I was sitting in the living room yesterday morning, watching big flakes of snow drift down, watching the birds at the feeder, feeling the heat from the fireplace warming my toes. Realizing how lucky I was that I had this beautiful place to call home.
Let it snow…let it snow.
And it got me to wondering. When you look out the window…what do you see?
I’m curious…can you share with me the world outside your window?
Katie here. Mama says I can have one more day on her blog because….drum roll please….today is MY 7th BIRTHDAY!
It’s snowing on my birthday!
Mine mine mine mine mine…uh..ahem. I’ve already made my mama take me outside six times this morning. I don’t actually do anything out there except play in the snow…
This is my backyard. Mama got it for me.
…and look gorgeous for my mama so that she can take more pictures. That sort of seems like I’m giving her a birthday present doesn’t it. I’ll have to make sure she pays me back.
My birthday closeup turned out great.
I’m waiting for my cake now. Funny. I don’t smell anything baking. I’m sure she’ll figure it out sooner or later though. I have to give her extra time sometimes cause she’s a bit crazy, my mama.
But I love her anyway.
Happy Birthday to me!
Katie here. I’ve been asking and asking and asking and finally my Mama took me out for a game of Frisbee. Snow makes the game even better. Don’t you think?
Got it!
You’d think Santa would be too busy this time of year to drop in on our little local community band concert. You’d be wrong. We have a very special relationship with Santa, and he stops by every year for our holiday concert. (Photos from last year’s visit – I forgot the camera this year!)
This year he was almost late! He says it’s because he was halfway here when he realized he was wearing his Crocs instead of his Santa boots, so he had to go back to the Santa House and change his shoes.
It was a wonderful concert. Children were invited to come up on stage and shake jingle bells while we played Here Comes Santa Claus. We told them if they rang those bells loud enough Santa would come. And he did. Then the children danced to Rock Around the Christmas Tree while Santa directed the band. That was probably the highlight of the concert for their parents; you should have seen the little one’s faces. Priceless. I almost lost my place in the music because I was watching the kids dance.
The music was therapeutic for me too. It’s been a long week but it ended perfectly with beautiful music and a wonderful and supportive community all coming together to celebrate.
Merry Christmas everyone. Enjoy your weekend.
I suppose this could be a Wordless Wednesday photo. But it needs some explanation so words will accompany it, thereby rendering it ineligible for an official Wordless Wednesday post.
As most of you are aware it’s cold here. Not as cold as ‘up north’ or ‘out west’ but plenty cold. So we weren’t surprised to see Mr. Cardinal hunkered down in the middle of a privet shrub just outside our breakfast window. What was surprising was how puffed up he could make himself in order to stay warm.
And how long he sat there letting me photograph him. I think he was asleep. Still, I moved slowly and didn’t get too close to the window. Luckily my camera with the long lens was sitting right next to me. Even Katie cooperated and didn’t bark.
He sat there for a long time, and then when we made a bit too much noise he flew off looking for a little peace. Or some supper.
I’m so lucky to have beautiful birds visiting us regularly. So I thought I’d share him with you!
Enjoy!
It’s Tuesday night and that means I was at band practice right? Well sort of. Tonight the high school was doing a holiday concert, and as we have several high school musicians in our community band who would be performing, we opted to attend their event and then claim the stage after for our own dress rehearsal. We have our holiday concert this Friday evening.
Today I had a specially difficult day at work and I wasn’t in the mood for holiday music, but the kids, dressed in their black suits and tux shirts or long black dresses quickly got me in the spirit. They were just so elegant, so confident, so very very young. And did I mention talented?
I watched them enjoy themselves as they produced wonderful music. I watched them lean in and let all that creativity float free. I watched them focus, concentrate, immerse themselves. And I saw in them my own high school band, saw their futures spread out before them, remembered so much of what they have not yet experienced.
I wish them a future filled with music. I hope when they look back 40 years from today they are sitting in the audience watching kids who are sitting elegantly, creatively, earnestly; kids preforming beautiful holiday music which helps to ease the day’s burdens and bring on the Christmas spirit. And I hope they remember tonight and all they felt as they made the music that washed over us. Better yet – I hope 40 years from now they are still playing in a band, still making music.
We gave them a standing ovation, then climbed up on the stage to rehearse our own music. Tired, we ran through the music for the concert, cleaning up a few little things here and there. I marked 4 measures I need to figure out before Friday, others did too. Our last piece is the classic “Sleigh Ride.” You know the one where the horse whinnies at the end? Everyone does it. Every year. Without fail. Still, it’s familiar, it’s Christmas, it’s fun. What better way to end a concert?
The musical version of horses clomping through snow was ringing in my ears as I trudged out to the car through fresh snow, the wind whipping at my legs, my eyes stinging, my fingers freezing. I was kind of loosing all that Christmas spirit. But as I turned on the ignition the radio sprang to life…they were playing “Sleigh Ride” and I began to hum along. And then I took the long way home, through the neighborhoods, looking at the Christmas decorations and singing with the radio.
Seems it just takes a little bit of music, a bit of reminiscing while watching talented kids play, a little music of my own, to let the cares of the day go. I recommend it to all of you. Check your local high school’s website. Every school band is doing a concert about now. Get yourself over there, support them and collect your reward – a renewed faith in kids, in holidays, in kindness and goodness and beauty.
You’ll be humming “Sleigh Ride” on the way home. I guarantee it.
Me and Mama’s mitten
Katie here again.
So maybe my Mama does love me. We went out to fill the bird feeders this morning and she let me go along. I got to break up sticks on my deck while she filled the feeders. It’s an important job. The stick breaking.
So anyway, then she decided to drag some chairs off the deck to the basement and she let me stay outside. But after she left with the first one I got sort of anxious and wanted to come in. So she let me in even though I was dragging my leash and it got stuck in the door and she was trying to get the other chair in at the same time.
And of course when she went outside to fill the birdbaths I wanted to go with her even though I was still dragging my leash and it got stuck in the door on our way out and she almost spilled the water all over herself. (Mama is sort of clumsy if you ask me.)
And then when she was done with that she wanted me to come in with her because it’s like 12 degrees outside (that’s -11.11 C!!) and I hadn’t finished with my job breaking up all the sticks so I wouldn’t come and she had to come get me.
She can’t get it from me!
And all this time she didn’t yell at me at all! And you know what? When we got inside she tossed me her mitten because she knows how much I love to play chase when I’ve stolen something, like her mitten or her glove or her sock or ….well just about anything I can steal from her.
So we played a rousing round of chase the sheltie-with-the-mitten game. And she laughed and took off her big coat and her hat and her sweatshirt and her scarf and put them all away.
And then I asked to go outside because I forgot to pee while we were out there. And Mama just sighed.
Cause she loves me after all. Yes she does.
Messed my fur up.
Katie here. Mama’s been so busy blogging and going to that place she calls ‘job’ that she’s been neglecting me. Again. Lucky thing I have Daddy to take care of me during the day. Cause I don’t think my Mama really cares about me any more.
But you know what? I have a boyfriend! Well, I’ve had him for a lot of years, I think maybe my whole life, but I can’t remember back that far. He (or maybe his Mom) sent me a Christmas present! It took my forever to get my Mama to open it for me!
Open it already Mama!
Then my Mama said because it is Christmas and all I had to pose with my present in the pretty lights. GEEZE Mama! Reilly sent me cookies, I don’t want to pose with them! I want to eat them!
Come ON Mama!
Sometimes the Mama is clueless. So I helped myself.
Smells wonderful!
In all the excitement I forgot to tell you about the beautiful cards Reiley’s Mom sent my Mama! Actually…well…I am more interested in the cookies!
Cards? What cards?
And then we almost missed the big beautiful card in the package, and inside the big card was another gift from my boyfriend Reilly!
From my guy.
Thanks Reilly, for the wonderful collar bling. You guys can’t read what it says…but I bet you can guess! It says “Princess” on it! And it’s in the shape of a heart! Does this mean we’re engaged Reilly? If I’d known we were getting engaged I’d have had my hair done!
You and your Mom are so nice Reilly! I loved my presents! It’s wonderful to know there’s a doggy out there that cares so much about me. Wish we lived closer, I’d give you a smooch…and trust me, I am conservative in my smooch allowance for anyone, but you’re extra special.
Kisses to you Reilly, and to your Mom too!
From your gal Katie.
I woke up this morning still half in a dream.
I was at the hospital getting ready for some procedure. The nurse told me to go down the hall to the bathroom to get water and to drink four cups. I already had one paper cup very full of water, so I walked down the hall in my hospital gown trying not to spill that one.
I couldn’t find the bathroom and someone told me there was a drinking fountain on another floor, so my sister and I (she just magically arrived) got on the elevator, me still holding my cup of water. But the elevator wouldn’t go anywhere, the door wouldn’t even shut, so my sister got off the elevator and walked around the corner and called back that there was another elevator over there.
So she and I got on that one, the doors closed and it began to move sideways, and quite fast. Then we were coming out from an underground parking deck and we were in some sort of commuter van, in the next to last seat, with hospital employees in the two rows ahead of us and a driver who was headed across a major street into the employee parking lot. The people behind us in the last row of seats were also hospital patients who had been trying to find something in the hospital and had erroneously ended up in the van, now across the street from the hospital in the employee parking lot. All wearing hospital gowns.
So the female driver of the van looked at all of us as we climbed out of the van and told us she had to wait there for a certain number of employees to show up before she could go back to the hospital and we should try to find another way back.
I’m still carrying my cup of water, trying not to spill it and thinking it was very rude of the driver not to take us back to the hospital immediately when Katie jumped on me and announced a new day had arrived.
I hope the dream is not a prophecy as I am going to the doctor this morning, but I’m not expecting to end up in the hospital, nor carrying a full cup of water around with me.
Katie feels she saved me from an even worse ending. You never know.
Change Is Hard 