I want to send out a special thank you out to Callum's second-grade teacher. Thank you so much for assigning a diorama project. I love those! What fun! Especially at this time of year. It's not like there are lights to be hung, cookies to be baked, Christmas cards to be addressed, mantles to be decorated and gifts to be crafted (not to mention laundry, cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping).

A mid-afternoon delivery of beer and fudge got us through it. Callum especially appreciated the beer. (It's a JOKE, people. No need to go hit speed-dial for social services.)

And we present: the desert habitat diorama. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

P.S. Thank you all so much for your comments, calls and e-mails checking in on sweet Violet. She's fine now. Was back home that evening, and back to her old self by the next day. She'd had a reaction to her distemper vaccine and went into anaphylactic shock. Thank God we were still there and have such a great vet in Dr. Dragon (no kidding, that's her name!). She's been milking it like nobody's business, and you know what. I agree, she deserves some extra loving.