Howdy, everyone. Merry Christmas and happy holidays. It’s Wednesday afternoon here in game-rich Andes, where we had three inches of snow overnight. We’ve just come in from a Redneck sleigh ride. I rigged a black plastic punt (the kind used by ice-fishermen and duck hunters to drag around gear and decoys) and 40 feet of strong poly rope to the back of the All-Terrain Vehicle, convinced Lisa and Cowboy Luke to sit in it, and then I dragged them around the back hay meadow. It was a big hit with Luke, and slightly less so with Lisa.
I’m especially proud of the dampener I made from two heavy bungee cords; it keeps the sled from jerking too much when you get a little slack in the tow line. Luke enjoyed dipping his hand over the side to scoop up snow to eat – you can do that in the woods.
Christmas Day produced the expectant drama, but in this case it wasn’t the emotional kind, where somebody runs out of the room crying because of a real or imagined put-down or slight. It was a dog fight, between sister Susan’s shepherd mix, Little Bear, and my niece Sarah’s lab-terrier cross, Lucy.
Both of them are alpha females; sometimes they get along fine, at others, they hunt trouble. This time, my brother-in-law David and Sarah’s boyfriend Rob got in the middle of it.
Injury report: one dog and two people KO’d, requiring quick visits to ER at the local hospital and the vet (that one for Lucy, who received puncture wounds in her right hindquarter). David had a nasty bite at the base of his thumb (sustained while rasslin' his own Li’l Bear off Lucy) and somebody left a nice little puncture (I’m pretty sure it wasn’t David) in Rob’s forearm.
It all happened quickly, outside, while I was upstairs playing with the ‘Poke and his new Thomas trains. When it was over, everybody went back inside to have cookies and tea and try to rationalize why the two dogs – and they are good, loyal dogs - went at it. Because they’re dogs. End of story.
So how did your Christmas go? My tally was pleasingly modest: a neat daypack in Seclusion 3-D camo (it will have to go back for the larger model) from my secret Santa, a pair of tan suede desert-boot type shoes (from Lisa), and an indoor-outdoor weather station (from Luke, but it’s to replace the one that broke and Lisa’s been after me to fix forever). Not bad, given that we basically have four Christmases, mostly because of Luke: Christmas Eve present exchange at Susan’s, Christmas morning there (mostly the kids), Santa’s surprise visit at the farm the following morning, and one more to come – Santa’s visit to the apartment in New York. I’ve been stockpiling some of Luke’s haul, which will be re-gifted or given to charity.
So seeing as how off-topic is really on-topic until the New Year, how did you all do? Anybody have a great holiday battlefield report? I wonder if our Jewish Tribesmen go through some of the anxieties and conflicting emotions that Christians (including nominal ones) experience during the holiday season (I hate the commercialism of Christmas. Oh my God! I forgot to buy something for aunt Sylvia’s friend from the Historical Society, what’s her name?, Quick, call Harry and David’s!!!!) . Hanukkah always seemed much more low-key and stress free holiday to me, although the traditions (including music) and iconic images of Christmas are flat-out awesome.
Well, the snow is falling gently again, Lisa’s gone to the gym in Delhi, Luke is pushing his Thomas trains around and I’m trying to write this while impersonating Sir Topham Hatt, the rotund, authoritarian superintendent of the railway on the magical island of Sodor (Playing the authoritarian role comes easily to me. Lisa thinks I’m overbearing and bossy, but hey, I know what’s best for people, even when they don’t, so what’s so pushy about that?).
I’m going to try to post this, or at least email it to Steggy in a few hours from the Andes hotel. Nothing wrong with having one with the stone cutters and loggers while I’m down there, is there? After all, somebody’s got to tell those guys how to run their operations.
PS – Sitting in the Andes hotel, tall beer and popcorn chicken beside me as I post this. Is this Internet thing cool, or what?