Hi, Everyone!
When Grandma and Grandpa took me out to Sodus last Sunday, there was some snow on the ground. We had to park on the road and walk in, and there were a few ice fisherman on our end of the bay. We had a very pretty sunset! We could see it through the trees because the leaves are off and the sun is setting farther southwest than in the summer.
On Monday, it got warmer and rained. By the time we left Sodus, the snow was almost gone! There were big puddles of water on the ice and it didn’t look safe to walk on, even for little lions.
I’ve been helping Grandma with decorating projects. First, we made valances for the windows in Uncle Steven’s bedroom. Grandma made a pattern out of newspaper to see what the valances would look like on the window. Then I helped her cut out the fabric and the lining pieces. Grandma says she hasn’t done this kind of sewing in a long time, and she wasn’t sure that her dressmaker’s marking paper still worked. When I used the paper with the tracing wheel, the markings were really easy to see. I helped Grandma sew seams where we put the marks, so both valances would end up looking the same. I had to be really careful to keep my paws away from the needle on the sewing machine! I’m not big enough to use the sewing machine all by myself, because I can’t guide the cloth and operate the foot pedal at the same time.
Being little did help when we finished making the valances and put them up. I could get really close to make sure the side panel was hanging down flat at the side of the window. Now all the hardware for the shades is hidden by the valances.
After we finished that project, I helped Grandma and Grandpa pick the locations to hang the tiles we got for the bathroom. Grandma made paper patterns for them, too, so we could see how they would look. Then Grandpa put in mounting hooks and hung the tiles. Don’t they look pretty? I think the wave patterns are perfect next to the bathtub!
Last night, Grandma and Grandpa took me to the Extreme Mammals exhibit at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. All mammal mothers make milk to feed their babies, but everything else about mammals can be very different from one kind to another. The indricotherium reminded me of my big dinosaur friends at the Sirindhorn Museum in Khon Kaen. The indricotherium was the biggest land mammal that ever lived, but all that’s left are fossilized bones. I got to make friends with a newly discovered kind of mammal, the striped rabbit. Mammals come in big and small sizes, with different kinds of teeth and horns and skin. It was fun to see the exhibit!
Grandma is starting to work on the menu and try out recipes for this year’s travel dinner. After we came home from the museum, I helped her make okonomiyaki, like we had in Tokyo with Bill-kun and Karin-chan. Okonomiyaki are Japanese pancakes, made on a griddle. First, we had to make the batter, then I helped cut up the cabbage and green onions and pickled ginger and shrimp. Grandma tried two different styles, Osaka and Hiroshima. We had Hiroshima style in Tokyo, but Grandma says it’s easier to turn over Osaka style because all the ingredients are mixed in with the batter. Grandpa and I think Grandma got the flavor just about right, but Grandma wants to make some changes to the recipe and try again before she serves them at the travel dinner.
Today, all the snow is gone in Fairport, even the little bit of new snow we had during the week. The weatherman on TV keeps saying that we’re going to get snow later in the season, but it’s almost February now! I hope “later” doesn’t mean May!
Love,
Lion-san