Living in the Moment

Today was a glorious day of living in the moment. As all days should be.

And I am so glad to be home. Even if the cats have made a mess and the laundry (albeit clean) is out of control.

It was so nice to just be. Of course, the fact that it was like a summer day didn't hurt either...

Tianna had a softball game today and it was great to sit and watch the game with Howie, forget about real life for a bit and watch Tianna play while sipping on some great coffee.

As I was leaving one of the other coaches pulled up in his car, so I went over to say hello, but he gestured to the passenger seat, that I didn't see was occupied by my friend and I feel soul sister Gwen and it was just so wonderful to receive and give one of those hugs that conveys so many wordless emotions and feelings without saying a word, just through the powerful embrace and touch of another person who cares. We all need that.

Then it was an afternoon at Knoebels, a great amusement park with Nicole and her friend. I just lallygagged and they rode. I did treat myself to a ride on the humongo Ferris wheel and just enjoyed the sunlight and gentle breeze and lost myself in the simple pleasure of a ride for just a few moments. There were two senior gentlemen in the car in front of me; they looked like they were in their eighties, and of course reminded me of my dad...I wondered what their story was.

Then we visited my friend Dana who is selling jewelry to support crafters in India and we found some really fun things. And ate some good snacks, and drank great chai tea.

And the capstone event was a luau party for one of the outgoing doctors and we couldn't have had a better night...clear skies, balmy temperatures, great food and wonderful company. It's the first time in a long time I had a chance just to visit with the close knit group of people that Howie works with. One of the new incoming residents was there and she is someone who is a contemporary of Chris' and now starting as a first year Derm resident, so that officially qualifies me as feeling old.

But the funniest part of the evening was when several of the guys, including Howie put on grass skirts and coconut bras and posed...he even wore my great sunglasses, which the girls didn't even want me to wear. And they thought the glasses alone would be too embarrassing...

It was a fun, relaxed, joy filled day. The laundry will still be there tomorrow.

Peace.

Joey and Zoey

No, Joey and Zoey aren't twins, in fact they aren't even siblings. They are hermit crabs that have joined our menagerie, which currently consists of one dog, four cats, a frog, a beta fish and a bunny. There were also two parakeets, but they went home with my mother. Just another reason I suppose I need to have my head examined; more to take care of...but these are Nicole's pets.

Hermit crabs seemed fairly innocuous and easy to care for. As long as you keep them moist, feed them, don't let mites set in and provide bigger shells for them to moult into. Like I said, there must be something wrong with my head.

So Zoey came home today from Knoebels (a local amusement park); it was actually less expensive than the one we got the other day at Petco. We learned that if their large claw is purple it is a female, red a male. So when we got home Nicole discovered that Joey was actually a Josephina, so she has been renamed JoJo. I think Nicole was hoping for baby Hermies, but it doesn't look like that will be happening. That's all I need; to become a hermit crab breeder in addition to all those other roles I manage to assume!

We did actually have to make an exchange. Nicole initially picked out one of the larger size crabs and when I took it out and put it on my outstretched palm it PINCHED me. And I mean hard. That claw was firmly implanted in my palm pad under my middle finger. I tried pulling prying and then pulling and finally got my finger nail under neath after trying to shake it off. There was my hand wildly flailing with the hermit crab firmly attached. What a grip! I was amazed that the darn thing didn't draw blood, it sure felt like it.

And then Nicole, bless her heart decided she couldn't possibly bring a hermit crab home that had accosted her mother like that, so back it went for a hermit crab exchange. I am happy to report that Zoey hasn't pinched anyone yet and is making fast friends with JoJo.

Now Nicole is just trying to figure out how to get the crab on Pet Star. I wonder if the amazing pinching crab would have counted?