Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

It's The Holidays~



and chaos rules supreme at Chez Cedar!

Our son, his sweet big dog, assorted luggage and
this is my favorite ...all his dirty clothes
have tumbled into the den!

Coal, the cat king,
Coal, on one of his thrones,
prefers a one pet household.

has never
completely embraced change and
is in a tizzy about the dog,
Baby
Baby at her home in RI
She's a kind dog.

taking up so much of his space!



The house is crowded with people and
filled with laughter!

It's as it should be!

Chaos rules supreme!

Mr I's favorite tree

After all, it's the holidays!

My dear friends, I wish you all a joy filled holiday~~ over flowing with laughter, love and a little bit more! Be safe and see you after Christmas.

Gail

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?
It came without ribbons.
It came without tags.
It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.

- Dr. Seuss

55 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas, Gail! Hope your holiday continues to be filled with love and laughter!

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  2. Love your decorated palm tree.

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  3. We all love our passions ... I like the tree! Happy Holidays!

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  4. Merry Christmas to you, Gail. Have a great time and come back with renewed energy and cheer. The palm tree looks great. Great job on it.

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  5. I love your husbands favorite tree Gail, I wish I were sitting under one right now! Poor Coal, I feel bad for him. He's probably wondering when on earth that dog is leaving! It must be confusing when things in their world get turned upside down. I'm glad there is laughter and joy in your home this holiday. You deserve that blessing and many more. The happiest of holidays to you, our cherished blogging friend.

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  6. Hi Gail,
    So this is the tree you've been hinting about? Definitely a very fun tree, but not enough room for ornaments for those of us obsessed with such things! :-) I hope you all have a wonderful, stress-free holiday and can bask in the warmth of the love, fire and companionship, even the animals! Make sure you stay up past midnight to see if the animals speak....

    Baby is adorable! Such a kind face and happy demeanor, I can just see it. I hope Coal King can adjust for a few days, but I guess it's just the interruption of the ordinary that riles them up (not being a cat owner/person). One thing (among many) we always loved about Pepa and Rolly was that they were always very welcoming of other dogs and were perfect hosts while they were here....

    This year our house will be sadly quiet, as we transition into the new year without them around.

    I'm glad you're having some much deserved and joyful chaos at your house! Enjoy!

    All the best to you and yours from our house to yours...!

    IVG

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  7. Merry Christmas Gail. Your cat really looks displeased with the interloper. Don't you just love the chaos?!It makes me happy just reading about it. Have fun...

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  8. Sounds as if your fun has already begun!! Woo-Hoo. Love the palm tree and Dr. Seuss is one of the best!! Merry Christmas.

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  9. Have a chaotically wonderful time over the holidays Gail
    Warm regards
    Karen

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  10. Merry Christmas Gail! Enjoy the chaos!

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  11. Merry Christmas, Gail! I can tell by your voice how happy you are to have that chaos also known as family descend upon you! Even though Coal may not be as glad as you and Mr. I to have it that way. Have fun and we will catch up after the holidays, my dear friend.

    Frances

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  12. I love it! All of it! I can just see Coal making himself scarce and the dog wondering what he did wrong. Mr. I has some good taste in trees! Merry Christmas to you and the family my dear blogging friend!

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  13. Dear Gail,

    Coal looks such a sweetie! Our two will be most jealous as I've been admiring another ;)

    Have a wonderful Christmas - I'm coming on over to get your tree. I want it! It's such fun!

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  14. Frances,

    Hello my friend! Oh, I do love it now, mess and all! We are having a brunch for family friends Christmas morning...they won't mind the chaos either! Have a wonderful time with the family...there are surely going to be great posts after the holidays! Warmest wishes to you and all your loved one! Gail

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  15. VP,

    How wonderful that you like the tree! It was brought home by the Mr! He loves it and it sits proudly in the open area of the house...we have a real tree in the den, that one's for traditionalists like our son!

    Happy Christmas my friend and I hope your New Year brings the best gardening weather to your plots!

    Gail

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  16. Tina,

    Hello dear! You would love Baby...and her story! She's a rescue puppy and she is bonded to our son! The look of love in here eyes when he comes in the house is incredible!

    Happiest of holidays to you...I am glad we have gotten to know one another this year and look forward to next year!

    Gail

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  17. Linda.

    Hello and thank you...I wish you a Merry Christmas filled with love! What a joy it has been getting to know you!

    gail

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  18. Karen,

    Thank you! It's a good thing I go with the flow or I could be nuts by now! I do hope you have a wonderful holiday!

    gail

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  19. Darla,

    He is and isn't that tree too much! This year's angel topper is my mom! A new topper is chosen every year!
    Not sure people want the honor but we have fun with it!

    Happy holidays to you~~

    gail

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  20. Robin,

    Thank you and I do hope yours is filled with laughter, good times, love and wonderful bird photos!

    Gail

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  21. Geri,

    Welcome to C&L and thank you! We are kind of crazy about it, too! Happiest holidays!

    gail

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  22. Joey,

    Hello! The tree is too funny and brings many comments and good stories! Have a joyous holiday and be safe out there!

    gail

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  23. Chandremouli,

    Thank you! Happiest New Year!

    gail

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  24. Gail,


    Wonderful, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

    Oven beeped -- gotta get the scones out! Yum.

    Cameron

    PS
    Your son and his laundry made me chuckle! My washer is now experiencing the third load from my son who got home last night. Chris is an archaeologist, so there was DIRT, real DIRT, on all of his clothes. Fortunately, he can operate the washer and dryer!

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  25. Kathleen,

    :-) Thank you...your words are very kind and are making me smile and tear at the same time!

    Wouldn't it be wonderful to take a walk on a warm beach and stop to sit beneath a palm tree! We can dream can't we! Have a wonderful Christmas....I am very glad to know you!

    Gail

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  26. Cameron,

    Kids! M, the son, is too funny...he is a phd student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and his field site trips are often messy...but he lives RI, so laundry is his problem!

    The scones recipe looks delicious! Scones. yummy!

    Have a wonderful Christmas!

    Gail

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  27. Lisa,

    I do love it! The cat would win the staring and evil looks battle over here...Baby the dog is too kind to engage in anything rough!

    Have a happy Christmas and I hope you see some great birds over the holidays to share with us!

    Gail

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  28. IVG,

    Hello my friend! I hope you and Fernymoss aren't too sad; of course you will be: you miss your sweet Pepa and Rolly. ((hugs))~~

    You would love Baby and her story was a sad one...she was abandoned at the vet's office and lived there too long as a blood donor...My son worked there one semester before he started grad school. M is a kind soul and walked Baby everyday. Of course they bonded! Baby was a fearful dog/submissive and she has grown into a delightfully funny and sweet member of his family!
    She is still sad when he leaves but not bereft!

    Christmas Trees are so much fun! You have created a beautiful one with your bulb collections! Now our Palm Tree is decorated differently each year! Last year it was monkeys, especially fez topped monkeys! That is a long story! This year it has palm trees and flamingoes, some monkeys and laminated photos of our friends and family.

    Now there is a real tree in the other room for the traditionalists! It's ornamented with our son's creations! We have to embarrass him some times!

    My dear, have a wonderful and joyous holiday!

    Gail

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  29. same to you gail, have a wonderful eve and day for christmas!

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  30. Merry Christmas to you and all your family!

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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  31. Wesołych Świąt!!
    What a lovely tree you have!

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  32. Coal does look disapproving on this throne. Why is it that cats have thrones and dogs have beds?

    I love your decorated palm tree too. It's tres chic!

    Have a wonderful Christmas!

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  33. Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2009,
    HM

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  34. HappyM,

    Happy Christmas to you, too!

    Gail

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  35. Sweet bay,

    The lack of an opposable thumb is all that keeps cats from ruling the world..they have to have thrones!

    Merry Christmas from Chez Cedar where we are certainly tres chic!

    Gail

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  36. That lighted palm tree would be right at home on 37th Street in Austin, Gail. Too fun! Enjoy your son's visit---and his dog---and make sure he does his own laundry before heading home. ;-) Merry Christmas!

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  37. Ewa,

    Dziekuje bardzo Merry Christmas to you!

    gail

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  38. Pam,

    It would wouldn't it! The cat and dog are too funny! The son better do his own laundry!

    Have a joyous holiday!

    gail

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  39. Carol,

    Hey there...you, too! Keep warm and safe.

    gail

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  40. Marmee,

    Thanks and isn't this weather so very unChristmas like! The rain is coming down sideways! Maybe we are lucky it's not cold..this would be a blizzard!

    Happiest Christmas to you,

    Gail

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  41. Donna,

    Hello! Happy Christmas to you dear! Keep dry out there!

    Gail

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  42. Merry Christmas, Gail!!!!

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  43. Kim,

    Happy Christmas to you, too!

    Gail

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  44. Merry Christmas Gail. Enjoy spending time with your family.

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  45. Northern Shade,

    Thank you and I hope you have a wonderful memory filled holiday!

    gail

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  46. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Gail! :)

    (And Baby, she looks like a sweetheart. I hope she and the kitty make friends, lol.)

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  47. Kim,

    Merry Christmas! Baby is a sweet dog...Coal might tolerate her but friends...he says No Way!

    Gail

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  48. Merry Christmas, Gail. Have a great holiday!

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  49. Gail: Merry Christmas! So glad to hear your son is home for the holidays! Peace, my friend.

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  50. Warmest wishes to you and yours. Love th etree! When my mom moved to FL I teased her about how silly those palm trees looked with lights wrapped up their trunks! Well, no sillier than our palm trees covered in snow here in Seattle right now!
    --Curmudgeon

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  51. I can just picture all the laughter and chaos...and the huge pile of stinky laundry, lol! Isn't Dr. Seuss the best? We gave out daughter a big hardcover collection of his stories.

    Merry Christmas!

    Amy

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  52. Hugs and Happy New Year. Laundry huh? Was it loads and loads? You knew it was coming..did you buy lots of laundry detergent before he arrived?

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  53. Hugs and Happy New Year. Laundry huh? Was it loads and loads? You knew it was coming..did you buy lots of laundry detergent before he arrived?

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  54. I'm late for wishing you a Merry Christmas so I'll be early to wish you a Happy New Year! I'm glad you are having time to spend with your son, even if some of it is in the laundry room.
    I love your tropical tree look!

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