Happy Halloween from Neonatology

Theresa and Vanessa show off their Halloween spirit!

The Department of Pediatrics at the hospital where I work goes all out for Halloween.  Children, who are able, parade down the decorated halls and receive treats from the staff.  Nurses follow along and collect treats for those children who are unable to participate.

Morgan's Agility Certificate

Morgan finished her beginner dog agility class tonight.  It was quite an experience for both of us!  And there were dogs of all sizes - and temperaments - in the class, from the little white dust mop that just loved Morgan, to a giant schnauzer and everything in between.  Her favorites were the tunnel and the tepee.

The morning sky from the parking lot this morning

Morgan's new toys

Through the agility class Morgan and I are enrolled in, I found out about a website, cleanrun.com, that has all kinds of toys you don't normally find in the pet shops.

In the top picture, there are treats inside the center cylinder.  As she rolls the toy, the treats fall out.  In the bottom picture, you see a ball.  It comes apart in three pieces, held together with velcro, with treats in the bottom.  

These aren't the best pictures, but, folks, have you ever tried to hit a moving target with a camera???

It started out being fun. . .

This morning I took my new rifle, a Henry Big Boy .357, out to the range.  Today is a crisp, bright sunny fall day and it felt good to be outside.  This is a fun gun to shoot and I was even hitting the target from 50 ft out without a scope!  As I concentrated on hitting the target and experiencing the thrill of shooting this beautiful machine, the stress of work and the every day cares melted away.

Oops!  What happened?  Suddenly one of the .38 specials that I was shooting got jammed.  In all my years of shooting, I've never had a gun jam before.  When I saw I could not easily dislodge it, I packed it up, placed it in my trunk, and drove to Gander Mountain where I bought it less than two weeks ago.  Where it is jammed, there is no chance of it discharging.  Still, I felt awkward walking into a store and having to say, "Uh, I have a jammed live bullet in this thing."

I explained to the man in the gun department what happened.  There is no gunsmith on duty on Sunday so I had to leave it. He walked out to my car with me and brought it inside.

Hopefully I will get it back tomorrow.  Gander Mountain put it in their "snail room", a special enclosed room that even if a gun discharges, the bullet will not penetrate the walls.

Happy Birthday, Kenny!

Today, my cousin, Kenny, is 60 years old and I still call him "lil cuz"!

Kenny is part of our Cousins' Reunion every year down South.  He is from Jacksonville and Lake Butler, Florida.

As many of you know, I moved to New York State in the early 70's and didn't see many of my cousins for decades, until my dad died in 2003.  Funerals and weddings draw relatives out of the woodwork!  My image of Kenny was a shy little kid that didn't have a lot to say.  Man!  Was that image shattered when I saw him again at my dad's funeral!

With Kenny around, there are going to be lots of laughs, no matter what the subject.  He is a walking encyclopedia of firearms.

So if you run into Kenny today, wish him a Happy Birthday!