11 Comments on “Merry Christmas!”

  1. Greetings!

    Good wishes to all on this Christmas Day and Hanukkah!

    * Grizz’s favorite version of “A Christmas Carol” is the Alastair Sim version too. :^)

  2. Merry Christmas, friends!! Mom and I have been so busy with family activities that she got a week behind on checking the blog. Just caught up but have evidently missed last Friday’s post on Freya. Hope we can go back and find it.
    Have a wonderful holiday!!

  3. Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to all (with the very rare concordance between the two holidays occurring this year).

    More from last night. Agree with ML re the two versions of The Bishop’s Wife. One interesting factoid on the original; apparently when originally cast, David Niven and Cary Grant were cast in the opposite roles, with Niven as the angel and Grant as the minister. Fortunately the error of that was seen as, while both are great actors, if that had continued, it would have been a much different and less successful movie. As to It’s A Wonderful Life, I understand your point of view, but I still think it is a great movie. And one of my favorite gift stores in all of New England is in Norwich, Vermont, aptly named Zuzu’s Petals.

    1. I had heard that about The Bishop’s wife. I think it was Cary Grant that insisted on switching to playing the part of the angel. Now that you see it you can’t imagine it any other way. I understand the original casting. It takes place in the U.S. and so the angel having a British accent wouldn’t be out of place. But with the movie as it is now, you can’t imagine Grant as the Bishop and Niven as the angel. They both would have done a fine job but it wouldn’t be the movie we have now.

      I wonder if Zuzu’s Petals was named that specifically because of It’s a Wonderful Life? And it is a good movie. Very good. It’s just that ending that spoils it all for me. I have to wonder if that effected the movie’s initial lack of popularity. It wasn’t until much later when it was shown on TV that it really started to become the Christmas classic it is now.

  4. Merry Christmas again!! I was able to find Freya’s story so no further help needed.

    I remember ML adopting her and have enjoyed her updates in real time.

    Interesting info on results of neutering big dogs too early. I have heard that Goldens are very susceptible to cancer so any way to protect them from that is great. I’m sure Franklin agrees🤗

    1. I think some of the Golden’s cancer is due to breeding for show here in the U.S. I know in the UK the working dog line of Labs is a bit more “hardy” shall we say then the show lines in that regard. That “breeding to show standard” also goes to other breeds and their breed-specific medical conditions. I know that now with modern medical technology responsible breeders are looking at genetics and eliminating dogs prone to hip dysplasia, blindness, deafness, etc out of the breeding pool in order to improve the health of those breeds. Looking at photos of dogs going back just 50 years you can see their unique characteristics become more and more pronounced to the point of almost caricature. That rear end droop of the German Shepherd coming immediately to mind. I’ll bet breeding for that increased the likelihood of degenerative myelopathy. I know the brachiocephalic dog’s breathing problems, some requiring surgical intervention, are a product of overbreeding to “breed standard” and the dog community is now looking at walking back some of those extreme traits in the interest of dog health. The clubs have also eased restrictions on things such as docking, so you now see Dobermans and Great Danes with the ears and tails they were born with. I think they look much more handsome that way. I would love to see the Pugs and Bulldogs return to their much more historic appearances for both health and for aesthetics. I like a bit of snout on my dogs. Also smaller heads so less intervention needed just for the mother to safely birth the puppies naturally.

      I am happy that Freyja is a “mutt” and that her Husky line is more likely to be from working dogs than show dogs. While I can’t prove it, I think she might have some Seppala sled dogs in her ancestry. No way to determine that through DNA. But hoping her extensive “mix” means she will live a long and healthy life. Regarding that, her Embark panel was clean on genetics. Of course so was Diana’s but she has seasonal allergies. Tree pollen.

  5. Scrooge is such a scary dude! (Until he sees the light.)
    ML, I love your ‘Poofy’ descriptor. Fluffy and Poofy.
    I still think Jilly is very well built, and her weight is due to her well developed muscles, which weigh more than fat.
    In fact, we are off, now, for our Christmas walk. Then, time to roast the turkey breast and prep the dressing.
    MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY! Skritches for all the doggos!

  6. ML — I think you got it just right on the breeding to standard problem. Actually, in goldens there is a trend now for the rear end droop as well, which we find neither attractive nor necessary. As far as Franklin is concerned, he has some interesting and unique genetics going on which I will elaborate on further one of these days when Franklin’s story gets written up. Suffice it to say that he is a throw-back to goldens of old in many respects, which can be both a blessing and a curse, particularly for a golden stuck living in a suburban environment, rather than with a lot of open fields.

  7. I have four favorite adaptions of A Christmas Carol. (Five if you count an episode of Black Adder) and none of them are cartoons, which for this particular story I can’t stand, not even the Muppet version which is at best tolerable.

    The first is the 1951 Alistair Sim, which is actually called Scrooge. An absolute classic.

    The second is the 1984 film A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott as Scrooge. Often overlooked but really quite good. He received an Emmy nomination for the part and I think well deserved.

    For a more contemporary version of A Christmas Carol there is Patrick Stewart as Scrooge in an adapted for the film in 1999 version of his one man stage show. What can I say, it’s Patrick Stewart!

    The most recent one that impressed me was a 2019 BBC One version in three parts that was shown in the U.S. on FX all in one night. I had cable at the time. The special effects were very effective but not overly done or intrusive. They support the story rather than draw attention from it, as they should. I was quite impressed. Andy Serkis played the Ghost of Christmas past.

    You can’t go wrong with any of them and if you have a chance to see one, do so. They all have their merits.

    Merry Christmas to all. And thank you Charles Dickens for bringing the celebration of Christmas back to popularity. Yeah, it is all his fault.

    And happy A’Phabet Day or No “L” Day. Yes, I knew this crowd would appreciate that one.

Leave a Reply