I've been making changes lately; tweaking things to be more economical and healthier, such as changing to the Energy Star 13-watt lightbulbs.  Lately, I've shopped around for vehicle insurance and changed to a lower coverage, which makes sense for an old vehicle like mine; gotten a much, much lower rate at AIG. 

Yesterday, I did not buy dogfood at Walmart.  I got it at the Farmers Feed Store and the brand name is Canidae.  Instead of two 20 lb. bags for $27.00 (approx.), I got one 40 lb. bag for $35.00.  It is made mostly of all meat meal products (60%) plus a number of other ingredients that are - wow! - really good for living bodies to consume.  Two of my dogs are exhibiting signs of severe allergies, and the other (Pepper) seemed to have a bladder infection, which may be why she couldn't last the whole night, in the recent past.  No more!  I have her on a regimen of amoxycillin, and the other two are getting only meat product food, plus rice and those other ingredients.  They are already liking the new food a lot. 

I also took the cover off the chicken's yard in the daytime yesterday, and I could tell she was a happy hen, being able to soak up a few rays of sunlight, plus get to see what is going on in her world.  Sometimes deer come up to her cage; bunnies, chipmunks and birds of all sorts like to commune with her, and I think she missed that a lot.  Even though it's cozier with the cover on, at least in the daytime, I'm going to take it off so she can see and get sun.

Ha!  I never did get beyond going outside and trying to move the chicken cage - it is frozen into the ground, so that's the end of moving her to the south side of the house.  And there's no hurry then to get the greenhouse built, went to town instead. 

My kids had a most excellent time in Green Bay on Sunday, and of course, my fav player, Donald Driver, was the only Packer to remain on the field after they won the game, blowing kisses to the fans.  What a champ!  And Brett and the others, of course, that played their hearts out.  What a bunch of champs!  My wish at the beginning of the season was that they should have the best year ever! and I think my wish is coming true.

So on and on, trying to look at things differently, imagining that I am gone, or living in another world, and this world could all be done differently then, by whoever it belongs to next.  Then making the changes that are making a difference, helping me to live better right now.  Put up my Christmas tree yesterday.  Even though it is 15 years old (tabletop - 2 ft. tall), it is still pretty and doesn't take up much space.  I also lit up my little ceramic Christmas tree.  When looking for my artificial wreath to hang on the door, I saw that it was already up, having left it there all year long. 

It reminds me of a story my mother told me - that my grandmother left her tree up until Easter one year.  But when she touched it to take it down, every needle fell off, and just the bare branches remained.  I am content with artificial.  Save a tree, I say.  I also have a pencil tree, but haven't put that up since Mom died.  It was her tree.  And I enjoy saying "Christmas" this and "Christmas" that; just to enforce that it is Christmas.  So Merry Christmas!