Merry Christmas, All

Have a fine one, my fellow deplorables!

My plans to lounge about the house and share slow news day content are on hold, as I’m heading out shortly to join in searching for a Scottish Terrier puppy who escaped an acreage home near Grandora yesterday.  Should you live in that area (near range road 3080 north of HWY 14), please watch for “Ruthie”.  Wish us a bit of Christmas miracle luck, the little one will need it.

 

Bumped for Update. No prayers answered, alas. A full day of walking ditches, tree lines, prairie scrub and pasture land turned up nothing.  I snapped this quick frosty photo as I headed out to walk deer trails.

48 Replies to “Merry Christmas, All”

  1. Good luck in your search. Perhaps the doggie escaped with Santa?
    Thanks for all you do and have great Christmas

  2. Christmas is a time of hope and miracles. Hopefully, Ruthie will be back home soon, safe and sound.
    You’re on a mission from Dog! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

    Merry Christmas to all!

    1. No snow, and temperatures around 0 (Celsius) in the area, could be a lot worse for a small dog.

  3. Was out with boxers this morning, and will take them out later today. Best of luck finding pup !
    Merry Christmas everyone

  4. Merry Christmas to you and the SDA Crew.

    I hope you can find the little doggo.

    Thank you for all you did keeping us informed these past years.

  5. Good luck on the dog search and Merry Christmas to your family.

    We lost our family’s energetic boxer Dec. 23 in the 70’s. She had a habit of occasional “door dashing” and one of us was not sufficiently vigilant that day. Usually, we were able to find a tired dog, sitting on some neighbour’s lawn using their sprinkler system for water, having visited neighbour’s garbage cans.

    Beau Mark was always a bit of an undertrained dog, who failed puppy training by running around the track and out the door. But we loved him.
    Dad woke me up and Beau would jump onto the bed before school. He once ate 1/2 of my brother’s birthday cake. He also liked my fiance, but his lick made a huge rash.

    That Christmas was subdued, as we could not find Beau in the Alberta snow. Good news: we found him on boxing day at a vet’s with only a broken leg that healed well. He had had a collision with a car on a busy street.

    1. erata: Beau was a purebred male boxer; His name was for “beautiful markings”, as he was very cute.

      Current dog is a well-researched female Cav KCS.

      She can do slow “door dash”, but I am a better dog owner as a grown-up, so no one comes inside my urban gate without closing it.

  6. MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL!
    From the resident Heathen.
    Hope the pup is found safe and sound, they are family.
    And bless you Kate for putting your self “out” for the wee pup!

  7. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Kate, her crew and all the SDA regulars.

    May there be many more…

  8. Merry Christmas my Canadian friends … from Canada! Yes, we are spending Christmas week with my SIL’s family who live in Vernon BC … actually up at Silver Star … where I skiied on my old bones yesterday. Beautiful little resort.

    I’m praying for the safe return of Ruthie from the frozen plains. Oops … now I’ll be mocked for offering prayers in lieu of more stringent animal control laws … hahahaha … Merry Christmas

    1. Merry Christmas to all SDA’ers and especially to Kate and crew for hosting us and keeping us well informed and entertained!

      Good luck finding the petite pooch, he couldn’t have gotten far if the snow is deep!

      Kenji, Silver Star was always my favourite hill to ski on when I lived in the Okanagan. Before the installation of the chairlift on the back side of the mountain, they had what was called the ‘Bus Run’, you could ski the powder on the ridge line and end up in a small parking lot, where an old school bus with chains on would come by at set times to pick up skiers and return them to the base again. If you timed it right, you could get half a dozen such runs in, a day. It looks like a community is built there now..

      1. Wow. What a cool memory. I will ask my host family about that tonight … to see if they ever did the bus run. They’re out skiing now … while my sore muscles are taking a recovery day. It’s somewhat amazing how many muscle groups there are in your legs that you suddenly start using hard on the slopes … that you never knew you had, till they start arching. Hahahaha ha

        And I am 68 … so there’s that too … Hahahaha ha

      2. That is how I learned to ski at Sunshine near Banff, going up on a rickety school bus on harrowing roads from the parking lot, which did have one chairlift and a small charming chalet with a big fireplace (1960-70).

        There were lots of trees, so I often ended up under one of them, usually with head downside on the mountain and loosing a ski.

        One could ski out to the parking lot, a wickedly long run. As older teens, we university students brought a supply of wine flasks. Absolutely none of the day skiers would have passed any .08 test on the drive home to Calgary.

        My parents did the walk up runs in their day (1930-40s).

    2. Mr. Kenji, that sounds amazing. Hoping you get a big dump of snow, always makes Christmas skiing memorable.
      We are in Kelowna, would be a hoot to connect. Love to put a face to the name, to meet some fellow Seekers of Truth.

      Could that work?

      1. I’m afraid I’m somewhat locked in for the week with family activities, otherwise I’d surely hook up. My daughter is an event planner … and she’s relentless (as in superb at what she does). Got us a place where we ski out the back door. I’d really like to explore the area on another trip. All the lakes here are stunning, and Kelowna especially. I’d like to go south to see Penticton which seems equally special right between two lakes.

        The skiing was excellent. A really nice mountain … and that’s coming from someone who LIVED at Squaw Valley (sorry, can’t call it Palisades) for a year. We had a nice dusting of snow the night we arrived … what did my Canadian family say … 7cm or so ? What’s a cm? And what’s -10c ? Hahahaha ha

        Another time. I’d love to meet someone as right on as you

        1. It would have been a great time! Fellowship of the Bloggers.

          We will make it happen, in time.

          Have a brilliant time, enjoy the family, skiing and the abundance of your table.

    3. Well you are brave to ski at Christmas. Silver Star might not be as much of zoo as Whistler. Wishing a Merry Christmas and safe drive back.

      I love how everyone on this site never says the dreaded words, “happy holidays”. If you want your traditions, keep them proudly.

      1. “I love how everyone on this site never says the dreaded words, “happy holidays”. If you want your traditions, keep them proudly.”

        Well said, DL. I’ve never found another website or blog like this one where we are given the freedom to speak the truth, exchange ideas and discuss concepts without censorship or controls (and I appreciate Kate so much for providing such a forum). I only hope that certain people here can begin to demonstrate enough maturity that they won’t destroy it for all of us.

      2. Happy Christmas to you. On Dec 24 when I skiied, the mountain was near empty! A massive treat for a CA skiier used to 45 min. lift lines. It got a bit busier today, and with new snow forecast for tonight … it might get busier the rest of the week

  9. Happy Christmas, all. I am sure some of you know about Conservative Treehouse Christmas food thread. Fun to scroll through to get a sense of other’s seasonal celebrations. I am favouring martinis and pickled herring (suggested by someone). My tablet not letting me copy the link, but go to Treehouse and search on Christmas. A most amusing thread.

    1. Hahahaha … yeah, “suggested by someone”. Enjoy Linda L. Happy Christmas to you, he says the English way.

      1. Oh, hey, ya . . . you are the pickled herring guy, Have not had it for years, but am planning to get some for New Years.

        1. My husband’s Swedish, “Auntie Alice”, grandmother used to gift us her pickled herring. I never liked it at first, as most Albertans in my age group only had eaten boxed breaded fish. But I was young and liked it and it was a Christmas treat in his elder family.

          Later, I lived in NY and Japan and learned how delicious fresh fish could be, as well as picked varieties. Now, fresh fish is a good part of my diet, as I learned how to cook it well. I think that you have the right idea – a bit of pickled herring for New Years.

  10. Merry Christmas Kate and a HUGE thank you for this site.

    Prayers for the safe return of the wee doggie.

  11. I have a Scottish Terrier- Fergus is his name- and when he was a pup he was a bit of an escape artist.
    Fortunately, we live in semi-rural central NC and not the Canadian prairies, so the winter weather is rarely lethal.
    I really hope that the pup is found safe and sound. It would have been terrible for us to have lost him to the elements, and as i’m an ex-resident of Winnipeg I understand how terrible the conditions can be at this time of year.

  12. Merry Christmas Kate, Hosts and all the SDA family. It is with a full belly from beginning new Christmas breakfast traditions that my new Bride and I wish you all a glorious and peace-filled Christmas.
    May you give and receive with grace, joy and thankfulness.
    Family will be coming later to enjoy bbq filet mignon and prawns, double-baked potatoes and many fixin’s. Puzzles, games and music will fill our evening. It will be glorious.

    1. Now, I want to eat at your place … although my SIL’s dad is something of a foodie … and is feeding us top drawer

      1. It would be an honour and pleasure to sup with you and yours. Just say the word and we will fire up the grill!!!

  13. God Bless You Kate and all the other searchers. Like greyone said, “come home Ruthie.”

  14. Merry Christmas to all!
    Hope you found the wee doggie and got a good rest from Clown World.
    Thanks for all you do pushing back on crazy.

    1. No good news. A scottie should have been fairly easy to track down, their short legs and low chests don’t lend to powering through rough terrain, and logically she would stay on the roads and lanes. But few signs but possible tracks in what little snow there is. But the area is crawling with coyotes, they were howling when I arrived this morning. I fear that may have been her fate. But we’re still holding out faint hope she’s hiding somewhere on one of the neighboring acreages waiting to be found.

      1. When I was living in Ottawa, my cat got out. He was an indoor cat. I had given up hope until a neighbor phoned me to tell me that he saw a cat matching the picture on posters I had distributed throughout the neighborhood.

        He was gone for five days… without food or water during all that time, but he made it through the ordeal relatively unscathed. I was so grateful to the Lord for bringing Max back to me, so that I could have two more years with him.

        I know what it must feel like to lose a pet. I can only say that my thoughts and prayers are with you, Kate, so that Ruthie also turns up safe and sound.

        Merry Christmas to all of you regardless of the circumstances.

  15. Our Havanese, Simba, busted out of a boarding kennel while we were away at my niece’s wedding. He survived over a week on his own, then finally decided to enter someone’s house and ask for help. Thanks to his ID chip we were reunited within a couple hours.

    Hoping for a similar outcome for Ruthie!

  16. Well I live a 115 km “beyond Hope”; so maybe your doggie will come back! 🙂
    Merry Christmas for the next 12 days.
    Cheers
    C in C
    1st St Nicolaas Army
    Army Group True North

  17. Merry Christmas to all and thank you Kate. We need your site in these times of the WOKE destruction of everything we believe in. Our prayers are with Ruthie and hope it won’t be long before she is home.

Navigation