December 2021

I do hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I did write a Christmas song I wanted to share, but Mom was too busy with her stuff to deal with my stuff. I know I’ll have more success next year.

Santa was super great this year. Usually, I get a boxed treat & a new rope; nice but rather dull, if you know what I mean. This year Santa hid the spine of a fallen deer out in the woods under a bit of fluffy white snow for me to find. I was so happy I grabbed the bones & hauled them back to the cottage to show Mom. Only when I got home, I realize with fright that Mom might not think this fantastic gift was appropriate for me. I was questioning my decision & trying to backtrack those bones outa the yard when old eagle eyes spied me. My heart sank when Mom came out to investigate. I was afraid all of Santa’s efforts to give me the merriest of Christmases’ was going to be a waste.

Then a Christmas miracle happened! Mom smiled & said, “enjoy.” I savored those bones until the cold earth sucked most of the feeling outa my paws. Best Christmas ever!
After the  Christmas festivities were finished, it was a wild ride trying to escape the clutches of Minnesota snow & ice.
My Mama didn’t plan well & the forecast wasn’t accurate, which led to Mom having cold fingers, toes & moments of despair while trying to move everything from the cottage to the Ivy.
Me being the hound of the family, it was my responsibility to stay quiet, outa the way & not demand any attention. Good thing I’m good at rolling with whatever is happening.

This is me staying warm & quiet while mom frets.

Mom had lots to fret about; the auto was not big enough to haul e-bike, kayak, solar panels & Me. Tire & oil change issues, plow truck cutting electric cord for our heat source & the county plow truck piling a mound of snow on the driveway making it impossible to get to the cottage. The roads were black ice, the snow kept falling from the sky & the temps were below zero, plus Mom thought a trip thru the ditch would be a wonderful way to end the entire debacle!  

People being very kind, getting the back seats removed from the auto, and Mom’s amazing friends Joe & Sherry put the silver lining on this chaotic episode.  

After three days of me being meek, mild, & cooperative, we headed south out of Minnesota’s cold, blustery winter. We didn’t get as far as mom wanted because I was sorta stressed out. Mom noticed I was doing my panting thing again, so we stopped at a hotel early in the evening.

I LOVE hotels; dog smells everywhere. This room had a delightful aroma coming off the bedspread. When Mom noticed my focused interest that spread was off the bed in a New York minute.

The next day started with Mom drugging me after an hour of driving! She snuck some pretty pink feel calm pills in an egg roll & yogurt. I spit 3 out, but 1 made it down my gullet. After spitting the pills out I noticed the deep scowl of a very perturbed mom. I realized my error & when Mom gave them to me again, I immediately swallowed without a sound of protest. Life is good when the smile replaces the scowl.

Old 2-leggeds have little blue pills to arouse while 4-legged young ’uns have little pink pills to calm.

My Mama & I had a comfortable, easy 6-hour drive that day. We traded Missouri 30 degree foggy with sleet morning with an Arkansas 64 degree sunny afternoon.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about our stay In Arkansas.

Luv, Otis