And then. . .

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Four calling birds

Those darn birds, they just keep calling. Luckily, Dharma has a cute little pink phone to answer. Yes, it is a real phone. It usually sits on the bedside table. Emilie always wanted a cute little pink phone. When she saw one at Target, she couldn't resist.

Dharma and her "aunt," Holly

Dharma has made friends with Holly, but Holly is definitely the alpha dog. As long as there are plenty of toys for all, they get along just fine. Is there anything cuter than a doxie? Yes, TWO DOXIES!

Emilie and Dharma, Nancy and Holly

The third day. . .

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Three French hens (scroll down for the rest of the verse)

Dharma says, "Boy, those French hens sure were yummy. Capons, I think they were. The meuniere sauce was just lovely. And they left me these cute hats." Actually, she did get a tiny tidbit of turkey for Christmas dinner. But no gravy, and definitely no pie.

Yep, she's so happy her eyes are glowing. At least its not the red eyed "devil dog" look. What's a devil dog? A little chocolate snack cake. Maybe Dharma could be a Devil Dog for her next Halloween costume?

On the Second Day of Christmas

My true love gave to me two (tasty) turtledoves

No, they're not really turtle doves, they're a chickadee and a cardinal, ornaments from our Christmas tree. Dharma has been very good around the tree, especially after the plastic branches scratched her little nose. Of course, we haven't done anything really foolish, like leaving a wrapped package with dog biscuits in it under the tree.

No, the putative second doxie is not going to be a baby sister for Dharma. She is my mom's dog, Holly. (Yes, she was a Christmas present several years ago, can you tell by the name?) With any luck, we will be able to get them to pose in the same picture without attacking each other or eating the props. And if we do, we will consider that to be a Christmas miracle!

Historical note: when the Song of Solomon in the Bible says "And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land," they don't mean a tortoise-type animal. I always wondered what a turtle's voice sounded like when I was a kid. Remember, English has changed a bit since King James had the Bible translated into English. They mean a turtleDOVE. Makes so much more sense that way. Derek's mom read this passage at our wedding:

For, lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

See a lovely turtledove here.

Song of Solomon 2:11-12

The First Day of Christmas. . .

No, Christmas isn't over. It's just begun! In an effort to limit any post-Christmas blues, we will bring you the 12 Days of Dachshunds, with a 12 Days of Christmas theme. (Yes, with any luck, there will be TWO doxies appearing in these pictures.) The first day of Christmas is, well, Christmas. They continue until Epiphany, the day the Three Wisemen visited and brought the first Christmas presents. In the middle ages, the feasting and drinking went on for all twelve days. Of course, they didn't get weekends off from work, so they had to make up for that injustice somehow.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . .

A Puppy and a Pear Tree*

*Botanical acccuracy not included.

Merry Christmas, from Derek, Emilie, and Dharma!

Giving Thanks

A little late, but isn't the whole point of Thanksgiving to be grateful for what you have every day of the year? I really am thankful for many things. Sometimes I feel so lucky that I worry because I don't deserve it all. And, we all know, karma is a bitch. I have a wonderful husband, great friends and family. I have a job I really love, that I am able to do despite my health issues. We have a cute little house of our very own, and an even cuter puppy. But I am also very grateful for little, totally trivial things that make me happy every day. Here are some of them.

1. Lotion. I don't think I'd be alive if I didn't have lotion. I would have shriveled up into a large, pink prune. Lotion is actually a pretty amazing, high-tech invention. It mixes oil and water and keeps them mixed. Just try doing that at home, folks. Before there was lotion, people just slathered on oil. Ick. That's why they talk about anointing kings with oil. Nope, I'll take lotion any day. In all its scented incarnations. Current favorite: Burt's Bee's Almond Milk and Beeswax Hand Cream. Dharma says it is quite tasty, too. I'll just take her word for it.

2. Knee socks. I do love cute, fuzzy socks in general. And I love knee socks even more. They make me feel warm and cozy just looking at them. And Derek thinks they're cute. A-hem. And I love it that knee socks keep me snug even when my nightgown rides up around my knees. Why do they do that? And, while I'm wondering, why don't they make pjs with feet in my size?

3. Candles. I love the light, the motion, the soothing distraction. And the scents. I even like lighting more than one scented candle at once: cinnamon and apple make an apple pie scented room. Vanilla and almond make cookie scented. Tee-hee. And I am very grateful that I don't NEED to see by candles. I can flip on a light and read by it, while I enjoy a purely decorative candle. Much nicer than squinting to sew by hand in candlelight.

4. Books. I love it that I can have tons and tons of books. So many that I learned to speed-read during grad school. What a luxury to have so many books that I can devour as many as I want and never run out. I estimate that I own about 1000 books, not including Derek's books. The library at the medieval monastery of Melk, in Germany, was famous all over Europe for its huge library. They had about 300 books.

5. And libraries. I still can hardly believe that I can go borrow as many books as I can carry for free. And movies and music, too. I read all sorts of things I would never actually pay money for, like The Physics of Star Trek and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dog Tricks and every book the library has about crocheting and interior decorating. They have a whole book about buying a couch. And that's just the public library. There's also the IU library. I actually don't usually go there. I have bad memories of that library, including fainting once in the stacks. (Orthostatic hypotension, I bent over to grab one too many books on the bottom shelf, then passed out when I stood up.) Not to mention the general bad memories of grad school and IU. And to think IU actually called and asked me to donate money to the history department. Uh, let's just say I don't think they'll be calling me again.

6. The internet. Besides the endless goofing off potential, it also lets me access things quickly and easily. I even love the serendipitous misleads I get on Google. When a student asked about syphilis in class the other day (we were talking about the impact of disease on history, like Jared Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel theory.) And I could immediately pull up pictures of the lesions and of a map showing its (theoretical) spread from the New World to the Old. I don't think THOSE students will be practicing unsafe sex any time soon!

7. Bellydance. I love dancing, and I like bellydance best of all. It is still amazing to me that I am able to dance at all with my joint problems. But I can actually do this. I read an article in Arthritis Today magazine in which a doctor said something like "My patients who exercise tell me they hurt after they work out. But my patients who don't exercise tell me they hurt 24 hours a day." So, yes, it hurts my joints, but I think it is good for me. Mentally, too. I love the ladies I dance with, especially the other members of our troupe. And I love performing. I think I draw energy from the dancing, rather than being worn out by it. Is that possible?



I was going for a top-ten list, but I think these seven things are quite enough. Yes, I have a lot to be thankful for. And, no, I didn't forget your doxie dose:

I think the most appropriate caption for this pictures is "Slllluuuurp!!!"

Dharma, The Ecdysiast

Inspired by a previous post, Johnson's Meeting House's designated Poet Laureate penned the following verse and agreed to let us share it with everybody...

The Ecdysiast

Doubt she’ll ever have the
Notoriety of Gypsy Rose Lee;
Or appear on the Sho-Bar stage
Baring all for the world to see.

Never walk the streets of Dallas
Oozing sensuality of a “bur-le-que” queen.
Or grace, like Candy Barr,
The pages of Oui Magazine.

She’s not likely to wave fans
With a feather boa around her throat.
Her favorite dress of choice
Is a cuddly leopard skin coat!

Nor enter the Hall of Fame
Like many ladies of the past;
She’s Bloomington, Indiana’s
One and only, Dharma, the ecdysiast!

Tom—November 2008