Christmastime is here...

The cooking is finished, the guests are gone, the dishes are done, the turkey stock is in the fridge. Our eclectic guest list, which gave us some pause after we'd invited everyone, turned out just fine.

Pearl even had a visiting wire fox terrier, Ted, and they got along until I foolishly gave them each a treat as we sat down to dinner.

From beneath the table came the sound of snarling, barking, and general mayhem. We pulled them apart, sat down, and they went at it again. Pearl was confined to a bedroom for the rest of the meal, but afterward Pearl and Ted frolicked in the snow outside and all was well again.

As usual, I made enough food for the 42nd Airborne division. The good part about that is that no further cooking will be required until the spring thaw.