Christmas Past

 

 

The snow has turned to mud. Dolly managed to get her blanket twisted and stuck a leg through it, wadding it all up on top of her and making it hard for her to walk or lift her head. Trotting out there, I unbuckled the back straps and the belly-band, and as I picked up her foot, she yanked it away and got the material wedged between the cloves of her foot. It must have been very uncomfortable because she got scared and took off, head down, unable to see, and my hand caught in the blanket. I managed to pull the thing over her head and eventually get it untangled from her foot, but my hand was injured in the process. Nothing too serious, but its very swollen and painful. Dolly is looking much better than she has in several months, so she will have to take her chances in the buff. It was good to see she is gaining some weight finally after all my efforts and having to dry her off. We own 2 Jersey cows, and 2 Nubian goats, and had to BUY milk! The goats will freshen in a few weeks, and at least I won’t have THAT situation again.

Its 2 a.m. and a couple of owls decided to have a gab fest in the back yard. They were loud enough to wake us up, and the Maremma’s took exception to their midnight chatting as well. That set off a cow that the cowboys had left in the corral next to us, so there is a regular orchestra going on out there. Hooting, barking, mooing…I am waiting for the sheep to bang some cymbals.

The good news is, I notice my wrist is much better than it has been for the past two days. Maybe I can get some Christmas cookies made, as there is little time left to mail things for us…the mail only comes her 3x a week. Its hard to believe its almost Christmas…which reminds me of Christmases past.

A couple of my favorite memories…

My oldest son’s birthday is Dec 9. He was walking and talking early and we spent his first Christmas at Granmas.

We made gingerbread men to hang on the tree, and she also had glass ornaments. She was big on flocked trees, which I didn’t feel was a good choice, what with a toddlers exploring hands everywhere, so we taught Matthew to keep his hands behind his back when he went to admire the tree.

This had always been a successful method of keeping him from grabbing and knocking things over at the store, or people’s homes. He was a really good baby and always wanting to please. In fact, he was always a really great kid.

I woke up that night to a sound I couldn’t identify. I tiptoed out of the bedroom to see Matt on his knees, hands behind his back, in front of the tree, looking up. It was such a precious shot, I went to grab the camera. As I was about to snap the shot, Matt heard me, and ran from the room. Puzzled by his reaction, I turned back to the tree, and noticed several gingerbread men swinging…with no feet.

He never touched them with his hands! How is THAT for a loophole?

Another Christmas I remember fondly was when our second son was about 9. He wanted a bike so badly, but finances were tough. Parents manage to do what they can do, when they love their kids.

He opened his first gift…a book.

“Oh boy, thanks”

(He didn’t like reading much)

He opened his second gift…a puzzle.

(Gee, thanks guys.)

He didn’t much like puzzles either.

More puzzles and books. He had that look of disappointment, although he was polite, and thankful, and acknowledged everything.

We asked him if he would mind going down to feed the horses while I started breakfast.

“Sure”

We snuck outside to watch, as he opened the feed-room door and saw a brand new 10-speed bike sitting inside.

With a whoop and a holler, he jumped astride and took off.

We fed the horses.