I received a beautiful 2020 calendar from CNIB Guide Dogs. Wonderful photos of the dogs each month. I went on line to read more about this organization. There are three career options for the dogs: Guide Dogs which are partnered with adults with sight loss, Buddy Dogs are partnered with children with sight loss and Ambassador Dogs are partnered with team members to promote CNIB Guide Dogs at community events and to raise awareness about the role of the Guide and Buddy Dogs. It says that “the CNIB Guide Dogs are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and crosses of the two. These breeds make excellent guide dogs because they are intelligent, friendly and eager to please.”
A quote of Thom Jones on the calendar states: “Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, filling an emptiness we don’t even know we have”.
Another quote that is so true by Phil Pastoret.: ” If you think dogs can’t count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them”.
For more information on the CNIB Guide Dogs go to their websites or to make a donation, visit cnib.ca/donate or call 1-800-563-2642.
Our Jewish friends will be celebrating Hanukkah for 8 days from sundown Dec. 22 until the evening of Dec. 30. I went on line to read so many interesting things about Hanukkah or Chanukah, a wintertime “festival of lights, celebrated with nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried food. The Hebrew word Chanukah or Hanukkah means dedication and is so named because it celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple. It is a wonderful story of the miracle of candles burning for 8 days when there was only enough olive oil for one day.
To wish someone Happy Chanukah say, “Hanukkah Sameach (Happy Hanukkah) or simply, “Chag Sameach” ( Happy Holiday) .
To all our Jewish friends, Hanukkah Sameach.
I remember in Girl Guides learning the Israeli folk song, “Hava Nagila” I can still remember all the word. It means, “Let us rejoice” and is a Jewish traditional song commonly heard at Jewish celebrations such as weddings and Bar Mitzvahs according to the web sites information. It seems to me that we learned a folk dance too. It was a lot of fun.
I was talking to a few older people about the Christmases they had as kids. They especially mentioned hanging their Christmas stockings on Christmas Eve in hopes of lots goodies from Santa. We mostly got a variety of things like comics books, crayons, colouring books, wonderful little hard candy or candy canes and maybe even an orange in or stockings. It was wonderful. And what else?? Maybe some ice skates, roller skates also were very popular as were train sets and other toys. Maybe even a baseball glove and bat and a Barbara Ann Scott doll. It all seemed so magical and exciting.
Ahhh. Those were the days.
Little 6 month old Gabriella talked her parents, Samantha and Daniel , into taking her to see Santa. She had a long list for him…lots of toys and treats.
When Santa asked her , “Have you been naughty or nice”, she said in her cute little 6 month old chatter, “Very nice.”
Her first Christmas. What a sweet little princess. She is the great grand-daughter of Bob Katz who gave me the photo.
Merry Christmas, Gabriella.
This Christmas, you may know of someone who is alone and could use a friendly phone call, or a visit, even a nice box of chocolates to make them feel special. Only takes a few moments to make a difference and help someone feel cared about and less lonely.
I have a 6′ artificial Christmas tree in my living room. My Tiger cat, who is more puppy than cat, is dying to get at the tree. He is so nosey!! I turned my back for two seconds and he was trying to bite one of the branches. Wouldn’t that hurt his little mouth? And it certainly wouldn’t be good for him to ingest the little plastic needles. We are warned all the time about keeping decorations away from cats and dogs at this time of year.
A friend put a barricade around the bottom of the tree. Problem solved. Well, not for long. Tiger walked around it a few times and then gave it a shove and tumbling down came the barricade. Had to reinforce it and make it stronger and Tiger-proof. Doesn’t look that great – but not that bad. Hope I have a live cat by the time Christmas is over and his Mommy (me) still has all her marbles.
I can’t get a photo because I am too busy shooing him away. What a cat!! Cute, though.
Cute joke from a friend :
Joe went to a repair shop to pick up his antique Grandfather clock. As he was carrying it down the street to his truck, he stumbled over an intoxicated man who was lying on the sidewalk and dropped the big clock on the pavement.
As he was picking himself up and surveying the damage to the clock, he said to the intoxicated man, “If you weren’t lying in the middle of the sidewalk, this would not have happened.”
The man replied, “If you were wearing a wrist watch like the rest of us, this would never have happened.”
Have a good week, a Happy Hanukkah and a very Merry Christmas on Dec. 25th.,
Dawn