Chapter 328

And our very own Kyle Hall this week at Pearl Harbor with an actual Pearl Harbor survivor! Pearl Harbor, the festivities of Pearl Harbor Memorial Day, and talking to a real Pearl Harbor survivor make for one very happy social studies teacher!

Meanwhile, back at home, us non-travelers were walking their cat their yards wondering what this strange fruit on their pear tree is. One would naturally think since it was a pear tree they'd be pears. But they are not. Pears aren't fuzzy. Pears aren't lumpy. 

I harvested the lot of them while Nitro finished his walk.

A trip through The Google revealed that these were quince fruit, a member of the rose family as are pears and apples. Thought to have originated in the Fertile Crest of Asia Minor, they were very popular during the Medieval Ages. Bob broke my flamingo so while he was waiting to be glued, the flamingo took a picture with this historic fruit.

I chopped them up and boiled them for a while,

and I got a couple dozen jars of quince marmalade. It's so yummy, especially on plain Greek yogurt.

No, I'm not choking Nitro, I'm actually scratching his chin. Really.

Reagan, and Carissa and Carissa, were here this weekend. As usual, Bob spent a lot of quality time with Reagan. They painted a Christmas tree together,

Bob played with the felt tree I made Reagan,

and read Reagan's bedtime story.

Carissa busted out her old Fisher-Price toys that we've managed to stash for the last 25 years. Kind of answers the question as to why I don't have any closet space. It's cute to see Carissa playing with the very same toys in the very same house with her daughter. 

As Carissa said it isn't the very same room since they were never allowed to play in the living room which has now become Reagan's exclusive playroom. 

We went to Lakewood to go to an indoor petting zoo. Both going to Lakewood and an indoor petting zoo are oddities but Jozee Rooz was a great place.

Reagan arrived on the scene yelling "baaaa" at the sheep at the top of her lungs followed by yelling "kicken", a.k.a. chickens.

Despite my predetermined Nightmare of a vision of how a petting farm located in Lakewood in a strip mall would be pretty nasty, it was clean, smelled good, and all of the animals looked very healthy. The animals in the cages are "resting". You can see wallaby in the background.


They had a nice variety of animals, something for everyone. Isn't this the most beautiful sleeping face? It's a miniature brahma cow with a pig stacked on top of him to conserve heat.


One of my favorites was soft furry Tibetan yak that's about a year old.


Reagan got to pick out a toy at Target. Being part Mainer (her dad's from Maine) she chose a moose. She loves her moose.



Reagan is 1 1/2 years old already!