Merry Merry!

Well my Christmas started before yours did. I was up at 3:00. It’s going to be one long holiday today. The snow last night didn’t last. Still, we do have a (barely) white one and it may snow today. I think I’ll have to have a Christmas hot tub today.

Poor Freddy was so sick yesterday. At one point he let out a wail and I ran to him with Sheba right behind me. I reached down and gently laid my hand on his back. Ethel approached him, nose out, sniffed him and licked him and Sheba just let herself go down watching him. He saw all of us around him.

One final heave and he felt better. We all did. He took to the ladder to play, Ethel decided to play with my measuring cups, battering them around the kitchen floor, I sat myself at my desk and Sheba started chewing on the leg of my chair. Then the room-to-room cat racing began and all was back to normal at Pinecone Park & Spa.

I loved Sunday. I did little other than play with cardboard assembling Merz Manor, taking lots of breaks to watch baking shows on TV and to play with Sheba. It doesn’t look like much, I know, but its for cats to play in and it’s not intended to last. There are nine rooms in it and today I'll put dingle dangly things in it for them to find and play with and I'll tart it up with windows and stuff while I watch movies.

Something wonderful has happened between Ethel and me. I’ve been insanely attracted to her in spite of her seeming preference to be left alone and recently I’ve noticed signs of rapprochement. Yesterday she let me hold her and pat her and we had some really lovely playtime together and then, last night, she slept the entire night with me. I’m taking that as my Christmas present this year.

Around six o’clock Christmas Eve it started lightly snowing and I thought of how many excited little eyes there’d be at windows tonight. I turned on the string of lights I have on my shed to give Pinecone Park a bit of a festive look in the snow and I left them on all night. It was a lovely light to wake to this morning.

I felt very good Sunday. The brief crisis of doubt I had Saturday exaggerated my renewed sense of appreciation for my home, life, Fred, Ethel and Sheba. So today will be a good day.

Merry Christmas to all my friends who read this blog.