Santa came a little early around here.....

Meet Vixen. She's adorable. My husband found her, abandoned, starving, and meowing at the top of her lungs. Who could turn down that sweet little face....? Ok, I KNOW I just wrote a post about how I did NOT want any more pets. But whats that old saying? Something along the lines that whenever we make a plan, God laughs a little. Or a lot. He's having himself quite a chuckle over this one, I'm sure.

So, we've been a dog family for a long time. We are not used to having cats. I had cats when I was growing up, but I've forgotten a whole lot of stuff. For instance, cats are impervious to the baby gates that we use as dog barriers. Nothing is sacred or off limits. Its definitely different, but we are adjusting. She is so cute. She's smart, too. Vixen has already figured out the litter box thing. That was my main concern, but she learns quickly. So far, she has charmed everybody who has come over. Its fun to have a playful little kitten, and even the dogs don't seem to mind. Of course, my dogs are so old and so inactive they view everything with bored indifference.

Merry Christmas to me. Vixen has found herself a home. She has moved right on in, and become quite comfy....and I am actually ok with that.

Festive

I'm through with the decorating, the presents are bought and wrapped, and this weekend is the BAKING! This is our tree. Notice the Santa hat-clad Mummy in the back corner.
Haha. I love him. Hannia came over and took a lot of pictures with her fancy new camera. I love how she was able to capture the glow of the tree in very low light. She was/is going to come try to capture the lighting outside after dark one evening, but seriously, its been raining and drizzling every single day for the past week or so. I'm sure she will have a chance though since I like to leave all my decorations up at least through New Years.

Anyway, Erica will be driving home this afternoon, which makes me happy. She has a list of baking that she wants to do, too. My daughter....she can bake. And make the most amazing ice creams. She claims not to be able to actually "cook", but that's just not the case. She prefers to make desserts. I have a feeling she could cook if she really wanted to. She mocks the fact that I make eggo frozen waffles. She, on the other hand, whips up homemade waffles from scratch with all kinds of delicious additions like chocolate chips. She is making homemade Gingerbread waffles for us for Christmas breakfast. She is also having to haul her waffle-maker here with her since I do not own such an animal. I think I used to. But it was never used. Like never even taken out of the box....so it ended up going to Goodwill. Pray for me that I don't gain a hundred pounds or so during this next week. I have every intention of enjoying myself this holiday. But after that? Oh, the healthy eating and the rigid gym schedule will commence. It is going to be mandatory, and I am going to be a total Nazi about it. My husband is already dreading it, even though he knows its good for him.

Speaking of eating and good food, we are all going over to Stephen and Hannia's tonight for dinner. Mexican. Yummy! I have no idea what Hannia is making, but I am sure its going to be good. She also loves to cook. See? With all of these cooks and bakers in the family, maybe its ok that I am only marginal when it comes to the culinary scene. Right? Also, I get to see their Christmas decorations for the first time. The Christmas branch! And I am looking forward to that. There will be pictures.

Retirement Plans.....

Today at worked sucked BIG TIME! On days like these, it helps to fantasize about retiring. I'm nowhere near that yet, but still....we talk about it a lot. We have a tentative plan that goes something like this: We sell off most of our worldly possessions except for the most cherished and necessary and we travel. Not continuously, because seriously I don't like living out of suitcases and being constantly on the move. But more like picking out places that we really enjoy and renting an apartment there for about a year or so. Its hard to get an actual feel for a place if you just visit briefly for a vacation. I would like to get to know these places....really KNOW them firsthand. Experience everything a place has to offer 24/7 for a decent length of time.

Of course, we like to sit back and list the places we would like to live. New York makes the list. Maybe it even makes the top of the list. I could totally live there for at least a while. I'm not sure we could see everything there is to see in a year. There is an energy about that place. A vibe. It feels like the center of the universe. And the shopping....Oh my Lord. The shopping! Thats all I have to say about that!

And then....lets spend a year or so on some beachfront property somewhere NOT in the continental US. Maybe the Virgin Islands. Or maybe Costa Rica or even Mexico. We went to Costa Maya a couple of years ago (on a cruise) and it was beyond beautiful. We went snorkeling at a place just like this:

After that, there just HAS to be a year in New Orleans. I'm not entirely sure my husband will go for that one, but the fact is that I love that place. Like "love" love it. I felt like I had come home the very first time I went there. I think it has something to do with the fact that its a lot like Charleston, SC where I spent a whole lot of time during my childhood. Like Charleston on steriods. I can sit and people watch in Jackson Square for hours on end. I saw the vampires stalking the steps of St. Louis Cathedral while the religious freak screamed about eternal damnation right beside them. Where else in the world can you see that? While having your fortune told by a purple-haired psychic at the same time??? Beautiful. There is a certain weirdness about that place that soothes me. I am weird by nature, myself. I feel perfectly at peace there.

And the list goes on and on. My husband would love to live somewhere out in the desert someplace. Maybe someplace near the Grand Canyon. Actually, if he could, he would probably live right on down in the middle of the Canyon. That one might be a hard sell for me. But if he would deal with the strangeness of New Orleans, I suppose I could deal with the isolation of the canyon. For a year. If we had internet access....haha.

Anyway, these are the thoughts that get me through a hell day at work. It keeps me going. But I don't know if any of these things will ever transpire. I mean, suppose we have grandchildren by retirement ...? Would I rather spend time with my grandkid or people-watch in Jackson Square? Thats a tough call. I have a feeling priorities change as time goes on. But whatever dreams get you through the day.....right?

Dog Update

That dog that we found yesterday, (well, technically she found us), DID belong to the people who lived in the house where my husband left her. So it all worked out really well. Bruce ran by there this morning, and they were home so he got to talk to the man who lives there. He never even realized that his dog was missing. She was there when he left and there when he got back yesterday evening, so....he was clueless that she was out having a big adventure. And I am happy that the situation has been resolved in a way that did NOT leave me with yet another dog.
Yay!!!!

Also, we finally put up our Christmas inflatables today. First Bruce wanted to cut the yard one last time to mulch in the leaves. Then we had rain for an eternity, or it was really cold and windy. Have you ever tried to set up one of this 8 ft giant blow up characters in a swift wind? Its almost impossible. But we got around to it today. I had 2. A Grinch with his dog, and a Santa with his reindeer. And to my dismay the Santa was broken. Bruce took it inside and took the motor apart and it had broken off its mount in such a way that was impossible to fix. How sad. Poor Santa is dead. And it left me with only the Grinch, which didn't look right. My yard needs 2. One on either side of the front walk to look balanced. So, I have spent my afternoon running all around town again. In the Christmas crowds....again. And I was getting more and more discouraged because every place that I tried was ALL sold out. Most of the Christmas decorations are sadly picked over already. I ran into Lowe's in a last ditch effort, and there on the empty shelves sat this one last snowman. I really wanted a snowman anyway. And there he was, just waiting for me. So, he's mine now and he is already up in the front yard. So all's well that ends well. Stephen and Hannia just reported that they found the perfect Christmas branch, too.....so we all are having a happy ending for today.

Surprise...its a DOG!!!

I went to Yoga class this morning with Hannia. It was really good because our favorite instructor, Diana, was doing this class even though it said Allison on the schedule. We like Diana best because she is easier to follow. NOT easier on you as far as the routine goes, but she explains it all a little better, and she also explains exactly what body part each pose is working and what it will accomplish for you once you master it. Allison, on the other hand, is extremely sweet, but she is really soft spoken, and sometimes we have trouble hearing her, and she is just not as thorough with her explanations. Also? ...during the meditation at the end, Allison remains relatively quiet to allow us to focus while Diana prepares an actual life lesson to meditate on. I like that better. She reminds us to feel gratitude, to focus on the present, and today it was about setting goals and following intentions.
But anyway, this is not what I meant to write about like at ALL.

When I got home from Yoga there was a strange dog sitting on our porch. I walked into the house to ask my husband about it, but he had no idea it was out there even though he had been out doing stuff in the yard all morning. Apparently it had just decided to visit...? Anyway, I called the animal shelter (which was of course closed) but I left a message with the lost and found department. Then I headed out and around to all the closest houses to knock on doors and see if anybody was missing a little dog. Hardly anyone was home, it being a prime shopping day right before Christmas and all. So I came home and we made a huge sign and stuck it out in the front yard so that anybody looking for this dog could see it. The dog had a collar, but no tags, and let me tell you....we do NOT want to inherit another pet. Not now.

After all this I headed out to try and finish up my own Christmas shopping. Off topic, just let me say that everywhere in town was a bleeding, screaming NIGHTMARE. Traffic sucked, parking was non-existent, and the check out lines were lllloooooonnnnng!!! Ugh! I just got home a little while ago and my husband told me he had "taken care of" the dog. Um,....ok...??? He had put the dog on a leash and walked it around hoping it would recognize home and we could figure out where she belonged. She seemed to be really comfortable with the house just around the corner from us. I had knocked on their door earlier but noone was home. Noone was home then either, but my husband spotted an open dog pen, and a hook/chain like a dog had been there. The dog was eager to go into the pen and all, so it apparently recognized the place...????? We do NOT know for sure, but hopefully its their dog. They are going to find this little surprise present of a dog in their yard even if its not....HAHA. Bruce saw fresh water and food sitting out like they were waiting on a dog, so....? We are going to keep trying to get up with these people to be sure. We wouldn't want to leave that little dog there with no care, so I feel like we need to do that. Then again, if its NOT their dog, we don't want it back...hahaha. Maybe we can just sneak food and water over there to it and not have to actually ask them if its their's or not.

Hopefully they will be home soon and this whole situation will be resolved. The only thing that I am absolutely certain of is that I do NOT want another pet in this household right now. Hubby asked me a few minutes ago what I wanted for Christmas (he plans to go out and brave the crowds this evening), and I told him that all I wanted was for that dog to NOT live here at my house. Poor thing. It seemed like a really nice little dog, but seriously, these 4 hellhounds that we already have are all that I can even begin to handle.

Holiday Memories

Every family has their own Christmas traditions. When our kids were young we would head out after dinner on Christmas Eve to drive around and check out the local Christmas decorations. Afterward we would come back home where the children would be allowed to open the 1 gift under the tree from us, to make room for the hefty haul that Santa would be leaving for them later that night. But anyway, I have this one Christmas Eve that I will NEVER forget, and I am certain that my children remember it as much as I do.....

We cut the Christmas Ham that night since I was cooking a turkey on Christmas Day. And the kids wanted me to make up some macaroni and cheese for them (sound familiar to anybody? Chelsea maybe...HAHA. I have one niece who's diet revolves around mac and cheese, and come to think of it, my kids were right about her age when this fateful night occurred.) Anyway, the kids finished up with their dinner and ran off to go bundle up for our Christmas Eve ride. I was in the middle of putting the leftovers away, and turned my back for just a split second. My dog Scotty took full advantage of my inattention and leapt up on one of the kitchen chairs and swallowed a huge helping of the mac and cheese almost whole. Luckily he did not get the ham...he might have been held in grave disfavor if he had eaten all of the Christmas ham. So, I scolded the dog, shooed him down off of the chair, and finished cleaning up the kitchen.

For some reason, as we left the house somebody (I don't recall who it was, but it was most likely my husband) decided that of course the dogs would enjoy viewing some cheery holiday decorations to put them in the Christmas spirit....haha. So we threw Scotty and Scarlet into our mini-van alongside of the children and off we went. We made it maybe half a mile....possibly less....when Scotty got sick and vomited macaroni and cheese all over the place. The children were screaming, mac and cheese was everywhere, and the dogs were barking and scared. We never really saw the local decor that year. We immediately headed home, and hubby and I spent the better part of the rest of that Christmas Eve cleaning out the van. And if I haven't grossed you out enough yet, I also recall having to scrape up the worst of the mess with a spatula.....YUCK! That spatula went into the trash after that. Noone in the family could bring themselves to eat mac and cheese for a really really REALLY long time after that. The children were traumatized, we were traumatized, and the dogs were traumatized. That might actually have been the last year that we indulged in that little tradition. But even if we did go on our decoration spotting trips after that year, I am absolutely certain that we never took the dogs with us again....Ha!

ALL CLEAR!!!

I finally got the ALL CLEAR on the mammogram saga today. I've been multiple times over the past year and a half trying to determine if this one little spot that keeps showing up is anything to worry about. There was NO change today, so the Doc feels reasonably certain that its just a spot of scar tissue, and it will probably keep showing up, but it is nothing to worry about. I can go back to a regular schedule of mammograms now. And this makes me feel very relieved. Not that I was overly worried but getting good news is nice. Plus, not having to face this whole ordeal every few months is also especially nice. The radiology tech has been very...um....thorough in getting good pictures and I always leave that place feeling sore and bruised for a day or two. She is very nice about it, and she has this nice soothing voice to try to keep you calm and comfortable (???) while she jams every square inch of skin and body tissue from your neck to your waist in between those plates. Ah its such a joy to be a woman.