"Poodle, Where You Been?"

Sometimes things fall into just the right place at just the right time and land right in your lap!
Today, Ma and I saved a little white poodle from the middle of a busy road near our house. He was clearly lost, wandering in and out of traffic, and though cars were stopping for him, his movements were as unpredictable as a little drunk leaving a bar. He crossed in front of us, Ma stopped, I got out, he came right to me, we hopped back into the car, he cuddled a thank you and sat nicely in my lap. As we made our way to turn around, discussing the "now what" part of our rescue (signs, ad in the paper, you know...), Ma spotted an older gentleman clearly searching for something. Perhaps, a little white poodle! She rolled down her window and inquired if he was indeed looking for a dog. Yes he was! A white dog, she asked. Yes he was! A little white poodle, he said. We pulled over and returned his baby! His face lit up as he asked "poodle, where you been?" It seems our furry friend was an inside kinda guy, who had managed to get tangled around a tree while on a walk, pulled free of his collar and leash, and had the sweet taste of freedom before deciding he was lost and wanted to go home. As we drove away, we watched the man cradling his baby, his poodle. Guess we all just happened to be in just the right place at just the right time. That is one lucky little poodle!

Speaking of things falling into place (I hesitate to even write this as I am fearful of jinxing myself, but I will), I have finally made peace with my Bialetti Cappuccino maker! After many failed attempts and reviews read, I finally listened to my Ma and I made a cappuccino. She had been telling me that I needed to wet the rubber seals and get the coffee part a little damp and not grind my espresso beans into dust. Yeah, uh huh, I thought, she doesn't know... Well, turns out she did know! When I did all of those things, the coffee did not drizzle out of the reservoir, it did not erupt like a volcano, I got perfect foam and it didn't taste half bad either! Aways the skeptic, I just knew that it was a fluke and would never work again, but it did. I have made several more cappuccinos since, following Ma's advice, and each one has been better than the last! Thank you Ma! You were right. Again... :)