On Saturday, March 5th, 2011, Dana, Rose & I were at the Safeway up near Roosevelt and 75th in Seattle. Walking back to the car, we stumbled across a mini Mini Cooper get together.
Rose & I went to investigate:
Rose was facinated by the original Mini Coopers on display. One of the owners noticed her and asked if she'd like to sit behind the wheel.
Of course she would - they're Rose sized after all!
Rose had a lot of fun! Special thanks to the members of the Seattle Area Mini Owners Association (aka SAMOA) and the owner of the Mini that let Rose have a drive!
(from the It's better with Strawberry Syrup department)
Hi everyone,
Yesterday was National Pancake Day! Rose and I braved the crowds and headed down to IHOP to get our free pancakes!
Rose is ready:
but not quite sure where to begin:
The pancakes were very tasty! And - although the place was crazy busy - we didn't wait too long at all. Kudos to the staff of the Capitol Hill IHOP in Seattle - we had a great time.
IHOP does this each year to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The pancakes are free, but they ask that you'd consider a donation in return. When we left, the Capitol Hill IHOP was about $70.00 from their goal - and they still had several hours to go. I hope they made it!
The history is interesting:
Since beginning its National Pancake Day celebration in 2006, IHOP has raised more than $5.35 million to support charities in the communities in which it operates. While IHOP's National Pancake Day typically takes place on Shrove Tuesday, this year, the company will host its free pancake event one week earlier on Tuesday, March 1 to build buzz and excitement prior to Shrove Tuesday. With your help, we hope to raise $2.3 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities!
Known also as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products...hence the name Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday
(from the Sophocles was a kid once, too department)
Hi everyone,
We had a classic Rose moment this morning. I was in a super hurry, trying to get out the door to head to work. Almost simultaneously, I had a fan fail on my main server, lost my checkbook, and had to make the morning coffee.
Running around at full speed in the living room, I finally exclaimed: "I am never getting out of this house!!!"
I then heard a small voice from the couch: "There's a door - over there - in the middle."
I think Dana must have laughed for a full minute or so.
Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you Rose Pietromonaco, the wise voice of reason. Thank you, Rosie.
So - I'm an avid fan of The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. It took a little while to find its footing, and it doesn't always work, but when it does, there's nothing like it on television.
One of the things he does is have guests play harmonica to exit their segment. The fun of the exit is that, normally, nobody knows anything about the harmonica, and hilarity ensues, etc.
But - every once in a while, somebody does know how to play. When this happens, Craig gifts them the "golden harmonica".
It snowed in Winston-Salem, NC on Christmas Day (Dec. 25th), 2010. We went out the next day to play in the snow, and I recorded this video of Rose journeying to the North Pole.
Some very, very sad news today, I'm afraid. Our beloved cat, Zoe, passed away in our arms last night. Her health had been declining since she'd had emergency surgery and then a subsequent stroke. We think she may have had another stroke, but this time, didn't survive it.
She was a friendly cat, with a great sense of curiosity and a very regal bearing. To illustrate, here's a cell phone clip of her looking around a vet's office.
She'd started out as a feral cat, and as a result, always kept her claws at full sharpness, much to the chagrin of our couches. Although smaller than our other cat, Jelli, she let him know exactly who was the boss, and would not put up with his attempts to become alpha cat.
Dana wrote an elegant eulogy for Zoe. I'll quote it in full here:
Zoe passed away just before midnight on Saturday, 11/20/2010. I’ve taken care of her since October or November of 1997, and known her for two years prior to that, when she (pregnant) followed me in to Andy’s house in Greensboro, NC. When Andy needed a place to stay in Nov. ’97, he moved in with me and brought Zoe. When he left, I kept Zoe. Her full name is Zoetrope Sugarsmack Rose Kepple Pietromonaco. She had lost massive amounts of weight and fur, and had become very frail.
I’m so glad her last few moments went quickly. I’d just seen her 15 minutes before and she was fine, and then Paul passed by her and heard her wheezing between long pauses. I held her, then Paul held her, and then he passed her back to me. She took a breath, shuddered, and relaxed, stretching her paws out just a little, as if getting comfortable for a good sleep. And that was it. We said our goodbyes, had Jelly touch her paw and see her without life in my arms. We then woke Rose and told her Zoe was having to go away and she should say goodbye, because Zoe wouldn’t be coming back. Rose woke up just a little, enough to put her hand on Zoe and say goodbye. I doubt she’ll remember that moment, but perhaps, if there was any thought left, Zoe heard it, and maybe Rose will internalize it somewhere deep down to know she was able to say goodbye to her kitty.
D
I'll add one more story. This morning, I was looking for these pictures of Zoe:
Rose toddled in to my office, and when she saw them on my screen, she said, simply: "That's Zoe. She's my friend."
