I can't believe that a year has gone by, and this is the twelfth afternoon garden. I wanted to have Sadie in one of the photos and she and Tom finally made it today! She turned 10 in October, and though a little lame, she happily walks around outdoors and has a great appetite. Those of you who are longtime readers may recall that Sadie likes only four people, Tom and I, and Margaret and Michael. We all wondered how she would react to Margaret's baby - if she would think that Hazel Nina was an extension of her mother, but no. Sadie gets a look in her eye that is not at all friendly. Our solution is that she goes into the laundry room when we take care of Hazel. There's a really plush little rug that Tom's mum gave us, and we put on a fan to block noise, and she happily snoozes the hours away. When Hazel Nina naps upstairs in the crib, Sadie comes into the whole downstairs for that time. It has worked beautifully. We've always done this anyway when visitors come. All we say to her is 'quick, quick' and she heads right into the laundry room. She's so intelligent that I think she knows we are saving her from herself.
We had a little snow around Thanksgiving but nothing like the rest of the state had. Today was in the mid-thirties, and rather dark. But not dreary. There is no dreary weather now that we have our wonderful grandchildren.
Today Margaret and Hazel dropped in, and Hazel met the Santa that Tom's aunt gave us many years ago. She immediately started chattering away to him.
And then she 'helped' put the angel on the tree. It's not at all fancy - just something Tom and I picked up in a store a long time ago, but like so many familiar Christmas items, it is beloved by all of us. Michael and Margaret would alternate years of putting it on the tree. And now Hazel Nina and Campbell Walker can carry on the tradition.
Lovely masthead photo. I know the holidays will be special with grandchildren underfoot.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteWow, you already have your Christmas tree? Ours (i.e. the one at my parents'; I never have one on my own) is put up only on the 23rd, and the ornaments and (real) candles are put on it only on the afternoon of the 24th, to be ready for our Christmas Eve family gathering.
ReplyDelete"There is no dreary weather now that we have our wonderful grandchildren" - this sentence is so perfectly "You", Nan!
Good to know Sadie is doing well at 10 years old, and the solution to her dislike of other people is so easy.
I'm happy that there are places it is still done the old way. I tried once but it seems that my heart wants the Advent time to be full of carols and decorations. :<) Love what you wrote about my words. And yeah, Sadie has worked out well for us - our quiet lifestyle has suited her just fine.
DeleteThis Christmas and the following ones will be so much fun with your Grands to keep the light in the holiday. Nina is almost as big as that sant, too cute. When we had Luna she hated children. I can't imagine why. She liked adults ok but couldn't tolerate children. She would put herself in her bed and we would close the door. I do think they know they and all are better off without a confrontation. I love your header photo.
ReplyDeleteGreat Luna story. Thanks for telling me.
DeleteTraditions, both comforting and joyful........I'm so glad you are able to carry on these traditions with your grandchildren!
ReplyDeleteMy little dog Bo is 12 now and turning into a grumpy old man, and I need to protect my grandchildren a bit - just by being alert when they are together because they love to play with him.......
Sadie was born grumpy to everyone but us!
DeleteGreat post. It's lovely that your grandchildren are now participating in this tradition. I also liked reading about the clever dog who knows she needs some nap time in the laundry room to keep her from being aggressive to new people. One of my brothers has a dog, but she has a different temperament, in that she's super-excited to see most people and will jump all over them to lick and sniff and sometimes present her belly to be rubbed (this, however, presents a different problem, because not everyone enjoys that kind of greeting. So they also need to restrain her around people).
ReplyDeleteNow, if only Santa Claus could have said something back to your granddaughter :)
He probably did but we grown-ups couldn't hear him. :<)))
DeleteLovely photos and so thrilled that your grandchildren are involved in family traditions. I love sharing traditions too with my children. No grandchildren yet! And how clever to give Sadie a place of her own, so she feels safe and wanted, when Hazel Nina comes over. I like how you say no more dreary weather now that you have grandchildren too, Nan! Happy holidays and getting ready for the season. I LOVE your banner photo so very much, Nan. It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased you like the banner pic. I'm tickled with those ornaments. I think they have a look of Hazel Nina and Campbell Walker. :<)
DeleteAdorable photos of Hazel Nina! I live in an apartment and bought an artificial tree for myself last year. I put it up the day after Thanksgiving. I like hanging out in the living room with it lit up nearby. It reminds me of something I just read in Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project when she talks about the pleasure of having a lit candle in her office - how it's this pleasant, silent presence. And the tree is kind of like that, this pleasant presence, decorated with ornaments store-bought and new, gifted to me through the years, or a few are handmade and date way back. (My parents still have most of the handmade ornaments at their house, which seems right.)
ReplyDeleteI so love what you wrote. I can just picture the cozy-ness!
DeleteI've enjoyed your afternoon garden photos! Nothing beats decorating a tree with grandchildren, seeing the light reflect in their eyes and the wonder and delight on their faces.
ReplyDeleteI'm very pleased that you liked them. It was a fun little enterprise. And I love what you wrote. Thanks.
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