I. M. A. Not. E. Dog.

My Mom is makin' me writ I. M. A. Not. E. Dog 50 times so my paws R sore. I think they changed mi name to. It used to be jus Winston but I think it is now No. Not. E Winston! An why? Jus' 'cause I ate a whole choclite cake an I had to be watched and they had to call the docter. I did not eat it all. I evin saved sum 4 the cats.

O, then I chewed up mi bed. That is not mi falt to. It was lumpi so I was trin' to make it NOT lumpi. Is that MI falt? *sniff*

O, an thin I chewed my Daddi's slippr. Agin, NOT MI FALT! He leavd it wher I culd find it!

Por mi.

I ask u, is this the face of a Not. E. Dog?

Ssh. Here coms mi mean ol Mom. I hav 2 go bac to writin'.

Luv,

No. Not. E. Winston formly nown as jus Winston

A Bedtime Story By Winston

 I am pretty smart. At least my new Mom and Dad say I am. I am learning new things each day.

They told me all about Kipper and how he liked to write on this blog. I don't know what a blog is.

It does rhyme with dog, which I am. But it is NOT a dog.

Can you eat it? Chew it? Does it scratch your ears? Rub your tummy? No? Sounds pretty boring to me.

My new Mommy says I can *press* myself on it but when I tried to do that it made noises that scared me! Ohhhh....EXpress. I don't know what that is but I can do it on this blog says Mom. She says I can tell a story or a joke.

 Hmm. Stories make me sleepy (My mom reads to me sometimes) so read this when you want to go to bed okay? I don't want you to fall asleep sitting up! You might fall over and hurt yourself!

I know only one story. It's about a little dog. He was born and then lost. Then he got adopted by some people who were not very nice to him. Then he was rescued by some people who WERE nice to him! They told him they would help find him a forever home. He did not know what forever was. But he waited. And he waited. He learned how to sit and lay down. He learned how to ask to go outside to...to...you know.

Then one day some people came to see him. Then they left. The dog was sad because he liked the people and he thought they liked him. He kissed them a lot to show he liked them.

He hoped very hard they would come back. He hoped and hoped and hoped. And guess what? They did! They took him to their house and told the little dog he was now home. Forever. The little dog had never known forever so he is waiting to see what it is...till then the people are very nice to him. He has a soft bed to sleep in at night and a safe and comfy crate to nap in when they are away. (BUt they are never away TOO long) He has toys and bones. He gets treats, all he wants!

The people take him for walks, especially the new daddy. The little dog REALLY  likes the new daddy.

He gets to cuddle on the sofa while the people watch movies. He gets to lay on the new mommy's feet while she is on the computer. (She told him he is better than slippers for keeping her toes warm!)

The little dog has two cats to play with even when they sometimes don't WANT to play. He likes them anyway. He has a new Grandma and an uncle and a cousin and they like him too. He has a sissy and a brother who are nice to him. They tell him he is a "good boy" which is true. He IS! He has new friends and neighbors who are his friends and a park to play in and chase birds in. He LIKES to chase birds.

He is learning how much fun it is to ride in the car. His new people tell him he will get to go get something called ice cream next week. He hopes it's good!

He is warm when it is cold outside. He feels warm on his outside but also on his inside. He is happy and safe. He is loved. He thinks that is what forever must mean.

The End

(Ssshhh. Don't tell anyone but *I* am the little dog and this story is all about me!)

Happy New Year! Chinese New Year That Is!

~Xin nian kuai le - Gong xi fa cai ~

 Happy New Year - wishing you good fortune!

And guess what? February 3rd began the Year of the Rabbit!

We are all pretty excited about that here at Rabbit Run Cottage!

Chinese New Year is a holiday that celebrates the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar. It is considered to be one of the most important holidays for Chinese families.

The holiday is celebrated with big family gatherings, gift giving, the eating of symbolic foods and display of festive decorations--all focused on bringing good luck for the new year and celebrating the coming of Spring.

The start of Chinese New Year changes every year since it is dictated by the lunar calendar. The Gregorian or solar calendar--which is based on the Earth's movement around the sun and has a fixed number of 365 days a year (366 during a leap year)--is the most widely used calendar system in the world and has been the official calendar used in China since 1912.

But in China the lunar calendar is still used to determine traditional holidays like Chinese New Year. Since the lunar calendar is based on the phases of the moon-- which has a shorter cycle than the sun--Chinese New Year is never on the same day each year, but typically falls somewhere between January 21st and February 20th.

According to Daria Ng, Assistant Curator of Education at the Museum of Chinese in the Americas in New York City, celebrations can actually last up to a month, especially in China.

Originally the celebrations lasted for lengthy amounts of time because China was a very agriculture-based country so farmers took the whole month off to rest since crops couldn't be planted during the winter. Nowadays most families celebrate the New Year for about two week's time, says Ng, starting on the first day of the new year and end on the 15th.

I wanted to share with you some pictures taken at the Chinese new year celebrations

we have attended over the past few years!

 

Grace and two dear friends at the 2010 celebration!

                 

                                                                     Our Gracie in 2009

                                          And what would a Chinese New Year celebration
                                                            be without a dragon parade?

The Dragon is present in many Chinese cultural celebrations as the Chinese people often think of themselves as descendants of the mythical creature. On the fifth day of the New Year when many people have to start going back to work, they will also have the Dancing Dragons perform in the front of the office building. On the 15th day of the New Year (Yuan Xiao Jie), they will also have a lot of dancing dragon performances. The dragon represents prosperity, good luck and good fortune.

And we need a little of those right?

 

One tradition we enjoy is handing the children a red envelope!

Called "hong bao" in Mandarin, the red envelopes filled with money are typically only given to children or unmarried adults with no job. If you're single and working and making money, you still have to give the younger ones the hong bao money.

 The color red denotes good luck/fortune and happiness/abundance in the Chinese Culture and is often worn or used for decoration in other celebrations. It's just a joyous color to wear no matter the significance!

And never forget the fireworks!

Here is our Gracie celebrating Chinese New Year in 2005!

May good luck, joy and prosperity be yours in 2011 and always!

Welcome Winston!

We have a new member in our family!

Welcome Winston!

Win was adopted from a local rescue agency. He is almost a year old, a mix of Corgi and Cairn Terrier.

He is very loving, gentle and sweet. He loves the cats but they are still not too sure of him! Henry is coming around quickly however! Lucy will be the tougher sell!

We will miss Kipper forever but Winston is bringing so much energy back into our home. Energy and puppy kisses aplenty!

We are enjoying a sweet, slow day today. What a way to welcome February! Ice and snow have descended on us, as they have on many of you too! Danny's workplace closed as did the base so Bill is home too! No school in session either so Grace is happy!

We are all hunkered down and enjoying a free day together!

I hope each of you is staying warm and safe. Blessings to you all!

*Oh, and his favorite toy seems to be a little brown, squeaky bunny!

How appropriate for the new dog in charge at Rabbit Run Cottage!