBwbZvqlpXjJeasHuzExmuuvVH4fz8ABXFdv5IlI7rjnplm81jmvuEASKCD_zakUz3K4EiALrrC2kzRSDanw3p_c76dcs_2M/s320/_DSC0272.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, what about you?
What have you been up to for the past couple of months? Are you good at maintaining a good work/life
balance? How do you do it? Have you seen the new version of The Little
Mermaid? <o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-88386111019603304772023-05-04T19:30:00.000-04:002023-05-04T19:30:30.243-04:00Thursday 13: A Chemo and Senior Angels Update<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> It looks like it has been <a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2021/07/a-chemo-angels-and-senior-angels- update.html">almost two years since I did any kind of Chemo or Senior Angels</a> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2021/07/a-chemo-angels-and-senior-angels- update.html">update</a>, so I think it’s definitely time for one. In the interest of not letting it get too long, I </span><span style="font-family: arial;">thought a Thursday 13 would be a good format for it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you’re not familiar with <a href="https://www.chemoangels.com/">Chemo Angels and Senior Angel</a>s, you can <a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2020/08/letters.html">read my long post</a> </span><a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2020/08/letters.html" style="font-family: arial;">about them here</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. The very short version is that they’re programs that match volunteers </span><span style="font-family: arial;">(known as card angels or chemo angels) with patients or seniors (known as buddies), </span><span style="font-family: arial;">and the volunteer sends cards/letters to the patient/senior. I volunteer as a card angel with</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> both programs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As usual, with this kind of post, the photos are just a random assortment.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja60la77uVGutZ9Il-0el2B1-wpZIqpLztG5Z2p22RwbwAcLE79ozVTGyqmurOqsnh1slvX072UA498o8xAIqBee_M114y0A9uNGqy966ewrxUcF3zeYgQL94xnjS3BEHFiGLJ7vjB5moAlpanuh83K6UcFiZkFOc9mP84XdduSSehIuMB7zKa72FQ/s6000/_DSC0189%20-%20Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja60la77uVGutZ9Il-0el2B1-wpZIqpLztG5Z2p22RwbwAcLE79ozVTGyqmurOqsnh1slvX072UA498o8xAIqBee_M114y0A9uNGqy966ewrxUcF3zeYgQL94xnjS3BEHFiGLJ7vjB5moAlpanuh83K6UcFiZkFOc9mP84XdduSSehIuMB7zKa72FQ/s320/_DSC0189%20-%20Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, on to the update.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">1. I’m still writing to my original senior buddy. I’ve been writing to her since </span><span style="font-family: arial;">November 2019, shortly after I started with the program. She has written me </span><span style="font-family: arial;">back a few times and is doing well overall.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Her daughter manages her check-ins and is great about mentioning specific </span><span style="font-family: arial;">things that she enjoys hearing about or pictures she really likes, which makes </span><span style="font-family: arial;">it much easier to write to her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">3. My chemo buddy from last time (<a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2021/02/2021-so-far.html">the one who sent me the sweet gift at the</a> </span><a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2021/02/2021-so-far.html" style="font-family: arial;">beginning of 2021</a><span style="font-family: arial;">) finished with the program. Unfortunately, she’ll most likely </span><span style="font-family: arial;">be back for more chemo at some point, but she was getting an extended </span><span style="font-family: arial;">break and leaving the program for that.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">4. The chemo buddy who became my regular buddy after I was substitute card </span><span style="font-family: arial;">angel for a while also finished with the program during an extended chemo break</span><span style="font-family: arial;">. We’ve exchanged a few emails since then, and she sent me a Christmas</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> card last year. It sounds like she’s doing fairly well, which makes </span><span style="font-family: arial;">me very happy.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxv8wmc2GWvuMTNbTZaerSe2kMUgpd4RJmz9J9HpJHPObAFIcQgCRb4IkXrvRf34VACl56a1xSqk5dLcfKIBvYyeUHpEk6JRLENZ2j9bZrnng8w4_fLBPQFTdtzCSm3HNEBkxTA4yQfh8c3jTsu63P9JVoSH3MhS7Q5y8L-Id92fnsJ0yQeIuk7ui5/s3264/20221022_084609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxv8wmc2GWvuMTNbTZaerSe2kMUgpd4RJmz9J9HpJHPObAFIcQgCRb4IkXrvRf34VACl56a1xSqk5dLcfKIBvYyeUHpEk6JRLENZ2j9bZrnng8w4_fLBPQFTdtzCSm3HNEBkxTA4yQfh8c3jTsu63P9JVoSH3MhS7Q5y8L-Id92fnsJ0yQeIuk7ui5/s320/20221022_084609.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">5. My first-ever teenage buddy, the one I called Anna in my last update, finished </span><span style="font-family: arial;">her chemo and is cancer free. Her mom has posted a few updates on the </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Facebook page she set up during Anna’s chemo. Anna’s hair has grown </span><span style="font-family: arial;">back and was beautiful in her prom pictures. She will start college in the fall </span><span style="font-family: arial;">and is living life to the full. I love those updates, and I’m delighted at how well she’s</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> doing after everything she went through.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">6. I had another teenage buddy for most of last year. We’ll call her Kate for </span><span style="font-family: arial;">purposes of the update. Kate finished her chemo earlier this year and is now </span><span style="font-family: arial;">cancer free. Kate’s mom wasn’t as detailed in her check-ins as Anna’s mom </span><span style="font-family: arial;">was, so it was a little harder to gauge what she did or didn’t like. I’m delighted </span><span style="font-family: arial;">that she’s finished and cancer free.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">7. Last summer, I substituted for a 10-year-old girl for about a month while her </span><span style="font-family: arial;">regular card angel took a break. We’ll call her Denise for purposes of the </span><span style="font-family: arial;">update. Denise loves to draw, and at the end of my time writing to her, she sent</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> me some pictures she drew of my cats. (Yes, I always share pictures of </span><span style="font-family: arial;">my cats with my buddies.) Because I was only her substitute, I didn’t get </span><span style="font-family: arial;">updates about Denise and her progress. I truly hope she’s healthy and happy </span><span style="font-family: arial;">now.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9fyCoTI0_HTSSl8j91IzEcB8zZaQ86Lue4hhwwmGCwy5-quH1vtlTftUeIndTSxrVYNZyjpdXQjAbaSOJmh9Wu2tyHjPglTGl0dA6W8j2D6o1oe5CCtKpzBQy8NDdjAMFUJfzvPjROqcnMpIKjvcEJWXOcJnKiEvZX68nEvhgt2FKZWis1birTTI/s6000/_DSC0226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9fyCoTI0_HTSSl8j91IzEcB8zZaQ86Lue4hhwwmGCwy5-quH1vtlTftUeIndTSxrVYNZyjpdXQjAbaSOJmh9Wu2tyHjPglTGl0dA6W8j2D6o1oe5CCtKpzBQy8NDdjAMFUJfzvPjROqcnMpIKjvcEJWXOcJnKiEvZX68nEvhgt2FKZWis1birTTI/s320/_DSC0226.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">8. That’s the only bad thing about being a substitute; that you don’t find out </span><span style="font-family: arial;">when they finish their treatment or how they’re doing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">9. Once my assignment with Kate ended, I got back on the list for another </span><span style="font-family: arial;">buddy. I was matched to my newest buddy last month. We’ll call her Jane for update</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> purposes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">10. It’s too soon to have heard anything from a check-in of Jane’s, and her </span><span style="font-family: arial;">information sheet was a little sparse. So, right now, I’m mostly guessing </span><span style="font-family: arial;">about what to write to her about. I’m hoping that she’ll provide a little more </span><span style="font-family: arial;">information in some of her check-ins. She does like to read, though, so </span><span style="font-family: arial;">talking about books is always an option.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wMMtsuZRqoarBngTGHLLq7iJUVkxuBx_ES88uqAEvPTvmUk836s7ApD6NDW2H2DJDetpz7Ve6k2JZGBz3fxCfbaOpu6c0HNPDhBCexRpL6uwMsAqLKuvaCwmz9I_AXkWaEbiKaL8GAXHYVJnsWkCn3OZgxYJ5Z3btj1qiwxFuJYGxiCIdhjUwyK-/s6000/_DSC0259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7wMMtsuZRqoarBngTGHLLq7iJUVkxuBx_ES88uqAEvPTvmUk836s7ApD6NDW2H2DJDetpz7Ve6k2JZGBz3fxCfbaOpu6c0HNPDhBCexRpL6uwMsAqLKuvaCwmz9I_AXkWaEbiKaL8GAXHYVJnsWkCn3OZgxYJ5Z3btj1qiwxFuJYGxiCIdhjUwyK-/s320/_DSC0259.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">11. Recently, Chemo Angels has asked for volunteers willing to write to male </span><span style="font-family: arial;">patients (adults and/or teenagers). Apparently, some volunteers are only </span><span style="font-family: arial;">comfortable writing to women or young childreb, and there’s a shortage of volunteers willing to </span><span style="font-family: arial;">take on male buddies. If you’re interested in volunteering and willing to have </span><span style="font-family: arial;">a male buddy, this is a great time to </span><a href="https://www.chemoangels.com/" style="font-family: arial;">sign up</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. If you’re on the fence about </span><span style="font-family: arial;">volunteering with </span><a href="https://www.chemoangels.com/" style="font-family: arial;">Chemo/Senior Angels</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, I highly encourage you to give it a </span><span style="font-family: arial;">try. It’s not very time-consuming at all, and it’s an incredibly rewarding </span><span style="font-family: arial;">experience. So many of the volunteers in the Facebook group talk about </span><span style="font-family: arial;">feeling like we get more from it than our buddies do, and I really feel like that’s </span><span style="font-family: arial;">true sometimes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">12. I’ve volunteered to take a male buddy if there’s someone with some interests </span><span style="font-family: arial;">in common with me. Now that I’ve had a couple of teenage buddies, I’m fine </span><span style="font-family: arial;">with having a younger buddy (though I’m still not up for taking on a very </span><span style="font-family: arial;">young child). And I work in a very male-dominated field, so I’m perfectly fine </span><span style="font-family: arial;">with having a male buddy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">13. I’m still so grateful to Bijoux and Betty for sharing their experiences with Chemo</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Angels. I don’t think I would have heard of the program otherwise, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">and I love being a card angel.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pZqof9g7ds6-WmiRUsmLB3ZDbS-e2T3zcRoEtLy1qP3vGmkdGi-YRpOJGSIMQ3BIO6HorPsu9oxTr7Vs4NXfWr3EOz54O34mZa64yHcOCR4DWfyCALvtwA0EDAFmvEozMqQrOEStCJF9iGszIGUqXIW4xnH-1GYk7BlvYsTazSGGjCff6e7oQbG7/s6000/_DSC0287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pZqof9g7ds6-WmiRUsmLB3ZDbS-e2T3zcRoEtLy1qP3vGmkdGi-YRpOJGSIMQ3BIO6HorPsu9oxTr7Vs4NXfWr3EOz54O34mZa64yHcOCR4DWfyCALvtwA0EDAFmvEozMqQrOEStCJF9iGszIGUqXIW4xnH-1GYk7BlvYsTazSGGjCff6e7oQbG7/s320/_DSC0287.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I truly believe that we all have a responsibility to do something, however </span><span style="font-family: arial;">small, to help others if we’re able. At times, I’ve had a hard time finding that </span><span style="font-family: arial;">something for myself, but Chemo Angels/Senior Angels has been a really </span><span style="font-family: arial;">good fit for me. I know it’s a very, very small thing in the grand scheme of </span><span style="font-family: arial;">things, but I’m okay with that. I like small, behind-the-scenes things, and I’m </span><span style="font-family: arial;">very much okay with sending cards that hopefully brighten someone’s day a </span><span style="font-family: arial;">little bit.</span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-75488021768867264162023-05-02T19:42:00.000-04:002023-05-02T19:42:10.443-04:00Crochet Cat Couch <p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I think I’m a
very, very slow crocheter.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2022-09-22T18:05:00-04:00&max-results=5">Back in September, I decided</a> I was going to make my sister, Gabby, a <a href=" https://www.yarnspirations.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-master-catalog-spinrite/default/dw662e45f8/PDF/RHC0720-029833V.pdf">crocheted cat couch.</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">She first asked for it in 2020.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In 2021, I told her it was beyond my skill
level.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In 2022, when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dN6Udy8fyg">The Crochet Crowd released a left-handed tutorial</a>, I decided to give it a try.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-X_oqYnDOG2urIN3Kqt-AM581ED0s0CKMM23LzrHPaMTSjii0_umOcu0bvB6FWzukIb4BeUZwasvhHxRaHrCdVT6a7X8qgXx-DQnK4x38_flUQnB-uf2L8CZQywShILXV6OFqe6-gPWCuZ1moKRjP8Jc8qMTg-PVRqrim8Y6Q1DnW84KXdFinN1_/s4032/IMG_8796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-X_oqYnDOG2urIN3Kqt-AM581ED0s0CKMM23LzrHPaMTSjii0_umOcu0bvB6FWzukIb4BeUZwasvhHxRaHrCdVT6a7X8qgXx-DQnK4x38_flUQnB-uf2L8CZQywShILXV6OFqe6-gPWCuZ1moKRjP8Jc8qMTg-PVRqrim8Y6Q1DnW84KXdFinN1_/s320/IMG_8796.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">My original
plan was to give it to her when we had our early Christmas celebration in
November. That didn’t work out. My next plan was to give it to her at
Christmas since we were planning to go to her house. That didn’t work out either. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">We finally made
plans to go stay with Gabby and Amy this past weekend, so I got to work on the
cat couch in earnest. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I had done the
gauge swatch back in November. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pbXtSnjN7ndczh8fH8lDiroDj4IiuZ68Rn-UcRHp6uP3aqC6Jn1wkaXW13bx95oUvntM1nY5afIVtwPr1i5Fm19l6mSNWOoZW2mZcBsL7vQr-RqRir3NStPUz-WZJXar5kX53cDYj86CLvKYKjaM5e2JaN0jUWTwmeAU43kjJC_6hLKlDhG_6JCQ/s3264/20221026_125320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pbXtSnjN7ndczh8fH8lDiroDj4IiuZ68Rn-UcRHp6uP3aqC6Jn1wkaXW13bx95oUvntM1nY5afIVtwPr1i5Fm19l6mSNWOoZW2mZcBsL7vQr-RqRir3NStPUz-WZJXar5kX53cDYj86CLvKYKjaM5e2JaN0jUWTwmeAU43kjJC_6hLKlDhG_6JCQ/s320/20221026_125320.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDODeINxgVOenHTpRciBFPQYI7ICQEv6S5bq1daNVtaws8ux0OnBAJBCowEztchJZluT1qjxV-ByTP4MH4ovLaFVgtPdeAKF2nRaLLYxHT_3jQW-AWHuhVW8E7-6ykLQ-rDIzDlmo_bYSpPAFylMZN5HCeeVjxXWSB9ZeS5jHfjAsllAB9E1M2Bx1/s3264/20221026_125339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGDODeINxgVOenHTpRciBFPQYI7ICQEv6S5bq1daNVtaws8ux0OnBAJBCowEztchJZluT1qjxV-ByTP4MH4ovLaFVgtPdeAKF2nRaLLYxHT_3jQW-AWHuhVW8E7-6ykLQ-rDIzDlmo_bYSpPAFylMZN5HCeeVjxXWSB9ZeS5jHfjAsllAB9E1M2Bx1/s320/20221026_125339.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I also made the
dust ruffle and got started on the couch.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLJnL-XCTWfNRUFULvST7QzlpsgJOWQPsSfo18d7A3CuePw5B_ZOF3AwyNNHPEKa4E9jLeiXlqmf9NHm7NkB9OnksZa0LhpTmKCHnMMKWwtIyMQyAG2Z-CSWyp891yOoHIiX9VwhK1IQtK-4Clnzc5RgLCfWJNF0S3luMlc2s7LlbgZesheK1TNRS/s3264/20221024_181104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLJnL-XCTWfNRUFULvST7QzlpsgJOWQPsSfo18d7A3CuePw5B_ZOF3AwyNNHPEKa4E9jLeiXlqmf9NHm7NkB9OnksZa0LhpTmKCHnMMKWwtIyMQyAG2Z-CSWyp891yOoHIiX9VwhK1IQtK-4Clnzc5RgLCfWJNF0S3luMlc2s7LlbgZesheK1TNRS/s320/20221024_181104.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">The pattern was
largely a repeat of single crochet, double crochet. It sounds simple, right? For some reason, I couldn’t manage to
remember the stitch and count the stitches.
I pulled out a few rows, then started relying very heavily on stitch
markers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsPYWXanfJVIjZ25xgWKYO32wUyvLHc2rUsAqR0_dm8k0pnDxpV2euORqcQC_fS_u5LX833M_TNmIt5b0AgFZh3tdUJLBawtJ97Banwvm3ltNl8Xk4xDOubfsWjxOuM3pfA4KTKM3R-w7BLHx5Ixo1gnqQx_mbZ37VbWvGZ6PSpOuhO8d7i3Tdmj_/s3264/20221026_114615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsPYWXanfJVIjZ25xgWKYO32wUyvLHc2rUsAqR0_dm8k0pnDxpV2euORqcQC_fS_u5LX833M_TNmIt5b0AgFZh3tdUJLBawtJ97Banwvm3ltNl8Xk4xDOubfsWjxOuM3pfA4KTKM3R-w7BLHx5Ixo1gnqQx_mbZ37VbWvGZ6PSpOuhO8d7i3Tdmj_/s320/20221026_114615.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmhel-UzqkUCkJRLmwSGFkCjvSx6lguq4o7-Weflciw22L_gXlKcyzNvXX_AgysRjl0CnLgQ8TY5ARBbgUQsuwQB0VOO7dGtn-ZbX1lOt7Dx3t2f7yTcENBjutN-9fKt2PwcEFNQhAm2LrMJBU4vXIy-aQLdtpn6MTdS7vrVaFr0jCPjhtA_Vbl8O/s3264/20221208_223627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmhel-UzqkUCkJRLmwSGFkCjvSx6lguq4o7-Weflciw22L_gXlKcyzNvXX_AgysRjl0CnLgQ8TY5ARBbgUQsuwQB0VOO7dGtn-ZbX1lOt7Dx3t2f7yTcENBjutN-9fKt2PwcEFNQhAm2LrMJBU4vXIy-aQLdtpn6MTdS7vrVaFr0jCPjhtA_Vbl8O/s320/20221208_223627.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">It was VERY
slow going. It took me days to finish
one side of one cushion. I also learned
that I HATE slip stitching, which the pattern has a decent amount of. I’m convinced it’s called slip stitching
because of how often the hook slips out of the yarn when you do it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I’m in a few
crochet groups on Facebook, and quite a few people who make the couch say
they’ll never make another one. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I looked on
Etsy to price them. They’re all over
$100.00, and some are close to $200.00. I
understand why! I did notice, though,
that some seemed to be based on a different pattern. So, I started looking for more tutorials. <a href=" https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#search/cat+couch/QgrcJHrtvXMGLVvHckFhbgxrWZFZttDPXSv?projector=1 ">I found this one that I liked</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I finally
decided to cobble together my own pattern based on these two tutorials and
started over on the couch. I kept the
dust ruffle, though.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I didn’t tell
Gabby I was working on it. I wasn’t sure
I’d succeed in making it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Fortunately, it
worked. I’m sure you can tell that there
are a lot of mistakes. I have ideas on
how to fix most of them, and I think the next couch will look a lot
better. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceheGOH8mMl_E6-hIGcur904UGbwUpcWq_InFFVCs5D5DFxUBwsY2I-nwnO7r1et3ICHY5SknQmC04PcfUDj2barle9PwyCPodfug1mH9xz8qs6_NyhwLn-UWF6mKVLtdT4WhBo4J0zFvwl0Px6U68skZBtokAJ9LEq0u3rsCBZeHLWdcbJYHeKnM/s1746/20230502_192154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1604" data-original-width="1746" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceheGOH8mMl_E6-hIGcur904UGbwUpcWq_InFFVCs5D5DFxUBwsY2I-nwnO7r1et3ICHY5SknQmC04PcfUDj2barle9PwyCPodfug1mH9xz8qs6_NyhwLn-UWF6mKVLtdT4WhBo4J0zFvwl0Px6U68skZBtokAJ9LEq0u3rsCBZeHLWdcbJYHeKnM/s320/20230502_192154.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I was running
out of time and energy, so I didn’t make any throw pillows. And I went really simple for the
blanket. It’s just a continuous granny
square<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSIHdQnKYBg "> based on this tutorial</a>. I think
it might have been a little neater if I’d used a smaller hook. Next time!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">When we got to
Gabby and Amy’s. Gabby was cooking dinner, so Amy helped us carry stuff
in. Actually, she helped Nick carry most
of the stuff in while I was in the kitchen with Gabby. As soon as they brought the cat couch in, Amy
told Gabby she had to come see what Nick had just brought in. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Gabby was very
excited! She said she didn’t think I’d
ever make it since I had told her it was beyond my skill level. She and Amy both say it looks nice and looks
like something they’d be willing to pay for from a store. I’m not sure about that. It’s definitely cute, but there are mistakes
and things I could have done better.
But, I’m very glad they like it.
And, honestly, I’m still kind of proud of it, even though it’s not
perfect. It’s the biggest crochet
project I’ve done thus far. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">More
importantly, their cats like it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBrvrvI64x-HTw3Sh9vBnwv22fIPeY8GR6Ec3RTy8A2awtQIJ5P2Nfm8mOHM9AjKHR93iHmQ6y4vy9b-B0t09im-UKoJ4k8ll6CEpQCzudP_dYTXpCPAFZxfio-cUPSTo0DDX_eR8vpEoUZohc9Yd7nlj9HXX0uIf0p9L2E6lPE5z0lqaKa3o1hJB/s4032/IMG_8798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBrvrvI64x-HTw3Sh9vBnwv22fIPeY8GR6Ec3RTy8A2awtQIJ5P2Nfm8mOHM9AjKHR93iHmQ6y4vy9b-B0t09im-UKoJ4k8ll6CEpQCzudP_dYTXpCPAFZxfio-cUPSTo0DDX_eR8vpEoUZohc9Yd7nlj9HXX0uIf0p9L2E6lPE5z0lqaKa3o1hJB/s320/IMG_8798.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetFuVHO0Fc5METMldd9MHzUGXHSaC_Zfk6ejRYQjzVHlCBUxpO966IG61gwPATjqwVrWbycJFG-OPkOr1VdN7ZGEqUDNeI_Uiigt7QDomgCwcQ971XFF-wTCXafnPcTPmdLse3VK7oyrzn01AVMXFWhZmM78bLrDiuWaEqbWS8q_PgCFOiY8_MDt2/s3264/20230430_084635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetFuVHO0Fc5METMldd9MHzUGXHSaC_Zfk6ejRYQjzVHlCBUxpO966IG61gwPATjqwVrWbycJFG-OPkOr1VdN7ZGEqUDNeI_Uiigt7QDomgCwcQ971XFF-wTCXafnPcTPmdLse3VK7oyrzn01AVMXFWhZmM78bLrDiuWaEqbWS8q_PgCFOiY8_MDt2/s320/20230430_084635.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Dobby is their most adventurous cat and he was on it within a few minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyu8ZxzpEcl_Na4V5sdYX9M9sFMVO7cF-JyS7RmQMKUfU6TcG5-y-wdvoXsb7bv2MRBWAkFTK81N5GcmJ2xVifeTKmJ2nHYbquuYdXWKN9yOmdg6cbV862IsW-fi_6ycEWArK2pMH_tfS9j0-7ADuGVmP0s2E2GTAFawkQMOzhV0j4yLbiLe5p1rQY/s3264/20230428_205740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyu8ZxzpEcl_Na4V5sdYX9M9sFMVO7cF-JyS7RmQMKUfU6TcG5-y-wdvoXsb7bv2MRBWAkFTK81N5GcmJ2xVifeTKmJ2nHYbquuYdXWKN9yOmdg6cbV862IsW-fi_6ycEWArK2pMH_tfS9j0-7ADuGVmP0s2E2GTAFawkQMOzhV0j4yLbiLe5p1rQY/s320/20230428_205740.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-tHl9k0qQ5BJsY_OKlwFbPka3F_4QPCSwpU8s7EaCtQ7sHifHFzoZtDql_pGbmLXgx7IUMMLNF10V4qF9bHfnRX5b5zhiJ55qtBr1FVD63bbLyJzZeJDIA9MWtBy8aJbMUV7tA1aC6Tm_r1JJ6YFPFgrJ2y4CKQBcn1kDiWENNTAdOSB0-cO0koC/s3264/20230428_205912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf-tHl9k0qQ5BJsY_OKlwFbPka3F_4QPCSwpU8s7EaCtQ7sHifHFzoZtDql_pGbmLXgx7IUMMLNF10V4qF9bHfnRX5b5zhiJ55qtBr1FVD63bbLyJzZeJDIA9MWtBy8aJbMUV7tA1aC6Tm_r1JJ6YFPFgrJ2y4CKQBcn1kDiWENNTAdOSB0-cO0koC/s320/20230428_205912.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpuRsGh_tCE6tZKjPbnbkIPg98WQfD6RhVbFCGjulUEWrUxWJYQViFvrgbwfTVzplWD9PNjzNHDBZbYWr1VJlXtXCIHK-RI-yxrhN4tNObW_sPzL_GkUEZStRhgSDrBcbTMXVaPgpMX56TI2dw88h0Y2mod4obeaaVSbEzUojEOwASoYaObTNfLcu/s3264/20230428_210338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpuRsGh_tCE6tZKjPbnbkIPg98WQfD6RhVbFCGjulUEWrUxWJYQViFvrgbwfTVzplWD9PNjzNHDBZbYWr1VJlXtXCIHK-RI-yxrhN4tNObW_sPzL_GkUEZStRhgSDrBcbTMXVaPgpMX56TI2dw88h0Y2mod4obeaaVSbEzUojEOwASoYaObTNfLcu/s320/20230428_210338.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMExgSB6NPTVDQrzxALoqKK935rl4NHgkoXbjPd_TT6HAprz9kQ8Aec6U_k7Ir7QrhVTUIUhxQowFhxpqBQjWmcRT_D_KyaquKUBg4YU8AMNVcswTy-7u7VU5ATFtp751g2CT_G9p-cuFF09Zoux5bj6HMB3UZ8tvk1pyxRacZ43r8AgxYHhbloGq/s3264/20230428_205554.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMExgSB6NPTVDQrzxALoqKK935rl4NHgkoXbjPd_TT6HAprz9kQ8Aec6U_k7Ir7QrhVTUIUhxQowFhxpqBQjWmcRT_D_KyaquKUBg4YU8AMNVcswTy-7u7VU5ATFtp751g2CT_G9p-cuFF09Zoux5bj6HMB3UZ8tvk1pyxRacZ43r8AgxYHhbloGq/s320/20230428_205554.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">I also need to
make one for our cats. Caroline was very
interested in it. She was even on it
while I was sewing on the dust ruffle. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0VtAfu38OBrzb0svDqq-BcOrho5F7zZ-YMON2zcNwuI8QGocRRtUS9RgVedU2KC6jXUhfW863TmcYDixIQywHqFqS2xHDXi1ie8Y_xgGVWyxJohlBmR8nttFrgR5NRd7ijGEfi-icFuT68Z5jBkThtoUhyov9bBbg4NQ9PxqsX23GmGoe0YwBKzE/s3264/20230428_025429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0VtAfu38OBrzb0svDqq-BcOrho5F7zZ-YMON2zcNwuI8QGocRRtUS9RgVedU2KC6jXUhfW863TmcYDixIQywHqFqS2xHDXi1ie8Y_xgGVWyxJohlBmR8nttFrgR5NRd7ijGEfi-icFuT68Z5jBkThtoUhyov9bBbg4NQ9PxqsX23GmGoe0YwBKzE/s320/20230428_025429.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Gabby sent me
this picture today of another one of their cats, Flitwick, on the couch. It’s definitely cat approved!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglg-OBqdlxEgNnWajo-8cTxL-A3E5WkJqL_R7jlO708XEdmU8l06Wp6-MIkFHIXIxlol_AH4JZSzXLieFJja_ukrxjoAJ1Ybl1NYcTJFxBa8SLu6IHNIIWPR9PZ6f73AFLXRS24eRIxqbN7HakT-0V_kuCHHKWOUJ6lKV2ofQIOaZI3P2TSuNj8K5h/s2048/IMG_2027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglg-OBqdlxEgNnWajo-8cTxL-A3E5WkJqL_R7jlO708XEdmU8l06Wp6-MIkFHIXIxlol_AH4JZSzXLieFJja_ukrxjoAJ1Ybl1NYcTJFxBa8SLu6IHNIIWPR9PZ6f73AFLXRS24eRIxqbN7HakT-0V_kuCHHKWOUJ6lKV2ofQIOaZI3P2TSuNj8K5h/s320/IMG_2027.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-67273048298634776432023-04-24T19:54:00.000-04:002023-04-24T19:54:41.059-04:00Thirteen, But Not Thursday<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I keep planning to do a Thursday 13 to catch up, but it
doesn’t seem to be happening. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, here
are thirteen things anyway.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">First, though, thank you for your kind words when I wrote
about Duke. I love how much people who
never met him loved him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu1XBn4Qo4vL-uE41cJ3gkHAJ5wGYZdFELdlPI8lvdTanwQ5quluc8_cBEktBIo-u48peeqBI7D3LoxWUdYyU-1fm4-q9wEMBNcBP9fBacl1Ct1HGwwprX8wNkKOQkbRz71_Mw-__fkYiYQa-3z0iRcuDC4SBobA_G0IoQE1VHF2U8-lKNG_-bkEh/s6000/_DSC0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu1XBn4Qo4vL-uE41cJ3gkHAJ5wGYZdFELdlPI8lvdTanwQ5quluc8_cBEktBIo-u48peeqBI7D3LoxWUdYyU-1fm4-q9wEMBNcBP9fBacl1Ct1HGwwprX8wNkKOQkbRz71_Mw-__fkYiYQa-3z0iRcuDC4SBobA_G0IoQE1VHF2U8-lKNG_-bkEh/w400-h266/_DSC0178.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Now, on to some catch-up things.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">We had a
wonderful Thanksgiving. We took the
meal to the hospice house for lunch, as usual. As always, everyone was incredibly
nice. We hosted our Thanksgiving
later that night and had a full house.
Everyone ate way too much, then sat around and talked and played
games. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p>
<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Once
again, I got too busy and forgot to take pictures of all of the food. I took pictures of the desserts and some
of the potato and sweet potato prep but then didn’t take any more
pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4VLrU5D2CsBUn6FdT9GzREUPWukHFN5EQH-tpvPjdFlyP6rdStsVdI3kwJrUngZBp08TZA3ZdjWm77H_maRy0mB_PuYI0WyumUB6lovu53E1rbstg8GDURqOPEn-dUPpoyrWQMoBR0vd1c0kwf-uj_ufvoXRJpHDNvfoMJ7yJtr-J8Wz8CCGvo1L/s3264/20221124_002243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4VLrU5D2CsBUn6FdT9GzREUPWukHFN5EQH-tpvPjdFlyP6rdStsVdI3kwJrUngZBp08TZA3ZdjWm77H_maRy0mB_PuYI0WyumUB6lovu53E1rbstg8GDURqOPEn-dUPpoyrWQMoBR0vd1c0kwf-uj_ufvoXRJpHDNvfoMJ7yJtr-J8Wz8CCGvo1L/w400-h225/20221124_002243.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bQGQTOQwkmeTOaHXKxma-_1vN73weFjCAT06NEDLI_H8ebcP-fdhTIOvlAI17f4kg1HX7q0LOQRH38WQNTmqgMebJt0q6veCDsggc2KmWwd735CSjvNOoZaKpYSKiI73qEYiserFwVhRF6AsIo9qD2xptwzDmRYe-HAzNs3ivdZH5_2eE7HO0BGA/s3264/20221124_002212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bQGQTOQwkmeTOaHXKxma-_1vN73weFjCAT06NEDLI_H8ebcP-fdhTIOvlAI17f4kg1HX7q0LOQRH38WQNTmqgMebJt0q6veCDsggc2KmWwd735CSjvNOoZaKpYSKiI73qEYiserFwVhRF6AsIo9qD2xptwzDmRYe-HAzNs3ivdZH5_2eE7HO0BGA/w400-h225/20221124_002212.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<ol start="3" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2022/07/we-have-refrigerator.html">Our new fridge is a little bit smaller than the old one</a>, which normally isn’t a
problem, but it was somewhat problematic around Thanksgiving. Fortunately, the fridge in the breakroom
at work was mostly empty, and several people have mini fridges in their
offices and were nice enough to let me store things. I made a few early morning shopping
trips before work and had a list on my office bulletin board of where
everything was to make sure I didn’t leave anything when I left
Tuesday. </span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn899SFbMsKf8IRQJj65v_Je3miMlviPvCVTesX-hXXaSbOBQFzzBffMWehJsYuMu_i1GSffF7mpyMF9QJFY-DkmcnEvmNdQnqJ4TMIbNp8Oegk6LDfm7JJkkVmjjpqy4TPQH2NMW5mNXymeONVEpfqorOIHcvSVa8O1iwxagtbHRH5kLAZHEuUhRw/s3264/20221120_100343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn899SFbMsKf8IRQJj65v_Je3miMlviPvCVTesX-hXXaSbOBQFzzBffMWehJsYuMu_i1GSffF7mpyMF9QJFY-DkmcnEvmNdQnqJ4TMIbNp8Oegk6LDfm7JJkkVmjjpqy4TPQH2NMW5mNXymeONVEpfqorOIHcvSVa8O1iwxagtbHRH5kLAZHEuUhRw/w225-h400/20221120_100343.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcRYqRL7ldoVxnOY1iprFeolivv8e7-IZmkdapit9bSkLsoUkMorehbU_1XnSY9cOUxrkzQKVe30ZIIpTZ3CAyoT1CTyzC8jp77HyPGKfOoKXffoNXb5dHhHJrDu451qYHIPJZmgcT0opqztvoEu15RavkSBBl75w-16ni7jJl_V5aWuE8jW1bmK1/s3264/20221120_100348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcRYqRL7ldoVxnOY1iprFeolivv8e7-IZmkdapit9bSkLsoUkMorehbU_1XnSY9cOUxrkzQKVe30ZIIpTZ3CAyoT1CTyzC8jp77HyPGKfOoKXffoNXb5dHhHJrDu451qYHIPJZmgcT0opqztvoEu15RavkSBBl75w-16ni7jJl_V5aWuE8jW1bmK1/w225-h400/20221120_100348.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<ol start="4" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I
crocheted a Grinch scarf using <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa_sHpbb8Mw">this tutorial</a>. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned
out. Can you spot where I messed up
joining the red and white on one of the feet? Everyone says it’s not very noticeable.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGOvD8Rs7QIReaTdF0FtTORvHVcUTuyz8tzJCMJmTxfXV1ocDTgt7JasTi3WuOzqcWIgXjrZeBNtSRSBjmTvcKvIGocpyiWO1cvYjJrEX6H_tbSkEg8xqOi-J2pwYuI71RylLdgWhLlf6btAxjw1_1FwuRJhqzmDAXm_mHnIfqbvMacHzpQeoflnr/s3264/20221104_222802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGOvD8Rs7QIReaTdF0FtTORvHVcUTuyz8tzJCMJmTxfXV1ocDTgt7JasTi3WuOzqcWIgXjrZeBNtSRSBjmTvcKvIGocpyiWO1cvYjJrEX6H_tbSkEg8xqOi-J2pwYuI71RylLdgWhLlf6btAxjw1_1FwuRJhqzmDAXm_mHnIfqbvMacHzpQeoflnr/w225-h400/20221104_222802.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<ol start="5" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">I used
Howard and Frankie to model my Grinch scarf for me. Howard was a much more cooperative and
enthusiastic model than Frankie. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_Av5Y7u71yXSAUpAknPHnxAa_2H0jti0N0kPnnm0ebgCDBuUbb-diJ3-DC89_1aY5s5EPv-42VSBSrCT-cKhItFMxEatQAM1mjmR7KlhM34zZVYvZE2fEzppd4LbVo4CG49Sd4iSwUOXH-Obdo6cXrovjhfXnEki26KmvSOkDkCYKbTFT3DhDJkW/s3264/20221104_223138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_Av5Y7u71yXSAUpAknPHnxAa_2H0jti0N0kPnnm0ebgCDBuUbb-diJ3-DC89_1aY5s5EPv-42VSBSrCT-cKhItFMxEatQAM1mjmR7KlhM34zZVYvZE2fEzppd4LbVo4CG49Sd4iSwUOXH-Obdo6cXrovjhfXnEki26KmvSOkDkCYKbTFT3DhDJkW/w225-h400/20221104_223138.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Howard, the enthusiastic model.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFduDbMVJFq4fl4srHv-icyYODyOqQ_XBf17b683k0htdYM-87se661RDXGESpwAe4-N_xGwKT0RbxJwUazrnmWO3_laMcp_90G3X3bcwPXVLbh_nR-1u6HMUkyyYwIrRoQn_M2g1uLkXpiZGljHoNWvIiBweARsLYQLpDL36tsFvuS_t3gkTtb-tb/s3264/20221104_223218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFduDbMVJFq4fl4srHv-icyYODyOqQ_XBf17b683k0htdYM-87se661RDXGESpwAe4-N_xGwKT0RbxJwUazrnmWO3_laMcp_90G3X3bcwPXVLbh_nR-1u6HMUkyyYwIrRoQn_M2g1uLkXpiZGljHoNWvIiBweARsLYQLpDL36tsFvuS_t3gkTtb-tb/w225-h400/20221104_223218.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frankie, the reluctant model.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p>
<ol start="6" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">We got the
cats a little gingerbread scratch house at Christmas. They seem to love it. And we’ve discovered that scratch houses
with peaked roofs hold up better than ones with a flat top <a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2022/04/el-gato-taco-truck.html">(like the taco truck)</a> since they can’t really get on top of them to crush them. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jCPoyxxk3vi3jqznO6Vod4me5FCYICtrOE0MhjQrsROqYa3oPud0Kui1c_UscddbTTBNS5vy5ukYJpp9BuRgP6Pwecdcj0iLn2lOLyaSBuGvo3AvMRz_MK7BL5wk3WkT8xqCzCeS83e5U4XI_Ml4OeXCT42zQoeyB-aeq828N6em6F2aNZel6iQ0/s3264/20230103_210238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jCPoyxxk3vi3jqznO6Vod4me5FCYICtrOE0MhjQrsROqYa3oPud0Kui1c_UscddbTTBNS5vy5ukYJpp9BuRgP6Pwecdcj0iLn2lOLyaSBuGvo3AvMRz_MK7BL5wk3WkT8xqCzCeS83e5U4XI_Ml4OeXCT42zQoeyB-aeq828N6em6F2aNZel6iQ0/w225-h400/20230103_210238.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caroline</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span></p>
<ol start="7" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">We did a very early Christmas with Nick’s
mom, stepdad (Susan and Alan), and grandfather, and my sister and her
girlfriend (Gabby and Amy). Because
of scheduling, we had it in mid-November (even before Thanksgiving), and
it worked out really well. We’re
talking about doing that again this year.
<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p>
<ol start="8" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">My Christmas gift from Susan and Alan was tickets to see the show
Cats and dinner at The Melting Pot.
I had seen Cats once before when I was 10 or 11 and loved it. <a href="http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/2020/03/things-certainly-have-changed.html">At the end of 2019, Susan came up with the idea of gifting experiences for Christmas and/or birthday presents. That was how we saw Les Misérables right before COVID. </a>
Obviously, COVID kind of put the brakes on experience-type gifts
for a little while, but for Christmas of 2022, I was gifted the Cats
tickets. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p>
<ol start="9" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Another advantage, besides not having to dust it, find a place to
keep it, etc., about experience gifts is that they don’t necessarily
happen at Christmas. Our Cats
tickets were for April 8<sup>th</sup>.
It was really nice to have something fun on the calendar for so
long. We don’t see a lot of shows
like that, and we don’t tend to go out for fancy dinners or get dressed up
a lot, but it’s nice to do sometimes.
We had a great time! Dinner
was amazing, and the show was incredible.
<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p>
<ol start="10" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Jennyanydots is still my favorite character. She reminds me of my childhood cat,
Sassy, and I love the tap dance routine. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p>
<ol start="11" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">My birthday was earlier this month, and my coworkers surprised me
with donuts and a card, which was really nice. One of my coworkers and I were in my
office working on something, and someone else came to get us and said
there was a short meeting in the breakroom. The “meeting” turned out to be everyone
in the breakroom with donuts and a card and singing happy birthday. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p>
<ol start="12" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">And one of my coworkers gave me this mug, which I think perfectly
explains why the meeting story worked so well. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFvbB7_2r16VVIczZkG8AXX9EXtQ9T4IogUcbzJ94a2BRLv2PFvfi8mSXQ3n3n5VztHShmF2VyAmJJUYueyZb99BlCVTbyb-plhOFGbAy3EZ9rrowyuR_v-D6iQLS2aKIiOR-Tt-TDDnNebJiaqp24x0rS2onOVhSaHMz7gBcRJNT6_apprhXTDFu/s3264/20230414_154252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFvbB7_2r16VVIczZkG8AXX9EXtQ9T4IogUcbzJ94a2BRLv2PFvfi8mSXQ3n3n5VztHShmF2VyAmJJUYueyZb99BlCVTbyb-plhOFGbAy3EZ9rrowyuR_v-D6iQLS2aKIiOR-Tt-TDDnNebJiaqp24x0rS2onOVhSaHMz7gBcRJNT6_apprhXTDFu/w225-h400/20230414_154252.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My office is still pink.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><br /></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><span> 13.<span> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Since 2022 was not a good year for us, we decided to burn calendars on New Year’s <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Eve. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">It felt so good to throw the pages in and watch them go up in flames!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJsdEYzsnqH6eCfrlsoALCFLJtL7YQsf5SQwWzfhYlkj-iXMNdY7In_NERDZRIIA4EfMTubtVH0a6p6Cqc7k32Iw1cPH1C6SpLPrNQ_tY8T1Qq4BsT5pUpa0Y1SARPh5i0KX-hwmwufxlAv3_LM_7bodU6b-HXZ7gk2xRIo915FcY8XGj0l2mHa_Q/s3264/20221231_223345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJsdEYzsnqH6eCfrlsoALCFLJtL7YQsf5SQwWzfhYlkj-iXMNdY7In_NERDZRIIA4EfMTubtVH0a6p6Cqc7k32Iw1cPH1C6SpLPrNQ_tY8T1Qq4BsT5pUpa0Y1SARPh5i0KX-hwmwufxlAv3_LM_7bodU6b-HXZ7gk2xRIo915FcY8XGj0l2mHa_Q/w225-h400/20221231_223345.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CwN44DAG_YKDK2WFVDwRMlNddTzBKOqlDJlaNiS8x4zivP_yS_q7N8NfRPJDmfJh291gFE0gDqs4RujcYDdjyGKyNqrtaOr2eHS-juM5OTjUlE8hKYYk3nCQtWbyTZS3pTczLLSX2haNdA4t6Qe6un-LS9Ez60dG3UNw5DMqOSPWQnxwJgVTahFt/s3264/20221231_223546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CwN44DAG_YKDK2WFVDwRMlNddTzBKOqlDJlaNiS8x4zivP_yS_q7N8NfRPJDmfJh291gFE0gDqs4RujcYDdjyGKyNqrtaOr2eHS-juM5OTjUlE8hKYYk3nCQtWbyTZS3pTczLLSX2haNdA4t6Qe6un-LS9Ez60dG3UNw5DMqOSPWQnxwJgVTahFt/w225-h400/20221231_223546.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">So, what have you been up
to lately? <o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-55278510379419114982023-02-18T16:46:00.000-05:002023-02-18T16:46:38.708-05:00Duke<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve been putting off writing this post for almost two
months.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you’ve been visiting for a
while, I’m sure you know where this is going.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We had to say goodbye to Duke on December 21, 2022.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnNJpmbYUjMns2AoBDVTSWv3N1jSwSZxupQ29N9lmGQ6T2rA3EZ63fFBwIMwsWYPkgTYOswm1e-1GwyFP30C9iYTwZcrLABPHLpC4BgLq3HgBTjBa531uQEfq2bbff9Cn6V-uFKKHcms_j70W48Hh2d4X0o-TWVpAarfPCXcDvhhCAElgqrMdiJwy/s6000/_DSC0178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnNJpmbYUjMns2AoBDVTSWv3N1jSwSZxupQ29N9lmGQ6T2rA3EZ63fFBwIMwsWYPkgTYOswm1e-1GwyFP30C9iYTwZcrLABPHLpC4BgLq3HgBTjBa531uQEfq2bbff9Cn6V-uFKKHcms_j70W48Hh2d4X0o-TWVpAarfPCXcDvhhCAElgqrMdiJwy/s320/_DSC0178.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I really thought we’d get one last Christmas with him, but when
he started to decline, it was so fast.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Duke had his surgery for Cushing’s Disease in January last
year. They were able to get most of the
tumor, but it was malignant, and we knew there was a chance it would grow
faster than expected. Duke recovered
well from the surgery. He had a great
spring and summer. He played in the
yard, ate a lot more rabbits than anyone would have liked, was the center of
attention on quite a few game nights, and shoplifted at the dog wash (don’t
worry, we always paid for whatever he helped himself to). His mobility wasn’t perfect, but it was good. He struggled to get up from some floors but was
fine once we helped him up. And we lost
an egg and cheese bagel to the assumption that he couldn’t get to it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YoZSRBhomG7tkMflq0YzsdWkpyEmYcrrDfsvPKFB3kachqzhJIVKfwjombGr7e-Q-vjnymAWf948q-2HOfvQGWeMVfxleFqYUtJmZwyGdrAIXbdq89ePyvhV1b14z32lMn1qj8KPxQTnBo3G4YJKQs2mEWHcbdbx5dPbAnkKyQgBeBFHEL7ELhjP/s3264/20220522_140640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YoZSRBhomG7tkMflq0YzsdWkpyEmYcrrDfsvPKFB3kachqzhJIVKfwjombGr7e-Q-vjnymAWf948q-2HOfvQGWeMVfxleFqYUtJmZwyGdrAIXbdq89ePyvhV1b14z32lMn1qj8KPxQTnBo3G4YJKQs2mEWHcbdbx5dPbAnkKyQgBeBFHEL7ELhjP/s320/20220522_140640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Then his mobility got a little worse. He needed help up from every kind of
flooring. Then he started occasionally
needing help up in the yard. Then he started losing weight. The weight loss wasn’t a concern at first. Dr. M had lectured us on Duke’s weight for
years. But the weight loss continued,
even when we tried things to put weight back on him. He developed some cardiac concerns. His heartbeat would race for no apparent
reason. In consultation with Dr. M, we
made the decision not to pursue cardiac treatment from the specialist. We knew he had part of a malignant tumor
left, and we knew we weren’t putting him through another surgery. So we shifted our focus to keeping him happy
and comfortable. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPeMftq7EEmIE1QpoYtXnMHEAXZ4TyetnwGJ56inA8LPz1adfWLMqY8kTakwuQFlVDGYXs6aQZQDah82gRgC25QpeXxregKzNIn3MMUCDRthlMLelFmc9az0lUDRNyJB31iCRXNJEeSP1AJwvCclaXavA_hX5SBtIAhCk2zWIsh6OGbDuzELtOJ4x/s3264/20220522_144138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcPeMftq7EEmIE1QpoYtXnMHEAXZ4TyetnwGJ56inA8LPz1adfWLMqY8kTakwuQFlVDGYXs6aQZQDah82gRgC25QpeXxregKzNIn3MMUCDRthlMLelFmc9az0lUDRNyJB31iCRXNJEeSP1AJwvCclaXavA_hX5SBtIAhCk2zWIsh6OGbDuzELtOJ4x/s320/20220522_144138.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In the meantime, he developed a sort of abscess on one of
his hips. Dr. M was treating it with
antibiotics and even tried closing it up, but it reopened. Duke didn’t seem terribly bothered by it, so
we continued antibiotics and hoped for the best. And Duke stayed his happy, friendly self.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">At Thanksgiving, he needed help up and out of the bedroom,
but once he was out in the living room, he was delighted to see everyone and went
around the room to visit with everyone and see what they might be willing to
feed him. He got a lot of attention and
petting. Duke had a great Thanksgiving. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIypjTtifo3adAgRARGeNK2lXOocvX8uEVr0gtmRBV_k-BkHaAvTZ1rfn822DpTYgFQ70nlDD6TVFwEPIWPoCNsOclg5zq-J2MBJ-8DlT049TzatjLsMi5rH1bGfANoiZzJVrF-YoCpud1FX2cKXT7BFN9fIduTYz1JR9X4MmflXeqKF8SLyf80NN/s2048/20181124_152312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzIypjTtifo3adAgRARGeNK2lXOocvX8uEVr0gtmRBV_k-BkHaAvTZ1rfn822DpTYgFQ70nlDD6TVFwEPIWPoCNsOclg5zq-J2MBJ-8DlT049TzatjLsMi5rH1bGfANoiZzJVrF-YoCpud1FX2cKXT7BFN9fIduTYz1JR9X4MmflXeqKF8SLyf80NN/s320/20181124_152312.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After Thanksgiving, his decline really picked up. He lost too much weight to be able to wear
his harness. The abscess got worse. He started struggling to stay up once we
helped him stand up and was beginning to fall down more often than not. We made an appointment for him to see Dr. M
on Monday, December 19<sup>th</sup>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">That weekend, Nick wasn’t feeling well at all. He was tired and had a lot of muscle aches. The weekend before, he and some of our neighbors
had saved another neighbor’s chickens from some dogs that were loose, and Nick
ended up carrying a very large dog around for a while. We attributed the back pain to that and
lifting Duke. Duke’s appointment with
Dr. M wasn’t until late Monday afternoon, so I went to work Monday morning for
a mandatory meeting. Nick stayed home
sick and decided to get a flu test. They
also tested for COVID, and Nick was positive.
My job sent me home. And we canceled
Duke’s appointment with Dr. M. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oACVYitnXmQEMjmw9dIj8khVK587JPbO06KsVGK2plYPUZv9Q9kIwsJanzbBTIeQiOMuCnQxRb0Wey-uDXt753Oi341uEjie_i7LZjsF-tT9mQY0jt91RCiLp-XqwwdfJvhfbzFDH1h30EZyuHlkt-QIheaNjYJ8UX7cRz_6Z_ezPLbPCXfEAbGd/s6000/_DSC0160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oACVYitnXmQEMjmw9dIj8khVK587JPbO06KsVGK2plYPUZv9Q9kIwsJanzbBTIeQiOMuCnQxRb0Wey-uDXt753Oi341uEjie_i7LZjsF-tT9mQY0jt91RCiLp-XqwwdfJvhfbzFDH1h30EZyuHlkt-QIheaNjYJ8UX7cRz_6Z_ezPLbPCXfEAbGd/s320/_DSC0160.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Duke was having a relatively good day that day, so I thought
we might be able to get through Christmas.
In the meantime, I went and got tested for COVID. I was negative.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">By Tuesday night, we knew that Duke’s rally was over and that
it was time. We also knew that Nick
couldn’t go. Dr. M is over an hour away. Dr. D, the vet we take the cats to, is about
ten minutes away. My sister called and
talked to Dr. D’s office Wednesday morning and explained everything, including
Nick’s COVID and my negative tests. She
also called Dr. M’s office, and they agreed that taking Duke to Dr. D was a
good choice. He had been there before
for a few things and knew and liked everyone there. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsC57z6rfs3TkWoa_Jxu7vJysx6y06Lg_zlnVBuLohtStVHRzepryJFlgxg6ZMoaDKdCqwG48B1TRUzVb4slzfFp9ggWhotBjiX9OpsIcAmduECRXGe5ca3amUDM3RQuDnVOotKjul7Gusj7FJAKbogAKLBb7aCXBdC2jpzfV3_UGzYzhkq5uSfk7O/s6000/_DSC0218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsC57z6rfs3TkWoa_Jxu7vJysx6y06Lg_zlnVBuLohtStVHRzepryJFlgxg6ZMoaDKdCqwG48B1TRUzVb4slzfFp9ggWhotBjiX9OpsIcAmduECRXGe5ca3amUDM3RQuDnVOotKjul7Gusj7FJAKbogAKLBb7aCXBdC2jpzfV3_UGzYzhkq5uSfk7O/s320/_DSC0218.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I had called our neighbor, Lori, as soon as Nick tested positive
for COVID since we had been around them a few days before. They really are the best neighbors. The kids insisted on dropping off cookies in
the carport as soon as they found out, and Lori had been calling to check on us
every day. When I told her I was taking
Duke in that afternoon, she said she’d go with me, so I didn’t have to go
alone. I found out later that their 15-year-old
had offered to go with us in case we needed help lifting Duke. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I am so grateful for so many reasons that Lori went with
me, but the biggest one is that she saw the difference in Duke and said we were
making the right choice. If you’ve ever
made the choice, you know how impossibly hard it is. To me, there’s always the thought in the back
of my mind that I’m giving up too soon.
Lori was shocked at how much Duke had declined since they were over for
Thanksgiving and said he didn’t even seem like the same dog.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKbOInFHnpG_EjgXSapr1KdVIW0gt9xK-163sdWWcN5Ws4j3i5cDyG46Doo-HvsIpRkMacYM6afXKQR01K-BL7xBZ1YD2D55dHpcv0XZOVU4px5BOYRkRQScKHoGCrNSgWjLmjeMuS22ZkAgGrMElFdxjKr5v60CUJjUqpSZErK9OlU6maOGOVj9y/s6000/_DSC0159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKbOInFHnpG_EjgXSapr1KdVIW0gt9xK-163sdWWcN5Ws4j3i5cDyG46Doo-HvsIpRkMacYM6afXKQR01K-BL7xBZ1YD2D55dHpcv0XZOVU4px5BOYRkRQScKHoGCrNSgWjLmjeMuS22ZkAgGrMElFdxjKr5v60CUJjUqpSZErK9OlU6maOGOVj9y/s320/_DSC0159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">One of the vet nurses at Dr. D.’s office is in vet school
and works there doing breaks. She’s one
of our favorites and was there the day we took Duke. I was glad to see her, and she also helped when
she said Duke had declined so much since she had seen him during the summer. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">They carried Duke in on a little stretcher and laid him down
on a nice little nest of blankets on the floor.
Lori and I sat with him, and we all petted him and fed him treats and
even a little bit of cat food. Everyone told
him what a wonderful dog he was and how much everyone loved him. He wagged his tail, licked my hand, and
drifted off to sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYAzHoDJljyTSmQnC9WpJVtDPv7reWwq9u6zNTTzFUyOvoThRJaWaxxtRs0osmbWCbEdVrpDmu87VOhbltjwPCQ9Fx85eMKPuaYzV5xsSRxe0oJZgWyQ7HXxXvijhErN2DFYKrc2JZrRKAiopC1nI6ZsiQsXSKHjuY-XKfAtNfAc2WjayEjk7fMfm/s6000/_DSC0185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUYAzHoDJljyTSmQnC9WpJVtDPv7reWwq9u6zNTTzFUyOvoThRJaWaxxtRs0osmbWCbEdVrpDmu87VOhbltjwPCQ9Fx85eMKPuaYzV5xsSRxe0oJZgWyQ7HXxXvijhErN2DFYKrc2JZrRKAiopC1nI6ZsiQsXSKHjuY-XKfAtNfAc2WjayEjk7fMfm/s320/_DSC0185.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We had Duke for eight years, and he was our boy from the moment
we walked out of the shelter with him as a foster dog. You couldn’t help but instantly love
him. He went through so much with the heartworms,
kennel cough, and leg amputation. I will
never understand why he was an owner surrender, but I’m so glad he was. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I don’t think it’s possible to quantify the joy that Duke
brought to people. He made us
happy. Howard adored him. Dr. M’s office sent a card, and more than one
person talked about how seeing Duke walk in could turn around even a terrible
day. Everyone loved him when I brought
him to work at my old job. Strangers
loved him. I will never forget walking
him downtown and a man running up to us and hiking up his pant leg to show us
his metal leg and asking to take a picture with Duke. Of course, I said yes. He wasn’t the first or last person to ask for
a picture with Duke, though he was the only one with a prosthetic leg. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wiGhveddfKSuu_NouS1NTABLLDqiYTXJ2vKdyumuJUXr4-qvs1vdO0XtJYKeP-DKmTJ5dXDDkF6geDmNwlvWqJCCvFOHzJ2OsKY1Is3AQdmD9pJS9trdZbOx5S0rMM984FmYM8Nh61BLxUUoAvPE5RM_CaMrIcmn2L3FY-PSTctL55nF5L_t9lp7/s1024/IMG_20180120_140010_608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5wiGhveddfKSuu_NouS1NTABLLDqiYTXJ2vKdyumuJUXr4-qvs1vdO0XtJYKeP-DKmTJ5dXDDkF6geDmNwlvWqJCCvFOHzJ2OsKY1Is3AQdmD9pJS9trdZbOx5S0rMM984FmYM8Nh61BLxUUoAvPE5RM_CaMrIcmn2L3FY-PSTctL55nF5L_t9lp7/s320/IMG_20180120_140010_608.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">During the worst of the COVID shutdowns, when everything
was drive-thru and/or curbside, I took Duke with me for practically everything. At first, I did it because Duke loved car
rides, but then I saw how happy it made people.
Even with masks, it was possible to see someone’s joy when they saw
Duke. There was just something about a dog
who was so loveable and didn’t want anything from you that seemed to make a
difference when things were so bad.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Duke made people happy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXIuOSh4_m2uS1yMXBnrW5L5tAp0kkJQ2ZUha6BlQJkU6eq1eq9RsJf8A_Q4bIEdEIOINPhOlVnmkX4eIeazzPmWu3cTK-YueqH6cgEOx32T3_wi7CXFVX_dOcM2Z0XRWb6sx_tSfrqyT1xnFrDtl5DRx7ibZ-kMkQlrbCOM_TZyj2pfgOOVm_OMb/s2048/20190720_121059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXIuOSh4_m2uS1yMXBnrW5L5tAp0kkJQ2ZUha6BlQJkU6eq1eq9RsJf8A_Q4bIEdEIOINPhOlVnmkX4eIeazzPmWu3cTK-YueqH6cgEOx32T3_wi7CXFVX_dOcM2Z0XRWb6sx_tSfrqyT1xnFrDtl5DRx7ibZ-kMkQlrbCOM_TZyj2pfgOOVm_OMb/s320/20190720_121059.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744942361776579041.post-68376865063307379852022-10-24T18:25:00.000-04:002022-10-24T18:25:07.863-04:00A Catch-Up Post. Finally.<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So much for sticking with blogging at least once a week for
Thursday 13.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Since it has been a while,
I have some catching up to do, so here are 13 things, not on a Thursday.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As usual, for this kind of post, not all of
the pictures are related to the post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
didn’t have any damage from Hurricane Ian.
I know a lot of people weren’t so lucky, but we didn’t get any of the
horrible weather we were expecting. We
even had nice sunny weather by the end of that weekend.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
went on vacation during my little blogging break. We rented a house on Folly Beach for a week
and got home on Saturday. We had a great
time and didn’t really want to come home.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Our
neighbors very kindly took care of the cats and were even fine with giving
Howard his shots. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-No8ZL0fzgAI29oA2N84QXziVwpNzO5S1m7QGrTDG63CAFgi4bag6ZzVs6wEagfM_WSLhQHwxOCztGN3QT1baI5SXELMWbYOVfYbKyMgHuzLQKyqt1h0U5eXAjhuzE-DiS3titZUay334Bu3He-kNJ5vRD_a3iK7M7CjQyKewh9hKa3inixbUwzEf/s3264/20221012_201615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-No8ZL0fzgAI29oA2N84QXziVwpNzO5S1m7QGrTDG63CAFgi4bag6ZzVs6wEagfM_WSLhQHwxOCztGN3QT1baI5SXELMWbYOVfYbKyMgHuzLQKyqt1h0U5eXAjhuzE-DiS3titZUay334Bu3He-kNJ5vRD_a3iK7M7CjQyKewh9hKa3inixbUwzEf/s320/20221012_201615.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve
gotten a little better at giving Howard his shots. When your 15-year-old
neighbor does it with no trouble, it kind of shames you into sucking it up a
little more. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
timed our vacation quite well to avoid the cold for a while longer. Our area had its first hard freeze and even
dropped down to the 20s while we were gone.
This week it’s back in the 60s and 70s.
I’m happy to avoid the cold for a while longer!</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We
ended up taking down a small-ish rose of Sharon tree in our backyard. It had vines growing on it (I’m not sure what
the vines were; it wasn’t anything we planted or wanted) that were growing on
cable/internet lines. Our neighbors were
having internet trouble, and the technician who came out told them it was because
of the vines on the lines. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCwCAmOzgB5ZetpcWBopGzDSE58YJnOq6DcFGmq3KlsNdiE3UH3TKa6YHF6vHOwLTVKNddBtuY1fKRVvKrkf63cltKQExqrVXo6c-Dd7L3eJ80AOXn-YwiR45PbOu5lBMVE6TcIHRIC90cfMsqnmdLxfVC2GrnoYjAaNLGgdAJ165gkvw5IW0NfEr/s3264/20220803_150410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCwCAmOzgB5ZetpcWBopGzDSE58YJnOq6DcFGmq3KlsNdiE3UH3TKa6YHF6vHOwLTVKNddBtuY1fKRVvKrkf63cltKQExqrVXo6c-Dd7L3eJ80AOXn-YwiR45PbOu5lBMVE6TcIHRIC90cfMsqnmdLxfVC2GrnoYjAaNLGgdAJ165gkvw5IW0NfEr/s320/20220803_150410.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I didn’t
take a picture before because the original plan was just to take down the vines
and some branches, but the project kept going.
There are power (service lines which apparently the power company
doesn’t maintain or service), cable, internet, and phone lines there, and it
seemed like every trim just moved branches closer to another set of lines, so
we finally opted to take the whole tree down.
I don’t know what possessed someone to plant a tree there in the first
place!</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Taking
a tree down is seriously hard work! It
didn’t seem like a large tree until we started cutting branches, but then it
seemed like a massive tree. Our
neighbors very kindly helped us with it.
They felt like it was at least partially their responsibility since it
was their internet was having trouble, and we felt like it was our
responsibility since it was our tree in our yard. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’m
very glad our neighbors are so nice and that we all get along so well! And I’m so glad they helped us! Even with their help, it took the vast majority
of a weekend to get it done. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I
learned how to use the electric chainsaw during the tree removal. I enjoyed using it and wouldn’t mind using it
again when we have another project that we need to use it for.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After
all of that, it turned out that the tree and vines weren’t the cause of the
neighbors’ internet issues. They’re
having ongoing problems with it, and subsequent technicians have told them it
sounds like the first one just didn’t want to do anything, so they blamed the
tree and vines. We don’t regret taking
the tree down, though, because with it being near so many lines, it was
probably only a matter of time before it did cause someone problems. </span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I
finally started work on the crochet cat couch for my sister. Technically, I haven’t started on the couch,
but I’m almost finished with the dust ruffle.
I think it’s looking like it’s supposed to, so that’s promising. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoo109fr6H3kD3ppAVN0ELCByYyQakkw9xfM3cZHnhSGNXdhy1DlBpKDTxbriCEy3PycCj-F5jcDmgrpOrwHDU_shAxTGoXqmxNxoUXIUEsZirye5npN7PGAxcpC2jbPPF9zFbl9im6_zgD4WNmyzlbsd07e6Q5lJ3eI4RgRxwqKn0VCrLU1P0iU2/s3264/20221024_181104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoo109fr6H3kD3ppAVN0ELCByYyQakkw9xfM3cZHnhSGNXdhy1DlBpKDTxbriCEy3PycCj-F5jcDmgrpOrwHDU_shAxTGoXqmxNxoUXIUEsZirye5npN7PGAxcpC2jbPPF9zFbl9im6_zgD4WNmyzlbsd07e6Q5lJ3eI4RgRxwqKn0VCrLU1P0iU2/s320/20221024_181104.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve
also made two of the squares for the blanket.
I had hoped that the multi-colored squared would be different enough to
use all multi-colored squares, but after I made two, I didn’t think I would
like how the blanket looked with just those, so I’ve decided to make some
solid-colored squares in some of the colors from the multi-colored yarn. I’m not entirely sure how I’m going to do the
blanket, so I’m open to suggestions and ideas. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwkjdEQeEc5rbWnZO3Sg3IJUWTH99nUmbde6-EKtaL8bvtrVCY067tHPMbvW0s3RkEa1OEo6KI3-VWmCU5sx-ellZhBdliuvlU_3W8MYRVbZ1aS_6Qpc6M-UPRd2VI9sXYD7iowH8mwnnzSBAp1p4avfCh46bv5wpGo6T1ZmDzmkaHXZEvVevReE9/s3264/20221024_180937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwkjdEQeEc5rbWnZO3Sg3IJUWTH99nUmbde6-EKtaL8bvtrVCY067tHPMbvW0s3RkEa1OEo6KI3-VWmCU5sx-ellZhBdliuvlU_3W8MYRVbZ1aS_6Qpc6M-UPRd2VI9sXYD7iowH8mwnnzSBAp1p4avfCh46bv5wpGo6T1ZmDzmkaHXZEvVevReE9/s320/20221024_180937.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So what have you been up to for the past month? <o:p></o:p></span></p>Danielle L Zecherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492742250595537348noreply@blogger.com10