Christmas Greetings

Yipes!  December 8th.  Only 2.5 weeks til Christmas, and I'm still enjoying Thanksgiving, watching the leaves swirl down outside my French Doors, blanketing the grass in lovely shades of brown and orange, munching on leftovers.  This year, I haven't done much shopping and don't intend to.  Neither John nor I have the energy to drag 7 boxes out of the attic to decorate the house, polish the brass, mail off numerous packages to distant relatives and grandkids, nor even send cards.  We don't want a big party.  We just want some peace and quiet.  The only gifts -- friendship.  (Unless, of course, someone wants to give us a huge wad of cash!)  With 2 of our clubs having their Christmas banquets this past week, and all the other stuff going on, I haven't had time, even, to build a nice fire in my fireplace these past several cold evenings (something I never used to pass up), nor work on my afgan, which still has a few months more work to finish.

Joy, a good friend and my very first friend from my dog club, sent me this video today, 7 year old Rhema Marvanne belting out "All I Want For Christmas Is You", which just about says it all, and is utterly amazing.  You won't believe this little girl's BIG VOICE.  If you're not in the spirit yet, this should help put you there.

Joy fell and fractured her femur last week and has to face the prospect that she won't be doing agility or obedience again for a good long while.  A few months before that she had a complete hip replacement, and she was looking forward to being able to do these activities again very soon.  Despite all this disappointment, she remains cheerful and keeps in touch with everyone.  Her good cheer is a constant inspiration to me.  I'm going to see her today.

But first, here's the first of my Glad Tidings to all my friends and family.  Enjoy, and I hope you will all forgive me if I cannot muster more this holiday season!  We'll have to see what miracles might yet happen.