Oh happy day, Ladde's better

Finally!  And in answer to my prayer, Ladde blew out a huge, (bloody) abscess in the front of his left front foot, just at the coronet band.  He still has the bruise on the tip of the sole in that same foot, but I'm hoping that's it.  We took an x-ray the other day and could see the line of infection travelling up the foot.  Why UP???  Talk about going against the grain?  Gravity?  I don't really care!  He's so much better and I'm so glad...him too! His whole facial expression is brighter, and he has lots more energy from being pent up.  That will have to remain for a while, I'm afraid.  At least until the hole heals up some.  And our weather changes for the better.

Good grief our weather!!  Rain levels continue at record-breaking amounts, and today we're getting strong wind gusts.  You know what happens in the land of the giant evergreens when the ground is supper sogged and the winds come up?  Well, it ain't pretty.  When a tree comes down on your house, you know it.  We're fortunate in that we don't have any very large trees right by our house, but the old walnut right by the barn worries me some.  It's a heavy, old tree.  If it did come down though, it wouldn't hit the horse barn, or at least not much, but it could wipe out our main hay barn.  Wouldn't want that!  No sense in worrying about it though, I can't stop a tree from falling.  Worse than that, are the landslides.  So many people being dislocated from their homes.  Sad, especially this time of the year.  The only good news about this is the quantity of snow falling in our mountains.  That hasn't been the case these past couple of winters, so we need it.

Finished up with Christmas shopping last night.  Hubby's shopping.  We went to Cabella's.  My first time there, and I have to admit that I wasn't impressed.  They have some cool camping stuff and they sell fudge, but it's a spendy store that was crammed with lots of people who seem dazed, like I was.  Stuff overload!  It's definitely a guy store.

My personal least favorite thing about Christmas is wrapping.  I really don't like it much.  I buy pretty bags and have fun making bows and such.  That's about as fancy as I get.  :)  I was actually quite surprised at how quickly my few purchases added up to.  I can't even imagine how expensive Christmas with little kids would get.  Fun, yes - exciting, yes...just wish goods weren't so much these days.  Maybe that 's what people through the ages have been saying.  Anyway, we're spending the afternoon and evening at my sister's.  Dinner, lively conversation, and our annual gift exchange game that's always nice.  Then if all goes as usual, we'll sit around the kitchen table, well fed, sleepy, relieved; and reminisce about Christmases past.  Of our dear, loved ones who are no longer with us.  And we'll smile with tears in our eyes at how much we miss them.  And we'll laugh at fond memories with them.

Then we'll one by one express our best wishes and our goodbyes, as we head to our own homes.  Amazed, once more at how quickly Christmas came.  And went.

How will you spend the holiday?  Whatever you do, I hope you laugh, make merry, eat and talk, surrounded by people you love and who love you just as much.  Even if just for the day.
Merry Christmas everyone!!

If you get snow, please share those beautiful pictures with us soggy, Pacific Northwesterners...kay?

p.s.  thanks so much for the goodies Claudia.  we love them!

from drier days