Tag: Christmas

Sled Dogs

A Christmas lights display of two dogs and a dogsled on a snowy Christmas Eve in the Irvington neighborhood of Portland, Oregon

I felt as though I had stepped into a Jack London novel as I walked my neighborhood on a snowy Christmas Eve. Ellie normally wants to greet every dog she meets so I was surprised she was uninterested in these two, but probably for the best, so focused were they on the task at hand.

Misconceptions

A house with Chritmas lights on a snowy Christmas Eve in the Irvington neighborhood of Portland, Oregon

I lived in small towns and cities growing up so the only urban neighborhoods I saw were the ones I saw on TV, which tended to be a sea of concrete and asphalt. So I was surprised when we started looking at houses in Portland years ago and found established neighborhoods full of unique old houses and old trees. This is our neighborhood of Irvington, covered in a light dusting of snow on Christmas Eve. I’m going to miss how walkable this neighborhood is, I’m going to miss these old houses, and I’m certainly going to miss these old trees. People talk about the heat in Arizona but the thing that struck me when I visited on a cooler day was both the dry air and the lack of shade due to the lack of trees.

It’s not just that it will be hot in the summer, but that you can’t escape the sun. I have an old bottle of sunscreen, I can’t even tell you how old it is, because I only use it when I’m up above the tree line or when I travel. Normally I hike in long sleeves, long pants, and a brimmed hat, and since I’m usually hiking in the forest I don’t have to worry about the sun. That’s about to change, but lest I sound too negative, I am genuinely excited about exploring the desert and photographing the completely different landscapes, plants, and animals.

My hunch and my hope is that I will love both places, my old home and my new home, and that I’ll appreciate each for what they are.

The Plot to Capture Santa

Our cat Trixie sits under the Christmas tree while holding onto a shoestring

Someone isn’t happy she didn’t get the pony she asked for. Fortunately Trixie doesn’t know Santa only comes once a year so she is lying in wait in vain. While her skills with the lasso are not to be underestimated, you have nothing to worry about Santa, I’m quite sure she’ll have calmed down by next year. I’m pretty sure. It’s certainly possible. I’m sure you don’t get to be Santa without knowing how to get out of being tied up. Right?

Just in Time Assembly

Our tortoiseshell cat Trixie sitting under the Christmas tree

We never do too much decorating for Christmas but this year the only decoration is the Christmas tree, with lights but no ornaments, and even that only went up a couple days before Christmas. Normally I assemble the tree, shoo the cats out of it, and put on the ornaments, reflecting on the memories they represent, but between dealing with Sam’s illness and the job search I ran out of both time and energy. Trixie has appreciated the tree the most, although she does not spend nearly the time under it that Emma did (who could?). She hasn’t tried to eat or climb the tree, a sign of her maturity I suppose at three years old, but that branch dipping down to the ground on the right was permanently bent by Emma during her many solo ascents of the tree. I used to hide deformities like those towards the back where they couldn’t be seen but now I embrace them as a reminder of sweet Em and her tree.