Best. Dog. Ever.

As many of you know we lost our Cardigan Welsh Corgi last week.  Max was almost twelve.  And quite honestly, the best dog ever.   Except for the final two days, I can never remember him being unhappy.  He approached life with a joy and abandon I can only wish to achieve.  Every single day was an adventure.  Whether chasing squirrels in Central Park, posing for his fans on walks, herding the cat, or just sleeping across my feet as I wrote, he was always happy.   And because of that, my spirits were usually lifted as well.   So just a few moments to honor my dog, who is hopefully somewhere up there running with the big boys.  Max, we love you!

Rest in Peace Puppy!

 

Happy Holidays!

Manhattan is decked in its finest. The tree at Rockefeller Center.  The department store windows.   There are Santas on the corners and the smell of roasting chestnuts from sidewalk vendors.  Skaters in Central park and holiday markets springing up everywhere.  Even the buildings are gaily decorated—Christmas trees and menorah’s shining in lobbies and windows across the city.

Tis’ the season and magic is in the air.  Not just in the city—but everywhere!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a fabulous new year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The first Thanksgiving after I was married, I cooked dinner for my brother-in-law and my new husband.  I was so excited and determined to put on a great feast.  Everything that could possibly have gone wrong with that meal—did.  The rolls never rose.  The piecrust literally dripped off of the pan and onto the bottom of the oven.  Having carefully secured cherished family recipes, I proceeded to make them as written even though they’d been intended for crowds of 10 to 12 people.  There were just three of us, and as you can imagine a mountain of food—most of it with something desperately wrong.

And then as if it couldn’t possibly get worse, we poured the wine into our new crystal goblets and toasted our “feast”.  My brother-in-law lifted the glass to his lips and promptly dripped wine on his shirt.  We all laughed and then he did it again.  This time much worse.  And it was then that we realized that it wasn’t my brother-in-law, it was the glass—the beautiful Waterford glass.  The glass had been cut through in several places, making it probably one of the world’s most expensive dribble glasses.

That was over twenty years ago, and I have since learned to make Thanksgiving dinner in proper proportion.  Everything usually comes out as it’s supposed to be.  And none of the crystal dribbles wine on anyone.   Much more civilized, but I will always remember that first Thanksgiving with fondness.  My brother-in-law is probably just glad we exchanged the glass.

This is the time of year, as we gear up for the holiday season, to stop and remember all the wonderful things we have in our lives.  No matter how challenging things may be, there’s always something to be grateful for.   We just have to stop long enough to look around and see it.

 

Here’s wishing you and yours a magnificent Thanksgiving with your family and friends!