the new year

well this year is zipping by.It's already the seventh day. One week gone poof just like that and nothing to show for it. Last week Tom and I went up to the farm and we decided (or I did I guess being curious) to investigate the old missile base that is on the way. It looked deserted but just to be safe Tom turned the truck around so we could make a quick get away incase we were wrong. We walked down this cement slope down in to a bunker area. the cement walls lining the walk way and inside the rooms had all kinds of satanic stuff spray painted on them. The most unnerving thing though was Toms' name was sprayed on the wall in black with the date of his death. October of this year. NO last name was there just Thomas died and the date. What is the probability of us going up there (just on a whim) in the first place and Toms named sprayed on the wall like that.
So I think we should do something to live life better. Not that I believe the prediction. But to come across your name on a wall with the date you died makes you think.

Joni's blog

This is our friend Joni's blog. It is on her wildlife art website. I thought I would share her blog as the writing is very good and the photos beautiful. A nice way to begin 2009.

http://www.jonijohnsongodsy.com/wordpress/?cat=16

A Toast to the New Year

I went online looking for ways to toast the new year. Here are a few encouraging words to start 2009.

May your nets always be full
Your pockets never empty
May your horse not cast a shoe
Or the devil look at you
In the year that lies ahead!

May the clouds in your life form only
a background for a lovely sunset.

May the sunshine of comfort dispel the clouds of despair.

And now my favorite Irish toast: AS YOU SLIDE DOWN THE BANNISTERS OF LIFE, MAY THE SPLINTERS NEVER POINT THE WRONG WAY.

So: A health to you, A wealth to you, And the best that life can give to you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Holidays over

Well the holiday season is just about over, once the ball drops on Time Square it is back to everyday stuff, no more Christmas Caroles on the radio, no more lights on the houses and inflated snowmen on the lawn, no more happy mail, ie greeting cards and no more stuffing ourselves with junk food because "It is the holiday season afterall."

I enjoy the lights on houses. It makes the dreary winter seem a little less dreary and while I think people drive like they left their brains at the last store they shopped at, I think in general people seem a wee bit more cheerful or at least willing to smile if you smile at them.

Anyway I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and it was great to see Katie and Andy Christmas Day. You guys look great and are so much fun to be around.

Well here is hoping that 2009 is a a very good year for one and all. I hope prosperty knocks and you are at home. I hope good health sets up a permanent address within each of you. I hope that peace on earth isin't just a line on next year's Christmas card.
Happy New Year!

happy new year!

Well another year has come and is about to go. I have no resolutions. How about any of the rest of fiddlerkin? January seems like a drab time of year to start a new year it should come in the spring. That is a good time for new beginnings. Hope every ones holiday was good. Happy Birthday Ellen! A christmas new year baby! how happy is that. You made a good beginning. Well have a great day all, and as moms dad use to say "I'll see you in the funny papers." love all

The Out/In List: The Great Recession Edition

Well, Andy's job is in. Our plans for our house ... way out. This is pretty funny (and accurate) stuff from NPR. Can you think of anything to add to the lists?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98342373

Bye bye, Bubba.

I tried to make Wednesday a good day for Wellington. He had tasty meals of wet and dry food and several cookies (a.k.a. dog biscuits). We also went on two leisurely walks. Amazingly enough, the steady rain that began on Tuesday night’s walk let up for both our morning and lunch walks on Wednesday. It was beautiful. In the 60s outside—unseasonably warm for December, particularly after all the cold weather we had last week. While we were inside, Wellington mostly slept. But I stayed close by. I practiced my songs for the Christmas Cantata, and I just sat next to him and petted him.

When it was time to go to the vet, my friend Jen came with me. The vet was the same one Wellington and I had seen last Saturday. He asked what was going on, and when I told him, he agreed that things would probably continue to go downhill and that this was probably the right decision.

The procedure itself was heart-wrenching. I brought a blanket from Wellington’s bed, so he’d have a familiar scent when he lay down. The vet and his assistant brought a blanket that Wellington would eventually rest on once the sedative kicked in.

First the vet gave Wellington the tranquilizer. When he injected it, Wellington yelped and lunged, and I felt terrible. Then the vet gave him some treats, and Wellington was so happy. He ate at least 5 treats, and then he sniffed around for more. Happy boy. And then the sedative kicked in, and he gradually lay down on the blankets, with his head in the blanket I brought from home. I tried to hold back my tears and talk to him, comfort him as the sedative was taking effect. The vet had said that once it fully kicked in, Wellington wouldn’t know what was happening, so I tried to keep talking to him, so he’d hear a familiar voice as he drifted off. And then it hit me: Wellington’s special song that Trent made up years ago.

Wellington … Wellington
He is a cute little dog.
Wellington … Wellington
He is a cute little dog.

I sang through it 4-5 times and petted his head. He was breathing pretty deeply, his eyes half shut. Then the vet shaved off a bit of his fur, so he could inject the stuff that would put him to sleep. I kept petting and talking and singing. And crying. I’ve never experienced anything like that. Eventually, his breaths became quieter; the vet checked for a heartbeat, and there was none.

The vet told me to take as much time as I needed, so I spent several more minutes with Wellington, petting him and hugging him. And then I removed his collar. I apologized to him for taking it because I know he likes to wear it. I told him we’d take him back to Kansas to his favorite park soon—we’re planning to spread his ashes there.

It was really hard seeing him lying there, not moving or breathing. That’s a sound I’ll miss—Wellington’s heavy sighs when he’s in a deep sleep. His little hush puppy face, and his soft bologna ears. He was a good dog, and we’ll miss him.

My Favorite Christmas Carols

The 2008 Christmas season is here. I like christmas music. It helps create a festive mood. My favorite serious Christmas carol is O Little Town of Bethlehem. I like the words and the melody. This song was written by an Episcopal priest a few years after he visited Bethlehem in the mid 1800's. There is a mystical quality to this carol that inspires and comforts me.

Jingle Bell Rock is a fun song. Brenda Lee, a teen-age singer, made it popular when I was a teen. I also like Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. I don't know why and I hope it never happens to me.

What Christmas songs do my Fiddler kin like to hear? I would really like to know.

I probably won't get home for Christmas. It will be a Blue Christmas without you, Fiddler kin.

I need advice.

Okay, I need some advice from current and previous pet-owners. Although he has had some accident-free days and even a week here and there, Wellington continues to urinate in our house.

Before it got cold, I had confined him to our unfinshed basement. But it's unheated, so I've since brought him upstairs and confined him to our kitchen. Lastnight, I came home from work to an ocean of piss. It had actually begun to seap under our floor boards. Yes, I know this is bad.

The vet doesn't know what the problem is. Possibly the start of kidney failure. The thing is, Wellington is still pretty perky for a 12-and-a-half-year-old dog. He gets up an down the steps for walks, and he's fairly alert most of the time.

My question is: how much longer do I put up with the piss? I know that sounds harsh, and I've already had several crying-he's-such-a-good-dog days, but now I'm just beginning to wonder what other people would do?

I need feedback. Is it my right to decide when the dog dies? (I'm leaning toward no.) Is it smart to keep letting a 60 lb. dog urinate in my kitchen when I'm hoping to sell this house in the spring? (Still leaning toward no.)

Help.

P.S. Wellington was Trent's dog first, so I feel especially miserable knowing that Trent's not here to spend time with his little bubba or help me decide what to do.

shopping savages

It is the day after Thanksgiving and I just saw on MSN that a Walmart employee was trampled to death by early morning shoppers who stormed the door while he was opening. How has it come to this that we become so consumed by consumerism that we either don't realize we are trampling someone or worse don't care. The stores hype people into such a frenzy that they are camping out to make sure they are the first in line for a bargain. Do you think anyone of those people who particiapated in this madness will actually feel any guilt or remorse for their part in his death? Do you think they will tell the person who receives the gift that some poor guy trying to earn a paycheck died for that gift because they themselves where to self absorbed and inhuman to stop or to render help ? A man has actually died so someone could save a few bucks on a DVD, digital camera, video game or some other materialistic momento of Thanksgiving 2008. I know this is a depressing topic, but I think we should name it Savage Friday instead of Black Friday.

rituals & traditions

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone, all that is left are the leftovers, maybe we should call them rightovers because if you call someone to come share them they might come "right over". Just a little turkey humor, and I mean really turkey. It was a great day. Ellen, Marshall and Sharon joined us bringing lots of good things to eat. I think we were all stuffed. It must be a sign that we are getting older when a turkey sandwich Thanksgiving evening doesn't sound appealing. I remember always eating around 2:00 pm and then having a sandwich later in the evening and that was after one of mom's holiday breakfasts of cinnamon rolls, eggs and bacon. There is no way I could cook a big breakfast and a holiday dinner at 2:00 pm. I am a cooking whimp. I miss Mom's cinnamon rolls. I think it was the love she put into them that really made them special. Honor has mastered mom's scones though and it is always a treat when she makes them for a family gathering. After the big feast we went over to the farm for a brisk walk. It is a good workout for the legs walking in cut pasture grass. I bet we walked a roll. Annie and Jack don't know what is going on, why they are suddenly getting these great tidbits in their food bowls. John and I have started a new winter ritual. It is called "evening tea by the fire". About 9:00 pm I put the kettle on for water and we brew a cup of ginger tea for John and a cup of green tea for me and then we take them downstairs to the "warm room", that is where the fire is, and enjoy our cup of tea before we retire for the evening. It is a nice relaxing way to end the day. Annie lays by the fireplace and Jack wanders around looking for wood chips to inhale. He is like a vaccum cleaner. Well I hope everyone enjoyed family, turkey, football and most of all a feeling of contentment this last Thursday of November. Blessings to everyone.

Mason Family Zoo

Dear Katie,
How are things in Georgia? Your family is wondering how Wellington is doing. Also, how are the cats? I bet Sal is just as sassy as ever. Your pets are interesting and we would like to hear about them when you get the time. We want to hear about you also. It seems like you are always busy with new projects. Hope Trent is doing well. Say Hi to Andy. Take care and Happy Thanksgiving.