Thanksgiving and Christmas of 2019 were what I would consider “normal” holidays. They were filled with coming and going, gathering and sharing as our extended family and friends enjoyed each other’s company. Christmas of 2020 was another story. Enforced and self-imposed restrictions resulting from the world-wide Covid-19 outbreak that escalated rapidly beginning in the early spring of last year kept our celebrations low-key and outdoors as much as possible.
The holidays in 2021 haven’t been much different. We are still gathering, but in smaller groups and still outside if weather permits.
Thanksgiving was an eating extravaganza for four at Jack and Vivian Christensen’s. The turkey was done to perfection, and Vivian’s cornbread dressing and mashed potatoes can’t be beat. It’s a good thing the weather allows us to take long walks every day; otherwise I would look as stuffed as the turkey.
Christmas followed, coming quickly as it always does. We decorated with some of our favorites including Mother's nativity sheltered beneath a Christmas cactus,
stockings for us and the dogs, with our three shepherds keeping watch.
Our favorite ornaments were displayed on our new horseshoe Christmas tree. I was worried that we wouldn't have room for a tree this year, but we were fortunate...one of the items at the silent auction at this year's Texas Sheep Dog Finals was the perfect tree. It came home with us, and will grace our home every year.
Christmas this year brings to mind the progressive dinners that were popular a number of years ago. You remember…we all lived close together and could have appetizers at one house, main course at another and dessert at a third. Our Christmas stretched over weeks, not hours. It started the weekend before when Brian and Debi joined us to turn the deer John harvested in Mason into sausage. The new kitchen in the barn gave us plenty of room to grind, mix, mash, stuff and turn it into links for the freezer.
Mallory, Gage and Myles were originally planning to join us for the sausage-making and to celebrate an early Christmas. However, a few days earlier, Mallory’s fiancé tested positive for Covid. Since she couldn’t join us, we postponed our Christmas with the grandkids.
Christmas Day found us sharing food, fun and festivities at Kathy and Eric’s with the two of them, Christian, and Sunny and Tisha Vanderbeck as well as Terry and Pattie Meyers who spent the holiday with us at the farm.
We made our way home by way of the Rock Church outside Cranfills Gap to enjoy the holiday decorations and marvel at this wonderful structure that has stood here since 1886. John and I had planned to attend Christmas Eve services at Rock Church this year, but cedar fever and head colds kept us home.
Christmas night found us sitting on the back porch in our shirt sleeves with Terry and Pattie, enjoying the balmy 70 degree weather. We had a bit of a scare when we headed for bed and called the dogs inside. Kota, Rue and Cody came inside, along with Chunk, Pattie and Terry’s big lab-mastiff mix. When I reached down to pat Cody, his neck and chest were stiff…with something. I assumed he had found a fresh “cow pie” and rolled in it. However, when I began cleaning him up, I discovered the stains on his coat weren’t brown; they were red. Blood-red. After I wiped off all the dried blood, we began to look for the wound or wounds, but there were none, thank goodness.
The next day, Pattie and I took the dogs for a walk around the pasture. They were obedient and came when called, rather quickly when they discovered that good dogs get treats.
We also found the source of the blood on Cody. He didn’t tell, but Kota and Rue ran over to smell the recently-deceased armadillo below the house. They stood, looking back and forth from the armadillo to me until I came over to see. I don’t know how Cody managed to chase and kill the armadillo without any of us or the other dogs hearing the commotion, but he was clearly the culprit. I’m sorry. We don’t have many armadillos on the place, and I hate to lose one. They are such wonderful, prehistoric-looking creatures and I enjoy watching them.
Pattie and I spent park of our day after Christmas working on a very challenging, but beautiful Liberty wooden jigsaw puzzle. We were proud of ourselves for finishing it in only one day. 
We had a wonderful time with the Meyers and Chunk. When they packed up to go home, Rue even considered going along.
John and I continued to nurse our colds and mostly stay home between Christmas and New Year’s. The cows and calves are doing well, and were most appreciative when we put out hay or range cubes. Our small herd now consists of G.W., the bull in charge, twelve cows, four “middles,” the older calves that we bought with their mothers a couple of months ago, and six “littles,” the new calves born between November 3 and December 12.
The calves are very curious about the dogs, and walk up bravely to get a closer look. The dogs hold their ground.
However, when a calf gets too close, Rue gives it her "border collie smile," which immediately precedes a nip on the nose and a lesson about who is in charge.
We spent a quiet New Year’s Eve and Day. Covid has again reared its ugly head in Stanford Valley. Our friends the Tigners, who first contracted the disease in August of 2020, have caught it for a second time and are staying in. The Cash-Vanderbecks were also planning a quiet evening, so we all wished each other a virtual Happy New Year and waited ’til morning to greet 2022.
Our Christmas was merry, but in a low-key, bifurcated way. We had looked forward to a postponed Christmas with Brian, Debi and the grandkids on January 2 and 3, but it was not to be..Mallory is still testing positive for Covid, and Myles was exposed when he spent Christmas with his dad’s family. We’ll try again later. Happy New Year!
