A Family Christmas - Better Late than Never

This holiday season wasn't good to travelers.  That's an understatement.   It didn't matter where you were going or how you were trying to get there; the journey was destined to be a nightmare.   I had planned to drive to Michigan with the girls in December, but an 'active weather pattern' (to use the term of our meteorologist) caused me to re-consider.   In the end, I took Amtrak and went after New Years to get a lower fare.   A couple of days before I was to leave, I was notified that Amtrak had suspended travel between Whitefish, Montana and St. Paul, MN and canceled my trip.  Ugh.  Fortunately, I was able to go a couple of days later.    Amtrak was dealing with a major backlog and some significant delays so it wasn't an easy trip, but I'm glad I went.   I think that, for this year at least, it was the best option.

Of course traveling by Amtrak meant Princess and Dee Dee couldn't go with me.   I am so thankful to have next door neighbors who love the girls and are always willing to take care of them.   I don't know what I'd do without them.   This trip proved to be a major breakthrough for Dee Dee.   When I've been gone in the past, she has refused to go next door .... sometimes refusing to leave my yard or even the house.   Princess is happy enough to stay next door,  so that has left Dee Dee home alone.   She must have finally gotten lonesome enough that she decided to step out of her comfort zone, because after the first two nights, she slept next door on a little bed they made for her in the kitchen.  That made life easier for everyone!   She was very happy to see me when I got back, and spent the day sleeping on my coat!   Dog Logic 101:   If I lie on her coat all day, she won't be able to leave again!

Elvis gave the girls several nice gifts that they've had fun playing with this week.    He gets so many treats and toys as honorariums for his 'speaking engagements' that Tim shares them with us.   Elvis is really into opening gifts - whether or not they are for him.   It's quite funny.   He seems to have the surprise element of a gift figured out, and whenever someone is opening a present, he is right there.    He was quite happy with the Greenies he got from us.   Corgis love any kind of treat, but Greenies are definitely a favorite at our house.

Ending the Year with a Blast .....

.... of winter, that is.   We are enduring our third consecutive winter that is unusually brutal.   Honestly, I think this is the worst one yet, although up until yesterday most of the snow that fell, came straight down, without a lot of wind.   But now we are in the midst of a good old-fashioned blizzard, complete with heavy snow, 40-50 mph winds, and arctic air.   We are presently in a bit of a lull between the two-punch storm, so I decided to go out and at least get a start on dismantling the drift in my driveway.   What I didn't know was that there was a heavy coating of ice underneath the snow; which was polished to an unbelievable sheen by the wind.   When two little corgis cannot even walk on the driveway without falling over, you know it's bad!   Dee Dee was making her way up the driveway and literally fell over on her side.   Too funny.   It wasn't nearly as funny when I fell on my keister. 

Yesterday was one for the record books.   I made it to work in the morning (which is on the far, far southwest end of Fargo, out of the city limits).  It is more developed out there than it was ten years ago, but still, when the wind blows, it is a totally different experience than it is in town.   I worked a few hours, got the most important things done, and by noon I realized that I either needed to leave then, or plan on spending the weekend there.

 I had the girls with me, but with plans to leave for Michigan on Monday, I really needed to get home.   It was a white knuckle trip, on glare ice, with zero visibility at times and ice pellets pounding the windshield.   And, on the car radio, I was hearing reports of a 100 car pile-up just a few miles west of where I was.   Needless to say, I was happy to get home.   I crawled under my down comforter with the girls snuggled up beside me, and we enjoyed a quiet evening listening to the radio and following the reports of a major rescue operation going on at that accident site.  Some people were trapped in their cars for a number of hours, but by 11 p.m. everyone had been rescued and injuries were minor.    This picture of the girls was taken out at work.   I let them go potty, but didn't let them out of my sight. 

 The girls have had fun playing with their Christmas gifts from their best friend, Sadie, next door.   They got plush animals with two squeakers and no stuffing.   It's been almost a week, and the squeakers, so far, are still in tact! 

Norwegian Corgis?

The agenda for this past weekend?   Baking cookies.   Lots of them.   I sign up for a ridiculous number of exchanges each year.  Six weeks out, it seems like a good idea.   I mean, what could be easier?   You make dozens of your favorite cookie, swap with other ladies who have done the same, and come home with a huge variety with which to impress your friends.   Actually, it is a good idea - to a point.  The problem is that I have no family in the area, and since most of my friends are also involved in the exchanges, I just don't have that many people to take plates of cookies to.    They go to the neighbors, I bring some to work, and then I usually take a plate to public servants like the police, fire department, ambulance service.  But I still have a lot left over and there's only one person at my house to eat them.   Unless, of course, you count the girls. 

When I was 13, our family moved to Minnesota and we were introduced to krumkake.   My Dutch roots make me partial to banket , although my love of banket soured a bit after I lost a crown in a piece of it a few years ago.   Yes, I looked for it, or maybe I should say watched  for it, but it was never found.   So that one piece of banket cost me $850 and it's never tasted quite as good since.   But  I also love krumkake and it turns out, so do my corgis.   There are a lot of recipes out there with various ingredients and flavorings, but in my opinion, krumkake isn't any good without cardamon.  I love to just stick my nose in it and sniff.   Ummmmmm     I suppose that's the next thing they will declare is a hallucinogen.

Anyway ... the rule at my house is that we only get to eat the ones that break, burn, or otherwise don't turn out.    Usually that is the first four or five, and then I get into a rhythm, catching drips, flipping the iron, and rolling cones.  Underneath my feet I have two little girls who are salivating and hoping that some broken pieces will fall their way.    I'm not sure if it's the texture, or the flavor but they have a definite preference for krumkake over any other kind of cookie that I bake.  

Of course they love all sweets ...and they can be quite adept at getting what they want.   One day last week I indulged in my favorite guilty pleasure - a  McDonalds caramel Frappe.  If you haven't tried one ... trust me, they are the best and taste much better if you don't ask about the calorie count.   I needed to make a quick stop at Herbergers, and since I didn't want Dee Dee licking the caramel residue off my straw, I took it with me into the store, leaving the 2/3 full Frappe (the kind with a dome cover and a little hole for the straw) in the car.  I did feel a little silly, carrying a sticky straw around with me.  At least one sales associate asked if I wanted her to discard it for me.  "Uh, no .... I mean, it's for my frappe ... I didn't want my dog to lick  .... oh, never mind."   Pleased with myself for being so prudent, I headed back to the car, looking forward to the rest of my Frappe.    Approaching the driver's side door, I saw both girls in the front seat, happily licking sticky sweetness off the seat.   Those stinkers had managed to get the cup out of the beverage holder, get the cover off and spill it all over the seat, the armrest, the floor.   As soon as they saw me, they stopped in their tracks and looked at me with faces that said, "It was her idea, Mom.  I'm just helping clean up the mess!"   Ah yes ... the mess.   Actually, it wasn't too bad.   They had done a pretty good job of "cleaning it up".    I guess I can be grateful for that.    Scrubbing sticky caramel out of the carpet in sub-zero temps isn't my idea of a fun time.  And a fun time they had clearly had.   

Did you get that?!?

The falling snow and plummeting temperatures tell me that we're making the transition from Fall to Winter.   Actually, I don't mind either of those things so much, but I really hate the short days.   There's about a 3 week period when I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark.   The only positive thing about that is that I sometimes see brilliant sunsets in my rearview mirror as I drive home in the late afternoon.   North Dakota has THE BEST sunsets .... combination of low horizon and combine dust in the air.   They can be simply spectacular.

I enjoy evening walks with the girls, but we all look forward to the weekend when we can go to the park in daylight.   A couple hours ago, I told the girls we were going to the park 'pretty soon'.   They know that 'pretty soon' means we are going - but not right now.  But they follow me from room to room in anticipation.   A few minutes ago, while folding a load of laundry, I tripped over them for about the fourth time today.   I looked down and said, "You know, I would work faster if you two girls weren't attached to my heel."   They looked at me with blank expressions, so I repeated it.   They cocked their heads to the side, and looked at each other with the funniest expression, as if to say, "Did you get that?" 

This is a short post ... because, well .... it's going to be dark in another 20 minutes and we still haven't been to the park.  Better run ....

A Decade of Love

Ten years ago today - October 21, 2000 - Princess came to live with me.   I picked her up about 9:00 a.m.,  she jumped happily in my car and never looked back.    We spent the afternoon playing in the back yard, raking leaves, with friends dropping by to meet her.   They pronounced us perfect for each other.  We were - and still are - very much alike:   loving, independent and strong-willed.    Now a senior citizen, Princess often comes to work with me, as she did today.   She is friendly, but not pushy;  never barks at anyone but happily greets our guests, her little stub of a tail wagging.   People love her.   When the vet checked her over last week, she commented that Princess looks about half her age.  (I wish the same could be said of me!)   She is a wonderful companion and SOOOO very loved.   Happy 10th anniversary, my sweet girl. 

Mid October Musings

 This past month has been a blur.  Three weeks of fundraising at work were followed by an Extreme Home Makeover right across the street from us!    It was a crazy week with streets blocked off, porta-potties along the curb, hundreds of volunteers working 24/7 and more activity than I'd seen since the Flood of 2009.   Despite the noise, floodlights and dust, it was fun to be a part of it, and it was all for a wonderful family that has done much for disabled children in our community.   The show is supposed to air in late November or early December.

When it was all over, I was exhausted, and glad for a week of vacation.    I canceled most of my original plans, and we stuck pretty close to home.   The Fall colors have been exceptionally brilliant this year, and we enjoyed some day trips to area parks, and I did some biking on several of the MN state trails.   I had hoped to do more, but on Monday I had a little rollerblading mishap.  Princess was chasing me around a parking lot when my legs went out from under me, and I fell - hard - sustaining a whiplash and bruised tailbone.   I was pretty sore for a few days.

I got my leaves raked this week and other yard work done .... windows have been washed, gutters cleaned out, and the garage is looking better than it has in a long time.   My neighbor changed the oil on my mower for me.    You're supposed to do that more often than once every ten years???    Who knew?!?!  
Yesterday the girls went to the Vet for their annual wellness exams and shots.   Dee Dee has a tooth that needs to be pulled, and Princess has 'mature cataracts' on both eyes.   I'm a little perplexed by that since she can spot a squirrel or rabbit from 100 yards away!   Dee Dee put up quite a fuss while she was being checked over, and provided an unsolicited stool sample right there on the exam table.    That ended up costing me another $60 when it tested positve for some parasite.   Overall,  the girls are in excellent health for their age.  

   

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

 

I was reminded of this beloved poem of Robert Frost this week as I turned the calendar page from August to September.    As if on cue, our weather made a dramatic shift from hot and humid to cool and crisp.   Some are complaining, but I don't dare.    I whined about the heat most of the summer.  I'm just not a 'hot and sticky' kind of person - and neither are my girls.   I hate having to carry water for them on even the shortest walks, and having to mow my lawn before 7 a.m. because that's the only time I can stand it. 

 

So bring on the cooler weather.  I love Fall.   I love sleeping with the windows open; the cool breeze pushing me down under the comforter and snuggling up close to my girls.   I love cool evening bike rides, Honey Crisp apples, the sound of crunching leaves underfoot (not yet, thankfully!) and the aroma of scented candles burning in my living room.   I love seeing school buses in the morning, wearing sweatshirts, and checking out the new Bible Studies in the church bulletin.  I love the smell of autumn air.  

 

Speaking of smells .... a few weeks ago my brother was traveling through Michigan's Upper Peninsula with his dog, Elvis.  Tim's favorite place to hang out (in the whole world, I think) is Au Train Beach on the south shore of Lake Superior.   It is a beautiful beach, and he recently purchased a parcel of land just a stone's throw up the Au Train River.   Making the trek north from Holland, Elvis slept most of the way.  When they got about a half mile from Au Train Beach, Elvis suddenly woke up, stuck his head out the window and sniffed the air, turned toward Tim and smiled.   He knew where they were.  My girls remember every park we've ever been to, and it doesn't matter what way we go, or where I park the car.   Familiarity is in the smell, and it always amazes me.

The last few weeks have brought sad farewells to some of our canine friends.   Einstein, the common link between my girls (Princess' brother and Elvis and Dee Dee's father) was put down a week ago.   We also lost Dee Dee's nephew, Scooter, and another corgi pal this summer.   And a few weeks ago I got a call from my friends, Phil and Val, telling me that their little Einstein (a charming little terrier who was obsessed with chasing balls) had died.   As Phil put it, Einstein 'helped them raise their five boys' and was with them through some major life transitions.   Only another dog lover can understand the bond that exists between canines and their humans.  These losses remind me that my girls are getting older too, and that I need to cherish each day that I have with them.   Nothing gold can stay.