Could it be? Maybe . . . life can surprise you.

He could be the leaner, sexier version. Kris Kringle Mach 2.0. 😀 Ho, ho, ho!

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Christmas Greetings from our Furry Friends

  Pictured above is our beautiful, sweet and slightly skittish Calico, Callie. She showed up at our house one day several years ago,  a half-feral kitten, hungry but not very trusting of humans. Over time we gained that trust. Today,  she is one very contented and affectionate (if slightly nervous) house cat–currently snuggled up next to her mom, purring softly.

All our pets over the years have been rescue animals, either adopted from an animal shelter or taken in as strays. May I encourage anyone considering adding a pet to their home in 2013 to consider finding a “fur-ever friend” through a shelter or rescue group.  There are rescue groups devoted to certain breeds, so if a Bassett Hound or  a French Poodle is your preference,  there’s likely a pure-bred friend out there waiting for you if you are willing to go to a bit of time and trouble to adopt.

And trust me–blended friends like Elvis, the hounddog mix seen below, make great pets, too. And please spay and neuter your cats and dogs to help fight against pet overpopulation problems in our country!

(PS Our German Sheperd (Alsatian) mix Rascal was too busy trying to greet his mom with kisses to pose for a photo . . .)

Yes, we occasionally do get snow in LA. This was shot in February 2010. Our three dogs at the time had never before seen the white stuff.

Thumper Cat, the three-legged, roly-poly tuxedo cat with a Hitler mustache is grateful for photo editing. No being forced by Mom to wear a miniature Santa hat! Thumper nearly lost her life as a tiny kitten after being mauled by a dog. She lost that leg, but not her spirit. We’ve had her now for close to 12 years. From our furry family members to yours, a very Merry Christmas and a 2013 full of hope, joy and love.

Santa Hunk, I can’t wait to see you!

Here I am humming “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” with a smile on my face, with visions of sugarplums Richard Armitage dancing in my head. And boy, does the man know how to dance . . .

Judit, I know you don’t love his hair in this pic, so I took care of that. 😉

I am trying to restrain myself, honestly . . .

As I don’t wish to cram too much holiday cheer down anyone’s throat.  But what can I say, I’ve been watching those darned Hallmark Christmas movies again, and thinking about Christmases past.

My sister S and I used to pore over the Sears & Roebuck Christmas Catalog (the “Wish Book“) after its arrival in mid-October each year. We’d spend hours looking avidly at its colorful images of art supplies, Barbies, board games, books and other delights we hoped to find under the tree come December 25. We’d make our lists, hoping Santa would deem us worthy . . .

This year, I feel as if, to some degree, Christmas has already arrived. I’ve had such pleasure poring over the Hobbit books, the calendar, gazing at the glorious Empire cover, playing with my action figure, knowing there are other goodies still to come. I will see Richard in big screen glory as Thorin a week before Christmas even gets here. And before that will be all the excitement of the movie’s premieres and new opportunities to see Richard dazzle on the red carpet. What a truly stellar holiday season it shall be!

Really, what I want for Christmas is the same sort of present many of you want, I suspect. It’s the wonder and excitement of being part of this very special holiday for our favorite TDHBEW, as the world discovers what we already know–what an extraordinary actor this guy is. And so much more.

Richard Armitage: the gift that keeps on giving.

Look who is waiting to make the season bright for us this year . . .

It’s not December yet–but it’s getting a lot closer . . .