Molesting the Christmas Tree..........

We were a bit late getting our Christmas tree up this year. I suppose in all honesty it's not really done being decorated but probably as decorated as it's going to get. The finishing touches are in place except for the topper which seems to be a challenge in these parts.

Garlands of colored popcorn, my kids strung when they were little that I carefully save each year, always has a place of honor on any tree in my house. It is joined by big old fashioned candy canes, not those little things you get at the store these days too small for the hook to fit over a branch and even if it could restricted by that silly square packaging. I mean REAL candy canes, if you get my drift. I don't really know why those two things are important to me but for some reason it's just not Christmas without them.



Last year Delilah and Sugar will still puppyish at Christmas time. Maybe because of that we were better about keeping track of their antics around the Christmas tree last year. Mostly any problems we've ever had with the tree being attacked have come from the felines who also call this place home BUT it appears that this year, that's definitely changing.

You see BOTH dogs have been caught being way too curious about the adornments on the tree. The tell tale clank of ornaments gives the nosing dogs away. Just a little sniffing wouldn't be too bad but anyone who has dogs knows nothing stops with "just sniffing." They're up to something...........those two are.

One dog is way more guilty than the other in a particularly sneaky way. Or maybe the one dog is just not sneaky enough and she manages to get caught.

The Siberian husky, Delilah, formerly know as the Devil Dog (and for good reason), has been caught in the vicinity of the Christmas tree when actual crunching sounds of popcorn being consumed have been heard. Now, Sugar has been located sound asleep in another room so Delilah has to be the guilty party even though Sugar is known to have quite a fondness for popcorn.




Delilah has only been caught anywhere near the tree on a couple of occasions BUT since the tree has been up the bottom rows of the popcorn have all carefully been consumed. The only evidence of where the popcorn once hung is the string it was on is still gracefully draped on the tree right where it belongs. If it wasn't for the absent popcorn kernels themselves, you wouldn't know the tree had been touched.

Now, most of the popcorn is out of reach. It would take some pretty fancy walking on two legs to get anymore of those kernels without bringing the whole tree down. I'm not going to be so foolish as to think that Delilah hasn't given up on that. It just appears she's focused on something else for the moment anyway.

Delilah has more recently taken a fondness to the handmade felt ornaments that adorn our tree. I can't even tell you the hours that were put into making those things. They have survived four children, an assortment of cats and another two dogs with absolutely NO damage. BUT so far that husky has been caught with two different ones in her den. She's torn the hat off of one of the Three Little Kittens who Lost their Mittens and she's assaulted an ice skating Santa Claus. As if that's not enough, as I'm writing this I already need to make a correction. I just now caught her molesting a soft teddy bear with a Santa hat.

So far Sugar hasn't been caught in the act of anything but sniffing. I'm not saying she's innocent, only that she's not been caught. Sugar is smart enough and sensitive enough she doesn't want to be in trouble BUT she doesn't really care if Delilah is in trouble. Actually, I think she rather relishes it. SO when Delilah is naughty, Sugar tells.

The reason I just caught Delilah with that teddy bear was Sugar tattled. Sugar knew I was busy and not paying attention so she rattled a couple of ornaments to get my attention. When I went to check the tree, Sugar was laying outside of Delilah's crate with her face down and looking all neglected and left out. I knew immediately that Delilah had something that Sugar wanted. When I checked.......... there was that poor slobbered on teddy bear.

Suffice it to say that Delilah is walking on some very thin ice...... and Sugar probably isn't far behind. Who knows how the tree is going to fare in all of these. The cats haven't even gotten started yet........but believe me..........they will................

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