DEBORAH CROMBIE: Here we are, speeding towards that Dickensian celebration on the 25th like a runaway steam train (still on my Dickens streak here) so, because I am less than coherent, welcome to Debs' Sunday Hodgepodge.
I don't know if everyone else is as frazzled as I am, but it has been a week here. Actually, it has been a month. Around a week before Thanksgiving, our German shepherd Jasmine started feeling not quite herself. By that Saturday, she had stopped eating. Monday we went to the vet and he diagnosed pancreatitis. By Wednesday, she was still declining, so back to the vet for more fluids. By Thanksgiving night she was worse, so we spent that evening in the emergency vet. (This place was SO great.) More fluids, pain meds, antibiotics, and home we went. Over the next two days she improved, but when I woke up that Sunday, she had suddenly developed a swelling under her jaw the size of a baseball. I am not exaggerating!! I would show you photos but I guarantee you don't want to see them. Back to the ER for tests, tests, and more tests. Monday, back to the vet for surgery, then what would be two weeks of every other day sedation and care for the open wound. (If you are seeing dollar signs flashing like a slot machine display, you would be right!! We are not quite competing with Julia's cat, but we are getting close.)
Aw, but isn't she lovely? Look at that sweet face.
The good news is that after the THING was drained and cleaned out, she began to feel better and has steadily improved. We still have no idea what caused the massive infection. Tomorrow she goes in to have the last few sutures put in (the wound, the size of a fist, had to be closed a bit at a time) then hopefully we won't have another visit until the sutures can come out in about two weeks.
Needless to say, we are so relieved. And we are so thankful for modern veterinary medicine, a great vet, and a great vet ER.
Can you believe that after all this, the silly dog still wants to get in the car??
Also needless to say, I've been doing more cooking for the dog than for us, but I did want to share a standout recipe with you. I've made many bean soups in my life, but after reading repeated raves about the Senate Navy Bean Soup, I decided to give it a try. This soup has been on the menu of the U.S. Senate dining room for more than a hundred years, and is so popular they cannot change it. I made the slow cooker version from The New York Times but there are lots of other copies on the internet. I think this might be the best soup I have ever made! We got two dinners from it and I've stowed the last bit in the freezer for emergencies.
And ALSO needless to say, Christmas has not yet come to our house, hence the great Christmas tree reversal. You've heard my declarations of lifetime love for real Christmas trees here many times. Christmas won't be Christmas without a real tree!! But the days slipped by and I just couldn't get myself to the Christmas tree lot. Finally, I had talked myself into planning a trip to the lot on Friday. Then on Thursday night it suddenly--and belatedly--occurred to me that last year Ella the devil cat ATE the Christmas tree. And then threw it up all over the house. Every. Day. For three weeks.
And that, my friends, was the last Christmas tree straw. I just could not deal. I went online and thirty minutes later had ordered an artificial tree, which arrives tomorrow. Here's a photo from the website. I liked the skinny Aspen fir shape.
Hopefully, it will be pretty in our old house. I'll be burning a lot of pine-scented candles to make up for missing the real tree scent.
One thing I can guarantee is that my husband will be a lot less Grinchy this Christmas. He despised the whole affair of the real tree and complained non-stop. I hope this one isn't too hard to set up.
I will update you!
Meanwhile, has anyone else tried this soup? And have any of you happily made the switch from a real tree to a faux?
P.S. One more fun Dickens thing! I decided I wanted to listen to an audio version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and guess who reads it for Audible? Hugh Grant! How perfect is that? I'm going to listen while I trim the new tree!
P.S.S. Here's a rec for the best smelling Christmasy candle, mentioned above, Sea Pines by Mersea. It's available in lots of different sizes and decorative options. (Also on Amazon if they haven't sold out.) Last year Mersea also made one called Snowy Cypress that I adored, but it seems to have been a one-time thing.
Phew!
ReplyDeleteGood news that Jasmine is on the mend and feeling better.
Count us in the artificial tree group . . . it's just easier [and no tree-hunting stress] . . . .
Haven't tried the bean soup, but I guess we will now 😊
So good, Joan!
DeleteGrowing up it was always a real tree - we lived across the road from a former Christmas tree farm. The original trees were massive, but we would cut down one of the younger volunteers. Then after Christmas, into the backyard for a bird shelter. Once I moved to SoCal, for many years we didn’t have trees because we were always traveling back to our parents. And since we’ve been in our condo we haven’t bothered and I’ve hung our few ornaments on a jewelry stand.
ReplyDeleteIn Nice, we plan to get a real tree. They have some very small, flat-sized ones that should do the trick to hold the ornaments we bought in Strasbourg.
Lisa, may be a need for more coffee or the influence of all the mystery in the air on Jungle Reds: I twisted “cut down volunteers” with a slaying of the Christmas tree farm workers! Thanks for making me laugh at myself this morning. Happy Christmas. Elisabeth
DeleteWhoops! Don’t want to incriminate myself.
DeleteI always get a real tree, but I like to get it later so it doesn't dry out by Christmas. Except everybody else wants them before Thanksgiving (no!), and we were lucky to snag one on Friday. Except it's still out on the deck, and now it's getting fresh snow on it. And I have a cold. Maybe we'll set it up and decorate tomorrow?
ReplyDeleteOh well. Glad the doggie is going to be okay! And I'm sure your artificial tree will be lovely, Debs. I love beans soups, so I'm sure the Senate soup will be on our menu soon.
(By the way, your link to the recipe just goes to yesterday's JR post, not to the recipe.)
DeleteYes, I noticed that, too, Edith. Looking forward to the real link.
DeleteI found it! https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1027174-slow-cooker-senate-bean-soup
Deletethanks Edith!
DeleteWe subscribe to NYT, but not to the recipe part, so I can't access the recipe at the link. Oh, well.
DeleteCopied out, unedited: Senate Navy Bean Soup
DeleteYield:
4 servings
1pound dried navy beans or small white beans, rinsed
5garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
3medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2medium ham hocks (about 1½ pounds total)
1small red or yellow onion, finely chopped
1medium russet potato, peeled and quartered
1tablespoon butter
1tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1½teaspoons smoked paprika
1teaspoon dried thyme
Black pepper
1tablespoon cider vinegar
In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine beans, garlic, carrots, ham hocks, onion, potato, butter, salt, smoked paprika and thyme. Top with 8 cups of water and several generous grinds of black pepper. Cook until the beans are very tender and creamy, about 6 hours on high. (Beans need to reach a simmer to be fully cooked and safe to eat, so be sure your soup reaches a vigorous bubble. This shouldn’t be a problem on the slow cooker’s high setting. Additionally, beans vary in cook time by age, so if your beans are older, you may need to cook a bit longer than 6 hours.)
Step 2
Pull out the ham hocks and put them on a cutting board to cool a bit. Using a fork, mash the potato pieces against the side of the slow cooker. Stir well to break down some of the beans, too. Stir in the vinegar. Pull the meat off the bones, add it back into the soup and discard the bones. Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed.
They wanted me to create a free account but still will not show me the recipe! The picture looks like it would be wonderfully delicious!
DeleteThank you Edith. I should have read on before posting!
DeleteSorry about the link! I have fixed in the post. And, Edith, thanks for copying the recipe. I would add, don't leave out the vinegar at the end. It sounds a little weird but it makes the soup.
DeleteThank you, thank you!
DeleteI great watcher of cooking shows, many of them add an acid, vinegar or lemon juice, at the end of long cooking items like soups, stating that little bit of acid brightens up the dish.
DeleteI sprinkle good vinegar on every bowl of bean anything before it goes in my mouth
DeleteThe above was me
DeleteI often use lime or lemon juice, but the vinegar is perfect for this one.
DeleteDeb my dad always added vinegar as a condiment when eating bean soup. I like it that way too.
DeleteWhat an ordeal! I'm so glad your sweet girl is better. I can only imagine the vet bills.I was telling a friend yesterday that I would probably be happier if I had another dog, but I don't think I can afford it!
ReplyDeleteI've always had real trees, which are plentiful here in Oregon. My little sister has made the switch and has two fake trees that she hauls out and decorates (one is huge!) every year, usually before Thanksgiving. They are beautiful! I haven't gotten a tree yet, maybe this week.
We should look into pet insurance. But I suspect it would cost a lot for an older dog.
DeleteWe started our married life with REAL live trees, root bulb attached, that we planted in the yard after the holidays. Then we ran out of yard and switched to cut trees. Then got an artificial tree. Then a smaller one. Now, with no kids and no one who drops by, I have a Charlie Brown tree that's about 2 feet tall, stays decorated while in the closet, and has a fake root bulb for the base, so it takes me back to those early days.
ReplyDeleteI love this, Annette!
DeleteBlessings for Jasmine's ongoing strength!!! Our Willie died of a stroke in September (but good long years, nineteen, fourteen with us). My shout out is the home hospice care and the in home vet visit for family to surround him with love as he left us
ReplyDeleteCondolences, Maren. Our Dax died a year ago August and we are still grieving. We also had an in-home vet. Bless the people who are called to do this for people.
DeleteWow, you really have had a month! So glad to hear that sweet Jasmine has come through it so well. I have never made (nor heard of) the soup before, but I am definitely going to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteWe were always real tree people, though in my most ambitious younger years we picked up a fake tree and I used to decorate it in the living room in front of the window and our real tree in the family room. A year or two after we became empty nesters, we switched to just using the fake tree. It was pretty old and was the kind one still had to completely assemble and disassemble each year. I would hear people comment about how much easier new trees were to use, but I guess I didn't really get it. When we downsized last year, we bought a lovely new tree (still tall but much skinnier, to better fit in our current space.) It is the kind that is pre-lit and comes in three pieces and a base. This was our first year to see if it really stores well. It absolutely did! Bing, bang, boom, it was up. I am now well and truly in love with that tree.
That sounds just like this one, Susan, and I hope I will be in love with it, too.
DeleteMorning All ~ Paula B here. The Christmas Carol audiobook with Hugh Grant is free on Amazon. No idea for how long. I got it. It’s very fun to hear him read it. Enjoy
ReplyDeleteFor anyone interested it is also free in Apple Books right now, both as ebook and audio. (Barbara C)
DeleteDebs, my friend Janet once drove from Delaware to Virginia to meet a rescued German shepherd--Gretchen is now their (hubby's too) beloved companion. We had our own pet crises in August-Sept, so understand completely the stress (heart and finances) of your struggle to help Jasmine. I've always loved your photos of Jasmine--such a sweet girl! So glad she's doing better!
ReplyDeleteOn the tree front, I switched to artificial when I moved into this house--and never looked back. Current tree is like Susan's--three pieces and the base. I carry it up from its basement storage one piece at a time (hey, sounds like a line from a Johnny Cash song!), and plug it in. Voila! Twinkling lights! It even has three different selections for the lights--all white, multi-colored, or (my favorite) lights that gradually change colors. No ornaments again this year (rambunctious cat), but I still enjoy the lights. Youngest nephew says he enjoys his late night sessions in the living room--a very creative vibe as he's written two new songs this past week!
The lights are the thing! I can look at a lit Christmas tree for hours. This one only has warm white but I am okay with that.
DeleteOur Michael was born on Dec 18, 1980 – yup he will be old. To quote my father while talking to me “If you are THAT old, how old am I?” Since the kid managed to mess up his first Christmas – he tried not to breath, spent life in an incubator, hated breast milk, stayed in hospital while I went home with a C-section and all the relatives from the fiery pits came to stay for Christmas and expected me to be cheerful and also cook… well things got better. Anyway. That has meant that all our life and even now, the tree (live) never goes up until after Michael’s birthday – whether he is he or not. That is just a fact in cement. So…
ReplyDeleteWe do not yet have a tree, and we do not yet have it up. There is a bit of weather coming today – if we rush out we can go and get vaccinated (RSV & Shingles) and then just watch the snow come down. The tree can wait. There are still squares – do you call them that - to make – Kris Kringle Raspberry cookies today. I have not made the recipe for years…
Is the store Michael’s in the US? They have a lovely wintergreen berry scent candle only available in the winter or until it sells out. Very fresh and uncloying.
Could you please share the recipe for Kris Kringle Raspberry cookies? They sound wonderful and I can’t find a recipe online with raspberry. Thank you! (Barbara C.)
DeleteRaspberry Cream Cheese Cookies (Kris Kringle)
Delete1 cup butter
1 pkg (250gm) cream cheese
¼ cup Gran. Sugar
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
salt
½ cup (approx.) raspberry jam
Icing sugar
Cream butter and cheese together. Add sugar and beat until light. Combine flour and baking powder and pinch of salt, stir into creamed mixture, blending well. Press into a ball and wrap and chill overnight.
Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick on floured surface. Cut with a 2-3” round cookie cutter or 2-inch squares (round is more elegant). Place scant ½ teaspoon of jam in center of each cookie. Fold in half. (Try and keep jam fairly centered to prevent too much spill over.)
Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a 375F oven for 15 mins or until set, but not browned. Cool and dust with icing sugar.
Makes about 4 doz.
I have frozen them.
I was just thinking these might make delicate little tea tray cookies, if cut smaller. Maybe I will try that…
So glad Jasmine is on the mend but what a stressful time it’s been for you. We have had artificial trees for years; we updated to a pre-lit one several years ago and that makes it even better!
ReplyDeleteNow I can't wait for tomorrow!
DeleteBefore moving down south, I had one of those ceramic trees and then graduated to the paper trees. Now, the family here has a fake tree, that comes with lights already attached. All we have to do is put the ornament and garland around it.
ReplyDeleteGlad Jasmine is on the mends.
Thanks, Dru!
DeleteWow, Debs, you have been through the mill lately! Glad Jasmine is on the mend, poor sweetie. Pets have gotten almost to be a luxury.
ReplyDeleteOur tree is fake, bought decades ago for 75% off after Christmas. It sheds needles more than a real tree, but with my allergies I am willing to manage that over sneezing my head off. I do like the idea of displaying ornaments on a jewelry tree! I have one I'm not using for its real purpose, too.
Hoping to haul up the tree today and get started. We need to move some furniture, though, and Steve wasn't up to it yesterday. And we have 5" of snow on the driveway.
I have made Senate Bean Soup since the 1970's. It is SO good. Might have to make a pot today, since we are snowed in a bit, and the temps are hovering around zero, and I think I have a cottage butt in the freezer. A must addition: a pan of good cornbread. Zak and I finished off the homemade potato leek soup the other night, made with my very first successful leek crop (6 measly leeks). Absolute comfort food.
A cottage butt, Karen? That made me laugh. Back when I grew leeks, the key was starting them from seed in January.
DeleteIs that like a pork hock, Karen? And, yes, cornbread is a must!
DeleteYep, a cottage butt is boneless, sometimes also called a Boston butt. The meat comes from the hocks. I think it's a Midwestern thing.
DeleteEdith, I started these leeks in the hydroponic unit! I'll have to sow some outside next month and see what happens.
That is a pretty tree and looks quite real in the photo. I hope you love it. I grew up with a fake tree. My husband nd I had a real tree the first year we were married. It got sap on the ornaments, it got way too dry in our apartment and we had to take everything off and pitch it out when we left town before Christmas. I vowed never again. Also I was fueled by the cost for a one time tree and the year my sister’s family had no tree because they had no money. I thought if I buy a fake one now when we can afford it we would at least have one if we came upon leaner years. As it ended up I have had several different ones over the years as upgrades for different homes.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how the names have changed over the years…fake tree, artificial tree, faux tree, permanent tree
I think they are much better than they were in the early years. And some of them were way out of my budget! But a lot of people in the reviews posted photos of their trees and they looked really pretty. I'm also thrilled by the idea that I won't have to take it all down on the first of January, or risk burning the house down.
DeleteAgain, I’m battling a sinus infection! I’m glad after puppy woes that Jasmine is on road to recovery.
ReplyDeleteWe ordered a faux Christmas tree because if we got a live Xmas tree, we would have to put it out for recycling the day after Christmas! I LOVE having my Christmas tree up during the dark Winter months. When I visited New Hampshire at the end of January, they still had Christmas trees up! So I decided it was not worth it to pay $$$$$$$ for a live Christmas tree and having the tree for a short time. However we get a Christmas wreath for the front door. I can put it out for recycling.
My grandfather loved Navy Bean soup. It’s a family tradition to make it during the winter months.
Wishing I could listen to Hugh grant narrate A Christmas Carol if it wasn’t for that darn upgrade of my cochlear implant speech processors.
Sorry about the upgrade, Diana. How frustrating.
DeleteAnd, yes, the price of real trees here in Texas is shocking. They all have to come from the northeast or the northwest. I think the tree lot we've used for years trucks them in from Oregon. Some years they've still had snow on them. Oh, well, on to a new adventure!
I'm glad your poor dog is doing much better. I admit I almost stopped reading because I was afraid of what was coming. So thankful for the good news. I truly miss having a dog and I don't get to see my granddog as often as I would like. Bailey is 10 now and slowing down but she still wants belly rubs when she sees me.
ReplyDeleteYes, Jasmine is 11 but still in good health other than this episode, but it was a real crisis. She certainly would have died without good vet care.
DeleteSending gentle ear scratches to Jasmine and wishes for a complete recovery. I am sure she, and you, will be glad when the stitches are out. Our greyhound is our current baby and I empathize with your recent health scare.
ReplyDeleteOur artificial tree is up and it comes with lights but we have not put on many ornaments yet. We have a stained-glass angel that a friend made for me and it is on the tree but not much else. Maybe I will add a few ornaments today; I seem to be the designated “un-decorator” after the holidays so I put up fewer ornaments each year. Wishing all a peaceful day. (Barbara C.)
Thank you, Barbara. I'm liking the idea that they tree will immediately have lights and I can just do the ornamnents a bit at a time.
DeleteSo relieved about Jasmine! What a mystery…. Poor thing! And yes, I remember that soup from when I worked in the Senate! Such a tradition.
ReplyDeleteOh, and you won't have eaten it, Hank. No beans!
DeleteGood Grief, Deborah! I wouldn't blame you while on the Dickensian runaway train if your motto drifted from "God Bless Us Everyone" to "Bah Humbug". What a holiday season you are experiencing so far! But oh boy...I do wish I could reach through this blog right now and hug that sweet and beautiful pupper of yours. I would plant kisses all over her face! I am so relieved that you steadfastly kept on top of Jasmine's medical dilemma and essentially saved her life. And so like the wonderful and determined creature that she is has made getting into the car her main focus right now. :-) Clueless to any medical drama or even in pain the strength and the courage that animals show in adverse situations are mind boggling. We learn so much from the remarkable traits they possess...love, loyalty and trust. God bless your Jasmine. As for the tree crisis I think you will find that your decision to purchase an artificial one was the right choice. I well remember one of our kitties climbing up the center of our real tree, poking her head out of the top of it like a tree topper and then watching the entire tree do a face plant. Years later another one of our kitties climbed our real Christmas tree and it landed on top of our wood-burning stove. I was visiting my parents that day and my husband was at work. Eight hours later I returned to find the tree on top of a hot stove. We were fortunate that we didn't lose our home that day if the tree had ignited from the heat source! That was the last year we bought a real tree. We've had artificial trees ever since and quite frankly I don't miss finding pine needles in the middle of July. Your medical crisis with Jasmine reminded me of some of our midnight emergency runs to Angel Memorial Animal Hospital, one being on Christmas Eve, when one of our kitties swallowed a ton of curling ribbon that were on all of gift-wrapped Christmas gifts under the tree. Or the late night emergency holiday run we made when one of our cats decided to chew on the Christmas lights and gave herself quite the shock. But I wouldn't trade any of those stories for all the money in the world because those beautiful creatures filled our home with laughter, love and happiness for decades. I do hope when your Aspen Fir arrives the rest of your holiday season is "uneventful", manageable and joyful. I am going to check out your pine candle choice; the fragrance sounds perfect. I always buy Thymes' Frasier Fir for the holiday/winter season. Its scent makes me feel as if I am standing in a cluster of pine trees in the middle of the forest.
ReplyDeleteEvelyn, first, you've made me teary. Thank you so much for the good wishes for Jasmine. She has been so good natured through all of this, both for us and for the vets. But those days when she would barely raise her head for us were terrifying.
DeleteAnd oh my goodness, you are so lucky you didn't lose your house--and your cats--that day when the tree fell on the woodstove. My husband saw too many house fires caused by Christmas trees when he worked for the police--one of the many reasons he has never been a fan of the real trees.
A friend just sent me a Thyme Frazier Fir, so I will conduct a smell test between that and the Mersea Sea Pines, ASAP!
When I moved into that small apartment, I purchased small artificial tree. Small as in it is narrow and fit on my grandmother's trunk that I put in front of the living area window. Now that I moved into my current house, I still use it, on the console table. It is a tree with a stand and lights. I store it in my bedroom closet. I like it but have been thinking of getting a larger one, I miss using all my ornaments.
ReplyDeleteIf I want that evergreen smell, I can trim some incense cedar from the trees in the space between my house and the neighbor's and put the twigs in a vase, maybe add some really small ornaments.
So happy Miss Jasmine is getting better. What an ordeal.
I may get some cut evergreens from Trader Joe's to put on the piano. No, wait. Ella would just eat them...
DeleteI ordered a 7.5 ft tree. We have 9 foot ceilings, and a LOT of ornaments. It will be fun to decorate.
Raised with a staunch Episcopalian mother and a Santa believing father, my mother held to NO Christmas tree until Christmas Eve, when Santa brought it down the chimney. (Tree came down on January 6 and not a moment before and often Santa would take it away.) Always a real tree until my parents came from CT to WA to spend Christmas with me in 1975.They bought an artificial tree that year, and rejoicing in no post- Christmas needle pick-up, they never looked back. But kept the no tree before Christmas Eve gone on January 6 persisted until they ran out of Christmases. The time of year for good memories. Deborah, so glad Jasmine is on the way to full healing. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth!
DeleteGerman heritage girl here on my Dad's side. Santa brought our tree on Christmas Eve as well, and yes, it vanished on January 6th. When I tell people that, they look at me funny. Glad to find a fellow traveller!
DeleteMe too, Kait! I still get funny looks when talking about this. Elisabeth
DeleteAs a child our tree went on the Fourth Sunday of Advent and was taken done on Jan 6, Epiphany, or soon after, while we were at school.
DeleteAw! Hugs to Jasmine. So glad she's on the mend. About the tree - it'll be fine - and look at all the stress you'll save next year having to get a tree! Well done. Merry Christmas, Debs and Reds and readers.
ReplyDeleteMoney saved for many years, I hope!
DeleteMerry Christmas to you and yours, Kait!
I've made the soup and it is indeed delicious (especially with excellent beans from Rancho Gordo). Switched to fake tree years ago when I a) got rid of my car and 2) decided I was tired of hauling a tree up 3 flights to my apartment.
ReplyDeleteGood recovery vibes to your adorable dog!
Thank you, Linda! I used Camelia brand navy beans. After Rancho Gordo, they are my favorite brand, and both easier to get and less expensive.
DeleteWe have gone from a cut real tree to a beautiful live tree in a pot that we rented every year for a few years (the tree was delivered and then picked up by the company that rented it out. Once it was too large for home rentals it was planted in a forest where I hope it’s still growing) to artificial trees. The most recent tree is exactly as described above - three pieces that set inside each other. I don’t like the “fluffing” part of the set-up where you have to make the branches look correct (as opposed to how you have to bend them in to make them fit back in the box when you put the tree away) so my husband did that this year. Today I will decorate the tree in between baking cookies.
ReplyDeleteI am so very happy for you that Jasmine is feeling better each day. We went through our own animal hospital experience this summer, but with a much different outcome. Please give Jasmine a gentle hug and kiss for me. Pets are the best. — Pat S
Oh, so sorry, Pat. Big hugs. XX
DeleteSo sorry, Pat. That’s such a tough experience.
DeleteThat's sad, Pat. Sending a hug.
DeleteI love hearing everyone's comments and holiday drama stories. I could fill a book with my own and while I know I'm not the ONLY one who endures some of life's challenges, it's a good reminder to dust off and keep marching. Christmas tree (real) is up and decorated (by me) although my husband Bob added the Christmas music CD to the mix. Tuesday is cookie morning with granddaughter Shelby , home from college and still into the traditions and then shopping with grandchildren Lylah and Dylan. We have a fresh blanket of snow and I feel like I'm in movie, The Holiday because I live in a remote place and am definitely "snowed in." So today is wrapping day and also search day--searching for all the gifts I bought, tucked away and forgot I bought! In the old days, my dogs would be romping in the snow, but they are gone now. Glad Jasmine has some romping in her future.
ReplyDeleteSo am I! Today she is happy to be curled up on her warm bed. No snow here but very cold. And you are much more organized than me, Gerri!
DeleteOh gosh! Sick dogs sap your soul. Jack, our almost 19 years old idiot dog, was going downhill fast a couple of months ago. Could barely get up and walk, quit eating, etc. Frank took him to the vet several times and his thyroid was the culprit. He's now back to his normal routine of lazing, eating, and prancing about when in the mood.
ReplyDelete19! Gosh, Pat, that's wonderful. May he prance a few years more!
DeleteDebs, I'm so glad Jasmine is on the mend and your bean soup was a success. I've had an artificial tree since the kids were born (different trees over the years), and since I don't decorate much these days, I have a tabletop one.
ReplyDeleteI just found out a few hours ago that my brother has had a hemorrhagic stroke this morning and is in the hospital in Cincinnati. He has had surgery and they are waiting on another CT. The last I talked to someone it was his oldest daughter, my niece, who was then on the way to the hospital this morning. She had told me that the doctors didn't have much hope for the surgery, but another niece messaged me and told me he was out of surgery, so at least he's made it that far. I'm now waiting to hear from someone about what the doctors are now saying. Please keep him in your prayers. Thanks.
Kathy, prayers and a hug from northern Ohio!
DeletePrayers, crossed fingers, and healing energy, Kathy.
DeleteHold on Kathy, here’s hoping for some better news.
DeleteKathy, thinking good thoughts for everyone.
DeleteThinking of you and your brother, Kathy.
DeleteOh no, Kathy!! Sending good thoughts for your brother and his family. And hugs to you!
DeleteOMG so glad sweet Jasmine is on the mend. And going right now to find that soup recipe.
ReplyDeleteKathy, I'm so sorry to hear about your brother... saying prayers.
I’m so glad Jasmine is better, Deborah!
ReplyDeleteAs far as Christmas trees, I haven’t had a real tree in years. I have two tabletop trees to avoid tempting my cat. He’s 13 & isn’t much of a jumper, but you never can tell!
Happy Christmas!🎄🎄🎄
Poor Jasmine. Sending love. We stopped getting a real tree as it always dried out before the end of the holiday season. I love our current artificial one.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a young woman I was fortunate enough to have Senate Bean Soup in the Senate Dining Room - we were visiting Washington and Senator Long of Missouri, who was a friend of my father's, invited us to lunch and then to the private gallery so that we could watch the Senate in action. I remember seeing Everett Dirksen, Bobby Kennedy, and a host of other famous Senators. It really was an amazing experience. As to artificial trees, be prepared, your cat may try to eat it anyway. My friend's cat would nibble on her artificial tree every year, then walk across the room and throw up, and then do it again if he got a chance. And I'm so glad that Jasmine is better!
ReplyDeleteSuch great news about Jasmine! And I think a fake tree is just fine, especially with a nice candle.
ReplyDeleteSo glad Jasmine's fine, Debs. What a relief. I'd never heard of Senate Bean Soup, and now I'm planning to cook it. I make lots of split pea and lentil soups--time to try navy beans. I think your artificial tree looks great; we still get a real one, but only every other year, when it's my turn to have my Swiss family for Christmas dinner. This year I'm only doing the New Year's Eve dinner, so we'll stay tree-free!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad your sweet Jasmine is healing. Thank God for good vets. My love of German Shepards started when I was in my 2nd pregnancy. We were living in Mill Valley at the time. A serial killer was on the loose in Marin. I borrowed a neighbor's German Shepard guard dog for my nightly walks. She was wonderful and kept me safe. My home in Oregon had 20 foot ceilings. I got super large live trees for years. They were wonderful. Years passed, I moved to lower ceiling spaces and had no person to help set them up. As a francophile I came up with the idea to replace the tree with a 4 1/2 foot high Eiffel Tower festooned with tiny white lights. I still use it over 20 years later. Happy Holidays everyone!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, Gretchen!
DeleteAwww....poor Princess Jasmine. I hope she has a swift recovery.
ReplyDeleteI get a live wreath every year for my living room, usually at Trader Joe's. Provides that delicious evergreen scent with my artificial tree. (The tree is permanently decorated and stored in a closet off season.)
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