I’m having a slight freakout. I still have one Christmas gift quilt to label and bind, one quilt top that needs to be sandwiched, quilted, labeled, and bound, a unicorn quilt top to finish, and five stuffed frogs to make, all before Sunday morning.
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aaaa!! i feel the same because i wrap all the presents in my house (including mine) and i miscalculated the amount of time it would take me to wrap, so i’ve been stuck in my room wrapping and it is stressing me out that i am nowhere near done. i, too, am having a slight freakout.
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Typically, I LOVE Christmas. This year though, for the first time - I didn’t put up my tree, I didn’t decorate anything in the house. Just a rash of bad luck at the end of the year has me feeling sorry for myself. I took all the stuff out of the attic, then just… put it back.
Maybe next year things will feel more normal.
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Hard to believe Sucha is now officially an old dog, how time flies. 
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Is that a baby Maligator?
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she will be 12 next month, she is retiring from her emotional support and therapy reading work … she has a “retirement” party December 27th at the library that the city is putting on for her
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I am feeling good this Christmas but have struggled in Christmases past and definitely get that. My faith has strengthened tremendously since COVID started and I am oddly content and happy this year. It feels nice. I even invited my husband’s ex-wife to Christmas Eve as her husband has passed away and I thought it would be nice for my stepsons.
I wish everyone some peace and contentment in their lives no matter what is going on. Most of us really have so much more than we need and when all is said and done, who we are at our heart and soul is what matters the most.
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That is very magnanimous of you. I hope your gesture is appreciated in the spirit of the season. I’d love it if more step-parents acted as you did. Have a beautiful Christmas with your family!
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Ahh ya I am in east tn, no bueno.
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um yes, please! what kind of gaited?
He’s a Tennessee Walker! We’ve had him for like 8 years I think. His barn name is Schmee but I don’t remember his registered name and I’m too lazy to dig up his papers lol. He’s in love with my TWH mare Moon,
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It IS a baby maligator!!
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Cats and Poirot. Sounds cozy to me. Merry Christmas!
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Oh no! How is he/she doing?
This is a tough year for me. I didn’t like this birthday - 74. My only living blood relative is my younger sister with Alzheimer’s. My cousin Greg lives near Denver and tracked me down about 6 years ago. We had our face-to-face reunion in October. The last one was no later than junior high school.
I had to put my horse down on July 20. His very arthritic knee lost the last of the flexion. I wasn’t going to push it and force him to be an old man. He was 28 and still a bundle of energy. One day we walked out to hand graze as usual. A couple of days later he wouldn’t walk away from the barn. When I picked the date I got messages from people I hadn’t talked to in years. A couple of dozen were there with me at the end. By the time everyone got their piece of the tail there wasn’t anything left. He is still with so many of us.
I shared him with so many riders for the 21 years we were together. Regular lessons, therapeutic lessons, fun shows, some beach riding, lots of trails, clinics, dressage tests. It’s hard to explain how different he was. He had an aura that created an instant impression on anyone nearby . He stood bullet straight at he mounting ramp . He knew if you were in the therapy program, or whether you should be galloping around jumping over things. Everyone fell in love as soon as they saw him. The last one I added to the list was the UPS driver. He started dropping packages in front of the stall. They spent a little time chatting and he got back to work. My favorite was the little girl who saw us headed out of the barn: “LOOK daddy! That’s Speckles!”
I always went to the barn in the afternoon on Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year I can’t, but I’m okay with it. We all know how hard it is to say goodbye. I’ve been able to create an image in my head of my handsome horse at his best. My newest buddy Zeke, now 8 y.o. hated horses and locked himself in the car during his sister’s lesson. He overcame severe shyness. He and Specks stood looking at each other in the aisleway and they bonded. I wish they had more time together. I’m spending Specks’ board money on Zeke’s lessons to help his family.
We have a local free lance photographer named Dusty Perin. You have all seen her work in the big magazines like Equus, Practical Horseman, The Horse, etc. She took an amazing photo of us, “the Portrait” after our century ride. I’ve given away dozens of enlargements. The vet put it on the shelf in her office. She said “I do look at his portrait often and it is a terrific reminder of why I do what I do.”
Merry Christmas!
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Congratulations!
Plenty of time to get the tree put up before baby Maligator arrives.
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Thank you for the lovely picture of you and Specks and the lovely story. You have helped make my Christmas a little merrier.
Merry Christmas to you and Zeke from Velvet my cat and me!
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What a lovely picture!
And I’m happy that I guessed correctly as to her breed. 
Blessings, little one.
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