Finish & Start

Hello Friends.

I put together a little video of how I finished off 2012.  MOM took me to the Fort to get my romp on.


Yea it was, as always, fun fun fun.  It had snowed some more in the morning so there was a fresh layer of powder.  And oh dog was is light a fluffy.  In the next couple of days I will show you more photos of this great day.  So that is how I ushered out 2012 and I was ready to tackle 2013.

 And here I am tackling the entry or 2013.

Oh don't worry by mornings light I will be ready for anything the day or year brings.  

Blessings,

Goose

White as Snow

Hello Friends.

One of God’s amazing creations is snow.

During the early part of the 20th century a man by the name of Wilson Bentley developed a camera capable of photographing individual flakes. During his life time he photographed over 5,000 snowflakes and declared that no two snowflakes are alike.

Scientists agree that it would be very rare for two to be identical considering the conditions necessary for each one to form.  Microscopic photography reveals that snowflakes are wonderfully beautiful works of art.

 How wonderful the Lord is to make something so delicate and beautiful.

There is another aspect that snow reminds me of.  The Bible speaks of snow as a symbol for new life.  And I am reminded of this as we are about to begin a New Year.  We read in the book of Isaiah -

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD,
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
(Isaiah 1:18)

During Biblical times the colors crimson and scarlet were made from a worm that lived in that region.  It has been said that the stain developed from this worm’s body was so potent that once it penetrated into a piece of fabric, nothing could remove it.

I wonders if the Lord had this in mind when he guided Isaiah to write – ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ In other words – ‘Though sin and all its ugliness has so penetrated your soul that it seems that nothing can remove it, I can make you beautifully clean.’

I think in this verse God is taking the initiative by allowing us to turn from our ugly ways and discover a new beautiful life.  And beautiful life that has always been meant to be.  A beautiful life that is within each and every one of us.

What is even more remarkable is God is not asking us to clean up our life, to get everything together THEN come and meet him.  He says come as you are and I will wash you and make you as beautiful as snow.

As I romp in this wonderful snow this is my prayer, "Lord I long to be perfectly whole; I desire you to always live in my soul.  Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Let nothing ugly remain, with your blood erase every stain, so only your beauty remains.  Whiter than snow, wash me now and I will be whiter than snow."

May you find new life, a life as beautiful as freshly fallen snow in this New year.

Blessings,

Goose

Black & White Sunday

Hello Friends.

Just another beautiful day romping in the powder.

Blessings,

Goose

Snow Laser

Hello Friends.

We have gotten a lot of snow since Christmas.  MOM has shoved so much snow the shovel handle has permanent hand groves in it.  But she is not complaining, she is just happy she is able to do it and help our neighbor as well.  There are a lot of things I like about snow, the new life it will bring in Spring, the way all things look new when covered, the peaceful feeling I get when I sit on the couch and look out the window, it's just so beautiful.  But the thing I think I like best is chasing my laser light in the snow.  I had MOM take a video of me doing just that.  First we played a while with the light outside.  Then MOM went in to get her camera to video me.  She did a pretty good job considering she had to hold the camera and the laser light and some how follow me around with the camera.  It is blurry in some spots but it goes back in focus again.  Want to take a look? Let's go.




Oh dog is that fun!  Let me tell you friends when we say we have "The Greatest Snow on Earth" we are not kidding.  It is not wet and heavy.  It is light and fluffy and nothing but powder.  Pure joy.

After my romp in the snow I settled in on the couch with my MOM and Billy the Moose.  Can't wait to do it all over again.  How about you all come and join me.
Blessings,
Goose

New Addition

Hello Friends.

Did I mention yesterday that on Christmas day we got a new addition to our family?  No?  Can't believe I didn't tell you about that.  Well let me introduce you to my new friend.

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Ready?

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Meet our new addition to the family.

"Hey little guy."

He's already looking up to me.  

His name is Berry.  You'll have to wait for Spring to find out why I named him that.  

It might be a long wait since we got like 87 inches of snow today and it is still snowing.

Blessings,

Goose

Oh My goodness

Hello Friends.

I trust everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Oh my goodness I did.  I can't possibly show you everything in one post, so I may have to spread it all out. Let's begin shall we.

Christmas morning started like this for me.  As I mentioned earlier my MOM does not get home from church until about 1AM.  But this time it was more like 1:30AM Christmas morning.  Then we snuggle up on the couch and watch "A Muppet Christmas Carol."  I will admit that I fell asleep about 30 minutes into it.  But then around a quarter to 6 it was present time.

But first let me give you the card count.

Goose-  113

MOM-    21

Both-    10

Thank you to each and everyone of you for your wonderful cards.  I love, love each one!

This here my pile of presents.  Well two of these are for both me and my MOM.

"Hey MOM can I open them now?"

My gift exchange partner was Mayor Elect Madi, and look at this very cool squirrel (MOM says it's a fox).  

It tried to get away.  But I put a stop to it.  hehehe.  I love it Madi, thank you, thank you.  And not only did she sent me this great stuffie but she gave my MOM a very beautiful scarf AND AND she also sent me a STICK all the way from her yard!  How cool is that?!!  Speaking of sticks I received 9 sticks.  Sticks of all kinds, real sticks, toy sticks and even a cross stitched stick that hangs on my wall now.  You pups and kit kats really know what I like.

This is my new Moose friend, Billy.  I named him Billy because my good friends Buddy and Lilly gave him to me.  After I opened all my presents I snuggled in with Billy and took a little snooze.

OK it was longer than a snooze.  But I was very tired after opening all my gifts.  And Billy stayed with me the whole time.  When I woke up I remembered I did not look to see what was inside my stocking!  Want to see what was in my stocking?  It was the best gift EVER!!

Yep that is right, it's my MOM.  My MOM's foot was in my stocking.  I got exactly what I wanted for Christmas, to spend the whole day with her.

And then I took another nap.  Yep perfect day for Goose.  But you know what?  Even if I did not get a tree, or a stocking or even any presents it still would have been perfect because I got to spend it with the one I love and that is all that really matters.  In fact that's what Christmas is all about, LOVE.  I hope your Christmas was filled with love overflowing, and that your cup continues to spill over the brim each and every day.

Blessings,

Goose 

Merry Christmas

Hello Friends.

MOM and I want to wish each of you a Merry Christmas.  And if that is not your thing then we wish you a very happy holiday.

What do I love about Christmas?  Does my delight reside in things?  Or are the feelings in my heart the real gift that Christmas brings.  It's seeing those I love both near and far.  And appreciating those who have brought me joy.  Special friends just like you.

Merry Merry Christmas friends.  I wish you and your family health, happiness, wonder, joy and beauty.  You all have blessed this Goose greatly!

Blessings,

Goose

Jump for Joy

Hello Friends.

Everyone has one annual event, or one family tradition, that definitively makes Christmas official.  What is yours? What ritual do you and your peeps do that inaugurates the Christmas season?

For some it's the hanging of the greens the act of putting up the tree, decorating it and the house with all those much-loved cheesy, twinkly, shiny ornaments.  For others it may be a traditional cookie-baking marathon (YUMMMM) creating a multitude of different sweet delights and whose aroma brings the Christmas holiday alive in the home.

Or maybe it's the music, the first sound of a Christmas carols as you ride in the car, or maybe just endlessly rotating supply of Christmas music drifting through the house.  For me and my MOM it's when she gets home from Christmas Eve services at about 1AM and we cuddle on the couch and watch "A Muppet Christmas Carol."  Whatever the event or activity that makes Christmas for you, the result is a sudden surge of joy in your soul, satisfaction of spirit, peace in your heart.

Do you ever let yourself jump for joy?  Of course you do, you are pups and kitties, that what we do.  But what gets your peeps not only on their feet, but off their feet and into the air?

The only place adults jump for joy that is socially sanctioned is at sporting events. When the puck skids into the net, the ball swooshes through the hoop, the player speeds over the goal line, crowds get off their seat, spring to their feet, and jump up and down with the excitement of the moment.

 But other than celebrating a scoring victory in sports, they are pretty shy about expressing so much giddy happiness, that they literally jump for joy.  They leave the joyful gymnastics to us and children.

In fact, in Luke 1:39-45 it's a child who jumps for joy when the miracle of Christmas first appears.  In his first prophetic act, the still unborn John the Baptist leaped in his mother Elizabeth's womb when Mary walked in and greeted her.  The Messiah himself is now before Elizabeth and her unborn child. This awesome proximity immediately fills Zechariah's small home with all the joy, all the hopes, all the prayers for the redeeming Messiah that the people of God have been waiting for.  No wonder the yet-to-be-born John the Baptist jumps for joy.

Every few years some film studio puts out another "life of Christ" movie. No matter how pious or reverent, how controversial or creative, how inspired or uninteresting, all these films share a common vision of Jesus the Messiah, the Christ. He is always portrayed as some tall, long-locked, solemn, sermon-spouting fellow who walks as though he is treading on eggshells and whose face always looks as though he has just finished sucking on a big kosher dill pickle.  I find that interesting.  Every film-maker is anxious to show how being the Messiah was a soul-sobering, mind-sombering business.

Think how scandalized even the most modern film-maker would be if some radical director cast for Jesus a short guy with a round little belly, that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly! Bawhahhaha it will never happen!

No, Jesus wasn't Santa Claus.  But it's almost as if the peeps need Santa at Christmas to free them to laugh and jump for joy at Jesus' coming. If we didn't have Santa, but just had Jesus, could they be merry at Christmas? Does anyone else find something tragic about this?

Do you really think Jesus would have been such a popular party guest on the "A" list of all the local rowdies (the tax collectors, the rich, the morally lax) if he was nothing but a sad sack, despairing wet blanket?

When Jesus healed the man who had been confined to his bed for years, don't you think both the healed and the healer grabbed each other, whooped and danced, and jumped for joy at the audacity of such a miracle?

Do you really think Jesus would have just patted Jairus' daughter on the head and solemnly walked away from a child suddenly breathing again, suddenly filled with life again? Surely Jesus, who so loved to have children surround him, scooped her up and swung her around in delight, for her life was a miracle.

As the loaves and fishes began to multiply, filling the hands and bellies of more and more, until the whole hillside of five thousand plus were eating, and baskets of leftovers were being collected, did no one jump to his or her feet and let out a victory whoop?

 Did Jesus' disciples just plunk down their baskets and their butt's next to a statue-still Jesus?  Why can't we imagine Jesus and the disciples dissolving into a joyous food fight with all those baskets of leftovers, reveling in the unabashed excess of God's gifts?

Perhaps the peeps need Santa at Christmas to help them be merry and joyous because they have a flawed understanding of Jesus.  The first reaction to Jesus' presence on earth, of God-in-our-midst, was joy. Joy so tremendous, joy so utterly overwhelming that it must somehow escape the bounds of earth itself and jump towards the heavens.

Joy to the world. . . let heaven and nature sing! Let the beat of your heart beat in rhythm with the universe.  Jump for Joy!
Blessings,
Goose

Sanity Restored

Hello Friends.

MOM's sanity has been restored.  Or we ran out of beer.  Hehehhee just kidding, we still have plenty of beer.

 See here I am in front of all my cards and I am not wearing antlars, or a pink hat, and NO bells.  Just me and my cards.  Speaking of cards the count is...

 Goose- 89

MOM-  16

    Both-    9     

Just me and my stuffies friends singing around the Christmas tree.

Life is good.

Hey stop on by my friend Sasha's and wish her a happy Gotcha Day and read her happy ending story.

Blessings,

Goose