Christmas 2015 is Here!

I wasn't expecting to be able to post again, but my trip to NC fizzled and I seem to be ahead of the game!  Rosie and I took off early, as planned, but things didn't go well.  I "cut through the woods" (Southern for taking local secondary roads) to I-95, not realizing there was a detour.  Before we had gone very far, Rosie began to pant/hassle.  I really couldn't stop until we got to Ridgeland, where I did stop, took her for a short walk, rearranged things a bit, and took off again.  We hadn't gone far when she started panting again.  I knew she couldn't do that for hours, so I turned around and came home.  I called Laney and explained what had happened and she understood.  The pet sitter couldn't keep her until  after Christmas, so I'm going to go up on Dec. 28-30.  I was very concerned for Rosie and disappointed that it happened, but I think I can get her more comfortable with traveling.  The dog trainer said to put her in a plastic crate where she can't see as much and to take her on long rides to get her accustomed to it. Dramamine might her, but that would be the last resort.  So, I haven't given up hope.  I never thought that would happen as she loves to ride locally, but then we never get over 45MPH!  Going at 70 on unpredictable roads is a completely different thing, even for me.

 Since we didn't go to NC, we did get to attend Rosie's last Puppy 1 class, which she completed satisfactorily.  You will notice all of the other puppies were BIG puppies and of a breed that is accustomed to taking commands from it's master.  Rosie would often be given concessions due to "a breed issue", which I eventually took to mean that she is stubborn and un-trainable!!  Abby, the dog trainer, said that "sit", the very first command we were to learn, was a hard one for Dachshunds and Dachshund mixes to learn; however, Rosie has it down pat.  She does have her little quirks though - she is much better at a side sit than my asking her to sit right in front of me.  She also responds better if I cam crouched down, closer to her level, than standing tall.  She will pick and choose when to respond to "focus".  If she is really interested in something (usually a smell) and I try to focus her, she will purposefully raise her nose and turn her head when I put the treat to her nose!  Both Dachshunds and Chihuahuas are supposed to be stubborn and she does have her moments, but I can identify with that so I understand.  She is a real joy to have around.

In the fervor of the holiday season, I began the most time consuming, least

productive project you can imagine - scanning all of my photos and storing them on a storage disk!  You can't imagine how many photos I have!  I bought a photo scanner about 3 years ago and this is the first time it has been taken out of the box, and it is definitely worth the money. This will be a long-term project and I've set it up on the laptop in front of the TV so I can scan photos as I watch TV at night.  I couldn't imagine doing this on a regular scanner. The box of photos to the right (1983 - Spain, Portugal and Morocco) had almost 600 photos.  Believe me, not all of my photos are as well organized as this box!  Not only are these filed, many photos had info written on the back!  So, I took the time to label them.....it seemed the right thing to do!  Most of my others don't even include the date and I'm the world's worst at remembering when things happened, so most of the others will be less labor intensive.  Anyway, what I expected to be a mind-numbing, thankless job has really been pretty enjoyable.  I was reminded that I've camped in Death Valley and canoe-ed down part of the Colorado River, that I've actually seen (from afar!) in person the Queen and Prince Phillip (and the Britannia), King Juan Carlos and the Queen of Spain, as well as both Bill and Hillary.......to say nothing of so many beautiful places in the world.  It is almost like reliving the past and remembering many wonderful experiences and people, which takes the tediousness out of the task......and I haven't even gotten to Abqaiq yet!!  

Yesterday was my day to spread Christmas cheer by delivering my vino to friends.  It was lots of fun and everyone seemed surprised and pleased, especially when they saw the label.  I hope they feel the same after they've actually tasted the wine!  

Today, Christmas Eve, should be about 80F (sun-room door is open, fan is on!) and the sun is shining....what more can we ask!  As I dithered around the house this morning I listened to On Point on PBS where people called in with their favorite Christmas stories and it was wonderful.  The stories ran the gamut - funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, tender, sad, meaningful, unforgettable.  My thought was that I'd like to hear something like this every Christmas - maybe every day!  It was a wonderful array of human experience.  As that was winding up, I got a short email from Ann with a listening recommendation from Katie - Ludovico Einaudi - Islands.  He's a very handsome, talented pianist and I'm listening to him as I write.  Thank you, Katie.  So, what could be a sad, maudlin Christmas is shaping up to be peaceful and nice.....just by going with the flow. I do have invitations from friends for Christmas lunch, drinks in the afternoon, etc.  I will go with the flow on that, too, and do what feels right at the time.

On this Christmas Eve, I'm thinking of friends and family and counting my blessings that I have you in my life.  You make Christmas happen year-round for me!  Thank you so much. Merry Christmas and many blessings in the New Year! 
Love to all.