He was my heart

Those of you who have read my blog since it first began may remember my writing about my extra-special cat, Casper Moonbeam.  I am extremely saddened to say that my precious Casper died in the early hours of last Sabbath morning. 

Casper was diabetic and required two insulin shots each day. He was such a good boy when it was time for his shots and he took them like a trooper. Other than that, I can't say that he had really been sick except for the fact that he hadn't eaten much for the past week or so and had lost weight.

He did have a tumor on his left eye which always returned even after he had removed three times. The third time, the dr removed his eye as the tumor was wrapped around his eyeball. I hoped that this drastic surgery would put an end to the tumor but several months later there was the bulge again. It grew so quickly this time yet it never seemed that it was causing him pain.

You know how some cats are just sweeter than others? That is how Casper was. He was my big boy and my trusty companion. I loved him and miss him so much. He was buried by a lilac tree in the family pet cemetary. Rest well, my precious Casper.

This is the way the season ends . . .

not with a bang but a whimper It seems like I wrote the very same thing last year at this time which proves that tho the Cowboys may not make it to the playoffs, they are at least consistent. Surely there is something to be said for that?

And now it is almost 2009. Where did 2008 go and how did it pass so quickly? One of the mysteries of life. As I don't like change, it is understandable that I don't like the coming of the new year. Long gone are the days of my misspent youth when a New Year's Eve party was something to look forward to and to enjoy. But the silver lining is that we have a holiday Thursday. And a holiday is always a good thing.

How 'Bout Them Cowboys!

It has officially arrived.  Football season got off to a roaring start for the Cowboys yesterday with a 28-10 win over the Cleveland Browns. Hoo boy, there are some humongous bruisers among the Browns, one of who  smashed Tony Romo to the turf, giving him a bloody gash in his chin. You could plainly tell that Tony was in pain. On the next play he threw a long pass that was right on the money. Goes to show you can't keep a good man down! Cowboys play the Eagles next Monday night and that might be a tough one. Those Eagles are MEAN! As are their fans. Just ask Bronwen. She knows from personal experience.

It has been more than four months since I've blogged and the most exciting thing that has happened in that time was the little African children coming to visit. They were here a very short time - about 12 days - but I took a weeks vacation during that time so had some time to "play" with them.

Tomorrow night is Secret Sisters - time for revealing. I don't know who has my name but whoever it is has been very good to me. She has given me practical things and nothing to sit around the house. Yeah for that!

And with that, I must go.

Where were you . . .

when the price of gas went up ten cents a gallon in one day? It happened yesterday while I was at work. In the morning the sign read $3.45 and in the afternoon it read $3.55. Will it  be $4.00 by the time I fill up on Friday?

Seems like it has been quite a while since I last blogged. Could it be because there is nothing to write about? See if you can guess what momentous occasions have occurred since last I blogged. Well, maybe they weren't exactly momentous but nevetheless, they just were.

"Stupid Cupid, stop picking on me!" Yes, Valentines day came and went more than two months ago. I was remembered with more Valentine gifts from friends and relations than I deserve. For years the Pathfinders have hosted a fund-raising Valentines banquet, complete with kids dressed up as big silver Candy Kisses, selling what else? Candy Kisses. For a dime, a life-size Candy Kiss would anonomously deliver a little Candy Kiss to someone at the banque for you and if the lucky recipient was curious enough to find out who sent it to them, they could pay a nickel or so to find out. The only problem with this popular banquet feature is that there were never enough walking talking Candy Kisses to keep up with the number of kisses waiting to be sold and delivered so attendees often went home with the same baggie full of dimes that they arrived with, But this year, due to illness among the ranks, the Valentine banquet was cancelled and turned into a Fiesta in March. Penny treated me to the Fiesta which was nice tho it surely pales in comparison to Tompaul and Lisa's wedding shower Fiesta that Rosemary and I hosted. Ole!

"Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the Bunnty Trail". And so has the Easter Bunny come and gone. He has been gone so long now that his little white puffy cotton-ball tail is no longer visinble in the distance. But before he left town he brought me three pretty Easter bakets full of goodies galore in addition to Easter bags. I must say, it was a good year for the bunnies.

In an earlier post, I wrote about Olive Garden finally coming to town after all these years and now I have been there twice. Silvia and I went a month or so ago, and Idania and I went last Friday to celebrate her birthday. In keeping up with the Olive Garden tradition  the salad and breadsticks were very good in addition to the Eggplant Parmesan which I tend to always order. However, to prove that I am not totally in a rut, Idania and I divvied up orders of  eggplant and portabello stuffed ravioli.

Now to quote Xander, " . . . and that's it!"

 .

It's finally here . . .

so after many years an Olive Garden in Hagerstown is a rumor no longer. Yes, shortly after I moved here in 1985 I heard the rumor that an Olive Garden was coming to town, The rumor was dispatched with great authority and even the location was told. But,  it was just that for 22  years, a rumor.And now, it is a reality, as the restaurant finally opened on January 14, to what I understand was an immense crowd.  I know several people who have been there already and from their reports, it seems the Olive Garden has a few bugs to work out yet. And no, they aren't literal bugs! I imagine I will check it out for myself one of these days.

The weather has warmed up a bit the past couple of days, but the temp is predicted to go back down tomorrow, further down the next day, and still further down before next week and it will be frigid once again. It was suppose to be near 70 degrees  yesterday but since I don't go outside until night once I come to work about 7:00 a.m. I don't know if it got that warm. But last night on the news Topper said it was 50 degrees in Hagerstown. Of course, that ole pesky Phi promised us 6 more weeks of cold weather. Like what would we expect in February/March anyway? Maryland isn't exactly in the tropics.

One good thing tho - hot or cold - the days are getting longer. If I ever would go home on time any more, I wouldn't be leaving in total darkness. Maybe today will be the day.