Christmas, 2009

Here's wishing a wonderful holiday season to all our friends, human and canine. I decided today's overcast weather was a sign that I needed to take the camera outside and take a Christmas photo. With a pocket of dog cookies, the trusty camera, and a cursory brushing of all four dogs, we took a little walk around the property to find a good background for the photos. I (and the robins) have been admiring the red berries on our native Toyon. Unlike the robins, I don't flutter around noisily and eat them. Actually, I don't generally flutter anywhere. But I'm glad the robins didn't eat all the berries:

Back row: JJ (Ebbtide Careful What You Wish) & CH Ebbtide Fern
Front row: Ebbtide Turbo & Maddie (Ebbtide Madam President CD)

We headed farther up the hill, into the sheep pen, where I set Turbo on a mossy rock I had admired earlier this week. I'm wondering if I can get the tractor to it and relocate it in to my garden. I love mossy rocks. Some of those bare branches may be poison oak, I realized AFTER I tried to move one out of the way. I have been known to develop a "skin allergy" to poison oak. WebMD reports "Serious symptoms may include: Swelling of the face, mouth, neck, genitals, or eyelids (which may prevent the eyes from opening). Widespread, large blisters that ooze large amounts of fluid." Hmm. Been there, done that as a child. I'm confident (overly?) I will enjoy an itch-free holiday season, and think the risk was well worth this engaging photo:

We'll see...Left to right: Maddie, Fern, Turbo and JJ.

And I'd be disappointing my one loyal reader if I left out yet another cute photo of the J Man:

"JJ" - Ebbtide Careful What You Wish

Or his very beautiful mom:

CH Ebbtide Fern

But all is not Sweetness and Light in the holiday season here. Once, last year, there was a vicious attack on an unsuspecting cowgirl ornament. Her boots, and sadly, her entire feet! were dismembered. I was too late to save them for surgical re-attachment. Save them: I couldn't even FIND them. I fear they were..gulp...eaten. Not too worry: Being the tough cowgirl she is, she hangs today on the Christmas tree, with nary a discouraging word:

Look Ma: No feet!!

Did I mention there was great sentimental value attached to this cowgirl ornament? But, I, too must suck it up and not be brought down by this seemingly completely unprovoked attack. The worst part: The suspect in this dismembering, was, shockingly, JJ!! Yes, reader, that same JJ whom I constantly shower with undying love and accolades. I had attributed this lone attack to media-induced, credit card holiday stress (that and the fact he was 10 months old). I could not, with all my heart, fairly judge JJ too harshly. Could you? Of course you could not.


Which is why it pains me to show you this photograph of The 2009 Attack of The Christmas Tree Ornament: Warning: Extremely Graphic! Due to extremely graphic nature of photo, only those 18+ years may view the following:






Oh no, Mr. Bill Soldier! One of Mr. Husband's Favorite Vintage Ornaments. From His Grandma. There was mention of "handmade". crap. And who were the only dogs in the house when this happened? Turbo and....gasp.... JJ.
I know. You are just as shocked and saddened as I am about this random act of violence by JJ. I told my husband: "I can fix that!" Hot glue the dismembered hand: Can do. Hot glue the Hat back to the head and attach the bill back on the hat: Can Do. Buy another 1" Styrofoam ball and paint brown hair and a face on Mr Soldier: Can do. Allow JJ access to the Christmas tree when un-chaperoned: No Can Do.
Will I ever be able to look at JJ the same after this second mauling. Yes (I never liked that soldier, anyway. I never liked the look on his face...well, I guess you can't tell any more..). Perhaps I'll grow to like Mr. Soldier after his face reconstruction :-)

What does Maddie think of JJ and his "transgressions":

One can hardly blame her.