It's Christmastime in the Small Town

I'm back in Kansas for my family's annual Christmas celebration. I've only been here for two days, but boy, what a two days has it been!

In the past two days, I've twice, with my nephew in tow, made the trek to the nearest Wal-Mart, which is 25 miles away. I have once become extremely frustrated that there's not a store open in town past 9 pm (apparently I've been gone too long and forgotten what it's like to live in such a small place). I've baked, I've cooked, I've wrapped presents, I've talked to my mom endlessly, I've beaded, I've had a major blowout with the world's biggest jerk, and I've tried to rest, but sleep has, for the most part, been quite elusive.

Tomorrow, however, is the truly magical day - Christmas. I love Christmas. I love the joy and happiness of the day. I love the sounds of ripping paper and the delight in my nephew's eyes as he opens his gifts. I love the time I spend with my family. I love the food - the special things that we, for some reason, make only once a year. I love everything about Christmas - even the craziness the precludes the holiday.

There are people I would love to be able to see tomorrow who, alas, won't be part of my day for a variety of reasons. I'll be thinking of them and hope that they know that they'll be here with me in my heart.

I've still got much to do yet this evening - a stocking to stuff, presents to wrap, gifts to arrange under the tree, and a cheesecake left to bake. Amid all of the hustle and bustle, though, I wanted to take the time to wish each and every one of you a safe, happy, wonderful, merry, joyous, and beautiful Christmas.

The Company You Can Trust? Not a Chance!

While playing on the Internet this afternoon, I came across a story that I thought had to be false -- a dog in New York had to have his tongue amputated because it was injured while he was playing with a toy. This toy, a Pimple Ball by Four Paws, had a defect that, in essence, led to this dog's loss of his tongue.

I did a little more investigation and found out, via Snopes, that this story is, indeed, true. You can follow Chai's story here: http://www.thechaistory.blogspot.com/ I will warn you, however, that the videos will break your heart. I literally cried.

I'm a proud dog mom -- Tess means more to me than pretty much anything in this world. That's why I'm going through her toy box tonight to see if she has any of these toys. I know that she did in the past, but I'm not sure if she still has them; if she does, she doesn't play with them, but I'll be getting rid of them because Tanner plays with her toys when he comes to visit.

Four Paws, the manufacturer of this ball, bills itself as "The Company You Can Trust." Like hell! They just finally, after many months of fighting it, issued a recall of sorts for these toys. I'm with Chai's dad, though, in not believing it's a very stringent recall -- a quick google search led me to sites where I could purchase this ball. I'll be boycotting this company and encourage each and every one of you to do the same.

I can only imagine how I would feel if it was Tess (or Tanner, Cooper, Gwyneth, or any of the other dogs I love) who were in this situation. I'm sending healing thoughts Chai's way and will be writing to Four Paws. Let's make our purchasing power, or lack thereof, known to this company and hit them where it hurts the most -- the bottom line.