Angela Law

animal lover, gardener, knitter, and gourmet cook
 
volunteering

foster for a day

As mentioned in a recent post, I was recently accepted into the “Foster for a Day” program at the shelter. I had yesterday off, and since the weather was nice, I decided to give it a try. I took Cinnamon out for a couple of hours in the afternoon. We took a long walk at Sandyvale and then went to the office to meet everyone. After that, we hung out in the back yard of my house for a bit. I intended on doing some yard work, but that didn’t really happen.

Since I like to be on a schedule, I’m going to shoot for doing this once a month. It’s going to be largely weather-dependent because I can’t bring a dog into the house with our critters (they would not be too happy about it. actually, it would be a disaster). Also, I don’t want to take just any random dog out, so it will have to be one I’ve walked at least a few times. So, I guess I’ll have to play it by ear a bit, but I did really enjoy today’s outing and am looking forward to doing it again.

do-it-yourself

better than the maytag man

Late last week, our dishwasher started making horrible noises during the wash cycle. It was still working, but was running at an unbelievably loud volume. After doing some research, I narrowed it down to two possible issues. One easy (and cheap) and the other more difficult (and not cheap). I looked into the easy option, and it, of course, was not it. So, I ended up purchasing a new circulation pump motor. Well, it arrived yesterday, so Brian left work a little early in order to install it before we needed to run the dishwasher again after supper.

Once he removed the old motor, we knew that we had the correct part–the old motor was all rusty (how the motor casing got wet in the first place is a problem I refuse to think about right now). Anyway, he got the new motor installed and the dishwasher is now running more quietly than ever. And, he didn’t charge a service fee!

live entertainment

kathleen madigan

Back in my late teens/early 20s, I used to watch a lot of stand-up comedy because who doesn’t like to laugh? One of the comics I remember from back in the day was Kathleen Madigan. When I found out she was coming to The Palace Theatre, I knew we had to go. Jake and Brian love stand-up as well, so the three of us went to Greensburg last night to see her. And, it was a great show! I laughed for an hour straight. Brian and Jake really enjoyed it, too. I’m pretty sure that Jake was the youngest person there. It seems like every time we go, the place is filled with 40 and 50-year-olds. But, seeing how that is my demographic, I guess I should not comment negatively on it.

volunteering

volunteering update

Time to take a break from all of the entertainment posts and actually post about something that is going on in my life…

So, as you might recall, I started volunteering at the Humane Society of Cambria County last September. It has been quite a fulfilling activity for me. I have kept true to my schedule of volunteering two hours per week. And, I mostly walk dogs while I’m there. And let me tell you, walking dogs for two hours straight is tiring (but, in a good way)!

Sadly, one of the dogs that was there when I started is still there. Her name is Cinnamon and she’s a pitbull mix. Not sure why she hasn’t been adopted as she doesn’t seem like a bad dog. She had a lot of anxiety when she first arrived at the shelter (and this is her second time there), but seems to be doing better now. She always gets excited when she sees me and I always walk her first.

It is nice to see the dogs week after week and then find out that they got adopted. I know not every adoption works out (as evidenced by the occasional return after adoption), but I like to think that most of them are getting good homes.

Sometimes, when the weather is especially crappy I will do some laundry or play with some kittens between walking dogs. But, those have been the extent of my activities.

I just got word that I was approved for the “Foster for a Day” program! This means I can take a dog out for the day and do whatever with it (hiking, Petco, hang out at the house, whatever). With the weather getting nicer, I should be able to start doing this soon. We can’t really hang out in the house due to all of the other pets that live here, but I can see some garden time in our future. And, Cinnamon is definitely on top of my list of dogs to take out for the day. I’m really looking forward to this–expect additional reports in the future!

movies

halloween

Saturday nights are for movies. In the DVD player was the 2018 version of the movie, but it wasn’t a remake–just a continuation of the story. In it, Jamie Lee Curtis reprised her Laurie Strode role, but this time she was a senior citizen. Ha. I guess people get old in 40 years.

In this movie, the powers that be decided to move Michael Myers from one mental institute to another. Wisely, they chose Halloween for the day to do this. Of course, something happened and he got loose and went after Laurie and her daughter and granddaughter (and a bunch of other people as well). From what I’m remembering, this was more violent than the first Halloween movie. I recall that one being more suggestive of violence, rather than overtly violent. But, this version was definitely a slasher film. Not one of my favorite genres, for sure, but I just had to watch. It was good for what it was.

My rating: 3/5