It's all in the titles

At least our nandina is festive-looking!

Goodness, it's been a madhouse here! The Frenchie fosters have been time- and labor-intensive, so decorating (or any other prep) for the holidays is a non-starter. Rick and Brian talked once about getting a tree, and I reminded them that unless it's small enough to be up ON something, Leo would be like, "A personal outhouse for me? Wee!!!" So yeah, no Christmas tree, no decorations, no nothing but one small batch of Christmas cookies baked. And it's not just me. Rick usually hangs exterior lights and he hasn't done that, either. Rick's mom is going to be elsewhere for Christmas and my mom isn't flying back to Oregon, so it'll just be the three of us – plus animals. How many animals is still in flux, but more on that later. Anyway, so much for Deck The Halls.

Ewe-nited we stand

Outstanding in his field

Leo meets a sheep for the first time

Poppy shows the Frenchies how it's done

On November 28 I shuffled sheep, putting Spot "out to pasture" and the ewe lambs in with the ewes. The young girls got punched around a bit at first, but they are so much happier than they were in the barn stall, and Spot is handling his bachelor status well. Chores are easier, and far quieter. Amen for Silent Night.

Since then there have been two Christmas parties, one concert (not a seasonal one, but excellent regardless), and one birthday celebration – yep, Unto Us a Boy Is Was Born 21 years ago this month! We had a birthday dinner here with his grandmother for the occasion; he didn't go party (that night 😒) since he had to work the next day. At least he's working....

In the Bleak Midwinter: This month a neighbor friend passed away, leaving a big hole in our rural 'community.' Other neighbors just lost their lease and have 90 days to divest themselves of a couple cows, flocks of sheep and goats, hutches of rabbits, and gads of geese, ducks, chickens, and guineas. (My friend Kate and I did what we could today, each taking four chickens.) And after many months of nurturing my rye sourdough starter, I let it go. No, I didn't store it in the fridge; no, I didn't dehydrate any to start afresh later. See paragraph #1.

But there have been bright spots. I got my first (and only) bloom from the Christmas cactus a friend gave me when she moved, and two of my phalaenopsis orchids have put out flower stalks. There Is A Flower Springing!

Since Christmas Is Going To The Dogs, I'll circle back to them. Poppy has loved having playmates and we've had some good laughs over their antics. I've taken tons of photos in the month(!) the fosters have been here, but in the interest of finishing this, you'll have to take my word for it. This week has brought rapid changes. 1) We found out from the rescue how much the adoption fee for young Frenchies is ($$$), and my friend who wanted Gracie had to back out. We may do the same on Leo; the decision is up to Rick since he'll have to fund it. 2) Someone stepped up to foster-to-adopt Gracie; she leaves on Sunday. 3) Gracie and Leo had their vet exams on Tuesday and were pronounced in good health. 4) Someone would like to adopt Leo if we don't keep him. 5) Gracie's spay is scheduled for the end of January but 6) Leo went back the very next day to be neutered, thanks to a cancellation. So he's on crate rest and Poppy is bored again (Gracie doesn't play much with her); I told Rick that if we don't keep Leo we'll need to look for a second dog/Poppy playmate sooner rather than later. Poppy's breeder has a three-week-old litter on the ground, but I don't think Rick will go for another Decker....

Anyway, Joy To The World, after snow (just a dusting on December 1) and rain, this week has been mostly sunny, cold and dry, a big help when there are 12 paws to clean after every chore time and potty break. Bonus: a pretty sunrise this morning!

I'll post again when I can, and maybe share from the glut of pictures I've taken. If you don't hear from me again for awhile, at least you'll know why!

I'll Be Home For Christmas at . . .