MaggieMoose: Christmas Spirit Wish

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month."

Harlan Miller

Maggie's ready for the Christmas spirit...

  This year Christmas will be a little different for us. We have Flint kitty. He's now almost 8 months old and full of mischief! If something isn't bolted down, he'll snatch it. It turns out our house has become baby & toddler proof for our kitty cat! How do we put up a Christmas tree when our kitty loves to climb to the highest level? It's a kitty dilemma.

Flint on the top branch of his tree. MEOWZA

We decided to get a big wreath. We'll decorate it like a Christmas tree and hang it up on the wall where Flint kitty can't reach it. Then we'll let that bottled up Christmas spirit out! First, I need to finish drinking my coffee in my Santa mug to get the HO HO mojo going. We know it's only November, but we're opening our jar early. Our wish is to share our Christmas spirit now. WOOF! WOOF! HO! HO! MEOWZA!

Bread Pudding, Gators, And Coaching

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"I liked the energy of cooking, the action, the camaraderie. I often compare the kitchen to sports and compare the chef to a coach. There are a lot of similarities to it."

Todd English

Ornament from New Orleans, LA

  Yesterday I was at a wonderful gathering with some work folks at a fine restaurant called the Mayfield Bakery & Cafe. Maggie remained back home soaking up all the family loving. Yes, Maggie & I have our holiday company. We are thrilled! Back to the restaurant, after our lovely meal the desert I enjoyed was the Caramelized Apple Bread Pudding. No words to describe its richness. Ten out of ten for high marks. 

After I was back home I put the family's Christmas presents under the tree by Maggie's cozy bed. I saw our alligator chef Christmas ornament I brought back from our trip to New Orleans, LA (NOLA). Now that was some cooking down there. The best food I have ever tasted. I remember my desert from Commander's Palace. It was the Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé with warm whiskey cream. My taste buds are spoiled for life. I know Maggie might agree, the cooking smells in NOLA have the potential to drive her crazy with desire and want. Meanwhile at home, Maggie was following the scent of our kitchen's different food groups as our family picked on this or that before the main meal; pizza delivery. Maggie obliged us by tiding up the place through her vacuuming up any crumbs. When the pizza arrived she  chewed on her rawhide treat as she observed us now and then in full pizza mode. Our cooking frenzy is upon us. Christmas less than a week. Lots of goodies on the daily menus. Maggie offered to help clean up the place should we drop any crumbs. Maggie loves Christmas, but more importantly she loves SF 49er football and Santa. Family, food, football, and Santa; all a perfect way to spend a week. LET'S GO COACH HARBAUGH! LET'S GO NINERS! LET'S GO SANTA! Woof, woof, nice treat you left me....

MaggieMoose-ish Christmas Past

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."

Laura Ingalls Wilder

MaggieMoose Christmas 2011

  Maggie is getting very excited with the new Moose gifts pouring in. She sniffs and sniffs and sniffs them all. We have stuffed moose toys, moose ornaments and more. So MaggieMoose-ish! It takes me back to Christmas past. Looking at Maggie's 2011 photo at Christmas time with her elk antler makes me reminisce. I remember about her human siblings' Christmas past. I still have a photo of the twin girls taken with Santa in a key fob. When my daughter Christy saw Santa at different places she would tell me "That's not the real Santa, the real Santa lives at Stanford Shopping Center". I had to agree with her, the real Santa did use to live there before his big Christmas eve night. I saw the proof, his beard was real when she tugged on it while sitting in his lap. It seems like yesterday our book shelves were filled with Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books....

As we reflect on those childhood memories Santa comes alive in our hearts. Maggie's friskiness during her first Christmas was great fun. I remember her being perplexed when the ornaments looked like her tennis balls. I could see the dilemma in her puppy mind playing out do I dare play with these? When she walked by the tree she was always doing a double-take looking at those Christmas ornaments. Hysterical. It's fun to become a child again at Christmas time. Maggie and I know where the real Santa lives.

Maggie Dreams of Sugar Plum Fairies

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

"A good conscience is a continual Christmas."

Benjamin Franklin

  Daytime. Maggie was all snuggled in her cozy bed beneath the Christmas tree. The rain storm had caused a very dark sky. I turned on the Christmas tree lights. Suddenly, the sun peeked through the darkness illuminating Maggie. She lay sleeping looking like she was dreaming of sugar plum fairies. Yes, it is that time of year. I remember very well taking my girls to see the Nutcracker in San Francisco. My girls loved meeting with the ballerinas afterwards both Nutcrackers and Sugar Plum Fairies. Seeing Maggie lay there beneath the tree brought back memories of when my children were young. Our tree would be filled to the brim with many, many presents, in addition to the Christmas Eve drop off from Santa. Now that they're grown we think of other gifts like "adopting" in name only a wild animal, donating to a food bank, or a favorite charity or maybe just praying for someone else's needs. These kind of presents don't take up much space beneath our tree, but fill a huge void for the animal or person receiving the gifts. I am glad I raised children with a good conscience to keep the Christmas spirit alive. Maggie is all about giving. She gives her heart and soul to all in order to bring them joy. In return, she receives back a bounty of pleasure allowing her in good conscience to sleep and dream of beautiful sugar plum fairies. The Christmas spirit continues on in our home.

MaggieMoose: Black Friday, I'll Sleep, You Shop

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day: 

"Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space."

Dave Barry

Black Friday shopping road trip

  My daughter Julie and I decided to go to JC Penny's for Black Friday. We blame the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Ellen said there were little buttons for big gifts! It is a "Merry Christmas America" from JCP. We wanted the buttons! I discussed it with Maggie, but she kept falling asleep. Maggie eventually vetoed the idea, but gave me the green light to proceed without her. No Bow Wow Friday for her (Black Friday in dog speak). Maggie wanted to work on her beauty rest. After all, the relatives are coming over later. She wanted to look her absolute best. 

Shop on, I'll sleep.

I left the house without Maggie. It was black outside like the color on the JC Penny's Black Friday ad. Julie and I were on our way. The parking angels were with us. BAM! We had a parking spot as soon as we entered. We stood in line with the rest of humanity waiting for the doors to open at 6:00 am. We tweeted about our JC Penny's shopping trip. The temperature outside was 40F .

Julie in line.

The doors opened and we were in! We picked out some shopping goodies and we headed to the counters. Julie got a reindeer button (nature girl). I got a Santa button (love Santa). 

Julie and her reindeer button

We shopped some more. I had one melancholy moment wishing Julie's twin sister Christy was with us, but she's out of state. Miss you Christy! Back to shopping, we each received another button. An elf for Julie and black coal for me. Black coal? Really? What the heck Santa, I've been good! We were done shopping. Both of us hungry and tired. We drove home as we watched the sunrise. On the hill were two horses grazing, but the sun in the sunrise obscured their images. It was a beautiful way to wrap up our Black Friday blitz.

sunrise on the way home

When I arrived back home Maggie was still sleeping. The sun was shining. She was a happy camper I was back home. I showed her my buttons from JC Penny's. I went online and checked the numbers on my buttons. I didn't win anything. The coal button I could understand no gift, but the Santa button? What the heck? Only kidding. HO HO

My buttons

Maybe I'm like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz? I never really needed to leave home. I have everything here. I'm counting my blessings. On my Black Friday road trip I got to spend time with my wonderful daughter Julie, and I was welcomed home with lots of hugs and kisses from my sweet MaggieMoose! 

Maggie's wanting me to give her more kisses!

Happy Holidays JC Penny's, you have quality merchandise, great prices, but most of all excellent customer service. 

For the Ellen DeGeneres Show- It's OK I didn't win anything. 

I love my cute Holiday buttons!

MaggieMoose's Turkey Sunshine: Gobble Gobble

Maggie's pawsability thought for the day:

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Eat pork!

  Today is the Thanksgiving Day holiday in America. The turkey takes front and center in our lives at dinnertime. Yum; mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, turkey, and pumpkin pie. Maggie has a turkey she'd like to sink her teeth into. It's our plush Thanksgiving turkey that says "Eat pork!" or "Gooble Gooble" like a real turkey's sound. Maggie is grateful her orange ball was returned to her too. It's been lost under the couch since last Christmas. She gives thanks to Julie & Patrick for helping get it back to her. WOOF! WOOF! The second item Maggie is grateful for is the plush talking turkey. This turkey was never Maggie's, but when she saw it she immediately opened her mouth wide to take it from me. She thought it was hers. Sorry Maggie, it's not safe for you. I put our talking turkey up on the piano out of harms way. We'll get to the real turkey meat later. I am grateful for my daughter Julie's help going through holiday stuff and more. While we rummaged through our holiday things we also cleared out many things for "give away" to others. In our house we are so grateful for our family, our friends, good health, and me personally-lots of laughs with a MaggieMoose around. Grateful, grateful, grateful. Maggie is grateful too. She decided to park her cozy bed right in front of the Christmas tree. I bet she's planning to give thanks to the jolly man in the red suit come Christmas eve. I can see her saying in Woof-Woof-ese: What's in the big, black bag? Any balls? Meanwhile, I see Maggie's getting her football out. How did she know the Thanksgiving Day football games are on today? Oh Maggie (chuckle, chuckle), let's watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day floats first. WOOF! WOOF! Happy Thanksgiving Day to Christy & Ryan in  New York City!

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

MaggieMoose's kind of Thanksgiving (orange ball is where it belongs).