My Christmas Vacation Report by Bathsheba

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

The holidays are coming to a close and, after a four-day holiday for New Year's Day, Mom goes back to work tomorrow. We had a nice Christmas Day at home and our new year was uneventful as we like it.

Our main gift was this crazy contraption. Mom thought that we would like to rub on its bristles since we are always rubbing our cheeks against walls, doors, furniture, you name it. I think that it looks like something to clean the human toilet so I'm not so sure I want to use it on my face.

For Christmas I guess I liked the extra Temptations treats best.

The day after Christmas we both were put in PTUs and went on a weekend trip with Mom. She picked up her brother (and his dog Rags) near Richmond along the way, and we all ended up at Mom's sister's beach house near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Thank goodness Rags seemed oblivious to the fact that Jake and I were in the back seat. We kept quiet the whole way and that pleased Mom very much.

We made ourselves at home at the beach house. We had a different guest room from the last time we were there, but this one was very nice and also had a private bath for our litter box room.

Jake was still not feeling well, but seemed to eat a little better when we were away. He never left the room and seemed to enjoy the comfort of the bed very much.

I did not witness this, but Mom actually went wading in the cold ocean surf. And with a DOG! The dog is named Skillet and is a three-month old black labrador of Mom's nephew and girlfriend.

Mom is making me include this cute picture of him with sand on his face. When I met him, he steered clear of me with my fierce hiss and extra claws that are super sharp.

I didn't fare as well with this other puppy named Brewster whom I had met on my previous visit.

He seemed to be fascinated with my butt. Dogs!

Here are the other dogs that were there - Rags

and beagles Pudge and Roxy

Crazy puppies Brewster and Skillet

Now Mom wants me to include some other stuff. You may know that she is thrilled by plants and flowers. She was very impressed with rosemary shrubs in flower that her sister had planted at the beach house, and here is one.

She also tries to have something in bloom outdoors every month of the year. December is rather sparse, but we have a clump of snowdrops to bloom reliably that month every year.

It is even bigger now.

Even a little periwinkle flower bloomed here in January.

Mom didn't celebrate New Year's Day with a hike up our local Bull Run Mountain like she did last year, but she did go there yesterday.

The air was crisp and cold, and once again she sat on the rocks for about an hour before she got too cold.

We worry about Jake's health this year. He went back to the vet on Tuesday, December 30 and will return again on the 10th. He remains lethargic with little appetite. He is very loving with Mom, and I must admit that I'm just a little jealous of all the attention Mom gives to him.

Thank you for reading this long post. Again, Happy New Year, and best wishes for health and love this year.

~Bathsheba

No Longer an Orphan on Wash Day Wednesday

Mom finally returned home from California Tuesday morning--at 4 a.m.! She switched planes in Denver and there was a long layover because of an unexpected delay. We got a little bit worried about her, but we were confident that she would return. Kathy the pet sitter took good care of us while she was gone.

She and Dad had a great time in the Santa Cruz area. Except for a little fog on the Monterey Bay in the early morning, Mom said that there were clear blue skies every day. They didn't do the beach scene since they're both very fair skinned and burn easily. And compared to the Atlantic Ocean that is warmed by the Gulf Stream, the Pacific is quite cold.

Instead, they did lots of biking, walking, and even some hiking. There were wonderful trails to explore. Here's a view they had while biking in Wilder Ranch State Park. Absolutely spectacular scenery!

Mom liked the Santa Cruz Mountains because they were green. Mom and Dad visited Henry Cowells Redwood State Park and this was one of the trees. Note the tiny person in the lower right corner.

Like Rosie and Cheeto's magical Gramma and Grampa, Mom and Dad also drove down to Monterey for the day and toured the fabulous aquarium. One of the sea otters was named Rosie. Mom liked watching their antics when they were fed.

I'm glad that Mom is back, but I still miss my dad.

~Jake