A Pineapple, Homemade Soap and Remembering Your Best Boy Dog
When buying a pineapple and making soap leads to some deep thoughts
Hello friends to another week of the happy go luck fun, with some quirkiness on the side.
There’s just something special about walking around small towns with brightly colored buildings like this picture I took when I visited England a few years ago. So precious and cute, right?
Speaking of precious and equally relaxing are homemade soaps. I’m addicted to them. I had my first soap making class! It was a lot of fun and very informative thanks to Maureen at Heaven Scent Beauty (Haledon, NJ). She taught the one-on-one class at The Eclectic Chic Boutique in Upper Montclair, NJ. I was lucky to find this type of class, thanks to Groupon that recently has discounts on all types of classes, most of which are perfect for self-care and for trying new things. Now if I want to make my own soaps, I can do it.
Another great find, is this pineapple. Is this fruit majestic?
I found this beauty at ALDI, the food store I have a bad addiction to for under $2.30. Now I have to decide what to do with it. Do I just cut it up and eat it or use it for some type of recipe. Maybe a nice pineapple crisp from All Recipes?
Most of you may noticed there was an extra day in February- the 29th, better know a leap day. And like most people, you may wonder why we have Leap Day. NPR is on the case on why Leap Day?
“Nearly every four years, the Gregorian calendar — which is used in the majority of countries around the world — gets an extra day: February 29.
For some people, leap day means frog jokes and extravagant birthday parties. For many, it may conjure memories of the 2010 rom-com Leap Year, which harkens back to the Irish tradition by which women can propose to men on that one day. And others likely see it merely as a funny quirk in the calendar, or just another Thursday.
Leap day means several different things to Alexander Boxer, a data scientist and the author of A Scheme of Heaven: The History of Astrology and the Search for Our Destiny in Data.
Most people know that a single day is about 24 hours long, and that there are 365 days in a year.
But it actually takes Earth 365.242190 days to orbit the sun, says Jackie Faherty, an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
"And that .242190 days to go around the sun is the entire reason why we have a leap year," she explained.”
I usually don’t post animal related videos that might make people cry, but this is the exception. Jon Stewart has returned to host Comedy Central’s The Daily Show on Mondays and before he signed off this past Monday he gave tribute to his dog, Dipper, who passed away a week ago today. Within a minute you will tear up hearing about his beloved Dipper, especially if you’re a pet owner. But from Jon’s loss, something special has happened.
From the Washington Post: “People were so moved by the segment — and the story he told of how he adopted the 3-legged dog from a no-kill shelter in New York City named Animal Haven — that the shelter was immediately flooded with donations.
More than $35,000 has poured in since Monday night, and hundreds of people have fulfilled a wish list for shelter supplies, said Tiffany Lacey, Animal Haven’s executive director. Animal Haven has also gotten many inquiries about adoptions, she said, noting that the shelter has room for about 100 cats and dogs.”
I’d like to take a moment to honor my own Dipper. His name was Bruce. He was found abandoned on the side of a highway in December 2020. One of the local radio stations highlights a dog of the week to adopt, and they spotlighted Bruce in February 2021. There was just something special about him, especially the videos the animal shelter posted of Bruce playing with the puppies and cats at the shelter. Me and my family decided to meet Bruce, and within minutes we knew he would have a forever home with us. The picture of Bruce near some steps was the first day he was home. For over two years, Bruce was the best boy. He was so friendly and well- behaved (for the most part because he loved destroying tissue boxes for some reason, as shown in the other picture). Then in July of 2023, Bruce passed away suddenly while playing in my backyard. He fell to the side and never woke up. He was only 4 years old, so we don’t know what happened to him(the vet believes he had a brain aneurysm) because up to that last second before he crossed the rainbow bridge, he was so full of life and love. I hope when I cross that bridge, Bruce will be there to meet me so we can play and take walks like we used to.
This week’s book recommendation is from 2019- No Judgements by Meg Cabot.
When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island — as well as its connection to the mainland — twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried... at first. She’s already escaped one storm — her emotionally abusive ex — so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.
But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can... but to do so, she’s going to need help — help she has no choice but to accept from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid Café’s most notorious heartbreaker.
But when Bree starts falling for Drew, just as Little Bridge’s power is restored and her penitent ex shows up, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too.
Why I’m recommending this book- This is an adorable book with a lovely heroine, an equally adorable hero, and their plan to stay safe during a hurricane while they keep watch over their neighbors and their pets. I read this book like it was ice cream- I scarfed it down and wanted more. A must read for any fan of quicky chick-lit/ contemporary romance.
Make sure to embrace your beautiful self this week…..
I really enjoyed No Judgments and the other Little Bridge Island books. Meg Cabot is one of my comfort reads, especially her Heather Wells mystery series.