Well, mailing Christmas cards is a no-win at this
point, as I realized last night, so I thought I'd take a shot at making
my own.
The image above is one I found on rummaging through the Interweb. The
animation of the water and the reflection resonated with me, and I think
it's the best image I can share with you.
First, I hope this finds you and all of yours warm, safe, happy and
well. After all, it has been one of the strangest years I can remember,
what with the Cubs winning the World Series.
Here at home, it has been a mixed year. I have a decent part time gig at
the Manheim Auto Auction, which pretty much consists of find the car,
drive the car, park the car, in a 500+ acre lot holding several thousand
cars. Some days I wind up walking several miles, so it provides some
exercise.
In general, we are all warm and safe. However, it has been a tough year
for the critters. Suzu, my sweet little girl Shiba left us in April. She
had been failing slowly for a while, then started to crash in March. I
was trying to feed her and get her to drink from a syringe during her
last week, but when a Shiba says "No", it means "No!" Turns out she'd
had a stroke and her kidneys were failing, so, in consult with the vet, I
let her go.
Two months ago, Griffin, my rescue Shiba, went in for a dental cleaning
and exam. Whilst he was unconscious, the vet was able to give him a full
exam, which was not something you could do while he was awake. Both his
knees are 'blown', and he wound up losing all of his teeth. I felt
awful about that, but, as the vet suggested, since the extractions, he's
been a much happier dog. It seems to have taken a couple of years off
his age! (The report I got of his mouth is best summed up as "horror
show".)
Finally, the vet also confirmed that Baxter is blind. We did a full
blood work-up to see if anything suggested itself as the cause, only to
find that he is in
really good shape for a cat of 17!
I didn't get as much work done around here as I would have liked to, and
gardening suffered a bit, too. I did get quite a harvest of Oregano,
Thai Hot and Ghost peppers. The early hail took its toll on the
potatoes, which, along with strawberries, were the only other things I
planted. I did wind up with a slew of 'wild' tomatoes, from seeds left
from previous plantings and contributions to the compost bin.
Bottom line is that all is good. I feel blessed to have a warm, safe
happy place for me and the critters, and for family and friends around
the country.
Here's hoping that
your Christmas is merry and bright!
Lee (and Grif, Benny, Baxter, Nadia and Missy)
P.S. If you've a mind to, our adventures in Red Lion are chronicled here:
Window on Red Lion, and my curmudgeonly rantings and musings are here:
Leelu's Place
