Holiday Greetings from Tropical Southeastern Pennsylvania

Here’s hoping everyone has had a Merry Christmas and/or otherwise Happy Holiday so far.

This reminds me to post this message: Note to my fellow Christians who get besides themselves when people wish them Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. It is fine if you believe that the only holiday that matters is Christmas, and that you believe it is commemorating the birth of a spiritual leader who is the Son of God. That said, the first point is xenophobic, and the second point (like it or not) is a subject of debate for many others on this planet.

I believe that Jesus would not be offended if I wished Him Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas or, more appropriately, Happy Birthday. Or, even more appropriate for His beliefs, Happy Hanukkah.

So back on point, season’s greetings from a section of the world which should be experiencing temperatures in the 40s (F) and perhaps a dusting of frozen precipitation on the ground in keeping with the Currier and Ives/Irving Berlin romanticism of the Yuletide time of year. Instead, we have temperatures in the 70s, weeds poking up through the mulch in our garden, and friends reporting that flowers are sprouting three months early. Winter has just begun, according to the calendar, and so far it is a bust!

So the weather is not what it should be, but otherwise we’ve had a good day. Warrior Queen and I both slept in, leisurely pursued our usual morning routine of coffee sipping and newspaper reading, finally got around to the business of exchanging gifts at 10a, then had our Christmas feast at a local Chinese buffet. I was sorely tempted to greet my fellow diners with a lusty yell, “Yo! Hands off the peel-n-eat shrimp! They’re mine, bitches!” but I refrained. After all, this would made a mockery of the iconic sentiment assigned to this day, peace on earth, good will to men (and women). And the wonderful staff kept the shrimp piled high for everyone’s pleasure, so I had no need to fear that my appetite would not be satisfied.

The only glitch this holiday concerned a gift for our basement cat, Oreo. Since we brought her home, she has preferred to stay in our basement, and she enjoys relaxing in the window sill of the basement window well. This sill is about 62” from the floor, but Oreo has always been able to access it with a single jump from the couch (31” high), and bounce her hind feet off of the framed Mystery Science Theatre 3000: The Movie poster which is hanging on the way half way between the top of the couch and the window sill. To wit:

Recently, I noticed that Oreo has difficulty jumping up to her sill. This could be due to her growing older and a possible (unconfirmed) arthritic condition in her hind quarters. I thought that a cat tree/condo placed near the sill would aid her to gradually ascend the wall to her favorite spot. With this solution in mind, I traveled to the nearest cat supply emporium and purchased a cat tree/condo with two levels (35” and 51”) which should give her a more sporting chance to reach her rest area.

The first challenge was transporting the new piece of furniture home as it hung half-way beyond the back of my Ford Focus trunk. I drove slowly lest it fall out on one of several hills between home and the big box pet store. Fortunately, there was no mishap and I was able to walk it into our sun porch. The next challenge was to walk/drag the furniture from the porch to the basement without the other two cats (Nyla and Gigi) seeing it and thinking that Santa Cat had brought it for their exclusive use. As the photos below attest, I failed this challenge miserably.

Long story short, the upstairs cats discovered the cat tree and marked it for their personal use, basement cat be damned! This is the first time I have ever actually witnessed siblings stealing a gift from their sister. No matter. A second cat tree has been ordered via the Internet, and, best of all, it will come in pieces which will make its relocation to the basement easier to manage. It should be here by January 5, which as I recollect is the official end of the happy holiday season.

So, until then, Happy Holidays to all. You too, Jesus!

(Thank you for reading! And hey, let’s be nice to each other, okay?)