Hello from Western NY,

It's a very cold and very very windy Wednesday; still no snow falling. It's mid week (almost) and life may be hard sometimes but it's good to be alive.

Ridiculous item of the day: Pet peeve? Wait until you hear this story. A German man went on holiday and left the lights on and loud music playing so his pet would not be lonely. Naturally, that caused the neighbors to complain and after five days of non-stop loud music the police were called. When no one answered the door, police weren't sure if someone was inside hurt or dead. Of course the police eventually had to break the door down and while they were there, the guy's friend showed up. Yes, he did have someone coming over to feed his pet. The pet: a golden hamster. The owner was not able to be reached but the friend did promise to come over more often and turn the music down. Darn! Now the hamster can't do his dance. That makes me think of that dancing hamster that went around the internet a few years back and then was actually turned into a silly but infectious single.

Wherever you are today, be safe, be happy and be healthy.

p