Merry, merry, friends! And a very happy Christmas to you and yours!! Here’s a Cockamamy Christmas letter from us and ours (featuring our fabulously colored doors)…

The elders face off…and usually share this look with each other when the puppies are acting a fool (which is often). Milly, above left, is almost 7 years old, dances and does intricate figure-eight circles when she thinks you are reaching for the treats jar, is taking her role as “old lady of the house” very seriously, and needs a winter coat but refuses to wear one so she cuddles up next to the wood stove, lounges in the sun, and shivers and chatters audibly.

Jake, above right, is the dog who came with our house, the most well-mannered of them all, and is around 5 years old. He lives with us part time, hides under (or on top of) our bed when he hears gun shots or other loud noises, and wears the most amazing fur coat you’ve ever seen or felt or tired to brush.

The puppies, about 18 months old, play dress up…and are generally goofy when not sleeping. Okra, above left, is the brains of this operation. She survived an horrific car accident in January of this year and has healed remarkably well! She has yet to learn that she doesn’t need to put her feet on you just because you put your hand on her…she loves to pet you back. She also loves to out-run and out-wit her brother.

Fletcher, above right, is the brawn. He is well behaved (when Ben is the one talking) and wears the most amazing cat-eye-effect black eyeliner. He loves to wrestle and play chase and bark at things in the night and pretend to beat up his sister. But really, he’s very sweet and a total softy (despite that bark).

Here are some random photos of the dog pack from the last few months…

Milly, above, loves to sun herself in front of the big window while curled up on a wool sweater that was gifted by Tyler, Milly’s godfather, who prefers to call her “William.”

This, above, is pretty much the nightly scene…Milly takes the double stack of giant dog beds all to herself. Fletcher lays in the floor with his giant head on any real estate the old lady will allow. And Okra curls up on one of the square poufs (she’s perfected quite the balancing act!).

These two are pretty excited that they can be inside the garage and stick their heads into the laundry room to say hello. It’s gonna blow their minds when that window becomes a door!

Jake’s one-eyed-selfie with one of our chicken’s gi-nor-mous eggs. I say “Yowza, that’s gotta hurt!” Jake doesn’t look impressed.

Here we are, above, at a summer music festival during which I scarcely moved from the blanket. It was glorious!! Sunshine, amazing live music, a bright blue sky, and nowhere else to be. Plus, Willie Nelson. ‘Nuf said.

Here’s another of my favorite summer memories…getting all gussied up for the weddings of friends and family. We clean up pretty nice, if I do say so myself. Of course, Ben would be a lot more comfortable if he could wear Carharts with that shirt and tie instead of his suit.

As I type this post, it is single-digit temps outside with wind chills in the double-digit negatives. The summertime  photos above makes me super happy (great memories) and jealous/sad (no coats/gloves/scarves/snowboots required) at the same time. Will warmth ever return? Will the days get longer and the daylight stretch past my bedtime? This is all I want for Christmas! Santa, won’t you bring me summer time?

If you are suffering from a similar cold-weather-induced malaise, please watch our Cockamamy Christmas video from last year…it won’t necessarily make you warmer, but you might work up a bit of a sweat laughing at our ridiculousness.

Many blessings on y’all, dear friends, for a very Merry Christmas season!