Dec 22

FL04 UNAVAILABLE Injuries - We hope Sammy recovers soon.

FL05 UNAVAILABLE Repairs

FL06 AVAILABLE

FL07 Assigned FEMA Base Camp, Galveston, Texas

Christmas is coming in...
2 more days

22 degrees this morning. It rained most of the day yesterday. Not hard, but enough to melt a lot of snow. I would imagine the roads are very icey this morning.

Two more days to complete all your shopping. Hurry up! I would like to see just one Christmas that is not so commercialized. We should all make or gifts. A long time ago, people would handcraft their gifts. Ladies would knit and bake. Some would sew. The men made gifts out of wood... or leather. Much more thought would go into each gift. They had to plan out their gift. They couldn't go to the store and quickly pick something up off of a shelf. No "buy one...get one free". If they wanted two rocking horses.... they made two rocking horses. It would take twice as long to have two under the tree. Twice as much work. Twice as much thought. Meals were shared with neighbors. Some would have huge community potluck style meals. There was an eagerness to share.

Today we are not so eager to share. I have what I have.... and I don't really care if you have any. That's the mentality of our society today. I have neighbors around me that I don't even know their names. Half of my gifts were purchased from the internet. Oh, I thought a lot about my gifts. But, once I decided on what I wanted to give... I just bought it. I didn't have to go out to the barn and build anything. I didn't have to bake one single loaf of anything.

So, having spread all this commercial Christmas spirit. Go finish your Christmas shopping. You only have 2 more shopping days. At least think about what you buy. Don't buy a gift for someone because you're "supposed to". Buy a gift for someone because your heart feels the need to give that person a gift. If you get no gifts this season, remember the gift of giving is the best gift you will ever get.

dj

ps. Toaka says...(singing)

"On the eleventh day of Christmas, my daddy gave to me....
eleven pot roast pies!...
ten pounds of turkey....oh gosh...
nine bowls of kibble...
eight sticks 'O Bullies...
seven milk bone biscuits...

six breasts of chicken...

FIVE BAGS of JERKY!!!!! (woo hoo!)

four nilla wafers...

three bites of bacon..

two rawhide chews....

and a pig ear for me....and just me."