First weekend of 2026

 

Sunrise and moonset, January 4th, 2026.  The sun peeked over the horizon at 7:51 a.m., local time.

It was chilly Sunday morning but predicted to rise to 50℉ in the afternoon.  "The kids" planned an outing at the big dog park near my house for 2 p.m.

Ember slipped her self-control in the morning.  The Prisoner wanted to come in, and I was not paying attention when I opened the door.  Yikes!  A scrimmage ensued, and eventually The Prisoner fled to the neighbor's yard.  I could not entice him back, even after Ember was safely crated.  He came back toward the end of Ember's first puppy nap, and I walked him down to his luxury suite.  He was still giving me a bit of side-eye for my earlier lapse in vigilance.

I baked a cauliflower with cheese for lunch and ate another portion for supper, after the dog park adventure.  

It got up to 50, as promised, but there was a breeze that made it seem chillier.  I have no photos to share of the dog park, as I put my phone in my pocket and just enjoyed watching the canines and the kiddo running about.  The stream was iced over in spots, and the dogs got both wet and muddy because it was not iced over in ALL spots.  

DIL did take photos but none of those she shared is missing the image of FGC, so can't post them here.  But the shenanigans of canines with kids are pretty classic.  Ember did manage to climb up the A-frame on the agility course, and the weave corridor was traversed by both dogs as well (while kiddo was perching on top of a couple of the solid wooden poles that line it).  

Ember tripped the kiddo early on, but he bounced up from it and carried on, having DIL check his scrapes.  The sun came out, and it felt warmer toward the end of the walk than it had at the beginning.

Kiddo wanted to toss ice chunks, so there was a bit of that kind of action, too.  I think I might be able to share that one as it's from the rear (doesn't show his face).

Everybody went home for baths at the conclusion of the park time, dogs and humans alike.  Ember's version was with the cleaning gloves.  I kind of like them, vanilla scent, disposable wipes in a mitt shape.

I fed Ember, then she sacked out, having had just what she needed from the day!  

We end the post with a gorgeous sun display as it sank to the horizon at 5:12 p.m. local time.  The Foster Grandson heads back to school on Monday after a nice long break, DIL heads back to work, and hopefully, I'll get my inner calendar reset to a regular "day of the week" awareness.

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!

Happy New Year from Emberville

 

New Year, new toy.  That's a fuzzy pink tail on a green monster toy that jiggles and moves.  It was a big hit, and Ember chased it all around the x-pen and the dining room.  I did take it away for a bit to give it a rest.  And she got a New Year's Eve afternoon walk in the neighborhood, which is a blessing in Winter when it's warm enough and not slick.

Video of toy in action.

There were fireworks in the evening hours, starting around 7 p.m., which did not coincide with either ringing in the New Year or a football celebration... so... I was once again grateful that Ember doesn't seem to be bothered much, if they aren't right next to her.

New Year's morning, The Prisoner decided he did not want to go either outside or down to his luxury suite, and he planted himself at the top of the stairs.

Ember whined a bit at the gate, but settled down and played quietly, lifting her head and keeping a sharp eye at that staircase every so often.

I settled in on the couch with my coffee, and Ember joined me, napping for a while.  Eventually, though, Mr. Prisoner decided he was ready to return to his domain and he came down those stairs.

Ember hopped off the couch and followed him to the laundry room door, where I had to briefly intervene.  "Let the kitty get away, remember?"  I opened the door a crack, while holding Ember's collar, and The Prisoner slipped quickly into his safe space.  I'm thinking we will survive the Winter!

New Year's Day Ember napped in her crate while I drove over to enjoy the family pasta fest.  My son was the chef.  He cooked something called cascatelli, a big pot.  It's a custom pasta marketed by a pod-caster that my son found.  He slow cooked an incredibly meat-heavy sauce, while his wife grated parmigiano reggiano.  The meats were beef and Italian forms of sausage, diced finely.  Onions, garlic.  You get the idea.  My son married into an Italian family, and he grew up in a neighborhood heavily populated with an immigrant population from both Italy and Poland, so has an affinity for both cuisine arts.

Carl was a very happy fellow to have lots of grandma and grandpa attention... two grandmas and a grandpa... and my son gave him a "naughty bone" that some clever pet store sold to pet-parents who wanted to distract their dog while the family did holiday things.  Ember gave me a good sniffing over when I got home, and she even got a few tiny bites of the gingerbread cookie that came home with me.

Homemade gingerbread... yum!  DIL, her mom, and FGC decorated the cookies.  That's the whole platter, before a couple of them were fished out to send home with me.

One of the Lego sets that came to my son at Christmas time.  I had heard that he'd completed it but on New Year's Day, he brought it upstairs to show off.  It's Gandalf fighting the balrog on the bridge inside the mines of Moria in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

I am so confused... I thought it was Monday, but it's Friday... January 2, 2026

Friday was a planning and making appointments day.  I made reservations for the lunch with my niece and my son, daughter in law and their foster son.  I dug out the appointment slip for my annual physical, and I see my January calendar filling up fast with medicalizing things.  Dental, another eye appointment, and the blood draw and Medicare "wellness check".  I booked three extra day care days for Ember, to allow for all my own human stuff!

I was overfilled from the pasta feed on New Year's, but pretty much skipped breakfast and was ready for the leftovers by noon.

Saturday, January 3, 2026

The kids were going to Zootopia 2 at the movies, but I opted out of this family outing.  I originally was going to opt out just to have some cave time, then I realized, "oops", the 3rd was the date of the memorial service for my childhood friend who passed away November 29th.  Ember cooperated nicely, settling in for puppy nap #1 in time for me to shower and put on "human event" clothing, and drive over to the church where it was being held.

This was a childhood and a workplace friend.  The workplace was well represented.  I can't vouch for how many of our grade school friends might have been in attendance as well; that was 60+ years ago, and, well, we've changed our appearance just a tad since then.  I complicated matters by having moved away during the mid-section of my working life, post college.  But it was nice to see a few others of the retired from there crowd.  I did not stay for the luncheon, so I did end up with at least a partial cave day.  

I was very glad that I went, though.  The service fit in well with the way the whole family focus of the holiday season has gone.  Relationships, family, photos of the time periods through which both she and I lived.  I think I was even in one of the photos (of a biking group).  Some of my favorite Bible verses were referenced.  The music was just right.  I know that my friend helped to plan this "Celebration of Life" which it truly was.  She had known, and had time, to prepare her loved ones and to plan for this day.

Life is good.  It is short, though, even when it's 70 or more years!  Spark on and hug your loved ones.

Leftover scramble to end of 2025

 

I told my daughter in law that I would be eating off her Christmas ham for several days, and I did not lie.  The last of the ham went into my Sunday morning scramble.  Also, onions and pepper, which are not good for the doggo.  I used it as a training session / reminder to Ember of "what a good girl does"... sitting on her hot zone and waiting her turn.  I even got to sit down at the table to eat this scrumptious encore!

Ember did get a couple of bites of ham, and to lick the egg bowl, but only by doing what she knows how to do:  sit on her hot zone, and when beckoned, provide me with what I call a polite sit.  Good girl!

I had a ham sandwich on Friday for supper, and on Saturday for lunch.  I had leftover mashed taters and gravy on Saturday.  The pumpkin pie disappeared early on.  Christmas dinner is now in the memory banks, accompanied by a sigh of contentment.

Sunday morning the wind was howling. The outdoor temperature dropped like a rock.  "Light snow" blew in the gusty winds for a few hours.  Ember opted for a crate nap, and she also did a voluntary crate entry so the kitty could have safe passage to his luxury suite in the laundry room on Sunday.

One extra special holiday "event" this year: our cousin shared home movies converted to digital format.  Remember what a big deal that used to be, when uncles and dads would hang a bedsheet and roll out the slide (or in my uncle's case movie) projector?  It took a lot of effort, and it did not happen every family gathering because of that.  It all depended on what else was going on in family life.  

What were these home movies of?  My mom and dad the spring before they married, and his mom and dad's wedding, with my parents as best man and matron of honor, the following January.  It was so moving to see my grandfather walking his daughter down the aisle and recognize in those big ears the man my brother grew into!  

Ember's action that impressed me Monday was hopping into the car sans leash and harness and staying in the back seat while I ran into the post office.  Having had little exercise over the past couple of days she was getting a bit of cabin fever, and so was I.  

Monday afternoon the sun came out, and it looked cheery.  The 23 or 24 Fahrenheit degree high in the sun, sheltered from the wind, felt pretty good after having tasted the morning wind!  

Kitty on the deck rail Monday afternoon.  Ember planted herself on the threshold to watch him.  This also stopped him from coming inside until Ember got into her crate for a nap.

New Year's Eve Day

On Tuesday we tried to get back to semi-normal, with doggy day care for Ember, and a trainer workout for me.  I took advantage of her absence to put away the little Christmas tree, re-configure the parlor x-pen, exposing a bit more of the room, and moving a cushy dog-bed from the "training" x-pen into the parlor.  When she came home from daycare, she sniffed at it, then hopped up on cue, and snuggled in.  At last call, when she came back into the house, she chose to lie on it.  And this morning (Wednesday) she once again snuggled in for a bit.

I gave her a toy each time she got on it, a "gentle" toy (her snuggle puppy) once, and her stuffed wreath this morning.

On New Year's Day I am supposed to go over to my son's house for an afternoon pasta-fest.  Time depends on Ember's nap schedule.  It also depends on how people are feeling.  On Tuesday, FGC had an all-day play date with his BFF. That evening DIL got heads up from BFF's mom: she had tested positive for Covid!  We shall see how confident folks are and how much risk we are willing to take for the sake of togetherness.  

All that said, here's hoping for everyone to be safe and sane ringing out 2025 and ringing in 2026.  May we have hope, health, and prosperity in the New Year!

Life is good. Spark on!

Feast and Fancy

 Christmas Day, 2025

Before the hoards descended on it, there was a work of art on the table.

After the hoards descended, there was still a full meal of ham, asparagus, mashed taters and gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce.  Oof!  And all before the pie.

Interspersed with the food, presents mostly for kiddo!  Including one that my son picked out, matching one for the kiddo with another for himself, and that was the hypnotic hit of the gifts!

Ta-da!  High quality light sabers, complete with changing color blades and sound effects.  "From DS to DS" the self-gifting tradition came from DIL's side of the family, but FGC got the benefit.  

Boxing Day 2025

This was to be a mild weather day, and it started chilly but warmed up nicely.  It was a day when "the kids" planned an outing to the BIG ZOO up in Omaha (Henry Doorly, for those who aren't subject to local advertising here, also I do understand it's well known nationally).  It has been about 60 years or so since I last visited this zoo.  It has changed and grown a lot since then.

I dropped Ember off at her daycare and warned them I would be later than usual picking her up, due to travel time home from the zoo.  I did a few household chores, then headed over to meet my fellow travelers so that we would share a single car for the trip.  My daughter in law drove, her mom and I shared the backseat with FGC, since the three of us (for the next couple of years anyway) have the shortest legs in the bunch, leaving my son legroom riding shotgun.

We arrived at the zoo parking lot about five minutes before the gate opened.  During the drive, my very organized daughter in law quizzed the company for what our particular desires for this trip would be.  FGC wanted to see a roadrunner, so the Desert Dome was put high on the list.  Both my fellow grandma and I wanted to see the elephants.  Five baby elephants have been born at that zoo in the past four years, so they are "teenagers" now.  My son expressed a desire to see bears.  Daughter in law wanted to see the penguins and puffins, but she will be pulled by any bird in any setting.  FGC also wanted to get his gift shop souvenir that was in the budget: he wanted a snake.  Ewww!

The entire family knows that when my son was about FGC's age, he visited the aquarium in Boston and came away with a paper snake that had very lifelike motions.  He decided to surprise me with it and dangled it over into my face just as I got back in the car after having been in an all-day meeting.  I freaked out and destroyed his new toy in a reflexive reaction!  Until that time, I don't think my boy knew how afraid I was of snakes.  Anyway, that story has been cemented in family lore ever since... so given that we were likely to be seated the same way for the trip home, there was all day to "think" about snakes.

We saw all of what we'd named, and more.  Around every corner were surprises.  In between every planned and surprise adventure, a lot of walking, too.

We started in the desert dome, and that's where the live snakes were housed.  I flinched at every sighting.  Also early on was "the swamp" where there were alligators, and those gave FGC pause.

The gorillas showed a bit of aggression over their food and climbed high in their habitat.  

Father-son silhouette

Before the giraffe and elephants, we paused for lunch.

After lunch we visited giraffe and elephants. 

The giraffe had impressive habitat scaled to fit.

One mama and child elephant but several more of the herd were out and about.

We walked back to try to find the bears (which did not put themselves in view). Meanwhile found a couple of different rhinoceros, one in the African exhibits, the other in the Asian.  We got closer to the one in the Asian exhibit, and he was impressive to look at, but I didn't get a photo

In the Asian area, we watched a tiger pacing in his habitat.  There was a training area, with tiered seating.  We paused to rest, and wouldn't you know it... a family the kids knew was also visiting the zoo.  The two boys who had played on the same flag football team squealed one another's name and ran into a big hug, while their parents swapped notes.  FGC's little mate had broken his foot and was wearing a boot.  Didn't seem to slow the dude down, he was challenging FGC to a race up and down the stone steps!  Fortunately, his dad had more sense and called a halt to that nonsense.  We moved on to the snow leopards.

Walking, walking,  walking... and we got to a little area of shops.  At this point, there was a "horse tornado"... a term I didn't know until after our trip when I shared photos with my kid sis Alicia.  She had seen a tiktok video where an immigrant mom didn't know the word for Carosel or Merry-Go-Round and invented that term for it.  It cracked me up and I'm going to call them horse tornados for a while.  Indulge me.

DIL and FGC chose mounts, and I followed them on a zebra myself.  My son, and DIL's mom sat this one out, cheering us on and filming.  Clearly laughing at myself and my whimsey, I took a selfie!

There was a little playground in the area with a climbing tower that FGC was ready to play on. He happily did so while the adults sat on benches and plotted what we had time left to do.  

We opted to take the tram back toward the entrance, so that we could hit up the aquarium for the puffins and penguins.

The two grandmas sat in the seat behind FGC; the foster parents sat in a seat in front of him.  He wanted the whole bench so he could lie down, and fortunately it wasn't full enough for him to have to share.

But we grandmas had a fine time teasing "just a bit".  We talked about what was in the grandma handbook.  I asked him how he knew the rules and he claimed to have seen it and memorized it.  My co-grandma fessed up that she'd shown it to him, and we quizzed him on the rules.

Rule #1:  Always have snacks.

Rule #2:  Always keep the grandchildren safe.

Rule #3, per FGC:  Always buy me what I want.  "Within reason", I amended.  I got the biggest glare in return.

We ended the trip (after the aquarium) at the gift shop, where my son offered to go over budget on this HUGE stuffed snake, but only if he got the one that my son liked.  FGC did end up choosing that snake, but he told the grandmas, "Not because he offered to pay" but because FGC thought it was cool, too.  

My son agreed to fireman's carry FGC from the gift shop to the car.  Wowzah, that kid is getting too big for piggyback rides.  Son no doubt will feel this on Saturday.

Two grandmas, FGC, plus that big plush snake squeezed into the car's back seat, which seemed to have shrunk after all that walking.  Thankfully it was the snake was not a realistic one, so it was in no danger from my impulses. 

We managed to get home in time for me to pick up Ember only about an hour later than usual.  She was hungry, and happy to see me, and settled into our suppertime and after routine.  

A quiet Saturday is prescribed for all.  Sunday Winter Weather is supposed to return, according to the forecast.  I feel we made good use of the mild while we had it.  Whew!

Life is good.  Keep sparking!

Christmas Adam, Eve, and Day

 

Who was it introduced "Christmas Adam" to label the day before Christmas Eve?  Whoever did, that would be today!

Being Tuesday, it was off to doggie day care for Ember, and she was very happy to go.  Seeing her doggie and human friends "at school" so to speak.  I left the vet instructions for refilling her flea, tick, etc. medication prescription depending on the weight she registers.  If over the limit, only one month worth.  If under, six months' worth.

I was pleased to see that Ember "made weight", so came home with the six-month supply of the lower dosage.  Now to keep her at the healthy weight for six months!

When the dog is in daycare, the mom will rearrange the living room x-pen!  And clean, of course.  I hurried to do it early in the day as I had an afternoon eye appointment.

The results of that appointment:  my prescription has not changed enough to make new glasses essential, so I skipped it.  Confirmed an appointment for mid-January with "the other eye doctor" to have my glaucoma assessed.  They didn't show me as having had that particular issue looked at since 2023!

Doesn't she look like a kid at Christmas?  Her eyes are locked on a treat that I'm holding to get the pose.

Finally getting the plan together for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, which will be with family.  Ember gets to come on Christmas Day, and I don't think we'll stay more than four or five hours.  She'll be in day care on Friday again because I like her to have two days a week to play with her puppy friends.  

Friday is supposed to be the nicest weather day of the week, and I've been invited to go to the zoo up in Omaha with my son's family.  I've "signed up" to do so but have my usual pre-socializing anxieties about it!

Christmas Eve Day

It's the classic Rudolph forecast. We have "One Foggy Christmas Eve" morning, at least.  Ember was a good girl running human errands with her mom, staying in the car while mom went inside, and being calm while mom went through a couple of drive-thru places, too.  She put herself to nap, then and mom has a bit of time for "human stuff". Mom is not going to do the baking until Christmas morning.

I let her play with the Snuggle Puppy for a little while, with the "gentle toy" lecture first, and taking it away when the gentleness seemed to be getting a bit less so.

On guard, checking out the neighborhood, Christmas eve morning.

We took a second car ride in the afternoon, while I made my annual contribution to the "make someone else rich" fund.  Yep.  I bought a few Power Ball tickets for the Christmas eve drawing.  I do not expect to win.  I do this so rarely that I have to ask the clerk "how much are power ball tickets?"  As it turned out, out of the quick pick numbers the machine picked for me, I got not a single NUMBER to match, except for one line's power ball number.  Clearly, it's a good thing I am not a gambler as a rule.  I hope the winner (in Arkansas) enjoys my contribution to their prize.

Then we just drove around looking at the house decorations.

The family got a present delivered in the form of the court orders filed on December 23rd.  First, the termination of parental rights of both birth mother and father to FGC and his two siblings.  Second, the denial of a motion to allow visitation for birth father during any appeal of these orders.  Third, the awarding of educational surrogacy to my son and his wife for the FGC.  The aunt that his siblings are placed with was awarded similar educational surrogacy for them.  

Birth dad has 30 days to file for appeal the orders.  Son and DIL don't plan to mention anything about all of this to FGC until those 30 days have expired.  Any appeal would take the form of judicial review, not new hearings.  Court date for review and permanency planning is set for February.  One step further to stability and permanence for these kiddos!

Christmas morning

One of those days, right?  I woke up at 3.  My phone had messages on it, as we're in the midst of making plans for a get-together with my son and his cousin in mid-January, and I fell asleep while others on the group continued the chat.  That got my brain engaged and then cooking/baking math kicked in, so...

between 3 and 6, I baked two pumpkin pies and heated the cheese puffs.  Only then did I let the cat in and the dog out.  It seems a little strange having pumpkin pie spicing the house, as I don't normally bake one for Christmas. It was requested for today, since we did not have Thanksgiving in this group.  The cheese puffs altered the scent mix.  All of this to Christmas music, interspersed with communications among relatives.

Ember seems quite aware that something's different, but we put enough of the normal routine in that I was able to pack up the goodies into the car hatch, and she even put herself into her crate for a brief nap, during which I'm typing this!

Across town, we have photos of FGC with his stocking stuffers.  Message from the other grandma that she was starting on making the mashed potatoes (her contribution, they are amazing).  A ham is the main event, and dinner won't be until probably 1 p.m. or so.

Merry Christmas to one and all... 

Life is good.  Keep Sparking!

 

Christmas week is underway

 

Santa and Mrs. Claus were hosting the holiday brunch at Granite City Sunday morning/noon.  

My daughter in law had a lovely collection of gifts for her birthday, including a very clever pendant in the shape of a camera.  It was orange and looked, she said, "just like my first digital camera".  But its real cleverness was that if you looked closely at the gem that formed its lens (from the front), it had a photograph that she took earlier in the year embedded inside.  Amazing gift, from my son and my FGC.

DIL says the photograph is etched on the glass.  Technology has changed how we do lockets!

I clipped this from a video my DIL posted of the pendant, but it didn't clip very well!

I did send the cookies home with the gathered folk.  Some will stay with son, DIL and FGC, the rest will go home to DIL's parents.  

Poor Ember was in her crate for longer than usual while I went on that adventure, and while the ambient temperatures were moderate for this time of year, a strong breeze scared me off, so no leash walk.  She did get two car rides, but that's not the same as a walk, and late in the afternoon she was sort of freaked out by the neighbors working in their yard the other side of the fence, and she had some zoomies!

Monday December 22, 2025

I don't think she entirely forgave me, despite getting a big beef bone Sunday after the second car ride.  Face it, for canines who prize routine, this has been far from a routine weekend, between visitors, baking, and mom disappearing and leaving her in the crate longer than her usual puppy nap.  

The weather is being extra kind to us this week.  Monday is windy, but the temperatures are mild for this time of year.  I decided at about 9 a.m. when it was 40℉ that I would risk a leash walk through the neighborhood with my best girlie.  Ember was all waggles on the way out the door and was unusually well-behaved.  She let me keep the gloves on for most of the walk.  We did have a tricky passage on the far side of the route when two dogs taller than she, and two human mommies pushing a stroller started following us, about half a block back.

I enticed Ember to keep going, with lyrics of "Leading the puppy parade" (sung to the tune of Yellow Brick Road) and treats generously applied whenever she wanted to stop and stare back along the following route.  We got around a corner, the other dogs and their humans went straight, and the only obstacle at that point was an older couple taking their own walk.  I put Ember into a patient sit while they passed and again treated her liberally for being such a good girl.  We followed the older couple at a safe (to Ember's mind) distance.  

I was most impressed with the times she turned and locked eyes to check in with me, with no treats in evidence at all.  Also impressed that she did not pick up trash that was blowing around, although she did sniff at it.  We proceeded home to take a little ride in Dexter (the car) to get Mommy's special coffee and a dog treat for the good puppy.

Once she decided it was time for her nap, I tucked Ember in and came upstairs, putting Gregorian chants on for background, and may just take a nap of my own.  I'm getting really "bougie" in the US slang sense (bourgeois).  I fell for one of those ads and ordered a DNA kit for Ember.  I have had people look at her confirmation and ask if she's "English" lab, which apparently is different from "American line" that is taller, slimmer, more athletic.  So, let's see what it says.  Also I have learned that "charcoal" is not a lab variety accepted by the AKC.  Not that I plan on getting her papered or anything, but curious!  Finally, there is the component of genetic health risks... would be nice to know.  Like I said, this is kind of a "first world" thing.  

Oh, the elf-hat on the treetop?  That was part of a small lamb-chop toy that Ember destroyed in about 15 minutes!  

Le Sigh!  But not really.  I knew when I bought it that this was its likely fate, and decided for the price, the pleasure Ember would get from it was worth it.

Life is good!  Keep Sparking!

Holidays continue

Holidays are not nearly as hectic as they were when I was "in the middle generation".  I'm glad that the current "middle generation" (meaning son and wife) are gentler with themselves and making common sense decisions about gifts.  This year it is once again all centered around "the kid"... gifts are to or from him.

Saturday, I wrapped the one from me to the FGC.  I put a performance of Handel's Messiah on the YouTube for mood and carried on!

I also made another batch of cookies, these for the FGC, especially, as he liked the "mistake cookies" I made last year.  This year, they became the "almost-a-disaster" cookies.  I'm almost ready to declare this recipe jinxed.

What happened?  I was in the process, having sifted the flour and baking soda into a small bowl, and put the softened butter and peanut butter and sugars into the big bowl.  I went to pull the hand mixer out of the cupboard, and it brought a friend along for the ride.  An old glass sugar bowl was pulled out of the cupboard, and it crashed onto the counter, shattering.

I could not tell whether any of the pieces of glass fell into the flour mixture, but I wasn't about to bet against it, so into the garbage went the flour and soda, and the bowl went straight to the dishwasher, while I cleaned up the fragments I could find, and swept both counter and floor as best I could.

I started over fresh and finished the cookies.

Fortunately, I had anticipated Ember being a nuisance during baking, so had put her down for a puppy nap in her crate before I started.  

Phew!  I can so easily imagine trips to the emergency vet if a pup licked up glass!   

The cookies are safe and will be distributed Sunday at my daughter in law's birthday brunch.

I released Ember from her "den" once the cookies were cooling in a different room, and we hopped in the car to go on human errands.  One of those errands involved buying another small bag of flour, because I'm on tap to make the pumpkin pie for Christmas Day, and I pretty much used up the allowance with having to double up the flour for the cookies.

On Friday, my niece came over to sample the cheese puffs and meet the doggo.  Ember wasn't so sure about this new human, but she warmed up as I clearly accepted my niece's presence.  We shared coffee, the cheesy treats, and memories.  We caught up on one another's lives.  I shared the photo book of FGC, who reminds me in some ways of this niece's brother, who passed away it must be 15 years ago now.  I am hoping that this spurs more regular contact with her!  

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!