Visits, Thai Food, Death Farts

First of all, thank all of you for your kind words and comments about my loss of Scrappy.  I continue to feel his loss as painfully as if it was yesterday and I am sure I will for a long time.  He was an exceptionally wonderful dog and friend.

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I made it through the holidays by the skin of my teeth - there's nothing new there.  I tend to dread the end of the year for multiple reasons:  bad things happen (yep), I get older (darn), there's no daylight (hello?)  Thanks to friends and family, I didn't have much down time - my guest room was occupied through both holidays.  I will say that my guest room is a cozy nest that brings on sleep like a load of ether.  Must be the good feng shui, heavy drapes, fleece sheets and blanket, and down comforter.  Guests sink into the fluffy burrow and don't arise for hours and hours.  My nephew was down for over 12 hours...hehe.  Of course, if you do happen to arise during the night, be prepared to face the two-dimensional cat and the doormat dachshund that lurk right outside your door...

Speaking of Captain Death Farts (aka The Pepperoni), I had to make yet one more visit to the vet before the end of the year, and was driving with The Pepperoni on my lap (Yes, yes.  I know it's unsafe - but so is trying to concentrate on the road with a hairy ping pong ball next to you) when the Death Farts started.  I mean, they were so bad that I had to crack open all the windows - it was 15 degrees without the wind chill factor - just so Lovey and I could survive until we could escape the car.  CDF is having all treats curtailed until he quits percolating these eye-watering nose bombs.

For New Year's Day (and my birthday), my youngest sister arrived with a bottle of bubbly, the ingredients for a Thai dinner and a DVD of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?  While we sipped our mimosas (fresh-squeezed oranges, no less), we delved into my birthday present to myself.

It was fun - and it looks as if my sis will be under the influence of the Sun in her future!

Then it was down to business.

She made rice noodles with scallops, shrimp, mussels and a spicy coconut milk broth.  OMG.  And she made enough that I got two delicious meals out of it.  OMG.  Then we sat down, sprinkled with dogs and cats, and enjoyed the black and white camp act of two great film divas.  It was so much fun.

Now it is back to the mundane - although, frankly, it is never mundane around here for long.