Little Man

I received a phone call from a little boy today. "Auntie Netty, I want to go to your house," he said. "But first I have to ask my daddy."

"Why sure!" I was so thrilled that this little man of a boy wanted to come all the way to my house to see me.

"Okay," he said. "I'll call you right back."

A few hours later, he was at my doorstep. And the first thing he asked for was "Can we have some coffee?"

Then he cooked up some kare-kare for dinner. It's Lent Friday, and we're supposed to fast from meat. But this dinner called for a dispensation from the Church because the little boy made it.

He even spun the cabbage to dry before adding it to the pot.

This little boy is my grand nephew Sheazie Bear. And I am so blessed to be adored by him!

DISCLAIMER: No real coffee was served to/ drunk by this little boy. Chocolate milk was our make-believe coffee this time. Other times, it's just plain old H2O.

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Ashes

Today is Ash Wednesday. For some, it's a dreaded day, for it's the first of forty days during which he or she will fast or give up an indulgence; for others, it's the first day of an exciting resolution to change his or her life, be it healthwise, socially, or financially - meaning giving up certain foods that should ultimately lead to a trimmer midsection, volunteering extra days at the homeless shelter, or filling a piggy bank to offer to his/her choice of charity at the end of Lent. All in all, things that make one feel good inside.

Yours Truly had no plans of any of the above.

*Tsk, tsk, tsk!*

... until she received a text from Mayet, that ultimately lead to a "dare" of sorts to get ashes at church to start the Lenten season.

So, Yours Truly gobbled up a plate of gyro leftovers at Mayet's to stave off hunger pangs, and headed off to church with her and the kids.

Mayet contemplating on her Lenten fast. 
Oh, what to give up?!

 Because having a stranger rub dirt on your forehead can be a tad daunting to a two-and-a-half year old, we prepared Sheazie Bear for it. "The nice lady is going to put ashes on my forehead, then I say Amen! Then she's going to put the same ashes on your forehead, and Jaida Bug's, and Mommy's, and they're all going to say Amen!"

"Okay," Sheazie approved. 

Jaida Bug couldn't care less. If she could reach the bowl of ashes, she'd eat it!

Thus, we marched up to the altar, and received the mark of the cross on our foreheads. 

And Sheazie Bear couldn't have been more proud to get dirt on put on his forehead by a stranger who mumbled something about ashes and rising from the dead.

Amen!

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I Confess: Spring Cleaning

The best place, in my opinion, to start spring cleaning is in the fridge.

I hollered up to 5-Star to bring me the pair of latex gloves and the bottle of bleach in the laundry room. After some grumblings, and heavy footsteps following, he presented me with the latex gloves and a jug of white vinegar.

I reminded him that I asked for bleach.

Resolved not to climb back up the stairs, he declared "vinegar is better than bleach, it kills more germs!" This from the very same guy who scoffed at me for using vinegar in the wash for the dog bed covers. Except his statement at the time was the opposite, "you know..." [pause for effect] "bleach kills germs; vinegar doesn't."

Ay nako!

I stuck with the vinegar, but not because it kills more germs than bleach. Vinegar actually neutralizes odors very well, not that my fridge smelled foul. And because I, too, was resolved not to have to climb the stairs to get the bottle of bleach.

Among the items thrown into the trash can were:

1. Hoisin Sauce Best by 08/14/04. Cousin Bing bought this sauce to make a shrimp dish, the year she and Leeroy got married. In 2003! (Or was it 2002...)
2. Sylt Lingon (lingonberry jam from Ikea) Best by 11/14/05.
3. Vlasic Kosher Pickles Best by 12/1/08. This must have been for the sandwich foods we were limited to when our kitchen was being remodeled.
4. Kraft Thousand Island Dressing Best by 10/1/2011. Ah, Pa's favorite.
5. Trader Joe's Hot Buttered Rum Best by 12/17/2011. I don't even drink hot buttered rum!
6. Turkey stuffing, with green hair.
7. Turkey gravy, with white hair.
8.  A can of condensed milk that smelled like vinegar.

The list goes on with less offensive items, more recently dated.

Anyway, here is my fridge now.

Sterile. And it ain't even spring yet.

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Aquarium Pop Quiz

[Pay attention, as there is a quiz at the end of this post.]

The kids went to the aquarium, and the adults tagged along. But I don't know who was more awed by the animals; the kids, or the adults.

And I don't know who get's in trouble more; the kids, or the adults.

Case in point:
Notice the adult, leaning into the tide pool exhibit. She picked up a starfish to show to a sheepish little boy sitting on the ledge of said exhibit. The exhibit attendant proceeded to kindly admonish said adult, pointing at a signage distributed throughout the exhibit. The placards read Touch the animals gently. Do not pick up the animals. These animals are all alive.

*That's right, Netty! The attendant was talking to you. Pay attention to the posted placards. And keep your hands to yourself if you can't follow the rules.*

 No one got into any trouble after that. 

Jaida Bug was our sea-animal whisperer. Whenever she looked, an animal would come.

Until the animal saw the double cowlicks in her head. Folklore says the more the cowlicks, the naughtier the person. I guess because the cowlicks look like little hurricanes?

Back to the rules... You can touch only if:

1. You brought it... Like Sheazie Bear's dinosaur.

2. It's not alive.

And here's a little marine biology lesson from Yours Truly...

1. An Orca's dorsal fin tells you the sex of the animal. Males have taller fins than females, sometimes reaching over six feet tall!
2. An Orca's dorsal fin tells you if the animal is wild or raised in captivity. Wild Orcas have erect fins; captive Orcas' fins are bent (because they have no use for them in an aquarium).

And here's a story from real life experience. Yours Truly used to be a diver. On one of her dives on the Fujikawa Maru in Truk Lagoon, she encountered a fish similar to this one, but five times bigger.

Looks innocent enough, right? That's why Yours Truly swam toward it, extending a finger to fondle the cute bugger. But he suddenly came at her like a torpedo on a beeline. She was suddenly frightened by the fearless, apparently aggressive bugger, so she back pedaled as fast as she could.

Back on the boat, she mentioned the encounter to a fellow diver.

"That was a trigger fish." he exclaimed. "They are quite territorial, and have been known to tear a diver's respiration tubes with its fierce bite!"

And so, for years until this enlightening day at the Seattle Aquarium, Yours Truly has been living with the belief that this innocent fish was the dreaded, ill-tempered triggerfish.

*Hey, just because she gives a few lessons here and there doesn't mean she's smart.*

Marione biology lesson No. 3:

This cute little bugger is a porcupine fish. And the only malice it packs is in the sharp points of his quills, and in the neurotoxins that reside in its internal organs. Unless you're an expert sushi chef, do not eat the innocent porcupine fish.

Speaking of sushi, let me tell you that Sheazie Bear loves seaweed sushi wrappers. He eats it like it's candy.

And the good boy that he is, he shares it like it's candy.

But Jamesie Cat will have no part of it! He'd rather hang on to his Bakugan toys than eat seaweeds, even if he's hungry.

Unless you offer crackers...

 There you have it. The kids at the aquarium, with adults in tow.

And I shall leave you with a parting quiz...

By the following photo, what can you decipher about this Orca's fin?

a.) It is male.
b.) It is female.
c.) It is homosexual.
d.) It is fake.
e.) Mayet is equal to or less than five feet tall.
f.) The photographer is a dork.

The first person with the correct answer will receive a package of nori seaweed.



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Seniors Know How to Party

'Tis the season of red hearts and roses once again. The time when Saint Valentine and Cupid come out of the woodwork to set the universe into a frenzy of love that afflicts souls of all ages. Senior citizens not excluded.

Tita V is the president of a local senior citizens organization. Thanks to her social clout and sense of fun and adventure, she threw a fantastic bash for her fellow citizens.

She invited people of distinguished societies to speak about dental health...

And about community...

The organization has their own distinguished members... Men with character and valor, as indicated by the... um, Burger King?... crowns.

The organization doesn't need Hollywood. They have their own paparazzi.

And what better subject to capture than the pairing of elected Mr. and Ms. Valentine's.
They won the votes because of their answers to the question "What one thing would you give your loved one?"

He answered "My heart."

And she answered "Love everlasting."

And well, a party just isn't a party without some dancing.

Hit it Deejay!

[CLICK Seniors Unleashed]

All the hot topic aside, the senior citizens organization is a community of fun, loving folks who come together to share their joys and life experiences.

The food. Well, this just may be the other important reason for these fun loving folks to come together.

The lady who got this party started...

Tita V.


Not for "Valentine", although she's notorious for playing Cupid.

V for Virgi.


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