As I write this it is pouring down rain outside.  I got the Christmas tree up and decorated the weekend after Thanksgiving.  We had a little party and let the grandkids do the work.  Lots of fun and food. Since then I have been in gathering mode, shopping for a gift here, another there.  I've also been sewing up a storm.  I completed shirts for two of my grandsons and continue to work on one more shirt and a dress for my granddaughter, Eden.  I also made two new blankets, one for Logan who misplaced his treasured old blanket and one for Eden whose blanket has seen better days.  

The animals have been enjoying our cooler temperatures, at least until today and the rain.  They are all hiding out of the wet today.  One of my little goats was injured by another one when they butted heads.  The base of his horn bled a little and he seems to be staying clear of any battles lately.  The bleeding didn't last long so I think he will be OK.

Mikey, my barn cat, has killed two squirrels this week.  I think they were stealing his cat food so he put an end to that.  One of the squirrels was eaten and looked like he had his revenge by the looks of the vomit on the floor.  Course Mikey didn't clean up the mess.  He did the hunting after all.  Loki, my house cat, has been mostly staying in the house.  He doesn't like the cold, the wet, or the coyotes! He prefers to watch me cut out shirts and lay in the middle of the work table until I remove him to a less intrusive locale.

The remaining alpacas seem to be healthy for now and I have not taken them back to the vet.  I'm pretty sure I will be trying to sell them after the new year.  The deaths of Tinker and Kardigan have taken the thrill out of alpaca farming for me.  Perhaps it was a mistake to just get males or maybe a blessing.  Either way, I learned a lot and enjoyed them most of the time but I think it is time to move on to something else.

There will probably be more snow on the mountains since we are having rain down here.  I'm glad we do not get much snow but sometimes I do miss the green that comes from living in a wetter climate.  Only 12 days til Christmas!  Reminds me of that song, "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..."  Enjoy the holidays!