Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Merry December 2014, and Happy 2015!


I love this time of year -- especially when things are going well and our loved ones are healthy and happy. And, praise be, that is the case again this year. No heart surgery for Pepper this year; no gut surgery for me! Plus, we have our Miracle Mysti who is back to her old sassy self:


And we still have one of the Litter -- now known as Bouie Junior by his new family -- among the living.  He has developed a habit of digging in the backyard, and had the misfortune of disturbing a sleepy Copperhead while engaging in that craft. This is what he looked like on December 23rd:


Doesn't that just break your heart?!?!  Fortunately, his new family knew him well enough to know he was in trouble and got him to the Emergency Vet (cha-ching!!) in the middle of the night where he received the lifesaving medical attention he needed. Here he was yesterday:


Much better! His eyesight doesn't appear to be impaired either, so he's the most recent Christmas Canine Miracle. I can't decide whether he favors Mysti more, or Bouie, but he's a handsome lad indeed.


Yes, the tree still stays up until Epiphany -- January 6, so I am still permitted to send out wishes for a Merry Christmas!  January 6th also happens to be the kick-off of the Carnival Season, so Moogie's Manor needn't go without excessive decor for even a moment! This was on Christmas Eve before the grands arrived and pandemonium ensued. Daughters thought that building gingerbread houses might be a good way to entertain the young ones (read "distract" them!) until time to demolish the wrapping paper:



I think they did pretty well! (And the distraction worked! For awhile.)


Although he was one of our best gifts of all times, Bouie was pretty wiped out on Christmas Day:


A week before the Christmas revelry, we celebrated Pepper's birthday at the Manor with a Family Dessert (spelled, "Moogie didn't have to prepare and clean up after an entire meal.") How cool, and yummy, is an Apple-Pie-Baked-Into-A-Chocolate Birthday Cake?!?! (I did bake the cake!  Recipe available on The Food Network.)




Dang that was tasty!

Included in the season's gatherings were the three yellow sisters from the litter. That's our Yap on the left, little Chelsea in the middle, and Persi (short for Persephone) on the right:


Here are a few more dog pics because, these days, I smile every time I look at our pups (as long as one of them isn't shredding something or tracking in muddy prints). And, I still marvel at Mysti's and Bouie's stamina and ability to heal from the most dire of mishaps. (P.S. -- Yap now has veterinary insurance!):

Daddy and Daughter
Mama and Daughter
 Playtime!
Can you believe how she's grown? Nearly 5 months.
These make our family complete.

So, we're still enjoying Christmas decor:


We're enjoying the decor, except for one item. Pepper received a gift that now graces the windowsill of the Water Closet in our bathroom. That's the perfect place to display it because seeing that smug, Imperial face leering down at you just scares the s**t out of you.


Who needs laxatives?!?!

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Happy New Year!!








Friday, December 12, 2014

Where Did the Fall Go?!?!

A brief update before I hit the hay. I've spent the last month plus battling gut issues with fever and no small amount of -- um -- discomfort. I finally gave in and went to the doc, who put me on rest and two industrial strength antibiotics. The corner has been turned, and I have successfully avoided the hospital, so things are looking up.

All the resident canines are blissfully healthy and happy! Mysti's staples came out without incident. I promise you, if there was one, there were 60! It's a good thing she didn't have to go through a metal detector. She's gained her weight back and is back to swimming and romping. She does tire easily still, but wouldn't you if you'd undergone three major abdominal surgeries in less than a month?

The puppy, Yap, is HUGE! She's only 4 months, but she's almost as big as Mysti! Bouie just watches the two of them and does the canine equivalent of shaking his head. Sometimes he gets in the romping mix, but they outnumber him pretty quickly. Quite an interesting family dynamic we've developed around here. I'll post pictures soon, once the dust settles around Moogie's, Manor for a bit and I can get unfettered access to the laptop for a bit. In the meantime, I'll leave you with this thought:

Elizabeth Warren's effete self-righteousness is enough to make one hurl one's lunch

Yep. I've been keeping up with the latest reindeer games to come out of DC, even though it probably gave me a setback in the gut-healing department.

Sweet dreams!