The Holiday Season has begun.

Lots of catching up to do here. The preparations for Thanksgiving have come and gone and in spite of the crazy weather we need to turn our attention to the next big event. Christmas. So while I am making plans for our 2017 Christmas card project I need to recap the events of the past two weeks.

I know you all realize this has been a very bad year for us. The loss of the two most important members of our family have saddened us all. And I am constantly reminded of that by most of the photos I look at every day. Adding to our great sorrow is the current state of Ruffin's loss of eyesight. And one small fact that both Ruffin and Bessie now spend a large part of their day hanging out with me tells me they are just as lonely as I am.

We had a very special surprise this week.

Had a wonderful visit here on Tuesday with a very special lady. Theresa Howard and her husband Ray, drove in from Missouri to have Thanksgiving dinner with their family in Cincinnati and they wanted to stop by a see Ruffin. Ruff is one of Theresa's kids, as she calls them, she is the breeder I got him from 11 years ago.

And I think we have answered the big question about what makes Ruff so attracted to women. Someone suggested that Ruffin's memory was imprinted with the scent of the first person who picked him up and handled him. Today I found it went even further than that. Theresa told me she had to lay down in the whelping box to keep the babies warm because the Rottie mother wouldn't do it.

And yes, the minute Ruffin was hugged by Theresa he seemed to be stirred by some very old memory. I saw him react when he first got her scent.

And here is a photo of Theresa's canine family today and that gorgeous Rottweiler is Ruffin's sister. Theresa has plans to return to Cincinnati next year and I asked her to bring Ruffin's sister on her next visit.

For a few days before Thanksgiving the weather had gotten so cold I thought that Winter was coming early. The news from out West that snowfall in Jackson Hole, Wyoming had reached a historical high of 100 inches brought memories of some of our wonderful Winter scenes that our Rottweilers all enjoyed.

While these photos look like they belong on a Christmas card they are not the typical Winter scenes here in Kentucky. I read how people dread winter driving and I combined two very different photos to illustrate the point. The photo on the left is what we usually get for snow and the photo on the right is from Bear Tooth Hwy, Montana. I've never been there and didn't take that photo.

But once in awhile we do have a nasty visit from Mother Nature. I vividly remember the overnight ice storm on February 15, 2007. I stood outside around Midnight after the storm passed and it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop except for the loud explosions of tree branches snapping under the weight of the ice.

Ruffin has always enjoyed the snow and the more we got the more he enjoyed it. And while the memories are strong and beautiful I wonder how he will take the new snow this year.

Funny to have to refocus my thoughts on Christmas as the weather outside has gone in the opposite direction. The temperature since Thanksgiving has been in the mid '50s and while we are changing seasons we need to take a look ahead.

Turkey Bird Day is over and we all know what's next. So here's a sample.

“How long do we gotta wear these funny hats?” Bessie asked. And Santa Daddy answered, “Only until Christmas.”

So now I must plan on our 2017 Christmas card.