Cassie in Costume

Allow me a short interlude as I entertain you with pictures of Cassie in costume:

Happy New Year!

Remember that last post I wrote, all about how a few chewed up Christmas ornaments didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things?

Well I had to think really hard about that when I walked into my house one night after work and discovered the wreck of our Christmas tree and all of its ornaments flung hither and yon, from here to hell, all over the place. I wandered in a daze into the heart of the mess and winced as glass crunched under my foot. Beaded garland lay in chewed strands on the couch. My husband's wooden Santa that he'd had for years was a masticated pile of sticks. The silver star that had so proudly crowned the top of our white tree was a scratched wreck. And in the middle of it all, Cassie wagged her tail and tried to kiss me hello.

Okay I admit it, I was mad. Beyond mad. Angry. Unable to think clearly I whipped out my cell phone and took a picture, then texted it to my husband with a few expletives typed underneath it. He responded with this sardonic phrase: "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

I laughed. I so did NOT want to laugh. But I did.

I laughed even more when I discovered that 24 candy canes, in all their plastic wrapping, had disappeared. Cassie's breath was very fresh that evening.

A friend of mine recently said that animals have much to teach us. And they help us alter our expectations of any given situation. Who says that Christmas means having a beautiful tree, full of pristine ornaments that no one can touch? Who was the moron who put food on it in the first place? And so some of the presents got chewed up a little...they were still okay, even the box of tea I bought my mom.

So I laughed. And I swept up the glass. And I vacuumed. And I tossed all the non-destroyed ornaments into a box and stuck it in my office. I was able to put the tree back in an upright position and unbend all the branches that stuck out at wrong angles. And then I poured myself a drink and sat on the couch with Cassie snuggled into my side.