(Fat) Tuesday was Mardi Gras in New Orleans, their annual celebration the night before Lent (Ash Wednesday) begins. Tuesday was also the culmination of the Westminster Dog Show, the 2nd oldest sporting event in our history! The first is the Kentucky Derby. Who knew the 2 animal events were even called “sporting” events! Move back football, basketball, hockey, soccer – “fetch” is where it’s at when it comes to staying power!

Held on two nights (Monday and Tuesday) it’s always fun to see all the different dog breeds and try to name the breed before the announcer does. They all looked beautiful! The Winner of the 139th Best In Show:  A Beagle named Miss P.

The Chinese New Year started on Thursday. 2015 is the year of the Sheep for China, although for the Chinese the year is 4712! On my way to dinner with friends who have an adopted daughter from China I told them I’d heard on the radio that on the first day of the Chinese New Year people wore red underwear for luck! It said that they also didn’t clean their house on that day so they were sure not to sweep the new Good Luck out of the house accidentally.

They reminded me it’s kind of hard NOT to clean your house when you have pets, there’s always some kind of funny accident from a pet stepping in or sitting in the water bowl to … well you know, other “accidents.” It’s true taking care of pets, like taking care of kids, is a part of our lives. Having a pet is a benefit to every member of the family!