Chip

Yesterday afternoon all I wished for was some well-deserved sleep. It had been a long week and I was beyond exhausted. Just as I was about to sit down and relax I saw a little boy walking down the path behind my apartment holding something in his hand.

"What is that?" I asked him through the screen door.

"I found a baby duck all alone," he replied.

Crap.

I ran outside and looked at the duckling. From my non-veterinarian perspective, he looked alright, but scared to death. His little body was shaking like a leaf.

I called my neighbor, Julie. She has assisted in many animal rescues and knows a lot about wildlife.

Julie saw a duck family close by and put our new little friend near them. He wobbled over to the group and at first we got really excited thinking this may actually be his family. But even though the mom and dad duck didn't seem to mind the little guys presence, their babies began pecking at him.

And then I did something brave! I reached into a gathering of about 8 pecking and angered ducklings to pick up my little lost buddy.

I held a duck in my hand for the first time in my life. His fuzzy baby feathers felt so soft against my hand. I pet his little head with my fingertip and told him not to fret. He didn't seem to understand though :)

Julie said the best thing to do was to take him to Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford. They would give him any medical attention he may need and let him live in a safe environment as he grows into an adult duck.

I threw one of my hottest pair of dressy sandals on the closet floor and created a makeshift transport out of the shoebox.

On the way to the refuge, I named my new friend Chip because he made little cries that sounded like "chip, chip, chip".

We gave Chip over and they told us he was in very good shape and not to fear. They also said they had a lot of ducklings so he would be raised with a group of friends until they were ready to fend for themselves.



So Chip is where is now needs to be.

Good luck, little duck!

Happy New Year from The Village Apartments

Field Day

My company held "Field Day" today. Three hours of departments broken down into teams and competing at silly games like the three-legged race, musical chairs, and more. We ate a ton of Rita's Water Ice and Hot Dogs. It was a lovely day to be outside and having fun with co-workers for a few hours.

But about half-way through the event, several fire trucks pulled up in our parking lot and yelled at us all to get off the lawn where the competitions were being held. The main road in front of our building was filled with police cars that stopped all the traffic.

Then someone got on a megaphone to explain what was happening. Evidently the sprawling lawn in front of our building can be used in an emergency as a "landing pad" for helicopters and a Medi-Vac was on it's way to transport someone who had fallen off a roof and gotten electrocuted.

Not something you see everyday.

You Can't Help But Stare

This morning I got on I-95 North and at once knew something crazy was going on. Red brake lights glowed as far as I could see. An accident? No. Stranger.

It was a geyser of water shooting 10 storeys into the air right off the Interstate.

At work we looked up the strange incident on the net to see what had happened.

And we found something even stranger...and quite laughable.

Enjoy the slide show of creepies that invaded our fair city last week at the Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con 2010. Needless-to-say, great laughter ensued as we scrolled through the pics of these so-called adults dressed in costumes for a convention. Going to a convention? Okay, whatever you're interested in. Dressing up like you're 10 and it's Halloween? That's just bizarre. And not in a cool "if you want me, you can find me left of center" way, but in an "I'm 40 years old and spent the mortgage money on chachkas at a convention and this laughable costume."

Freaky...

It should be bigger, don't you think?

I took a business trip to Dallas this past week.

On Sunday, one of my friends in my department had to have a prescription called in to a local CVS. I decided to accompany her in the hotel's Town Car. While she ran in to pick up her purchase, I chatted with the driver. He was an interesting man -- an Ethiopian by birth who moved to the United States in 1980. His daughter is currently studying neurology. He is a shining example of the American Dream -- an African immigrant who makes an honest living in the United States by driving a car for 30 years. His dream is to be realized by his daughter as she wields a scalpel in her talented hands and makes sick brains well again.

Amazing.

I tell this gentleman this is my second trip to Dallas and I've yet to see the city at all, for I work almost the entire time I am on the soil. I ask how far we currently are from Dealey Plaza, the immortal square block where President Kennedy was fatally wounded by a gunshot to the brain in 1963. An American Dream turned nightmare.

He tells me we are less than a mile from the site and kindly offers to drive Danielle (who happens to be the designer of my lovely blog banner) and I there to have a look.

We approach Dealey Plaza from behind. I see the Schoolbook Depository building and instantly count the windows from the ground up and focus on the 6th floor. My eyes follow the 6th floor until we are in the midst of the area.

The grassy knoll. The fence. The triple underpass. It's all there. It is history frozen in time.

Yet it looked so small to me. Almost like is was a replica built to a 60% scale. It was a city block, but in my mind's eye I expected something larger. I suppose it's because any place that could have played such a significant role in changing the course of history should be larger than life. It should exist on a grand scale. It should be bigger, don't you think?

And so after a few moments we drove away. I turned my back on the scene and looked forward as we navigated the Dallas streets. My mind wandered back to the driver's daughter -- the neurologist to be. I wondered if one day she will acquire the skills to save a life that has sustained a gunshot to the brain, as President Kennedy did.

Perhaps her talented hands will one day preserve another American dream.

The Things I See -- True Love

Happy Mother's Day

The Things I've Seen Since I've Been Offline

Hugging a giant duck...

Playing with the brand-new, super groovy Dell Studio...

Baby cousin, Meredith with even babier cousin, Julia on Easter Sunday morning...

The Things I See -- The Girls

Are we not the cutest sisters that ever were? I L.O.V.E my two little sisters with all my heart and soul. Okay, so technically we're not really sisters in the strictest sense of the word...ie, born of the same parents. BUT, we are sisters (in law) and sisters (in every other possible meaning.)

(Oh, and Sam and Jessie are sisters in the technical sense, in case I confused you...I am the oddball.)

The Things I See - Low Rider

Hey Mom! I want to lay in bed, but I'm too short to make the jump!

I'll just put my front paws up on the mattress and you can give me a little boost.

I better take a break. That took a lot out of me!

The Things I See - Street Toughs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HARRISBURG, PA - MARCH 1, 2009 - The streets of the Harrisburg suburb, Camp Hill, have recently been plagued with street toughs of a different nature. Armed with nothing but their hands in a "gun" position, these toughs try to knock off the residents of the area by the sheer strength of their outrageous choice of accessories.

Recent victims of the shocking ensembles include Jennifer, author of the much-loved blog, The Life of Jennifer. While visiting with her lovely cousins Liz and Karen this morning, the unsuspecting, not to mention adorable, Jennifer was struck almost blind by the onslaught of the fabled street tough, Katherine (pictured above).

"I'm not certain if it was the goofy glasses, or the the scarf with all the fringe, but one look at this outfit made me feel nervous and looking for the closest possible exit," recalls Jennifer

Says Katherine's mother, Liz, "At least she's not wearing the scarf like a bandanna on her head anymore. I thought Loverboy was on tour again for a while there."

(I love you, Katherine. You'll always be my favorite!)

The Things I See -- Peas in Pods

The Things I See -- Sunshine Shoes

I am choosing to fight the remainder of winter by wearing my yellow ballet flats. If the world is cold and gray, at least my tootsies can live in sunshine.

The Things I See - Having Fun

There is an opportunity to laugh everyday, if you embrace the ridiculous.

Boyfriend? Yes, I used to have one. Thank you for reminding me, t-shirt.


This dress is almost just like Rizzo's in Grease. And so is my singing voice. You KNOW I broke out into song.


Mrs. Kennedy, I presume?

Eskimo kisses

Stuck a feather in her cap and called it macaroni

The Beekeeper

One large coffee, extra cream and sugar please

The Things I See - February

I am not a fan of February.

Terrible things always happen in this month. The last few years have not been an exception either.

Plus, there's that damn 14th right in the middle.

Do you know I've never dated anyone at Valentine's Day? It's true. In 36 years I have never once had a Valentine. It never really bothered me that much until this year. Because I had thought this stupid year was going to be different.

And guess what? It is different. Because now instead of just being alone, I am alone and heartbroken.

I had been seeing these sweet Victorian-inspired Valentine cards and pictures at many antique stores recently. I had planned on buying some and making a cute garland with them. But plans have a tendency of changing.

So here I am, waiting anxiously for March.