have fun today!

penguins with close-knit friends

There was recently an oil spill off the coast of New Zealand and, as usual, the wildlife really suffered. Including penguins ... the oil not only makes their body temperature too cold, but they ingest the toxic oil when they preen themselves.

So, in an effort to help them, a NZ yarn store put out a call for their customers to knit sweaters (or "jumpers", as the Kiwis call them) to protect the penguins.And what a response they received! Word spread and more than enough sweaters poured in to their shop from around the world. What a gesture! So now the oil-soaked penguins will have the warmth they need until they can be painstakingly cleaned of the crude. And after they're clean, they still need to wear the sweaters for a bit until their natural oils re-coat their feathers.

If you're a knitter and would like to help these precious birds, the sweater pattern and mailing address are posted HERE (although they have received enough for now, they're saving all the surplus sweaters for future disasters).

And aren't they just so ADORABLE sporting those little sweaters ?!?!?

Hope you're enjoying the weekend,

now boarding! a great new TV show!

As I wind down from the weekend every Sunday evening, I'm usually disappointed by what's on TV. Nothing particularly entertaining.... until now! About a month ago, a new show took off on Sunday nights: Pan Am. And I love it! Have you seen it?
It has the intrigue of travel, fairly good dialogue and plot, and a vintage vibe with culture/fashion/music throwbacks to the '60s Jet Age when getting from Point A to Point B was something passengers dressed-up for.
And then I saw the online Pan Am store. What?!? A Pan Am ... store? Must. Check. It. Out.

I heard angels sing when I caught a glimpse of great travel accessories emblazoned with the iconic Pan Am globe logo. And when I saw the Orion, "the bag that started it all", one of them somehow fell into my shopping cart, LOL. It's so popular that it's on back-order until December, but that's OK. I'm willing to go on stand-by for this cool bag! (OK, I'll stow the flight puns, LOL)
The Orion is a facsimile of the bag that the stewardesses were issued with their uniforms ... I chose the traditional "Pan Am blue" color, and it even has a fabric lining with a fun print of little airplanes, the Pan Am logo, people carrying suitcases, etc. Lots of nifty details, even down to the zipper pulls!
Simply irresistible I tell you! And the airline gave these bags as gifts to first-class passengers flying to Europe. Really??

I'll admit that I had mixed feelings about the show when it premiered ... after all, the way stewardesses ('60s vernacular for "flight attendants") were treated was disturbingly sexist ... they had to have a certain "look", submit to pre-flight weigh-ins, and weren't allowed to get married. Why would I want to watch that? I mean, forget that, women can be PILOTS now! But I gave the show a chance and found that it doesn't focus too much on that aspect, instead dwelling on the glamour of the Jet Age, and great destinations.

Although flying has changed a lot in 50 years, with intense security checks, airline fees galore, flight delays, pretzels instead of 3-course meals, and that sinking feeling of "is this really all the legroom I'm gonna have for the next 10 hours?" when I get in my seat, I love flying and being at the airport! To me, it's the appetizer on the travel menu, with that "getting there is half the fun" concept whetting my appetite for the adventures awaiting me in a new & exciting locale.

Now I can bring a bit of the Jet Age with me in my chic new (non-leather!) bag. And maybe I'll even dress-up a bit for my next flight....

birthday fun!

Hello! I must begin with a BIG thanks to everyone for making my birthday yesterday so special !! I appreciate all of your cards, gifts, e-mails, calls. I have a long shelf lined with cards, I absolutely love getting such nice things in the mail! I had a nice day (entire weekend, actually) of celebration as I bid farewell to "42". And thank you to my sweet Sal for treating me like a princess!

But now I'd like to share the special MILESTONE birthday that we celebrated in my family recently ... my Grandma's 90th! Several family members traveled to southern (Ontario) Canada to surprise her! We had a fun time ... here are some highlights ...

My Grandma is a volunteer (6 days a week!) at a local nursing home, where she basically runs the little gift/sundry shop... we stopped in for a visit during her "shift" ... from left, Aunt Lois, Grandma, my Dad, Uncle Richard, my Mom, me:

Sal has known my Grandma for 23 years!

We gathered for a party to celebrate my Grandma's incredible 90 years!

Sal hangin' with my cousin Phil (like me, he suffers from a severe case of wanderlust, LOL --- I loved chatting about travel with you, Phil!), his wife Renee, and my Aunt Lois (who makes beautiful greeting cards with scrapbook supplies!):

And a big surprise for my Grandma ... my Uncle's singing group (that's my Uncle Phil in the middle) showed up during her party to sing songs chosen especially for her, mostly from her era ... they sounded great, so much talent!

Here's a video clip (sorry, it's probably not compatible with mobile devices, you'll need to watch it on a PC):

My Grandma likes to wear funky socks!

Pink roses for Rosemary!

Make a wish!

We stayed at the family cottage in Cedar Beach, on Lake Erie:

And my Grandma had to chuckle when I took her picture with my iPhone! I was demonstrating all the cool things my "phone" can do ... maps, e-mail, music, news, weather, and of course access my blog! Can you imagine what technology will allow us to do by the time we're 90 ?!?

And I'd like to send a BIG thanks to my Aunt Lois & Uncle Phil for their warm hospitality! You're so much fun!

Here's to birthdays!

Susan

yesterday was my lucky day!

Hi everyone!

Sorry that I've been MIA lately, but on top of the "stuff of life", I've been a busy, busy Dog Mom ... Buddy has needed a lot of care, poor angel ... lots of meds, dr appts, etc. The first 2 weeks after he came home from the hospital were spent recovering ... he wouldn't eat unless hand fed, he had trouble sleeping at night, etc. But I'm happy to report that he's doing WELL and is getting STRONGER! Along with premiere heart medications, he's getting everything he needs ... his doctor recommended additional protein (known to be good for canine heart patients), so he's getting organic tofu mixed into his meals. And she said that Omega-3 would be beneficial too, but instead of traditional fish oil (it's not animal-friendly!), we sprinkle organic flaxseed oil on his kibbles, a great alternative source of Omega-3. So good for him! We've noticed a return to his old self over the past 10 days or so, including his mischievous side LOL, and it has been so wonderful! So thankful! He had a check-up yesterday at the doggie cardiologist and she was pleased -- amazed actually! -- at his progress! So much so that she didn't see the need to do more bloodwork or X-rays for now, just an exam and Rx refills. Yay for Buddy, our precious furbaby !!!


And the great news continued yesterday when I checked my e-mail to find a message with the subject line "today's your lucky day!". OK! Well, unless it's one of those pesky spam messages, who wouldn't want to read that, right? I opened it to find that I had been invited to attend Inspiration Unlimited 2012, yay!!! :-) I've been on the IU waiting list for some time and, as of August, I was way down at # 41. I wasn't sure how quickly I'd make it up the list, or if I'd get the opportunity to attend at all. The demand is high, and I'm so glad that I can go! It's a Creative Escape-esque scrapbooking event that's held every September in Nevada. Near Vegas, but not in it ... and I'm glad because I'm just not into the whole "Sin City" vibe. Once again, I'll be enjoying a pampering event that includes lots of my favorite things ... travel, friends, scrapbooking, shopping, staying at a resort (with a spa, LOL). Already so excited for September! And 11 months of fun anticipation, and filling the Creative Escape void.

I'll be back soon with pics from a very special (milestone) birthday that we celebrated in my family recently. Trying to get caught-up on everything!

Hope you're having a "lucky day" today!

Susan