A Christmas Carol

I am still working on the 'Breed Promotion' post but til that's ready I thought I'd regale the tale of the Christmas portrait.

Last year the portrait was much easier as all the dogs were trained and there was only one cat. Now it's three cats, a partially trained dog and an untrained puppy. So ... a five ring circus. It took lots of Temptations, dog treats and dire threats of choking off a puppy's airway til she was barely conscious and then propping her against Raimi or a table leg. It was a close call.

The Best. One may note an absent Weasley. He was done with the ordeal and lassoing him and Leeloo was proving too difficult so he cleaned himself on the cat post while everyone else was reasonably well presented.

So far the tree has survived four days of cat curiosity. A gift or two has teetered precariously close to the table edge but I've been able to rescue in time. No ornaments as yet removed and I have high hopes it will make it to Christmas day without incident.

Weasley is the most insolent of the three and just has to be the Cool Guy doing cool guy things. He is not so interested as what's on the tree as hiding behind and beneath it. Not sure which I prefer.

Ceilidh is all sorts of dignity these days. I don't think what she's sitting on is squishable - or at least I hope not - but her wide butt plunked itself down like "Now here's a good place to sit."

This is Mallaig's first Christmas with me - or anyone. In fact I think her first Christmas was spent somewhere along the highway in a barn or something. She is most interested int the shiny balls and toys on the tree so if there is a prison break ornament I suspect she will have been involved.

And that's Christmas at my house. I am rather glad of the small tree and ability to table it since I am very certain that Leeloo would have been carting it around the house within minutes of it's completion with garland, ornaments and lights leaving a trail of destruction down my hall.

Only a couple weeks yet to the Big Day and while those dog and cat stockings are empty now ... hoo boy! Santa's coming!