My Neighbor and a Visitor

This is my neighbor Aaliyah. She wanted to do something special for Christmas this year, so her mother asked if I had any ideas or connections that she could get involved with. I told her about the need for blankets for the homeless on cold nights in New Orleans. Right away, she started collecting blankets. She passed out notices in the neighborhood, asked people in her church and where her mother works. Last night Ashley and I took Aaliyah and her bags and bags of blankets to the New Orleans Mission. We enjoyed a worship service and then passed some blankets out to those who were not able to secure a bed at the mission for the evening.

We have several freeze nights forecasted for the upcoming week, so the extra blankets will come in handy.

Some of the Mission clients helping Aaliyah unload the blankets.

See this window? I have to wipe it out often, as it seems to attract little bugs, spiders and their small webs. I guess they come in around the window. I started wiping it out the other day and noticed it was clean - no bugs! But when I lifted the white vase on the end.....a friend popped out!

He is the reason there are no bugs......he has been keeping it clean for me. I thanked him and then tried to catch him and put him outside, where he could enjoy more bugs and be reunited with his family. So, I was running around the kitchen with the dustpan, yelling at Cooper to get back and then the phone rang....it was my Dad. He said, awe, let him go...we will eat him for Christmas when I get there! And....we just might, he ran under my stove and I haven't seen him since!