3 Min. Video: Rob talks about loss in the holidays

I made this short video on Christmas eve, thinking about all of the people and beloved dogs I'm missing. Tyler's passing hit me especially hard this year.

3 Min. Video: Rob Gutro -Author, Medium talks about loss in the holidays

This was a difficult video for me. I talk about loss of people and pets over the holidays. The loss of my dog, Tyler on July 29, 2025 has devastated me and I'm still working through it. LINK: https://www.youtube.com/live/YC0rkm73r5k

Ooops of the Week: Russia accidentally destroys its only working launch pad as astronauts lift off to ISS

No idiot of the week this time, but there is a big "Oops!" This week's OOOPS comes from Russia... destroying their own launchpad by accident!

 

Photo:  A Soyuz rocket that took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 27 safely carried two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut to the ISS, but damaged the launch pad in the process. This photo shows a similar launch from March 2024. (Image credit: Bill Ingalls/NASA )

Russia accidentally destroys its only working launch pad as astronauts lift off to ISS 

By Harry Baker, Live Science, Dec. 2, 2025

The recent launch of a Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts to the International Space Station has caused significant damage to Russia's only launch pad capable of sending humans into space.

Russia's only working launch pad has been temporarily knocked out of action after sustaining significant damage during the recent launch of three astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). This leaves the country unable to send humans into space for the first time in more than 60 years, experts say.

On Thanksgiving (Nov. 27), the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft lifted off from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at around 2:30 p.m. local time (4:30 a.m. EST). The rocket was carrying Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev alongside NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who all successfully arrived on the ISS, where they will remain for the next eight months, Live Science's sister site Space.com reported.

However, shortly after the launch, Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, revealed that something had happened to the launch pad during the rocket's take-off: "The launch pad was inspected, as is done every time a rocket is launched," Roscosmos representatives wrote in a translated statement on Telegram. "Damage to several launch pad components was identified."

Russian officials did not reveal which parts of the launch pad had been impacted or how they were damaged, writing only that the damage was "currently being assessed" and would be "repaired shortly."

However, Ars Technica reported that an unnamed eyewitness noticed that during the launch, a roughly 22-ton (20 metric tons) service platform used to access rockets' engines fell into the "flame trench" — the section below the launch pad where the rocket's fiery plumes are vented. (If confirmed, this likely means that the platform was not properly secured in place before the launch.)

 It is unclear how long it will take to fix Site 31/6 or if another decommissioned pad could be retrofitted to take its place. But, until this happens, Russia has no way of launching astronauts.

"In effect, from this day, Russia has lost the ability to launch humans into space, something that has not happened since 1961," Vitaliy Egorov, a Russian space journalist, wrote on Telegram, as reported by CNN. "Now it will be necessary to quickly repair this launch table or modernize another one."

Heroes of the Week: Dedham, Mass. church Nativity scene protesting ICE & Idiots: The Catholic Archibishop

This is a 2 for 1 post: Heroes and Idiots.   This week's heroes are Father Stephen Josoma and members of a church in Dedham, Massachusetts who used a nativity scene to prove a point that the actions of ICE are illegal, immoral and horrendous, stealing parents away from children, and vice versa, based on their race.  The Idiots: The Catholic Church Archbishop AND CJ Doyle, head of the Catholic Action League.

(Photo: The annual nativity at St. Susanna’s Parish replaces the religious figurines with an “ICE Was Here” sign on Dec. 12. Below the display, reads another sign that says, “The Holy Family is safe in our Church ... If you see ICE please call LUCE at 617-370-5023.” (Jesse Costa/WBUR)" Credit: WBUR-TV)

 

(EDITOR NOTE- By protesting this church's scene, the Catholic Archbishop is also agreeing with ICE. Think about that. Glad I left the Catholic church decades ago). 

 

Dedham church keeps anti-ICE nativity scene despite pushback

December 05, 2025,Rachell Sanchez-Smith, WBUR-TV

Leaders at St. Susanna’s Parish said they will keep the “ICE was here” sign in a half-empty manger outside of the church despite condemnation from some Catholic leaders and community members.

Statues of Jesus, Mary and Joseph are missing from the Dedham church’s annual nativity scene this year. In their place was the sign about ICE, implying that immigration agents had taken the religious icons.

Below it was a smaller sign that read “The Holy Family is safe in our Church ... If you see ICE please call LUCE at 617-370-5023.”

Father Stephen Josoma said he chose to focus the nativity on immigration after speaking with several of the refugee families the church has worked with in the past few years. Several of his congregants, who come from countries like Honduras, Guatemala and Afghanistan, expressed fear about what the stepped-up deportations could mean if they were sent back to the violence they fled.

“These are folks who carry a lot of scars with them. Some of them are physical scars, but most are emotional. They’ve seen their folks killed in front of them,” Josoma said.

He said the display is meant to show “the context Christmas is happening in this year,” adding that current immigration policies feel “brutal” and threaten the status of people who have already settled in the U.S.

The Archdiocese of Boston on Friday called the sign and missing figures a “politically divisive display” and said the parish should restore the créche to its “proper sacred purpose.”

“The people of God have the right to expect that, when they come to church, they will encounter genuine opportunities for prayer and Catholic worship — not divisive political messaging,” the statement read.

The Archdiocese also said St. Susanna did not request or receive permission for the display and said church norms “prohibit the use of sacred objects” for purposes other than worship.

A spokesperson for the Archdiocese, Terrence Donilon, pointed WBUR to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ long-standing statements on immigration, which call for more humane treatment of migrants — especially in detention — while also recognizing a country’s right to regulate its borders. The bishops oppose mass deportation and condemn dehumanizing rhetoric toward both immigrants and law enforcement.

This isn’t the first time St. Susanna’s has clashed with critics over its nativity messaging. For more than a decade, the parish has turned the display into a form of political art, tackling issues like gun control, climate change and other immigration policies.

In 2018, under Josoma’s leadership, the nativity featured a baby Jesus figure in a cage, protesting the Trump administration’s policy that separated immigrant families at the border.

(EDITOR NOTE- Here's the IDIOT):  CJ Doyle, head of the Catholic Action League, said he was furious about this year’s scene after receiving complaints from local residents. He accused the parish and Josoma of creating “sacrilegious” political theater.

“This is a case of a dissident priest who has a long history of these crackpot, publicity stunts,” Doyle said. “He’s politicizing Christmas, he’s exploiting the Holy Family, he’s trivializing it and he’s using his position as a pastor to promote his left-wing political ideology.”

*************************************

Josoma rejected those criticisms, and said this is exactly the kind of moral witness churches should take up.

“I think the role of all churches is to speak out on issues, that’s what the Gospel is about,” he said. “How we treat the least among us is how we ultimately treat Christ.”

He said religious art is meant to provoke reflection, even discomfort, and that critics’ anger toward the display says more about people’s priorities than the installation itself.

“A lot of responses haven’t been anywhere near civil conversation,” he said. “If you ignore the facts, that’s fine, but you can’t have a real dialogue if you don’t accept the reality of what is there.”

Missing our Tyler this Christmas - It's been a tough holiday for me

I'm not usually one to write sad blogs, but this year, Christmas seemed pretty hollow to me because our 14 year, 8 month old Dachshund, Tyler passed on July 29, 2025. Tyler loved Christmas. He loved opening presents, and playing with every single toy. His tail never stopped wagging, ever. I always said he was our happiest dog. Today's blog is a reflection of a Christmas without him.

(Photo: Tyler sitting under a Christmas tree in 2019.) 

Losing a dog is losing a child. We raised him when we adopted him at 1 year old from a Dachshund rescue after he had been abandoned by his first household (and apparently abused there). 

FUN MEMORIES WITH TYLER - We took him to obedience school, taught him everything we could, and I took him to agility classes for 2 years and he thrived in them. In fact, Tyler and I practiced agility at home, when I would create makeshift obstacles and tunnels in the living room. Tyler taught our Weimaraner, Dolly how to do the agility courses, too. 

(Photo: Our Christmas post card from 2024. Tyler's last Christmas)

He tried teaching our Dachshund, Franklin, but Franklin would have no part of it. When we adopted Dash in 2018, Tyler and Dolly taught Dash, too. Up until the week before Tyler passed, he was still doing agility and Dash would follow. 

(Photo: Tyler loved his toys. Taken on 7/28/29, the day before he passed)

FEELING LOST - Tyler was fiercely protective of me. Up until Dolly passed, he slept next to her every night. After she passed, Tyler slept on my bed every night.  When Tyler passed of an aggressive cancer within 4 days of diagnosis, we were all lost. I was gutted, hollow, depressed, and sad beyond measure. Now I keep his blanket on the right side of my bed with his 5 favorite toys. I kiss his blanket good night every night, and hold one of toys when I sleep. 

(Photo: Dash misses his brother, Tyler) 

HIS BROTHER DASH DEPRESSED - Dash felt the same and more because Tyler was his brother, his best friend, and everything Tyler did, Dash followed him. Without Tyler, Dash stopped eating. He stopped playing with toys and games. He lost interest in treats. Two months after Tyler passed, Dash's vision deteriorated to total blindness, and because Dash is 17 he couldn't get cataract surgery. Also after 2 months, Dash's kidney failure increased significantly and he now wears diapers 24/7 and he's down from 10 pounds to 7 pounds. On walks, Dash is carried 95% of the time and only let down to do his business before being carried again. I am treasuring each day with Dash. 

(Photo: My favorite picture of Tyler (left), Dash (middle) and Cody (right) from 2022.) 

WHERE I AM NOW - Some people have said that because I'm a medium who can connect with pets in the afterlife that it must be easier to deal with a dog's passing. They couldn't be more wrong. The daily interaction, the wagging, the happy barks going through a Dunkin' drivethru, the excitement of a new toy, or "3 treat time" nightly at 7pm isn't there anymore. Instead there's a hollow feeling, that I keep trying to replace with memories. I look at his picture daily. I tell him I love him every night. I ask him to help Dash from the other side as he did when he was here. So, this Christmas has been brutal for me. I'm feeling lost, empty and sad. Meanwhile, a part of me reminds me to look for his signs, like dreams with him (which I've had), and fill my heart with memories. 

Book of the Week: Murder She Wrote: A Killer Christmas

 I've read 59 of the 63 books in the "Murder She Wrote" paperback mystery series including, and most recently, "A Killer Christmas" by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran. I enjoyed this book as it painted a good picture of what it was like to organize and plan festivities for Christmas events in a small Maine town. - I also liked the introduction of a few new characters, particularly Albert, a minor character and one of Jessica's former students, who returned to the town after moving away. The author brilliantly alluded to the fact that Albert is gay because his relationship "with another fellow didn't work out." - It was refreshing to see a gay character finally introduced in the series. The mystery made you wonder who the killer was and the motive. It's a good Christmastime mystery read. 5 of 5 stars. 

ABOUT THE BOOK: Murder, She Wrote: A Killer Christmas is a mystery novel by Terrie Farley Moran, part of the Murder, She Wrote series, featuring Jessica Fletcher solving a murder in Cabot Cove during the Christmas season, where a presumed-dead man returns to stop his family's home from being sold, leading to a murder and a classic whodunit. The plot centers on realtor Eve Simpson, a potential buyer named John Bragdon, and the mysterious reappearance of Kenny Jarvis, who becomes the prime suspect after the buyer's wife is found dead.  

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays from our house to yours

 Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays from our house to yours!  We visited Santa with Dash (in Rob's arms) and Cody (in Tom's arms) to get these pictures. 

As it turned out, our friend Wayne (of Wayne and Naomi) played Santa this year at a local dog training facility, so we were able to get the pictures nice and early! 

Santa and Mrs. Claus "The PARACLAUSES" Recommend reading: Haunting of Emery Estate and Haunting of Hunt Memorial Library

GET THE BOOK ON KINDLE PRE-ORDER HERE: https://tinyurl.com/5dpff3mw OR put the Paperback on your list for JAN 1st, 2026!!

Merry Christmas! The Paraclauses are two of the investigators featured in the new book "Haunting of Hunt Memorial Library" by Rob Gutro and Monique Toosoon. They were also featured in Rob and Monique's best-seller from earlier this year, "Haunting of Emery Estate." Both feature the true stories about intense Paranormal investigations !!

You read about the Paraclauses in this past weekend's Heroes of the Week. They're the most amazing, selfless, loving people you'll ever meet.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Their findings revealed three ghosts that were not associated with the building but chose the building as their residence. Together with other paranormal professionals and members of the public they uncovered a haunted secret love, illicit trysts, a ghostly teenage accident victim and haunted paintings. When reading this, you’ll feel like you’re on the paranormal investigation!

Today, Dec. 23rd would have been Sprite’s Birthday!

Our 16 1/2 year old dachshund was born on December 23, 1996 and passed away on July 8, 2013. Sprite was a funny little guy, who liked to keep to himself and didn't play with toys. Today's Blog is about ways we've honored him - from sharing his story, to putting him on a book cover, and giving him a special Christmas tree.

• He’s Featured on the Cover of “Pets and the Afterlife 2: Stories of signs from pets that passed” (top right corner)
• Sprite has a Chapter in Pets and the Afterlife 1 about his Butterfly sign!

Sprite came to us from a rescue on December 4, 2010 just shy of his 14th birthday. We picked up Sprite in Frederick, Md from a rescue transporter on December 10th, 2010, who drove him from Ohio. He came from a home where one parent passed, and the other went into assisted living. While fostering him, Sprite needed several surgeries and had 22 rotted teeth removed. We adopted Sprite in April 2011 when we learned of his heart murmur.

Sprite loved our Weimaraner, Dolly, and Dachshunds, Franklin and Tyler (also now in spirit with him).

To honor Sprite, back in 2013 we bought a small counter-top-Sprite-Sized tree and decorations. We topped the tree with a butterfly because after Sprite passed we saw yellow and black butterflies following us and our other dogs around. Even friends who read about Sprite's story were followed around or visited by yellow and black butterflies - so that's his sign.

You can read Sprite's Butterfly story in "Pets and the Afterlife (1)" by Rob Gutro.

Baking Homemade Gingerbread Cookies with a Pastry Chef

 Our friend Jeff is a pastry chef and over the weekend of December 6-7, he and his dog Myrtle visited and we had a holiday baking adventure. Today's blog is about the baking experience and includes the recipe so you can try it, too! 

A CHEF IS ALWAYS PREPARED - Jeff sent me a list of ingredients needed, and I told him I had the flour, cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar, but he still brought all the fixins to make homemade Gingerbread men. He's a pastry chef in his career, so he always ensures he has the ingredients! 

WHY A GINGERBREAD MAN?  There's nothing like adding a sweet man to your life. :)  

(Photo: Jeff preparing the dough) 

PART 1: PREPARATION -  On Saturday, we prepared the gingerbread dough. It took about a hour to put it together. Jeff worked on one part of the ingredients and I worked on the other. Then they were mixed to make the dough. We doubled the recipe, so if you do that, just know you need a HUGE mixing bowl!  Jeff made three mounds of dough  and wrapped them in saran wrap. The dough needed to be refrigerated a couple of hours, but we let it sit overnight. 

(Photo: Rob was assigned to decorating them)

PART 2: MAKING THE COOKIES - We spent the entire morning on Sunday baking what seems like 200 or so Gingerbread men cookies. Jeff cleaned the surface of the counter and covered it with flour. He rolled out each round of dough into a rectangle and cut out the gingerbread men.  We lined the cookie sheets with parchment paper (which I thought would have burned, but I learned it doesn't). Each batch took exactly 11 minutes. 

 (Photo: Gingerbread men cut outs before they went into the oven. All spread out on parchment paper in a cookie sheet.) 

FROSTING AND FINALIZING - After the bake, lift the parchment paper up with the cookies and place it on a counter to decorate. So easy!  ** Jeff created the frosting mixture with 4 cups of powdered sugar and other ingredients I can't remember!!  Of course he brought his own frosting bags and decorating nozzles. I did the decorating though, so some of the Gingerbread men look like they're wearing sunglasses, or have weird eyes.  When you have arthritis in your hands, as I do, it gets difficult after the first 50 cookies... so I had to take a break. - They dried for an hour and then went into the freezer to harden. 

It was a fun collaboration and will likely be one of my favorite memories from this Christmastime. So if you get a chance, bake with a friend! 

Eliot, Maine Xmas Festival!~

 Every year,  York Woods and Tree Products on Route 236 in Elliot, Maine hosts a Christmas festival complete with trees, wreaths, photos with Santa, and lots of local vendors and artisans. This year, we took our friend Jeff with us to enjoy the festivities.  

HUGE TREE LOT!  - There had to be hundreds of trees when we visited the weekend of November 29th. By December 8th, York Woods reported "Our tree lot is looking mighty merry… and mighty EMPTY! We’re down to just under 50 Christmas trees — WOW! A huge thank-you to everyone who shopped early and supported local this season."

On December 4th, they posted "This past weekend’s 5th Annual Tree Festival left our corner of Eliot sparkling, and these aerial photos capture the joy, twinkle lights, and holiday cheer that filled every inch of York Woods Tree. To everyone who bundled up, shopped small, sipped something warm, or simply shared a smile—thank you. You helped create a weekend full of Christmas magic we won’t soon forget.

It's located at 300 Harold L Dow Highway, Eliot, ME 

There were also Christmas donkeys and alpacas at the festival! 

A paranormal investigation at the SK Pierce Mansion!

 Last night I took part in a paranormal investigation at the SK Pierce Mansion in Gardner, Mass with Monique Toosoon, Lexi and the Paraclauses. It was 6 1/2 hours and a lot of ghosts

(Photo: The Paraclauses: Candace and Derick Fedders, Rob Gutro, Lexi Moriarty, Monique Toosoon)

Last night I took part in a paranormal investigation at the SK Pierce Mansion in Gardner, Mass with Monique Toosoon, Lexi Moriarity and the Paraclauses.

It was 6 1/2 hours with about 30 members of the public and a lot of ghosts. The ghosts we connected with included women, children, men and a cat. I was overwhelming and emotionally exhausting! But everyone had amazing experiences.

Lexi and Candace are also both gifted mediums. Monique is sensitive and a technology wizard, and Derick is also a tech whiz!

You can read about our previous adventures in "Haunting of Emery Estate" by Rob Gutro and Monique Toosoon, and the NEW BOOK publishing JAN 1, 2026, "Haunting of Hunt Memorial Library."

Next time Monique lists a paranormal investigation ticketed for the public, you need to experience it. Go to moniquetoosoon.com for event details.

Idiot of the Week: Alleged 120 mph DUI driver in New Hampshire chase on Interstate 95

This week's idiot is another young, drunk driver who decided to go 55 miles per hour OVER the speed limit. This is why New Hampshire should not have state liquor stores on the highway (they make a lot of money from them, which is why they're there). Here's the idiot's story.

Alleged 120 mph DUI driver in I-95 chase arrested in Portsmouth 

 Portsmouth Herald, Nov. 28, 2025

PORTSMOUTH — A 22-year-old Boxford, Massachusetts man was arrested Nov. 27 on multiple charges following a pursuit ending in Portsmouth, NH, according to New Hampshire State Police.

Trooper Cameron Vetter attempted about 10:21 p.m. to stop the driver of a 2016 BMW X3, allegedly driving more than 120 mph, leading to the pursuit, police said. The vehicle's exterior lights were off and the man was driving erratically, according to police.

The driver took Exit 5, toward the Portsmouth, NH traffic circle, and went south on Route 1, according to police. The pursuit ended for safety reasons, police said.

Trooper Patrick Vetter located the BMW behind a business off Lafayette Road, where the suspect was arrested. He was charged with a felony count of reckless conduct and misdemeanor counts of aggravated driving under the influence of liquor and disobeying an officer.

The suspect was held in preventive detention and transported to the Rockingham County Jail, where he was being held pending an appearance scheduled in Portsmouth District Court on Nov. 28.

Heroes of the Week: My friends the "Paraclauses" - Santa and Mrs. Claus

This week's Heroes are my friends the "Paraclauses" - Santa and Mrs. Claus who spread love, cheer and happiness all year round to children and adults and who investigate haunted places known to have children ghosts! They are featured in my book "Haunting of Emery Estate" and the upcoming book "Haunting of Hunt Memorial Library" (out Jan 1, 2026) and known in their civilian identities as Candace and Derick Fedders.

Tonight, Dec. 20th at the SK Pierce Mansion in Gardner, Mass. I will be joining them and Monique Toosoon for an investigation! Today's Blog is about some of the amazing ways they've spread cheer just this year, but they've been doing it for about a decade!  

You can find Mrs. Candy Claus' facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064418272355 

Santa & Mrs. Claus Spread Cheer all Season and Help Others in New England

by Rob Gutro, Dec. 5, 2025

 A New Hampshire couple has a packed schedule and is on a big mission each holiday season to spread Christmas cheer. "Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus" are instrumental in making the holiday season special to everyone! 

On Oct. 7, they appeared at the Milford Lions Club. The club invited everyone to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus on the Oval. There was cookies, candy canes and hot cocoa waiting for kids to give their letters to Santa.

On the morning of Oct. 5, 2025 when it was a frosty 6 degrees Fahrenheit outside, Mrs. Claus posted a picture from their "sleigh." She said, "It's dark, it's cold, and Santa and I are on our way to the WMUR-TV studios for the Big Toys for Tots drop off day! We will be there til 4pm! Swing on by, donate a Toy! It's a drive thru parking lot event so you don't even have to get out of your car!"

On Nov. 30th of this year, they were at the Leominster Veterans Hall, in Leominster, Mass. They wrote, "Come see Santa and I! Cookies and Cocoa and pictures with Santa! Collecting new or gently used Children’s books!" Link: https://facebook.com/events/s/4th-annual-cookies-cocoa-with-/1896064227993318/

On Nov 29th thy joined the toy drive with the New Ipswich Firefighters Association, who wrote on their facebook page, "We had an incredible turnout, and we’re so grateful for the families, friends, and community members who stopped by to say hello, take photos, and support us. Your generosity directly benefits the New Ipswich Firefighters Association and helps us continue supporting our firefighters and the community we serve.

A huge thank-you to Santa and Mrs. Candy Claus for joining us again this year—your presence truly makes this event magical! And thank you to Buddy the Elf (Eric Fellows) for taking such amazing photos.

One highlight we all look forward to—besides Santa and Mrs. Claus—is Deputy’s Donuts! A big thank-you to Deputy Chief Somero for making his incredible homemade donuts that everyone raves about!"

 
 (Photo: Candace and Derick in their "civilian clothes) 

The day before on Nov. 28th, they made an appearance at Dino Furs, 1 Main St, 2nd Flooor, Andover MA on Friday 11/28 from 3 - 5pm 🎁. It was an opportunity to Visit Santa & Mrs Claus!! 🎅🎄🤶and Get the perfect holiday photo, while donating food and hats for those in need. . ❤️🎁❤️🎁❤️🎁❤️🎁❤️🎁❤️ *********
 

On Nov. 16, they were at the Stove Barn in Concord, NH with a call out for toy donations to kick off the holidays. The Stove Barn wrote, "We are now an official drop site for Toys For Tots! Stop by any time with an unopened toy to drop in the box. Let's see if we can get them overflowing for the next big announcement....

SANTA and MRS CLAUS will be here Sunday, November 16th at noon for pictures! Bring your child by to snap a photo in front of the fire with the jolly couple."

On Nov. 15th, they made an appearance at the Salem Paranormal Conference. I know because I was there and got to take a picture with them!  They are very special friends and TRUE HEROES.