With the acquisition of a quarter horse named Zip, the Kiaski family seems to be redefining what normalcy is as far as the daily schedule goes.

Go to work. Come home. Put on grubby clothes. Eat a chipped ham sandwich. Head to the barn. See Zip. Ride Zip. Go home. New day. Repeat procedure, except maybe have a bologna sandwich.

Life is good.

My fingernails have never been so dirty, and I have never been so happy.

I have to say I'm loving this horse stuff, so glad son Adam decided to take the plunge.

It brings me great joy that my co-workers whinny in my presence and accuse me of wearing a new cologne - eau de equine.

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I've actually caught myself giving Zip a hug and calling him "Bubby," my pet name for our Great Pyrenees named Bubba that we had to put down on June 25.

That brought on one of those Bubba moments as I realized it's been more than 18 weeks without my big white fluffy dog, his ashes and memories all that's left of him.

In the initial months afterwards, I had made contact with a Great Pyrenees rescue group in Ohio. A hoped-for match that didn't pan out leads me to believe God was opening the door for another four-legged critter to steal my heart.

Mission accomplished.

Even so, I still miss Bubba something fierce and give the urn bearing his ashes a greeting and a kiss every day.

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There were some exciting acts of consumerism in the Kiaski household this past week, including attention paid to a shopping item long on the list.

I kept harping that we needed a new toilet seat since a little tear on the seat was making things not as comfortable as they could be.

And the urgency for a replacement escalated in recent days as I knew company was coming and figured that's probably not a very welcoming gesture of hospitality on our part to have a scratchy toilet seat for visitors.

So Better Half went shopping for a toilet seat, unfortunately unable to stick to the aquatic theme we had going - aka a tropical fish scene.

Home he came sorry to report there were only two designs available.

I took one look at the dragonfly scene he selected and figured things could be worse.

It could just be regular flies.

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As of this writing, I was preparing to attend what is one of the most enjoyable evenings of the year for me - the Herald-Star's 11th-annual Community Stars banquet, where 10 unsung heroes are honored for the quiet contributions they make in their communities.

They do this in a variety of ways, never seeking the limelight but quietly going about their lives, taking on the greatest role any of us can ever hope to do - having the servant's heart and helping others.

It's always a pleasure to meet these stars and have the affirmation that our area is rich in good people doing good things.

(Kiaski, a resident of Steubenville, is a staff columnist, features writer and copy editor for the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times. She can be contacted at jkiaski@heraldstaronline.com.)