Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Finally, SNOW! And lots of it. Started this weekend and still going, and its helped me get in the mood for Christmas. Actually wrote out some cards this year and its been ages since I last did that. I remember as a kid how the folks got a huge basket of cards every year. Mom would carefully catalog who had sent her a card, who she sent cards to, etc. If she sent and didn't receive for 3 years she would take them off her list. It was very methodical. Me? Not so much. I misplaced my address book in the last move (it will resurface soon, I suppose), so my send list is very hit and miss. Mom had a little file box with addresses and sent/received dates. I have my portable address book that doesn't even have some names in it!

Dave and kids are doing an excellent job in Christmas Carol. My coworker Dana has a son in the show, so at work she was talking about the show. She said "Its worth it just to see the guy playing Scrooge! He is really good!" I said Dave and the kids were in the show too and she said "Which parts do they play?" Oh, an urchin, a servant...and Scrooge. She laughed. She has a sense of humor similar to mine, so we have a good time together and 'get' each other's jokes.

We went to the Christmas Light parade last weekend. It was freezing cold, but fun. AJ had strep throat, so he and I spent Friday evening in the ER. He was much better by Saturday, so he only missed the Friday evening and Saturday matinee performances.

Well, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all! I'm headed into a stretch of night shifts, so I probably won't update this til next year. :-)

RIP Kitty Kat

With heavy hearts, we took Kitty to the vet today and released her from increasing pain. The kids are heartbroken as are we all. Viv did a great job this weekend cleaning Kitty up as hygiene was a huge challenge. Both gave her extra loving which Kitty loved. Her passing was in my arms, very quick and very painless.

Losing her brings all the other losses of the year back into play, but it also helps remind me of great memories. She wandered off in Raton in the middle of winter last year and was gone for some time...days if not a week. We had begun to give up hope as there was frigid cold and a raging storm. I happened to look up at the window, and there she was...ice on her fur, hungry, but alive. When we had returned to NM from Mom's funeral the kitchen was a mess. She didn't knowck over her food bag to get food, but she DID manage to get the CATNIP out of a cupboard and it was all over the kitchen. Who needs food when you have Nip, right?

I shall miss her.

Meowser

Here are two pics of our adorable diapered Kitty!

Cats and Dogs

Or rather...cat and dog.
Our family has included Meowser Kitty Kat for a coupld of years now. Sadly, she had a run in with some larger animal that left her hind legs paralyzed. So, she now is The Dragster and manipulates herself pretty well with only her front paws. She wears little doggy diapers, KatNaps if you will, and gets a bath at least once a day. Those who know cats can guess what an adventure it is to bathe a cat! We are hoping that we'll be able to keep her, as she seems fine otherwise.

The pup, Colin, has healed nicely from his broken leg. The pin has been removed and the staples come out soon. He is back to being a Crazy Dog...very energetic and loving but has more energy than sense! This too shall pass I am sure. That's all for now. Hopefully will post pics of the animals when I can get the camera to talk to the computer again. Seems the camera and computer have had an argument and are not communicating right now.

A Christmas Survey...

Welcome to the annual Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Just copy (not forward) this entire blog entry and paste into an e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you.. 'Tis the Season to be NICE!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? BOTH

2. Real tree or artificial? Fake

3. When do you put up the tree? The Sunday after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? JANUARY 1st

5. Do you like eggnog? YES!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? A magnetic doll house.

7. Do you have a Nativity scene? YES

8. Hardest person to buy for? David.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Viviane, my girly girl

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? "no gift is bad if it comes from the heart". That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? eMAIL

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? My Christmas Story

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yup

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Ostkaka

16.Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored

17. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? STAY HOME

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Probably

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on the Solstice, One on Christmas Eve, rest on Christmas morning.

22. Do you watch football on Christmas day? As if!

23. Favorite Christmas memory as a child? My Mom let me skip a Sunday nap and help her decorate the tree. My sister had to take the nap. HA!

24. Did you participate in Christmas programs as a child?Yes, at church

25. Do you sing Christmas carols? Yes

26. Favorite place to be at Christmas? With family

27. Do you have to work on Christmas day? Well, I work 12 hr night shifts the 22nd, 23rd and 24th. Technically I don't work Christmas DAY.

28. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People who start to think its about THINGS and getting stuff.

29. Do you believe in St. Nick? Yes. I believe in the magic of Christmas and I call that St. Nick...there are miracles, love, and kindness that exist only at Christmastime and that is the magic...I also love making that magic happen for someone else.

30. Most memorable gift (childhood or adulthood): A pig eraser. That is, an eraser shaped like a pig.

Day Tripping to the Canyon