Bad Spelling, Happy Day

Xmas? I have avoided that spelling of Christmas most of my life, and I'm only making an eXception so that I can show the photos I made on that happy day 3 days ago and can still use that X . Yes, ABC Wednesday round 7 is at X, planning to eXit the alphabet in two more weeks. Check out the eXceptional cleverness of participating bloggers and their eXciting eXamples of eXercising their XXXXs by clicking on logo.

Early Christmas morning, while some of the guests in my daughter Candace's house still slept, I took these pictures of the living room with its lighted tree and the great pile of gifts that ringed it. This is natural dawn light (no flash) with snow softly falling outside.

While there are some lovely gifts in what appears to be an obscenely
materialistic pile of presents, many of them proved to be
joke items or even gifts for the two dogs.

And I had the choice seat by the tree, camera poised.

Granddaughter Myrtle appeared in silver shoes.

And one of Candy's first gifts proved to be reindeer slippers

So she put on reindeer antlers and hammed it up a bit.

Byron opens a gift while his mother, Candy, at left, looks on. Ernie, Byron's lively little mongrel, and Hobbit, the resident dog, attempt to help.

Myrtle looks on as her brother Cedric prepares to open a gift.
Cedric's wife, Susan, also watches.


Susan admires her new frying pan.
The rosettes on her cap were package decorations.

Son-in-law Clinton hams it up with a new shirt.

Compare this with the serene early morning picture...

All was followed by a delicious Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, formally set on the table that had held our traditional Christmas morning breakfast stolen.

The participants are: myself, visiting from Port Townsend
Candace, my daughter, and Clinton, my son-in-law
Candy and Clint's daughter Dr. Myrtle Shock (Ph.D in archeology)
" " " son, Dr. Byron Shock, professor at College of Idaho
" " " son. Cedric Shock, computer eXpert
Cedric's wife, Susan.
Ernie and Hobbit, enthusiastic doggie participants

G is for Gifts

Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday Round 3 and ABC Wednesday has marched us down to the letter G

This seemed like a wonderful opportunity to show off a few Gifts that I have received. This is by no means a catalog of the hundreds of gifts with which I have been showered recently. Just a few pictures from the files.

Otto and Kristin brought me this neat little purse from Thailand - just 4 x 4 1/4 inches, with a long over-the-shoulder cord. Not only is it just the right size for handkerchief, keys, credit card and lipstick, but it is also a decorative fashion accessory to brighten up a drab outfit or to blend with a brighter one.

This cute little dragon is one of my most recent gifts, a birthday gift from Granddaughter Myrtle.

Flowers make a gorgeous gift. This orchid plant from Candace and Clinton brightened my days as I lay flat on back last February.

My friend Frances Townes brought me this dragon all the way from China. He is scanned rather than photographed, thus the soles of his feet are showing as he reclines on the scanner.

95% of the dragons in my tall dragon case are gifts. This is the third shelf down where ALL of dragons are gifts - thank you, everybody.

Josie took this picture of me enjoying new gifts at our Smith family reunion last year. I am reading the birthday card (Otto and I were both celebrating August birthdays) that came with the beautiful dragon shawl I have just donned. It was a gift from daughter Candace and granddaughter Myrtle.