Karen & Gerard Zemek

Why We Don't Have Flowers On Our Table

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

This is a fall flower arrangement of fake flowers that Gerard brought down from the top of the curio cabinet and put on our dining room table. I didn't say anything, but every day the cats would be chewing on it and pulling out the leaves and flowers. Of course when I got the camera out, Spunky got out of the flowers but she did have her whole head in a nice hole in the arrangement that she made by pulling some of the fake flowers out.

Manny liked them too and helped spunky Doodle slowly dismantle the arrangement a little at a time from the other side. Finally, when Gerard got a piece from under the table stuck in the vacuum cleaner (which is probably why the belt broke), I just put them back up on the curio cabinet where I had them before and explained why to Gerard. The cats enjoyed them for a couple weeks at least but I thought I better rescue the arrangement before it was all torn apart.

Can you have flowers out in your house? The cats would still like it on the table. What do you say I should do?

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Vote For An Animal Shelter

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

The Animal Rescue Site is giving money to shelters each week through December 20. When you click on the Animal Rescue Site, another screen pops up that says your click was counted. At the top in red letters is a button that says vote for a shelter. Here is your chance to vote and help a shelter win some money. The two I vote for are the Parma Animal Shelter which is where we got our first cat from and which helped us save him when he was very sick and the second is Kitten Krazy which is run by a friend of mine in Medina, Ohio. You can vote once a day. Please vote for one you are familiar with or one of these that I mentioned.

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4 Things I Learned This Week--Part 46

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Canine LifeLine

The foster mom of our dog, Abby, has formed a volunteer organization called Canine LifeLine. Canine LifeLine is an all volunteer organization with a mission to save adoptable dogs from being euthanized at shelters due to overcrowding or treatable medical conditions such as heartworm. All of our dogs are in foster homes throughout northeast Ohio. Abby will be featured on her "Happy Tails" page at www.caninelifeline.org.

Canine Lifeline does not have a shelter. All of our dogs are in foster homes. Please email caninelifeline@gmail.com if you're interested in meeting any of our dogs.

Tail Waggin' Tutors

I just learned about this program this week where kids read to therapy dogs. I think Abby would make a wonderful therapy dog and we are going to look into this. Check out this video at Therapy Dogs International. This is just of of many programs they have. Some dogs also visit assisted living facilities, hospitals and hospice facilities.

Alice.com

If you don't like to shop, you may want to try out Alice.com that I learned about at Freaky Frugalite: "Meet My Maid: Alice.com". Shipping is free!

Taylor Swift

In the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER Wednesday of this week, I read that Taylor Swift, the 19-year-old hit country music singer is going to have a signature line of greeting cards, gift wrap and stationery with American Greetings Corp. She is an amazing, very talented girl!

Click here for more Friday Fragments.

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Did I Really Want To Change My Life Forever (Writer's Workshop)

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:39:00 +0000

(Photograph taken by Mike Solomon)
Deciding to marry Gerard was a bit scary because I liked my single life. I was already in my 40s when I met Gerard and I only knew him for six months before we got engaged. I said "yes" to his proposal of marriage even though I knew my life would be changed forever. (You can read "13 Changes In Our Life Since Marriage" to see how both our lives changed.)

For both Gerard and me, marriage is a sacred union that is for a lifetime with no guarantees. I knew Gerard thought I was "the one for him" right off but I wasn't so sure. After much analyzing, I did know I loved him and that I could be a good helpmate for him. I thought of how I would feel if he wasn't in my life and I didn't want to go there. I also knew I didn't want to spend my whole life alone like four of my aunts did.

Although many things did change, I'm glad I took the plunge! I love our house, our pets, and our life together. There are little bumps now and then, but we are both committed to each other and that will carry us through. We both compromise on things and each gives in to the other to keep things good between us. Marriage is a work in progress but I think we are doing very well.

Gerard says marrying me was the smartest thing he ever did. I think it is too!

This was a prompt for Mama Kat's Writers Workshop. Find more posts there or pick a prompt and participate yourself. Here are links to the other Writer's Workshop posts I did this week: A Thanksgiving To Remember and Our Dog's Most Destructive Behavior

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Wordless Wednesday & Give Me Your Best Shot

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:50:00 +0000

(This guy is in Napoleon's Pizza on State Rd. in Parma, Ohio)

Go to Daisy the Curly Cat for more Wordless Wednesdays.
This is also my best shot of the week for Better in Bulk's "Give Me Your Best Shot"

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So Long, Shay--Sorry You're Not The Biggest Loser

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

I like watching "The Biggest Loser." It's my favorite show right now because I like seeing these people succeed in their weight loss journey to get healthy and enjoy living again. Last Tuesday though I was sorry to see Shay voted off. I do not understand why the others think she can do this on her own.

Shay was the heaviest one there, well over 400 lbs.! In just nine weeks, she lost 100 lbs. and now holds the record for the woman to lose that much weight in the shortest time. Tuesday she lost 17 lbs. in one week! Clearly she worked hard and even losing the 100 lbs. only brought her down to well over 300 lbs. which was the starting weight for many on the show. Obviously, she still has a long way to go and definitely should be there.

I felt bad that she had to leave when she was finally making great progress and has so much more work to do yet. Jillian, one of the trainers, felt bad for her too and really wanted her to stay. I wish Shay the best and hope she can stick with it.

Do you watch this show? What do you think about this?

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What Type Do You Fall For?

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

This quiz is right on the money for me. Gerard and I met on November 16, 2006 for the first time at a Pizza Hut. Here is the link to the post about how we found each other: Our Anniversary Of The Day We Met. (Find other posts about us under the "About Us" tab at top).

You Fall for the Guy or Girl Next Door Type

You think that people make love too complicated, and what you want in a partner happens to be pretty simple.
You're content with someone who's nice, attractive, honest, and normal. So how come that's so hard to find?
You are fairly traditional, and you value security in relationships more than most people. It's important for you to find someone loyal.
When you find the right person, you don't expect much from him or her. You're just happy to be together.

Click here to find out What Type You Fall For

Share your results in the comments and let me know if that's the type you married.

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Summer In November In Ohio!

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

We started the day with our usual breakfast at Hometown Buffet. I went to the ladies "Sweet Saturday" gathering at church and had a great time. Then we took Abby for a ride to Sears and Gerard bought a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner.

Today our weather was great--unbelievable for mid-November! We took Abby to the park where she got to meet some new dogs, bark at some squirrels and see a couple deer who she did NOT bark at! I was very surprised at that. By the time we were on our way home, the temperature was 70!

Gerard and I changed into shorts and went to play tennis. Other years the nets are taken down on Oct. 31, but this year they are still up so we took advantage of it. It was the first time I've played since my lumpectomy and I still won 6-2, 6-1 and didn't have any pain. I am SO thankful for that because I tried using my left hand at first and it was not good!

To top off our day, the Ohio State Buckeyes won in overtime against Iowa and are headed for the Rose Bowl now on New Year's Day! Gerard is very happy about that!

Hope you had a super Saturday too! Was your weather as good as ours? What did you do?

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6 Things I Learned This Week--Part 45

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Agassi

Agassi was interviewed on 60 Minutes last Sunday and I happened to watch. He said he hated tennis! He dropped out of school but now funds a prep school to promote the importance of education. The funniest thing was about his hair--during one match he was so worried it would fly off that he didn't run and didn't care he lost, he was just happy his hair stayed on!

November

When playing my trivia game to feed cats and dogs, I learned that November is National Adopt A Senior Pet month. Senior pets are less work than kittens or puppies and make for great companions!

Upward Sports

At Word Journey I read a post about the kids Christian sports program called Upwards offering scholarships to military families. This is a fun program for kids that teaches the fundamentals. Here's the link to the post about it: Upward Sports Offers Scholarships to Military Families.

At The Cleveland Zoo

We also learned a lot at the Cleveland Zoo last Saturday. I did this as a separate post: What We Learned At The Zoo Saturday.

A Baby Blog

Even babies blog, well a 22-month yr. old:

Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Here's a chance to participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange at Turmoil and Tranquility .

Go to Half Past Kissin Time for More Friday Fragments.

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I Made A Fence Around The Litter Boxes (Writer's Workshop)

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

When I discovered our dog starting to eat the cat poop, I asked Gerard to bring me a couple big boxes so I could put them around the litter boxes. I was just going to cut a hole for the cats to walk through and have some space inside before getting to the litter box. The boxes were not big enough, so I just cut along the one side so it would open up flat. I proceeded to cut a hole big enough for the cats to walk through and just stood it up like a fence around the litter boxes. To anchor the one above, I just folded one flap under the box and the other flap I put the chair on to hold it. Of course, the cats were watching me the whole time.

I also did it for the box in our upstairs bathroom. For this one, I put one of the short sides between the box and the wall to hold it and then wrapped it around to meet the tub. I used our cat doorstop to hold that end in place. I was happy to see the cats were okay with this and still used the boxes.

Related Posts:
Litter Box Fences Solve Poop Problem by Manny & Spunky Doodle
So I Ate A Little Cat Poop--What's The Big Deal? by Abby
But Dad, I Don't Want To Ruin My Doors

This post is the Writer's Workshop assignment to "Show something you did yourself." See more or join in at Mama Kat's Workshop.

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What Does Your Least Favorite School Subject Say About You?

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:25:00 +0000

My least favorite subject in school was history/social studies. I didn't like it at all! I think this description is accurate except for the part that says I don't like to commit to anything. I feel I am a very committed person as being in many bowling leagues, the summer softball league, teaching Sunday School for years and being on the puppet team would indicate. Also the fact that I have worked at the same place for 22 years and being married to the same man for 12 years would indicate.

Disliking History Says You Are Unpredictable

You are unpredictable, unusual, and challenging.
For you, history is too irrelevant and set in stone. You rather look toward the future.
You don't like to commit to anything. You're a dynamic person who is always growing and changing.
You are very interested in new ideas and technology. You like to keep up with the latest trends.

What Does Your Least Favorite School Subject Say About You?

Why not take the quiz and share your results in the comments, or at least share what your least favorite subject is.

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Things We Learned At The Cleveland Zoo Saturday

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Last Saturday we did something spontaneous again because it was such a nice day. We went to the Cleveland Zoo to see the baby Red Pandas but learned a lot of things while we were there.

Red Pandas

The baby red pandas were inside the Primate/Aquatics building and were resting when we got there after playing an hour. They had stuffed toys in their exhibit that they played with. We were sad to learn though that they will be transferred to some other zoos as part of the conservation project because there are so few left.

Poop

Even in the gift shop we learned that paper can be made from elephant poop! We bought a calendar with paper made from elephant poop! It doesn't smell at all which surprised me so we bought one! The elephant exhibit is being remodeled and won't be done until 2011. We miss our elephants but once it's done, we'll have even more than the three we had before!

This is a note at the bottom of one of the calendar pages about recycling the poop in the spring:

Octopus

Did you know octopus have beaks--the only hard spot on them? The docent had one in a jar that we could see close up.

Giraffe

How much does one of the bit giraffes weigh? We were shocked when we heard a big giraffe could weigh up to 4200 pounds!

Animal Inventory Website

The zoo docent also told us about the International Species Information System, www.isis.org, which is a site that shows what animals are in what zoos around the world.

Teeth

Shark teeth are pointy and in layers. If a tooth breaks, another pops up to replace it in 20 minutes. Wish we had teeth like that! We saw the skull of another fish that eats plants and its teeth were flat like ours (can't remember what kind).

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A Humiliating Experience (Writer's Workshop)

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

In fourth grade a little girl was totally humiliated. She was a very quiet, shy, sensitive little girl who ALWAYS did as she was told. Unfortunately, when this girl had to move from the suburbs to Cleveland during the school year, she got the meanest, crabbiest teacher she ever had who I'll refer to as Ms. Grump. Although the little girl tried very hard to please this old lady, nothing she could do was good enough, especially handwriting. The girl's grades plummeted and she hated school that year.

One day after giving permission for several children to use the restroom, Ms. Grump got very angry at the class and announced "NO ONE IS ALLOWED OUT OF THIS ROOM FOR ANY REASON UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY!" Well, shortly after this proclamation, the little girl had to use the bathroom which she never had to do at school before until was Ms. Grump said that. Not wanting to make Ms. Grump any angrier and knowing she wouldn't be allowed to use the restroom, the girl just sat at her desk quietly and tried to hold it but peed her pants rather than ask permission to leave from Ms. Grump. A puddle formed around her desk. A classmate close by pointed out the water on the floor and pretty soon giggles busted out around the room. Ms. Grump saw what happened and the principal called the girl's mother to tell her that her daughter had a little accident and she should bring a change of clothes.

I was that little girl. I must say the other kids were great! They still treated me the same without making fun of me or teasing me about it. I think they all understood and felt sorry for me. I questioned if I should post this or not since it is something I'd rather forget, knowing that now the whole world could know. Since it was so long ago, I decided to hoping any teacher reading this will learn that being mean and intimidating is not the best way to teach.

What experience would you like to forget?

This post is in response to the assignment to "Describe an experience that you wish you could shake from your memory" as part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop where you can find links to others or participate as well.

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3 Things I Learned This Week--Part 44

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:20:00 +0000

Little House On The Prairie

I learned from reading Prairie Tale that Melissa Gilbert's brother played Willie on Little House On The Prairie and that she had quite a difficult time in real life.

Skunks

(photo from Wikipedia) When Gerard was walking Abby one morning, she found a skunk and went right up to it but fortunately, it ran off without spraying them! I thought, what if they did get sprayed, I wouldn't know what to do to get out the smell. Then yesterday in the CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER there was a big article on critters which included how to get out skunk smell according to wildlife-removal.com: Shampoo with a combination of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and liquid dish soap. Flush eyes out with water if sprayed in that area.

Cab Fare

Just a 20 min. drive from downtown to my home cost $35 by cab now! For more detail, see My Terrible Tuesday post.

To to the original Friday Fragment post for more at Half-Past Kissin' Time.

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We Were Not Alone On Our Honeymoon (Writers Workshop)

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:45:00 +0000

It is customary for newlyweds to take a trip somewhere to have some quality time together, just the two of them. One of the things I liked about Gerard is his knack for putting me at ease and his sense of humor. I loved that he had stuffed animals too when we got married and looked forward to “introducing” them to mine.

We even took some along on our honeymoon with us! The lucky pets who got to come along with us were Patch Dog, Brownie, Snoozer, Leo the Lion and Spotty (my purse). When we unloaded our things at the hotel, Snoozer rolled of the cart and we did not realize it until we got to our room. Gerard ran back down the hall to retrieve him. We even took pictures of our entourage. It was fun! We had a great time!

This post was inspired by the prompt: Share a humorous wedding experience. To read more posts or to participate, check out Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.

Related Posts:
A Fun Honeymoon
What Does Your Handbag Say About Your Personality

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My Terrible Tuesday

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

I woke up in a good mood, praised the Lord as I walked to the bus stop, marveling at the sky with the dark clouds covering spots of blue where the sun shone through.

I got on the bus and there was water on the floor where I usually sit so I went to the other side. But when I got up, I noticed my pants were all wet! The seat was wet but I couldn’t tell because it had the cloth covering. When I got to work, I put a plastic bag on my chair to sit on so I wouldn’t get my chair all wet from my pants. It was not good.

When I left work to go for my radiation treatment, I waited and waited . . . and waited for the bus to come and it never did. I decided if it didn’t come in time for me to get home in time to get to my radiation appointment, I’d have to call a cab. Fortunately, I had the number in my cell phone. After waiting for 40 minutes without my bus arriving, I called the cab and got home at my usual time, but it cost me $35! It only took 20 minutes, half the time the bus takes, but $35? Whoa! When I got back from my radiation, I put in the number of my radiation oncologist so if it happened again, I could just call and let them know I’d be late or skip that day. It better not happen again though.

When I got back from voting after my radiation treatment, I found the paper torn up in the dining room from the pizza box ready to be tossed out that I had on the kitchen floor. Abby got into a little bit of mischief while I was gone. Guess I'll be putting it on the counter top from now on. Also, sad to say the Casino issue passed which I voted against.

To top off the day, I went to a special meeting at church that the Pastor called that dealt with a “sensitive topic.” We got a call and email the day before asking the congregation to come if we could. It was very sad to hear that our youth Pastor who has done such a great job with the youth was relieved of his duties for good reason. I felt a bit responsible for not holding him up in prayer more when I knew he had to be experiencing some burn out after the very hectic summer with the youth group.

I was glad to see this day end! I looked forward to Wednesday and hoped for a better day! It was!

Who Is Happier--You Or Your Pet?

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Since I have both a dog and cats, I had to take this quiz twice. The results were that I'm happier than my cats, but my dog is happier than me! (I think my cats are pretty happy too though.)

Abby is Happier Than You

Your pet is carefree, accepting, and downright blissful. And that's true happiness.
There's a lot that you can learn from your pet about life. You just need to take the simple approach.
Your pet can teach you how learn to relax and play more. Your pet doesn't have a trouble in the world.
Life is only as hard as you make it. Your pet has learned how to live an easy life, and there's no reason you can't do the same.

BUT

You Are Happier Than Spunky Doodle and Manny

Unless you've got a highly unhappy pet, you've uncovered the secrets to living a good life.
You are light hearted and frisky... but never too hyperactive for a long nap.
You know how to let life's problems roll off your back, while still managing to take great care of yourself.
You're happier than most creatures in the world - both human and non-human!

Take the quiz and find you if you're happier than your pet:

Who's Happier: You or Your Pet?

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Our Dog Has Fun On Halloween Too!

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Just a short video showing the fun we had with Abby on Halloween night when the trick or treaters came. She loves being outside and also loves kids so Halloween was a lot of fun for her. She is so friendly and doesn't jump up on anyone and didn't bark once the whole time she was out there. Abby posted about the fun she had too at Trick or Treating is Fun!

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Our Favorite Reads For October

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Gerard's Favorite: Life's That Way by Jim Beaver

A POWERFUL BOOK! DON'T MISS IT! (800 stars)
Before I get started on my review, please pray for Jim Beaver and his daughter, Maddie. Life's That Way by Jim Beaver is probably the most emotional book that you will ever read. Do not expect to just breeze through it because it is too emotional and gut wrenching. It’s also a fantastic and tender love story. There are so many reasons to read this book. This book is a collection of emails that Jim sent to family and friends when his wife, Cecily, was diagnosed with lung cancer. It got turned into a book! You will feel so many emotions while you read this book. Anyone will be able to relate to what Jim went through and is still going through. You will remember this book long after you finish reading it. I highly recommend you read Life's That Way!

Karen's Favorite: The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks is an interesting romance involving a single mom who took care of her elderly mother and helped her with the kennel, and a vet who felt the photograph he found of her in Iraq brought him luck so wanted to find her because he felt he owed her. He walked across the country with his dog to find her and had a little run-in with her ex who happened to be the Sheriff. He also had a dog who traveled with him which added to the interest of the story for me. This was a good read if you’re looking for a light family type story with some suspense tossed in. I liked it!

Read more: What We've Just Read

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Halloween Party For Dogs

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Bartels & Busack Pet Hospital and Spa actually had a Halloween party for pets! When we heard about this, we just had to go with Abby. We just put the Halloween owl scarf on her that she got from her spa day the day before and off we went. It was fun! We were greeted by staff who were in costumes taking pictures of all the pets as they arrived. It was a bit chaotic and dogs were all excited and some barking, some shaking but Abby was wagging her tail the whole time and just enjoying meeting all the other doggies.

They had a huge bake sale but we didn't have any cash with us so didn't buy anything there which was probably a good thing. Abby got a couple biscuit treats as she followed the treat lady and wouldn't leave until she got something. She was very friendly and as we were leaving, one of the staff took another picture of her and Gerard outside.

Here is Abby's post about it: My First Halloween Party

Now we are heading out to our church's Fall Festival to help run a game and give out candy to the kids. As of last of Sunday they still needed 800 bags of candy which the congregation donates. The kids have a lot of fun and I enjoy seeing all the cute costumes.

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5 Things I Learned This Week--Part 43

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:15:00 +0000

Eggs

According to 3 Easy Tips to Speed up Weight Loss and say Bye Bye Belly Fat on Health Nut Wannabee Mom's blog, eggs are good for this:

Eggs are chocked full of protein and stabilize blood sugar while increasing your metabolism by 25 percent for two hours and curb appetite to cut daily calorie intake.

This is really good news for me because I love scrambled eggs!

Little Elf

When visiting I beati through Pet Pride I found out the the name Avery means little elf. This got my attention because my former boss is named Avery. Check out the post I just wrote about him last week: What A Nice Boss!

My Guest Post

My guest post, "How Cancer Affected My Life" was up this week on Talkin' with Teenie: Blogging for Boobs series.

Design Tutorials

I found a very helpful blog this week: Cat Spills the Beans that gives tutorials on how to do blog designing.

Bone Density

Just found out yesterday that my bone density test revealed that I'm deficient in Vitamin D and Calcium and that I should start taking Citracal, yet another pill to avoid hip fractures when I hit old age. Why can't the sun just shine more here? Phooey on this!

Half Past Kissin' Time hosts Friday Fragments so click here for more.

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Beware—A Peek At My Spooky Side (Writer’s Workshop)

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:20:00 +0000

I am not a spooky person but there was a time when I watched scary movies on Saturday afternoons. This though was short lived because I found myself thinking about them and didn’t like the dark thoughts. Once in awhile I’ll watch something scary. As a kid, my scariest movie was “The Wizard of Oz.” I was totally afraid of that wicked witch and had recurring nightmares about her coming after ME!

I’ve only read a few scary books too. Gerard used to like Stephen King and had a whole collection of his books. It kind of scared me a little that he even liked those kind of books. He hasn’t read much of Stephen King since we’ve been married though. (This is a picture of Spunky on top of his Stephen King collection.)

The Manhattan Hunt Club by John Saul

Gerard suggested I read John Saul so I started with The Manhattan Hunt Club. It was very creepy and scary because I could see it as being possible. I kept thinking about this one for days after I finished reading it. It was very gross. Here’s a short summary of it:

It is a story about an innocent man, Jeff Converse , unjustly sentenced to jail for rape and attempted murder. The Hunt Club is made of prominent people who take justice into their own hands and kill criminals in a hunt “game” like hide-n-seek in the tunnels below Manhattan . It left me wondering who is really the worse criminal—the convicted or the “hunters.”

Comes The Blind Fury by John Saul

I liked “The Manhattan Hunt Club” because it was so bizarre and I had trouble putting it down because I was anxious to see what would happen next in spite of the grossness of it. That’s why I chose another of John Saul’s books, Comes The Blind Fury. This is the first ghost story I ever read, at least that I remember. Again, I kept thinking about it constantly while reading it and even after I had finished it. I thought it was both creepy and spooky. Here’s the short summary of this one:

A girl, Amanda , was blind and was forced of a cliff, died and now haunts other 12-year-old girls. Michelle , an adopted girl, moved from Boston to Paradise Point and found an old doll in her house that she name Amanda . Amanda’s ghost came to visit her and they became friends. When someone teased Michelle , the ghost would come and arrange some sort of “accident” so they would die. Only mother figured something was very wrong but father ignored everything connected with Michelle once Jennifer was born.

Suffer The Children by John Saul

The scariest and last book of John Saul’s that I read is Suffer the Children. After reading this one, I was done with reading anymore of John Saul and spooky books. This one gave me chills! Part of the scare for me was that it seemed so real and that it was set in modern times. Here’s the short summary:

This is about the Conger family curse. Their younger daughter, Sarah, was looked on as being mentally ill simply because she had been so traumatized she couldn’t talk; when really, the older daughter, Elizabeth, was the one that was Looney. She killed three kids and her pet cat, then played tea party with them and a skeleton in a cave shaft. Sarah saw everything she did but couldn’t talk so tried in other ways to tell her parents what was going on but they didn’t get it and blamed her. Sarah got better after being institutionalized for 15 years! To top it off, this one did not have a happy ending either! This is a very depressing book!

I still like and read suspense and once in awhile a thriller, but stay away from horror and spooky. I just don’t care for it. Philippians 4:8 says:

Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there be any praise think on these things.

I just couldn't do that when watching horror movies and reading these types of books.

So, what’s your spooky side like?

This is part of Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. Click here to read more or to participate yourself. Boo!

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What Animal Should You Dress Up As For Halloween?

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Need some help deciding what to dress up as for Halloween? I took this quiz and it said I should dress up as a cat. Funny, because when I did the quiz "What Should Your Pet Dress up As For Halloween?" it said they should go as humans! I never went as a cat on Halloween, but I like the cat costumes that I see some of the kids wearing. I always notice those and give them a little extra candy!

You Should Dress Up As a Cat

You are a shy, reserved person who takes a long time to warm up to others. You are close to those you've known the longest. (true)
You are crafty and smart. You may seem like you're lost in your own little world, but you're really paying attention to everything going on around you. (maybe)
You are not easily influenced by the other people in your life. If anything, you counterbalance their emotions well. (true)
You are intuitive and have a lot of wisdom to impart. Most people don't pay close enough attention to the lessons you teach them. (don't know about this)

What Animal Should You Dress Up As? click here to find out

Here's the quiz that said my pets should go as humans for Halloween:

Your Pet Should Be a Human For Halloween

Your pet tends to act just like a human. In fact, your pet probably thinks he or she is human! (could be true)
Your pet is content to stay inside, be close to you, and if possible, do whatever you're doing. (definitely true for the cats, Abby though likes outside best)
It's likely your pet is an only pet and hasn't had much socialization with other animals. Or maybe your pet is just simply super intelligent and knows that the human way of life is best. (Don't know about this????)

What Should Your Pet Be for Halloween? Click here to find out

and share your results in the comments.

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Hubby To The Rescue

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Last Tuesday when I got to my desk I realized that I forgot my keys--uh oh! Not only did I forget my keys and my cell phone. They were all sitting on top of my dresser right where i left them. Normally, I wear pants with pockets and put that stuff into my pockets as soon as I get dressed. That morning, however, I decided to wear one of my nice pantsuits that didn't have pockets and my thought was to put that stuff in my jacket. I just forgot to do that--oops!

So, I called Gerard at work and explained the situation. I had to get to my radiation treatment at 2:15 so couldn't just wait for him to get home at 4:30 p.m. He was so nice and said, "no problem." I'll leave here at 9:15 (his morning break time) and put your keys in the mailbox or give them to Joe (our neighbor across the street who is retired). I apologized for asking him to leave work to do this but he just kept saying not to worry about it, things happen. I guess he remembered how he felt when he locked his keys in the car last winter.

When I got home, Joe was on the phone but left my keys on the floor right by the door so I could get them easily and be on my way. Fortunately, the rest of the day went as planned. I was just glad I realized that I had forgotten them early in the day and not when I got home. I would have had to go begging a neighbor to take me to my treatment then and would have really felt stupid! So glad I had my husband to come to my rescue (and he was so nice about it)!

Anyhow, this is why I like pants with pockets in them. I have quite a few nice pantsuits that I hardly wear because they don't have pockets. That's also another reason why I don't wear dresses or skirts much either anymore.

Would your husband have been as nice? Do you prefer pants with pockets too? Have you ever locked yourself out of the house?

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First Commenter Award

zemeks@sbcglobal.net (Karen & Gerard Zemek) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:02:00 +0000

Today I am honoring my first commenter ever on this blog. I couldn't remember who it was so had to check back. Do you know who your first commenter ever was? Mine was Anonymous and here is the comment left on my third post Missing My Cat Friends: "I love cats. Check out litterhouse.com to see my great invention."

The first commenter who left a name was BCarter and One Million Pet Pics and this was the comment: "How kind of your dad to take all of those cats in; that really touches my heart."

I found this idea at Tuesdays At Tonyas. You can join in too there if you wish.

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