Merry Christmas from Olive

 

When Olive had her surgery in October of 2021, the surgeon instructed me to keep her in a crate and see that she got plenty of bed rest. I immediately went out and bought a large wire crate, or kennel, from a pet supply shop and set it up in my living room in a spot that I knew she liked to nap in. I was apprehensive that she would not take to being confined; she surprised me by going right into the crate onto a dog bed I placed there and laying right down. I made sure to give her lots of TLC and kept her until she was well enough to roam the house.

Now, more than a year later, she still likes to nap there and occasionally will even eschew her usual bed upstairs near me to sleep downstairs in the crate. If Olive likes having the crate, as she seems to, then I do not want to take it apart and store it in my garage as I had originally planned. The drawback is that the location of the crate blocks access to my liquor cabinet and my stereo set. If I want to access either item, I must pull the crate out of the way then put it back.

The things I do for that dog. She is, however, more than worth it.

 

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At fiddle camp last summer an impressive film was shown that, I am told, was animated entirely by one artist. Call “Crack” (the sound a tree made when cut down at the beginning of the film) The story is seen from the point of view of a homemade wooden chair traversing Quebec history from the 1800s until contemporary times through many changes. Although not strictly speaking a Christmas story, it does depict some holiday celebrations including Christmas and Easter.

One feature that may need to be clarified: the seemingly non sequitur appearance of indigenous Americans at various points through the story. It was explained to the audience that in Quebecoise culture indigenous Americans signify the arrival of a child, as storks do in American culture.

 

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Despite having the dog crate in a place that is inconvenient for me (though not for Olive) I was able to get my Holiday tree up and decorated. It has never been easy to get her to pose in front of the tree, but here is what I was able to photograph.

 

Okay, George, I posed. Now can I have that treat you promised?

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Some dog humor I have collected over the past few months.

I may have been fortunate that Olive was older than 24 months when i got her.

That is something Olive would do.

Good advice to stay clear of any potential partner who doesn't like dogs.

If a border collie can't keep the sheep together, nothing can!