Merry and Bright...

Christmas was wonderful around our rolling condo and our daughter and son-in-law's home. No grandkids, but we did get plenty of kid-shopping for the Angel Tree at Steph and Dan's school. Joan and Steph cooked, we all played games, and doted on the kitties - Izzy and two "grand-cats" that belong to the kids. Cats are easy to buy for - if it's round and can be batted around, it's sure to be a hit. Joan has been threatening to get a sweater for Izzy, since it gets down right chilly here in the desert. I think cats are too proud to be "dressed up", but our daughter wasn't going to be thwarted.

Here's little Izzy in her new sweater from Stephanie...



Dressing cats aside, the best part of the holiday is spending time with family, and we were certainly blessed in that area.



Hope your holidays have been merry and bright.

Christmas Carols..

Izzy and I have been singing her favorites...


Have Yourself a Meowy Little Christmas

We Three Cats

And her special favorite (about a beach cat): I Saw Mommy Kissing Sandy Claws

Zoo Lights...

Steph and Dan took us to see more Christmas lights, this time at the Phoenix Zoo. Nicely done. Some set to music. And lovely weather for an evening stroll through the zoo.


Not many animals to be seen, but they had a tank where you could pet stingrays... the rays seemed to enjoy the attention, some of them moving up to your hand in the water.

The day we met...

It's an anniversary of sorts... it was one year ago that we met the little bit of fur that is now our Izzy. That wasn't her name at the time; she was tiny, under-nourished; thin fur, ear mites, and didn't make a sound. When Joan reached into that cage at the shelter, I knew our agreement to "look for a more mature cat" was going by the wayside. I'm grateful no one listens to me.

And last night I finished writing the story of Molly. A bit of polishing up and I'll look for a literary agent.

Looking back, it's been quite a year.

Glitters...

Glendale Glitters - in the old town part of Glendale, the weekend nights are glittering... if the PR is accurate: put the lights end to end and the strand would reach from Phoenix to Flagstaff. I believe it; what a festival of lights. Besides the typical Christmas tree, all the palm trees are adorned with outlines of lights. Lots of booths, selling food, ornaments, art... oh, and doggie hats. We had a great time walking around, taking in the sights, and eating a fudge ball.
From there, it was off to Westgate, the shopping and entertainment complex by the stadium. We found some bar-b-q and listened to a 3 piece acoustic band playing outside by the fountains. Nice way to spend a winter evening.

Desert Sunrise...

Our pace here has slowed, and we're just enjoying our time in the desert. We have a mountain view from our RV site and were treated to this pretty sunrise sky early this morning...

Big Red is Back!

Hallelujah! Big Red is back where she belongs. The body shop called just before 4:00 and Joan was out shopping. As soon as she got back, we hustled down to the shop, walked around our truck, and brought her home! She looks good - all the lines are smooth, the color matches, and everything on it works... yeah, the first thing we did was plug her into the HH and test the lights and brakes. Put the hitch in her. Nice!

I love my truck. I generally don't get all emotional about a vehicle, but this truck is a champ. And now she looks as good as she did before getting whacked.



They did a great job of cleaning her up after having her all apart. She has a bit of that "I've been cleaned with flowery stuff" smell, but other than that, she seems back to her old self.