A sign???

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show is just around the corner - as you can see by this here postcard I received from a California artist I am on the mailing list for. This postcard is lying on the dining hutch, waiting to be input into my schedule. Do you see the little dark blob on the right side?

Here's a closer look...

I posted earlier this month about the ladybugs hatching inside our house and flitting about, driving the cats bonkers. It's not been a mass hatching like previous years - just a slow and steady 2 or 3 new ones each day. Steve asked me how did I know it was new ones and not just the same ones? I guess I need to go research the expected lifespan of a ladybug.

It's just so appropriate that the ladybug presented itself here on the postcard for the show that is all about Spring here in the Northwest. The February flower show is like a respirator - it gives us Seattleites a hit of much needed oxygen to get us through the last of the gray and dreary winter and helps us survive until actual Spring.

I hope the flower show makes your schedule this year!

Iggy Overload; Or: My 4-legged shadow

This past Saturday Sophia and I went to the first organized Italian Greyhound playdate of the new year. It was our first playdate, period, and it was held at Great Dog Daycare/Shoppe in Northgate.

Sophia is so much more socialized then when she first came to me - I had visions of her being completely ecstatic at finally being around other dogs with the same play style as her. The little dogs at our school are mostly terriers and she is usually the odd-one out since she likes to chase and is not into using her teeth (like terriers do). In fact, we went once in December and once in January and other than that I am saving myself from paying $10 to have my dog stand there and look at me with woeful eyes and ask why she's there.

Well, 50+ Italian greyhounds (IGs, or iggies) - along with their people - makes for a very crowded place. She seemed happy to be there, and when an iggy went by she would follow, sniffing. But she never got out of sight, not more than 15 feet away or so...and she always returned to me rather quickly, waiting closeby for the next encounter.

So I walked around the room, looking for the few (as in, 2) people I had met before that were going to be there, trying to expose Sophia to different dogs in different parts of the playroom. I had my camera, and tried to get her picture playing with other dogs. But she was usually so close to me - and there were so many human legs in the way - I was unable to get any good pictures. In fact, just when I thought she had gone off to play, I found that she was so closely and directly behind me I didn't know she was there.

The session was for two hours and after awhile I found a chair and sat down, giving her someplace to hide (behind my legs under the chair). I hadn't been sitting for long when a very small iggy (called an itty bitty) almost landed on my head - he had launched for my lap from a distance, trying to get away from all those sniffing dogs. The owner was close by and told me to put him down. I did reluctantly since I knew what he was going thru. Sophia had done the exact same thing the first time I took her to the small dog play area at Magnuson Park. After about 30 seconds on the ground she jumped into the lap of a complete stranger and refused to get down. But I also didn't make him, either. She seemed happier there and I didn't have a chair to sit in. He turned out to be the bf of the girl I was meeting who had brought her iggy, Carmen, to meet Sophia.

It just shows me again how much progress Sophia has made.

Anyway, she did sit in my lap for awhile, and I also carried her around a little bit. She is not nearly as small as many of these dogs are (as a result of what I consider lesser breeding), and is a little unwieldy. But I will practice carrying her more and it will get easier.

We left just a few minutes before the session officially ended - she let me know she was done and just sat there and watched. She was ready to go home.

One good thing about the day was that I got to meet the new volunteer rep for the Northwest and our part of the Italian Greyhound Club of America. I signed up to volunteer my services as a graphic design/writer type person, and also to do Home Visits. I would take Sophia with me to visit the home of someone who wishes to adopt an iggy. Much like being a Matchmaker at the animal shelter, but with the added benefit of being able to see their home, and really tell them specifics about IGs and try to talk them out of one. A successful home will have to be so committed to their little one that they will work through all of the behavior issues and provide the necessary training must dogs lack.

It was fun to see so many dogs that look a bit like Sophia - there are many blue/white iggies out there! And I would say about a third of the dogs there were wearing some sort of clothing for warmth. And I bought Sophia her first necklace as a reward for being such a good sport! I will post a picture soon, it's lovely.

Origins of a gazehound

Sophia and I went for an hour-long walk in Lincoln Park yesterday. We took the Bluff Trail and then went down and walked along the beach. Lots of people out! It was sunny and a nice 50 degrees.

So, now some education for today!

According to the breed standard info in “The Complete Dog Book,” which is an official publication of the AKC: The Italian Greyhound is the smallest of the family of gazehounds (dogs that hunt by sight). The breed is believed to have originated more than 2,000 years ago in the Mediterranean basin, possibly in the countries now known as Greece and Turkey. This belief is based on the depiction of miniature Greyhounds in the early decorative arts of these countries and on the archaeological discoveries of small Greyhound skeletons…. [The breed] was a favorite of the Italians of the 16th century with whom miniature dogs were much in demand. Thus they became known as ‘Italian Greyhounds.’… There is some difference of opinion as to whether he was originally bred for hunting small game or was meant to be simply a pet and companion. It seems most likely that he filled both roles.”

I read that the Benedictine monks bred IGs as companions for their body warmth. The normal body temperature of an IG is 102.3 degrees. Monks supposedly kept them on their laps, under their robes, during the winter. I would assume also in their bed at night. Sophia sleeps under the covers with me and would otherwise be too cold. (She also has a heating pad in her bed during the day so I can turn the furnace back down). I have to say, she makes a big difference in my own comfort at night, and otherwise. It was cold in those monasteries! I can understand this logic. They also make great watch dogs - back in those politically religious and dangerous times, no one would be able to sneak up on you. You probably lived longer.

Walking - but it's not the same as Italy

On Sunday - a day it actually DID NOT RAIN - we all went for a walk around Alki Point. We parked at Don Armeni Park, and then walked the nearly two miles to the first of the restaurants at Alki Beach, to a Tully's Coffee, where Steve had coffee, I had cocoa, and Sophia had bits of almond biscotti and a little paper cup of water.

It was very windy, outside temperature about 48 degrees, tho, so when the wind died down in spots it wasn't bad. Sophia was sporting her new pink sweater with white feathery trim that says "Love" in sequins on her back. She was scoffed at and then admired in turn, depending on the passers-by sex and age. Girls totally get it and if they had a girl dog they would do the same (said an owner of a rottweiler X), teen age boys laughed, and other people laughed but said "oh how cute!" at the end.

It was a long walk. It's not the same as meandering up and down streets, looking in shop windows, and getting lost like we did in Italy. This had a goal point at each end (going: coffee / returning: the warmth of the car!) and I had forgotten a scarf, altho I did have some knit gloves in my dog-walking windbreaker. Steve had his scarf and his hat, but still was cold he says because he doesn't have hair over his ears like I do.

In the end, the sun set as we returned to the car. We had walked so far that we could not see the Space Needle, we were so far around the Point to the West. Watching the ferry boats ply the water to and fro, brilliant white against the dark blue of the water and the hills behind - was breathtaking. You can usually see at least three, in various stages of their routes to Southworth, Bremerton, or points further north.

We walked in 2 hours what we would have spent 12 hours walking in Italy. No, it's not the same. But it felt good to be outdoors, moving again, this time with my darling Sophia in accompianment.

Need some fresh air? Alki Beach Park information:
http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/parkspaces/alki.htm

Spring is nigh - our ladybugs are hatching

Spring is just around the corner. I spotted my first ladybug of the year on the blind in our entry way this morning.

One thing we inherited in our 75 year old house was an annual hatching and exodus of masses of ladybugs. The first time this happened it totally freaked me out, I admit it. I could not figure out where they were coming from! We finally determined they were living in the walls, and were visible because they would come out between the two panes of window glass during the sunny days of February or March. Many would be in the house itself, on the walls along the ceiling, and some would live their lives between the panes of glass. (It drove the cats nuts!!)

When we replaced our windows in April of our 2nd year there I wondered if we might have lost our ladybug population and their access to our livingroom. But we didn't! In 2004 our ladybugs made their appearance, but all were in the house this time since there was no window panes to be stuck between. It seemed like there were less than before, tho, perhaps some were going outside (and I don't know how they survived if they did).

So, the first ladybug was out this morning, on the window blind. When this happens sometimes we can not open the blinds all the way because this would squish the ladybug between the pleats. I opened it far enough for a cat to walk on the window sill and to keep the ladybug out of kitty reach, but enough room to let it move away to another part of the house.

Usually we get to enjoy our ladybugs for a month or longer. The cats will spend some time chasing them around, patting at them with their paws delicately as they try to figure out if they are edible or not. It's fun to watch. And a true sign of spring at our house!

The World Would Be a Better Place If...everyone adopted their pets instead of buying them

I was saddened to read an article in the Seattle Times today, about the Everett Animal Shelter and how it must euthanize good, adoptable pets just to make room for other incoming adoptable pets.

Even adoptable pets dying to make room
The link to the article is too long for this page, but here are the statistics (you could search for Everett Animal Shelter at www.seattletimes.com if you want to read the whole story)
The Everett Animal Shelter, which was designed to care for about 3,500 animals a year, now takes care of nearly 9,000 a year, said Bud Wessman, the shelter's director. The crowding is partly reflected in the white-board column recording the numbers put to death: about 22 percent of dogs brought to the shelter and about 40 percent of cats. About half of the animals euthanized are deemed not adoptable — they're sick, injured, feral or aggressive, Wessman said. Another one-fourth are euthanized at the owners' requests.

I just find this heartbreaking. Steve and I were handling a gorgeous 5-month old kitten named Norm at Next To Nature last night (our local natural pet food store), sponsored by Friends of the Animals Foundation. He was an interesting-colored seal point/white kitten, with a hint of Persi's grey "M" on his forehead and a tabby tail like Cheerio, the rest of him being fluffy and cream-colored. Since losing Persi last August to a car in front of the house I personally have felt there was a hole in our home (Steve feels differently I guess). Luckily someone had already applied to adopt him or else I would have twisted Steve's arm to take this new little bundle of joy - who had a rough start in life to begin with - home to the pack.

Upon reflection, we do have a good balance at home with our current mix (3 cats and Sophia), Steve says 4 animals is too many, and I ask him "What is it about you and a "number"?" Conversation to be continued...

Anyway, if a drowning kitten showed upon my doorstep I would take him in - I just can't actively go out and seek a new member of our family.

All of our pets were adopted or rescued. Switch was rescued from a dark, cold, wintery apartment in Renton, abandoned by tenants of an apartment that was evicted. There was no electricity, the potty box was full, and he had only adult food and looked like he had trouble chewing it because it was so big. Switch still has food issues, even at 14+ pounds and more than 2 years of having food available to him 24 hours a day. Sometimes these things never go away.

We adopted Havana from Purrfect Pals of Arlington when we bought our home in 2001 and found all this space and room for another cat (we brought three with us to the house, Persi, Cheerio, and Whizzin, Cheerio's brother, who left us two years ago). We went to a cat adopt-a-thon with the city and tried to adopt and were told 3 animals per household was the limit and we were turned away. So we went to Petco, where Purrfect Pals has an agreement to showcase their adoptable cats, and Havana was amazing. Once we got her home she actually got very sick, she had been spayed super young and we had to help her eat and drink water. A few days on a heating pad and under a hot lamp and voila! We got the berserking, beauty queen we have today.

I adopted Sophia last May with the help of Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue, I think I have written about her before.

Persi came to us during the rainy season of 1998, shortly after we were married. We tried to re-home him at first, but within 24 hours he had made his way into our hearts and we had to keep him. He was truly special.

Cheerio and Whizzin I found when I was 20 years old (1990) and living in an apartment in Mill Creek with my fiance of the time, after returning from an attempt to be in the Air Force and being sent home with a bad knee. I stopped to buy bird food for my cockatiel, Swayze (who left me in 1995), and a little of 8 kittens had been dumped, covered in fleas and ear mites and everything else. I was looking at a black and white kitten, but decided since having one cat you already can't go anywhere without making arrangements, we might as well get 2 so they can keep each other company and I wouldn't have as much guilt working all day. When the fiance and I broke up, it was no question I was the one who would be taking the cats since the typical boy of 20 years old can't handle the responsibility of caring for a cat - let alone a relationship.

If you have room in your household for a pet, do consider adopting from your local animal shelter or safe haven this year. At the Seattle Animal Shelter, our motto is "Saving One Life At a Time". That's all any of us can do - along with educating everyone we know about responsible and humane pet ownership. The benefits of growing up with and living with animals are endless!

Everett Animal Shelter
http://www.everettwa.org/cityhall/citydepts/animal_control/

Seattle Animal Shelter
www.seattleanimalshelter.org

Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
www.paws.org

Humane Society for Seattle/King County
http://www.seattlehumane.org/

Purrfect Pals!
http://www.purrfectpals.org/

Friends of the Animals Foundation
http://www.fafseattle.org/

Barely there - evidence of the sun

I was admiring my bare feet the other morning, and observed with a smile that I still have a Birkenstock tan line across the top of my feet from last summer. I think the tops of my feet got tanner than anywhere else on my body - actually, I think burned even since I often forget about being barefoot in my sandals when I am otherwise protected (or slathered in sunscreen).

How about you? Still have vestiges of last summer? Or is all just a blissful memory??

Oh, and Seattle did break a rain record! Read the story at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002745278_webrainrecord17.html

Have a fantastic day, regardless of what's happening outside!

The world IS a better place - there IS a chocolate bar on every corner! (almost)

Okay, I had occasion to have an evening meeting last night, happened to be at a conveniently located Starbucks (the new drive thru one on 1st Ave South). When I walked in I suddenly remember Steve saying he thought Starbucks was serving drinking chocolate like what I had in Italy.

THEY DO!

Hussle yourself down to your nearest Starbucks and order yourself a cup! It comes in a cute little chocolate-colored paper Starbucks cup with a black lid. It's warm and soothing, and you will feel love all over as you sip it down.

Chantico™ Drinking Chocolate - A drinkable dessert with an intense, full-bodied chocolate flavor and silky, rich texture.

http://www.starbucks.com/retail/nutrition_beverage_detail.asp?selProducts=161

PROMISE ME YOU WON'T READ THE NUTRITION INFORMATION!!

I hope they get extra dark soon!

Who knew we got way less rain than NYC?!?

Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - 12:00 AM

In Seattle, it's gonna rain — some more
By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE
The Associated Press

SEATTLE – After 22 consecutive days of measurable rain, Seattle is closing in on a record so dismal, even forecasters in this city famous for its gray skies are complaining — albeit politely.

With more wet weather predicted over the next several days, Seattle may soon break a record set in 1953, when there were 33 consecutive days of measurable precipitation — the most since the local National Weather Service branch started tracking rainfall in 1931.

"Usually we have a few days of rain and one or two days of cloudy and dreary days and then it rains again and that's the way it goes," National Weather Service meteorologist Johnny Burg said Monday. "We're not getting our dry days in between — just having one system follow another."

A trace of rain fell on Dec. 18, but the real stuff started the following day.

Since the weather service's "weather year" began in October, Seattle has had nearly 18 inches of rain — about 2 inches above normal and well above this time last year, when the city had received 11 inches of rain.

Mudslides blocked railroad tracks north of Seattle for most of the weekend and a highway near Port Orchard on the Kitsap Peninsula. State Route 166 was closed indefinitely in both directions early Sunday because of roadway damage caused by the mudslide.

It was miserable in the mountains Monday, too. Forecasters said heavy snow falling amid gusty winds in the Cascades would continue through Tuesday, with about 1 foot falling every 12 hours.

The Olympic Mountains were also getting slammed, with six to 11 inches predicted every 12 hours through Tuesday afternoon.

In the lowlands, the weather service said flooding was possible, but not imminent, for rivers in parts of Western Washington, including Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Pacific and Grays Harbor counties. Flood watches were also issued for several counties in southwest Washington and northwest Oregon.

Native Northwesterners joke that it's easy to spot the tourists and transplants when it's raining. They're the ones sporting umbrellas.

Not Nora Bailey, a dental hygienist who moved to Seattle from northeastern France about 10 years ago. Nibbling on a piece of bread she got at a Pike Place Market bakery, Bailey said the rain doesn't bother her as much as the unyielding grayness.

"It's been a little depressing, but you know, what are you going to do?" said Bailey, 32. "I think all that you can say is: 'Merde, alors. Il pleut, encore.' (Loose translation: Ah, shoot. It's still raining.)"

Richard Comer, a street guitarist who moved to Seattle from the Fresno, Calif., area four years ago, went without a raincoat Monday. Cleopatra, the pit bull-lab that kept him company, wore a yellow slicker over her rusty-colored coat.

"I'm getting pretty used to it, so I don't really notice it that much anymore. I mean, you know, it's raining, but it always rains. Like today is not a rainy day," the 43-year-old Comer said, holding his hand out to catch some of the mist. "Today is just kind of a moist day."

Things were pretty quiet at the market's seafood counter where, on busy days, tourists snap pictures of salmon being tossed from the cases to the scales. The pace of the day was nothing unusual for this time of year, said Ryan Rector, 22, one of the shop's salesmen.

Still, he wonders if the rain is bumming people out.

"I do notice the people that come in are kind of dragging ... as opposed to when it's sunny in the summer, you know. People are always coming in laughing, smiling."

Though Seattle is famous for its rain, it gets far less in an average year than many places. The city's mean annual rainfall from 1970 to 2000 was 37.07 inches, compared to 49.71 inches for New York City.


Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company

Found online at:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002730281_webwet09.html

Girl Talk

I don't wear make-up. I have off and on in my adult life, but not much since I got married 8 years ago, Steve prefers the nature type. In fact, I bought a raisin colored lip gloss last spring, and he took one look at me and said, ok who are you and what have you done with my wife?

But, in December, before leaving for our trip, I began focusing on my face, and really wanted to do something about evening out my skin tone. The Swede in me can be kind of red and ruddy sometimes and I was feeling self-conscious about it and occasional blemishes that only plagued me after turning 25. I tried Red Elements Exfoliating Scrub from JASON Cosmetics, http://www.jason-natural.com/products/red_elements.php I also heard Martha mention to one of her guests about never leaving the house without wearing bronzer. I wondered, what's bronzer? And why don't I get to watch this show more often? Maybe I need to start recording it.

Steve and I were at the drug store shortly before leaving for Italy and I recruited him to help me in the make-up department to find this mysterious thing called bronzer. We never did find it, but what he did bring was Burt's Bees Tinted Facial Moisturizer.

Ok, this stuff is fantastic. Billed as being for the woman who wants some color without wearing makeup, this is the stuff for me! I now won't leave my house without it. I spritz on some Zia Sea Tonic Aloe Toner (www.zianatural.com), then dab on the moisturizer and blend. It smells nice, and also works as spf 15 sun protection due to the mineral content. If I am feeling particularly dry, I can put on my Zia Ultimate Moisture and then the Burt's Bees moisturizer, but with all of the rain we've been having I haven't needed to do that.

Burt's Bees tinted moisturizer provides sheer, lightweight coverage and moisturizes skin with sunflower and coconut oils. Rosemary helps promote cell renewal, improve circulation and reduce the appearance of broken capillaries. Earth pigments and botanical emollients subtly even out facial tones and create a luminous effect on the skin.

http://www.burtsbees.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10751&storeId=10101&productId=14967&langId=-1&categoryId=&showSubCategory=yes

I also then found some tinted lip gloss that didn't freak Steve out - called Juice Beauty. The mineral tinted lip colors again are spf 15, and the 3- color set I purchased all look great on me and with my wardrobe (in particular my pink stuff!) I am really impressed with their performance during my trip. Sometimes I put some Un-petroleum on first, then the color, just to feel more moist. www.juicebeauty.com

Okay, so that's my facial regimen! I now have even skin tone, and colorful lips without anyone noticing! I feel better about myself and the fact that I don't draw attention to myself as I would if I started wearing make-up. And besides, make-up is a lot of work and bad for your skin...

If you have some beauty tips or favorite products you would like to share, please post a COMMENT!

10 Degrees of Precipitation

I heard on the news this morning before leaving the house that we were headed into our 22nd consecutive day of rain here in Seattle. Having been gone for half of that it doesn't seem so bad to me - we had nice days over Xmas in Torino, snow in Florence, and then rain most of the time we were in Rome. But I know my father-in-law has told me that Sophia will stand on the front porch and just refuse to budge, she's had it with rainy walks.

For years Steve and I have joked about designing a postcard or poster about Ten Degrees of Precipitation, modeled after the "Seven Degrees from Kevin Bacon" game, at least aliteration-wise. We've not sat down and done it yet, but often we'll be in the car and you would overhear a conversation like this:

S: It's starting to rain.

W: No, that's not rain. I can tell you about REAL rain. That's just a drizzle.

S: Don't you think it's just a sprinkle?

W: Maybe it was just a spit. It seems to have stopped.

S: It could just be thick air with water in it...fog but not fog...I had to use the wipers for a second. Remember that WARM rain in Florida??

W: Let's see, that's sprinkle, drizzle, spit, fog, rain...I know there's more...we really need to write these down sometime and publish a postcard or something!


You get the idea. Being a native of the Northwest I truly could care less about whether it's raining or not. I admit there are some activities I may curtail of it's raining hard, but some of the time that's the best time to go! Everyone else will be huddling indoors somewhere, and us diehards, armed with an umbrella, will actually have a good time with less crowds.

HAVE A DEGREE OF PRECIPITATION TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE LIST? Post a comment for publishing, and maybe we'll get those postcards printed once and for all!

Italy photo galleries are all online!

Not entirely organized, but you get the gist!

Ciao,
Wendy

Torino (Turin)

Maranello (Galleria Ferrari)

Firenze (Florence)

Roma (Rome)

Glorious Pinkness!

We're back! Sophia was so excited to see us, she was beside herself. She whined and licked and ran around for 15 minutes straight! We ended up in a pack pile on the bed, soothing her down and getting her to be calm.

She loved her new toy! I brought a little pink bird in a ball shape, that squeeks madly. She loves it! If she's not squeeking it she's walking around with it in her mouth, whining, trying to find someplace to bury it so no one else will get it.

I have a picture of arriving at SeaTac, with my new fuschia pink bag from United Colors of Benetton in my all-pink blinged-up warm-up suit. It was very comfortable to travel in, along with my little pink sneakers. But the photo feature isn't working right now. I will see if I can get it loaded later.

We went to bed at about 9 PM. We last ate on the plane around 2 PM, but when all you do is sit you don't work it off so we weren't hungry. We were nearly delirious from lack of sleep, being up almost 24 hours on only 4 hours of sleep. Sophia was only too happy to crawl under the covers with us!

Oh, and I watched 3 movies on the plane trip back, Just Like Heaven, The Island, and The 40-year-old Virgin. I would recommend all of them! They were pretty good!

It's good to be back!

Wendy

I...left....MY....stomach...in... RO...ma

We've made Heathrow Airport in London and are stuck out in Terminal 4 for a few hours. We had a taxi come at 5:15 AM, was up at 4:30 to get ready, all the packing finished at about midnight.

The driver commented on the early hour (he normally would be in bed), and had been in a coffee bar a few doors down when we emerged from the building. The traffic was light. So imagine a cabbie stifled by constant traffic and pedestrians who never observe traffic lights...and then give him an open road and a throttle within easy reach...

He hit 170 Km/h by the time he hit the freeway on the way to Rome Fumuciano Airport. It was raining a bit, and he took the corners and passed every car as if they were going BACKwards. I felt sick and had the window down a bit for air, and hung on. Steve held my hand, we grinned at each other, but mine was a nervous smile since I felt queasy each time the road dropped out from under the Mercedes Benz station wagon we were in.

But the sunny side of this is we beat almost EVERYone else to the airport and were near the front of the queue waiting for boarding passes. The workers don't open the desks for coach seats until 6:15. This is not a job to have and have trouble showing up to work on time. There was quite bit of grumbling as the two desk workers arrived at 6:20 Am. I am sure they had "clocked in" before then, but having been told 6:15 by an official, everyone felt they were getting short shrift and made to wait.

I have to say - people are rude. Everywhere. They shove and push for no real purpose as it doesn't really get you there sooner. It's like someone habitually going 10 mph over the speed limit, risking a ticket, to arrive 25 seconds sooner. We experienced shoving and pushing by all manner of people, regardless of culture. I've developed a theory about this over the time we have been in Italy.

In America there are wide open spaces and we are used to our elbow room, and our personal space. Other cultures and cities do not have the luxury of this space, so are accustomed to being crowded together, whether it's standing in a line, or living quarters, or eating in a restaurant. No observation of personal space. The concept does not exist for most people.

I guess you get used to it.

I've made a number of observations while on this journey, but didn't write them down. I am sure they will come to me in the days ahead and I will get them out eventually.

Here are just a few things I saw that I thought was incongruent with my pesonal world, and interesting elsewhere.

Torino:
Blockbuster Video. Never saw a McDonalds, but I am sure they are there somewhere.

Zoo Park - a pet store

People walk the main shopping streets and do a lot of window shopping while the shops are closed (over the holiday, or daily about 1 PM - 3 PM for lunch)

Firenze:
Chewing Gum - a fashionable clothing boutique.

Bye Bye - another clothing store

Animale Domestica - a pet store (open and got Sophia a neat jacket)

Farmacia - pharma-chee-ah, pharmacy. Everything that is not make-up or a Q-tip is behind the counter and has to be given to you by a pharmacist, from throat drops tocough syrup to ibuprofen.

Spotted one McDonalds. Found more chocolate, wine, and coffee bars here than anywhere else.

Roma:
3 McDonalds spotted before leaving the train station.

"Umbrelli umbrelli!" - umbrella salesman everywhere, preying on those wearing a hood.

Roma does not have the same concept of hot chocolate as Torino or Firenze. Couldn't find a chocolate bar, and when I asked if a restaurant served hot chocolate they said yes, and brought me cocoa. Now, granted, the cocoa had been made with the steamer of the espresso machine and was quite frothy. But it was not the liquid gold I was searching for.

Ok, so I am in England, Guess what I am having for lunch?? FISH AND CHIPS!! Three and a hlaf hours until our plane leaves for Seattle.

The Last Supper

It is 8 PM and we are at an internet cafe two blocks from our hotel. The laptop at the front desk was acting up and I wanted to get today's highlights posted before departing Rome.

We will be heading to supper in a few minutes, then showering and packing. We'll sleep a few short hours before our taxi arrives at 5:15 AM to take us to the airport. Our flight departs here at 7:50 AM, or 10:50 PM on Monday night in Seattle. We should land in SeaTac at 3:40 PM Tuesday.

I've really enjoyed this trip, so much more than France in 2000. My medication is mostly working for me so I am able to get sleep and not have too much back pain. And I have to thank Sophia and her joining our family for getting me into shape to be able to handle the walking we've done on this trip.

I am really looking forward to being home, tho, since I miss my little baby. I carried a framed holiday photo with me, and it's been next to my bed in all of our hotels. I think about her a lot, especially when I see other dogs out for walks with their people. So I am not sad about leaving Italy, since I have so much to look forward to when I walk in the front door of my house. She will be so happy to see me, you may not understand what it's like to have someone be SO happy to see you, gone for five minutes, or 12 days.

So I expect this will be my last post before getting home. Wish us safe journey, and catch you on the other side of the world!

Arrivederci!

Wendy

Roman Holiday

The Mouth of Truth. We found this just before 6 PM on our last night in Rome, but were not able to put our hand in since the gates were closed. Next time!

Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica, St. Peter's Square, Vatican City. The Vatican is actually its own country, with Swiss Guards at the gates. We filed past the tomb of the recently deceased Pope John Paul II, toured the Vatican Museum (which included Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel, no photos allowed...) and walked around inside the church, the world's longest nave and the dome was designed and started by Michaelangelo.

The Hall of Maps. All along the walls are frescoes telling the history of Italy, from the beginning of time, the spread of the Roman Empire, and the unification of Italy. The ceiling is covered in frescoes telling bible stories that correspond to the map painted on the wall below it.

One of Raphaello's dome paintings in the Vatican.

Michaelangelo's "Pieta". Well, one of them. We saw another in Florence that he did shortly before he died. This is behind bullet-proof glass in St. Peter's.

Potty Talk

OK , I think they are doing something right here. The tank is way high up by the ceiling, and the bowl stands mostly empty except when flushing. Water picks up a great deal of velocity on the way down and since the bowl is not full of water, it is actually able to scrub the bowl clean.

This on the other hand has been a major problem for us. Victorian-style tubs belong in Victorian England and we certainly did not expect to find one in Italy. You sit in the right portion with your feet in the left portion where the drain is, and it is a hand-held shower. What it has really been, tho, is a disaster, all over the floor. We-ve been in this room for 3 nights and still have not managed to not make mess all over the bathroom. I have recommended they just get rid of it and put in a stall shower.

"Open Daily" Or: Rome on New Year's Day

The Coloseum, and also the Forum, supposedly open daily, were NOT open. We did not get to go inside this magnificent sites today. And I just can't give up the Sistine Chapel and The Vatican Museum, scheduled for tomorrow.

Ruins surround the area of the Coloseum.

I now forget where this was taken (last night)

Ancient ruins accessible in a public park, Villa Aldobrandi. There were tropical trees planted here, and Steve picked an orange for me. We suspect it is not ripe, tho, so are just enjoying its scent. We saw several homeless people here, taking shelter from the rain.

This is the building where the fountain is located. It is called "Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II", monument to victory by a certain emperor. Much of ancient Rome was destroyed to build this structure at the turn of the 20th century. It was built from 1890 to about 1912, in ancient styles in honor of the history of this country. This building was commemorated in 1912 to celebrate a unified Italy.

This fountain is to the left side of the building Victory Monument. I am pretty sure this is reference to Neptune, God of the Sea (Ariel's dad...)

I Gatti di Roma - Cats in Rome

There is a large feral cat community in Rome. Somehow this cat is very tame...I wonder if it knows where food comes from. There is a group of people who care for the cats living in the ruins.