Little Explorer

The braciole turned out well on Father's Day. We happened to have eaten out for lunch after Mass, so had leftover pasta (six-cheese penne . . . yum!), which meant I didn't make any fresh pasta. I also got some fresh canoli from the bakery for dessert to continue the Italian theme.
My 11-year-old cat Missy is more crotchety than ever and seems to feel pain when she jumps. She won't jump over most baby gates any more, so we took pity on her and cut a hole in the baby gate that leads to the cats' lair (the bathroom containing their water, food bowls, and litter box). John immediately figured out how to get through the hole; he finds it easiest to go through feet-first. Oh well. At least I delayed him this long and now maybe he's at an age more teachable so that he'll stay out of the litter box.
I know other babies learn how to climb up things much earlier, but John finally has some motivation to do so. He likes to push his red car to the scene of the crime, climb onto the car's seat, then climb onto a chair, then get into something. From this chair, he can change the thermostat settings (which I just noticed is set at 100 degrees--no wonder it is so danged hot), move a light switch, and open my desk drawers.

Off topic: A big congratulations to my dear friend Elaine who had a successful VBA2C on Sunday night, giving birth without intervention to a healthy baby girl, and was home from the hospital a fast 12 hours later! We are thrilled for Elaine and her family!