Anti-climax

Another Christmas has come and gone and I'm now mentally gearing up to return to work at the office. Blech.

Actually, I am very fortunate in my work situation. I have a lot of flexibility and tons of responsibility. When I do well, everyone thinks to say so and when I do not so well, they keep their mouths shut. It's a pleasant place to be, mostly. But, I'm just not into it right now. I want a few weeks off. Then maybe a few more. Ah, the post-holidays doldrums.

I'm tearing down the Greymas tree, as Len likes to call it, today. By nightfall, there will be no more reminders of the Christmas that was in this house. At least I'll have a little more room to move around. Decorations take up a lot of space, and I had to move big pieces of furniture around to make room for the tree and its accoutrement.

Len is on a bike ride to Rockmart today. One hundred miles on a December day: The joys of living in Georgia, where the sun shines bright and the high for today is expected to be 61 degrees.

Yesterday, Scully killed a squirrel in our back yard: A gift, I believe, for our guests, Betsy, Doug, and their hounds. She almost brought the writhing creature into the house, but I stopped her in time. The poor thing kicked upside down for a bit on the back deck before coming to its final rest. To add insult to injury, Len placed the little thing carefully into the poop bag just before the garbage guys picked up the week's load. Nice.

This weekend, we're heading back to Helen to enjoy another family holiday at Clark and Suzy's cabin. I look forward to it, but I also don't want the lazy days to end, and New Year's definitely marks the end of my days of sleeping until 9:30 a.m. Such is life.

Clean Dogs and Broken Bones

I try to bathe my hounds at least once a month -- more often if they encounter something stinky. Today was bath day for the greyhounds, since we'll be visiting family next weekend and we want everyone to be shiny clean. Maggie can get pretty darned stinky, but now she bathed and brushed and is the definition of gorgeousness. I know that at her next meal she'll get gunk all over the fur around her mouth again, but we'll try to keep that to a minimum this week. Right, Maggie?

Len broke his left pinky toe this week. How? By walking through the house. He stubbed the toe and broke it in three places. Poor guy. Not much they do except push it in the right direction and tape it there so it heals straight. This is his first broken bone. I have never officially broken a bone. I may have broken my big toe about twenty five years ago, when my dad slammed a door on my foot. The toe swelled up, turned blue and it was pretty painful, but I never had it x-rayed. It seems that -- other than our toes -- Len and I have pretty strong bones.

Holiday Cheer Begins Early

Every year when I put up my Christmas tree I cry. I cry for all the loved ones I've lost and for all the wonderful people and animals still in my life. I cry for happiness and sadness, but mostly for all my good fortune.

In a way, my tree is a reflection of my life. I never forget the friend or family member who gave me an ornament or the person or animal or life event that is represented by an ornament. When I travel, I try to buy one from any new place I've been. My many dogs are represented by them. This is why I cry.

Every year, I have a tangible reminder of my life.

The tricycle ornament my brother Pat gave me a few years before he died: I cry both because I love him and because he's gone. The glass dog playing the drums that I found in Maine reminds me of the best vacation I've ever taken. The snowflakes made by Len's Grandma, Anna, mean so much more now that she's gone. Long forgotten former co-workers who gave me ornaments as gifts are remembered again.

I'm having some girl friends over tomorrow and thought I'd put up my decorations -- if only because it's December and I'm entertaining. I rarely do this so early in the season, but after last Christmas was so blue for me, I'm glad to start the happy season this year. So, I'm feeling a little sappy today.

I think it's going to be a nice holiday.