Doesn’t she look spectacular?  However, she was not doing well a few months ago.

My mom informed me that her skin irritation had gotten worse and she had rubbed the hair away from around her eyes and her nose in efforts to scratch an itch that just could not be satisfied.  She had a number of systs on her body and she was having increasing difficulty with climbing the stairs.  Her ears were also filled with blood so they were abnormally puffy.  My father took her into the vet to see what could be done.

Apparently she looked so bad that day that my uncle said to my mother, “I can not believe you are going to put money into that dog.  There is no way she will live another day.”   

Well, $300 and a few bottles of pills later, Operation: Save Sophie had begun. The systs had to be removed and the blood drained from her ears.  Some said she looked like the Dog of Frankenstein, with her face rubbed raw, puffy ears and stitches in her sides.  

My mother vowed to keep Sophie indoors on a regular basis so the cold weather would not aid in the irritation of her skin.  After a few weeks, my parents noticed Sophie’s decrease in urge to itch her face and could soon walk up the stairs without needing assistance.

Although my love is eternal for Cali, my heart will always belong to Sophie.

Tasker Family Christmas Tree

Well, here’s your Christmas present.

Like I said, you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it.  I’m hoping its the former, because I spent entirely too much time setting it up.   I’m hoping its the latter because I’m going to spend entirely too much time tweaking it for you.

Call me when you get a chance and I’ll give you the grand tour.

Curtis

Nicki & Sophie, all tuckered out

This is the stuffed animal cow I had gotten Cali from Switzerland. Look at the innocence in her eyes. If she could speak, I think she would say…

…”but this guy, this COW! How could I not tear his limbs from his body, remove the fluff from his carcass? He just tasted so good. It was a nice gift, a nice thought and all, but really? A cow…really??? You couldn’t get me something more fun, more savory to chew? Like a pig’s ear or a rawhide? Atleast those last longer than this silly cow.”

It is a really fun time and the weather is usually decent. Here are some pictures of one of the games we went to this season.

I had not been there for 10 years, when I was 16 and then before that, another 10 years when I was 6! It was fun to get the park hopper pass and go to as many parks as we could fit in before lunch and then dinner. The Magic Kingdom had WAY too many little kids running around, all the girls dressed up like princesses. My 6 year old cousin, Brianna, was princess-for-a-day for her birthday one year. They got her all dolled up with a professional make-over and then she got to wear a gown and have tea with all the Disney princesses. Apparently she was absolutely ecstatic about it.

Here are some more pictures of our trip to Disney…

The Cali-monster had her 2nd birthday on November 1st, along with a mini-bday party, but I forgot to post her pictures until now. Ryan and I both bought her a few gifts and she got some from her grandparents in New Hampshire. I made her a double layer vanilla cake with white frosting and sprinkles. Dogs like cake!

This is my Daddy, the Deer-Hunter. He and my younger brother, Kyle, go on this week long hunting trip every year around Thanksgiving time. They drive up north then take a tiny plane to an island off of the Canadian coast that is filled with deer. I told my mom that next year, she should wash his hunting clothes with fragrant detergent (not the suggested non-fragrant kind) to deter the poor creatures on their next hunt.