The storm does not deter my dogs, and Gus is just as eager to get out into the snow as the others.

On Christmas day I just give Maria a single present, if I give her too much, she gets upset. I start giving her presents a couple of weeks before Christmas and a couple are still on the way.

I scour Etsy and a few favored artist sites for things to get here, they are all modest, colorful or useful None of them cost a lot of money, she wouldn’t like that.

Winter is off to an impressive start up here, the forecast calls for temperatures dropping into the -20’s by mid week and staying cold for two weeks.

This snow may be on the ground for good, and there is a lot of it. I did order some booties for Gus, something else I swore I would never do, but with temperatures that low, I think I have to take some precautions with him.

It seems a bit early for the dark winter, but we are ready. We saw the Winston Churchill movie, “Darkest Hour,” and both of us loved it. I highly recommend it, and it is especially timely. The movie reminds us that words matter, and that they can be just as powerful as guns and bombs.