We're packing up!

Tis the day after Christmas and all through the house

Decorations to store and candles to douse.

Yep, we're getting ready to head back to South Carolina for TWO months on Monday. Goodbye gray snow and slushy puddles, hello blue skies and sandy beaches. And best of all, my winter wardrobe is staying here in New York! (Mom: "Well, almost all of his wardrobe...")

Mica is staying here with a housesitter—at almost 20 years old, Mom felt Mica was too set in his ways to handle air travel. Plus get this - in order to take me and Mica on our flight, Mom was going to have to buy another seat on the flight for $337, PLUS $100 for Mica to travel under that empty seat and $100 for me to travel under Mom's seat. Now remember - Mica weighs a little less than 6 pounds! If Mom was carrying a purse and a carry-on bag on board, she would be charged $0. But because there's a pet inside, the airlines can gouge you -- unbelievable!

So anyhow, we've just got two days to clear away all our Christmas stuff and pack up a suitcase for our trip south. You may not hear much from us until next week, but hopefully, you're all sleeping off your food comas! I had about 200 special chicken and rice popovers, some baa-baas, a whole can of Merrick's Venison Holiday Dinner, some delicious roast pork, and some tennis ball fuzz.

Ahhhh, I love Christmas!

And to all, a good night!

Merry Christmas to all our wonderful doggie pals (and cats and hamsters and two-leggeds!) - you and your friendship make each day a bit brighter.

Peace on earth and goodwill to all living creatures.

Tis the Season!

"What are you doing Christmas, Christmas Eve?"

Christmas time in the City!

Well, we got our Christmas tree up and decorated...

Heeheehee - that's the Rockefeller Center tree. Ours is a bit smaller and definitely thinner. After all, we live in a crowded one-bedroom apartment. There's not much room to add in a tree!

Nonetheless, our tree is loaded with ornaments that Mom's collected from her travels. To the left of the San Francisco cable car is an ornament from Sorrento, Italy. There's also a hula dancer, an Alaska Eskimo, a Colorado moose, a Texas cowboy, a skier from Vail, Napoleon, Henry the VIII, pink houses from Bermuda and no fewer than 5 Eiffel Towers! And of course, Santa in a New York City taxi cab!

Mica and I got caught cuddling on the couch. We have NEVER done this, but hey, it was cold outside.
Mom couldn't believe her eyes so she kept snapping away. Shhh, we're trying to sleep here!

We've got our creche set up over the fireplace. Mom whitewashed our brick fireplace after the apartment was painted. You'll notice who got his stocking up, and in prime position for filling.

Our neighbor's granddaughter Liola came over on Saturday and she and Mom made our traditional Scottish Shortbread. Except Mom made the first batch with wheat flour and it came out too D-R-Y! I got one piece and the rest went into the bin. Don't mess with tradition! Our family recipe is very simple and very delicious - just flour, butter and sugar. That's it!

On Sunday afternoon, we went over to the playground to play in the snow! Mommy threw my orange ball (thinking that an orange ball would be easy to spot) and it disappeared into the foot of fluffy snow. (We did find it about 30 minutes later!)

I'm light enough I can scamper across the snow like a bunny rabbit! There was a big standard poodle named Duke there that I played with and he brought a tennis ball which was easily swiped!

Here's Duke in action! We had a great time playing together.

This cute little girl was there with her Daddy. She was a quick learner when it came to throwing the ball for me!

But all good things must come to an end! By the time we got home, the long hair on my legs and chest were covered with ice balls so....into a tub of warm water to thaw me out. At least it wasn't a full bath - just my legs. Still - the humiliation of it all!

Counting the days until Christmas!!!

The spirit of Christmas

In 1998, Mommy's coworkers went to the New York City Post Office to pick out letters to Santa from needy kids to answer. Mom was busy so she asked them to pick up a letter for her. Here's what they brought back:

Dear Santa,

I hope you are feeling okay. I'd like you to tell me why you didn't bring any presents to our house last Christmas. All my brother and I asked for were winter coats and some books. Instead, all I got was a note under my pillow saying that my mother loves me. I know you're old, but we really needed those coats.

Please don't forget us this year.

Your friend,

Christian

Here's the letter that Mommy wrote back to Christian. She wanted me to share it with you:

Dear Christian,

Thank you very much for your kind letter.

First of all, I want to tell you that I do owe you an explanation as to why I was unable to answer your Christmas list requests last year. As you might imagine, I receive millions and millions of requests for toys and clothes each year, from children around the world. Some children are wealthy and live in palaces and castles, others do not even have a home to live in at all.

Thanks to your letter, I knew that you and your brother wanted winter coats more than anything. And that is an important thing to ask for, as I know on some days, the streets of New York can be just as chilly and blustery as a day here at the North Pole. And yet I knew that even if I didn’t have a chance to make it to your home, you and your brother would have something that would keep you warm right to the very core.

And that is your mother’s love.

While you may not live in a castle or a palace, you have a richer, more valuable gift than many people who do. And that is a mother who loves you with all of her heart. I know that this is hard to understand when you really want a coat to keep you warm and you see other people getting what they want. But believe me, Christian, you have something rare and precious and valuable in your Mom that you will have for the rest of your life. Even after you’ve grown too big and tall to wear your new coat, and you’ve lost or broken or outgrown the toys I’ve got all lined up to bring you, you will always know that your mother gave you the greatest gift that one person can give another, her love.

When you think about Christmas, it’s easy to get all caught up in the colorful store windows, all the toys on television, and of course, me! Delivering toys and gifts to children around the world. But much more important than the gifts under the tree or tucked into the stockings, is the gift that the world is celebrating — the birth of our Lord. When we celebrate his birthday, we are also celebrating a mother’s love for her son.

You are a fine, fine boy, Christian and I wish I could bring you a sleighful of toys and clothes and treats. I will bring you some nice presents on Christmas Eve, but in the meantime, I want you and your brother to go give your Mom the tightest hug and the biggest kiss you can. I know I do not have to worry about you two being good boys because you have such a wonderful mother.

You may be too young to understand all that I’ve written in this letter right now. So do an old man a favor, won’t you? Keep this letter someplace special. Surely you have a secret hiding place with a little brother around the house, don’t you? And each Christmas, open it up and read it. One day, you’ll be almost as old as I am. And I’ll bet you’ll agree that the gift of your mother’s love was the most wonderful present you ever received. By then, you’ll probably have children of your own – maybe even grandchildren! So be sure to give them your love as well.

You may not believe me now, but you are the richest boy in all of New York City. Have a merry Christmas and the happiest of new years to come!

Sincerely,

Santa Claus

North Pole

(Needless to say, "Santa Mommy" sent down jackets, hats, gloves, scarves, toys, books and some bubble bath for their Mom!)

Of all the things that Mommy's ever written, this is the one thing she's kept and rereads every year. We wanted to share this message with each of you, it is our own New York Christmas story. And this year, when we're getting ready for our first Christmas without our Granny, Mommy's Mom, (and we know other friends are also experiencing that same loss as well), we wanted to be reminded that a mother's love lasts a lifetime...and beyond.

Merry Christmas to all....

Mica Update and my Bespoke Saville Row ensemble!

Right off the bat, we have to tell you some GREAT NEWS! Mica is doing just fine!!! His antibiotics seem to have done the trick. Mommy also discovered that if she mixed the liquid with a little bit of canned tuna, he'd gobble it right now. Much less traumatic for both of them. He's much happier and more active and even looks like he may have put on a little weight.

The vet wants us to get another bottle of antibiotics and keep him on it for a while longer. We knew he was feeling a lot better when he even played with this adorable toy that Toffee's Mom sent to him. (I got some yummy bully sticks but ate'em right up!)

It's been awfully busy around here! Mom's bestest pal Buddy's Mom has been visiting us all the way from South Carolina so they've been tearing all around town since last Thursday. They went to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, heard Christine Ebersole (big Broadway star) sing holiday songs at Birdland jazz club, went to a recital of the Nutcracker, saw the fabulous holiday windows on Fifth Avenue (if you're in New York during the holidays, the windows at Bergdorf Goodman are a must-see!). I got lots of walks with my wonderful dog walker who took me all over the place, so I didn't feel bad to be left at home at all!

And as you know from Asta's blog, my bestest pal Eric Square Dog's 2-leggeds came to New York for vacation!

Now, being a posh dog-about-town, Eric instructed his Mum on the fine art of English tailoring. And just feast your eyes on this exquisite ensemble....

It's a genuine English Harris Tweed coat, lined in the softest orange cashmere (Eric's signature touch!) with real leather knotted buttons on the belt. And the outfit is set off by a genuine deer-stalker cap!!!

I look like Sherlock Bones!

Here I am out for a trot about the park in my new bespoke jacket. Really felt Mom looked a bit shabby at the other end of the leash.

It truly is a perfect custom-fit. My bestest pal Eric was an excellent fit model. I could even catch a whiff of his signature scent of chestnut tree leaves, Barks & Spencer liver treats and just a soupcon of Royal park deer poopies. I even got to spend some quality time with Flat Eric and tried to carry him into the other room for a private chat, but our leggeds wouldn't allow it.

Thank you ever so much, Square Mum (Square Daddy, too! You toss a fabulous tennis ball. Must be the proximity to Wimbledon)—we are gobsmacked by your incredible talents and generosity. I can't walk more than half a block without getting admiring comments and "ooohhs! and ahhhhhs!" I just love it!!!!

Now, if I could only do something about Mom's tacky togs! (In Mom's defense, she's had a cold since right after Thanksgiving that's turned into bronchitis and has been barking more than me! She's going to the people's vet tomorrow. Maybe Mica will be mixing his antibiotics in her tuna sandwich...)

I did it! And Power of the Paw request, please...

There have been sooo (too) many photos of Mom on my blog lately, so I've resumed control. Don't I look cozy? This chair is getting a new slipcover, so I'm taking advantage of this ratty old throw before I'm banned from my favorite chair. (Actually, the slipcover is machine-washable, so Petey, your throne is safe.)

In the spirit of the holidays, I made good on an earlier post and made a donation to the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. As many of you already know, this is the wonderful organization that partnered our pal Clive with Murray, his not-so-little-man. We're so crazy about Clive and Not-so-little-man and their adventures, we sometimes pretend they are our long-lost Irish cousins! If you've been following their blog, you know that finances for supporting the autism guide dog program are dire. They really need our help. So in lieu of sending out cards to our DWB pals, we've made a generous donation. Won't you join us and help give a kid a dog for the holidays this year?

Now we need to rally the Power of the Paw for my catbro Mica.

Mica is a very old fellow - he'll turn 20 in February and I've known him my whole life and he's been a swell big brother. Even when I was a curious puppy, he never said "ssssssssss!" to me.

He went to the vet today because he's had a runny nose since last week before Thanksgiving. Actually, it's just his left nostril and today his eye got runny too. Yucky, stinky, pale pea-green soup colored mucus. The vet says it could be 1.) a simple infection that will clear up with antibiotics (remember his nosebleeds in October ended on their own), 2.) a dental problem requiring he be knocked out and have any rotten teeth removed,) or 3.) cancer in his nasal passage. Mom is hesitant to have him knocked out, as he is a little guy - only 5 3/4 lbs but it feels like more when he walks across your sensitive parts in the middle of the night - and he's so old. She just wants to keep him happy and comfortable and stress-free. The vet mentioned knocking him out so he could get an MRI, but they cost anywhere from $1200 to $3000 and frankly, its not going to change the outcome if it's bad news. Mommy would rather gently help him go join Maui and Moki (our other kittycats) then have him spend his final few weeks feeling fearful and anxious.

SO....please put those paws together and say a prayer for Mica that this is just a simple infection that will clear up this week with his medicine. (Say a prayer for Mommy, too, as she's got to get a full dropper of the stuff into his mouth twice a day! He may be old but he's plenty squirmy.) He's actually been draped over Mommy's right arm the whole time she's been writing this so I know he really wants your best efforts on his behalf, okay?

Thanks everybloggie, we're counting on you one more time!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT MICA UPDATE:

It seems to be working!!! Mica's now had three doses of antibiotics and his nose has stopped running almost entirely and the swelling is greatly reduced. He's been a huge challenge for Mom to get the medicine in his mouth and not all over herself, even when she wraps him up tightly in a towel like a kittycat burrito. So keep sending those healing vibes our way!!!