December 1, 2012

White Dog looked at the calendar. "Do you know there are only TWENTY-FOUR days until Christmas?" she asked. "We need to get shopping!" She managed to convince Steve that the WDA HAD to make a trip to Three Dog Bakery to pick up gift-giving treats before he left for school. The Army harnessed up and we drove to the treat store. WD and Steve went inside and soon emerged with a shopping bag full of treats and some special carob truffles for the White Ones to sample.

On the way home, Oso and Puff accompanied Steve into the craft store and came prancing out with treat bags printed with drawings of pups and ribbon imprinted with paw prints. While Steve went to work, the WDA and I put together treat bags and made labels. We tied festive paw ribbon bows around the tops. Of course there was plenty of sampling as we worked. And we DID save a bit of each of the four flavors to go into the WDA jar.

The plan had been for YoYoMa and WD to go with Michael and Steve to the Holiday Stroll and Twinkle Light Parade that started at 5pm down Historic Route 66 (about 1/2 block from our house), but when Steve arrived home, he shook his head. "All of the streets are packed with cars looking for parking; just take a peek outside. There are people about six deep at the end of the block waiting for the parade to start. Every place is crowded and loud. We are going to stay home, kids." The pups had been going crazy with the increased traffic and street noise for a while and we knew the shouting and bands and drums from the parade would be stressful. So Steve and the WDA stayed home. Michael opted to take his camera and go join the mayhem.

Later, an adventurer friend, about to leave on a solo sailing trip through the Great Lakes, down the Eastern Coast, through the Panama Canal, and out to Hawaii stopped by for a bon voyage dinner. The WDA all agreed that a life at sea was not for them, but that they would be happy to regularly host sendoff parties for those who chose it. It was a fun evening of food and conversation...and a pleasant distraction from the crowds who continued to shop and stroll down our block well into the night.

When we all finally got ready for bed, I discovered a note from White Dog on my pillow. It read, "Wake up early. There are only TWENTY-THREE days left and we have LOTS to do! Nighty-night!"