Winston’s Christmas 2021 Letter

Hi, everyone! I hope your year was as fun as ours. Here’s what we did in 2021.

We started the year on our boat in Washington. My brother and I both fell asleep while it was still 2020. At midnight of 2021, some of our neighbors started honking their boat horns, so we got up and wished everybody a Happy New Year! It was even more exciting than when we switch from Daylight Spending to Daylight Saving time!

As much as I love the boat, it sure is nice to have a backyard again when we get back home. It’s so fun to play the “Let me in, I need to go out again” game. Well, one of us thinks so anyway.

On Ash Wednesday we got a bunch of snow! I love to run and run and run in it, and then run some more! My brother did not seem quite so enthused, but he got his exercise shoveling the whole driveway and parking area while I supervised.

Then, Spring started peeking out. I love Spring, too! Even the homes we walk by every morning looked like we were in a new place.

On Easter, I got to chase bunnies on our early morning walk before my brother went to church. I don’t know how bunny rabbits got into the Bible and the Easter story but I’m sure glad they did, because they’re a lot of fun!

At the very end of April, we headed back to Washington. We celebrated my niece’s birthday on May 1st and then the Yacht Club had their Flag Raising on May 2nd. It’s the official start of the boating season and everyone gets decked out in their Spring boating finery! I even got a new bandana!

My brother had been the Vice Commodore the past couple of years and he was the Chaplain this year, so he got to give a little prayer at the start of the festivities. Fun!

When we traveled back home to Tulsa, we stopped in the Smoky Mountains and stayed with our friends Tripp the Airedale and Mike.

They live on Lake Douglas and it is very scenic, even if it isn’t named after my brother! Duke, the Bush’s Baked Bean dog, lives on the other side of the lake, just over a mountain. I hope to meet him some day.

We didn’t get to stop at the Bass Professional pyramid in Memphis, though, because the bridge where Arkansas and Tennessee shake hands broke. That made me sad to think about, but they have since patched it up. One of my favorite parts about getting home is that we get to go to the car wash!

Before we knew it, it was Memorial Day, so my brother and I went around to five cemeteries with flowers and flags. They sure are pretty! I’m always very careful to be respectful: I don’t check my P-mail while we’re there and definitely don’t “Reply All”!

My brother and our Tulsa friend Mike went to Kentucky on the Bourbon Trail in June. I guess they use Bourbon bottles instead of good intentions as pavement in Kentucky. They visited seven distilleries and tried a lot of Bourbon drinks. I think I’ll just stick with the big white punch bowl in the bathroom! Anyway, they had a really good time, although my brother said he missed me. I got to stay with our friends the Yenzer’s and they really treated me nice!

On the Fourth of July, my brother told me that I was now the Prime Rib Minister of the Winstonian Republics! I was so honored! Once I find out where they are, maybe we can all meet there and I’ll show you around!

Do you remember all the snow I told you about? Well, the sad thing is that all the cold made the peaches a little nervous, so most of them decided to wait until next year to be born. I know my brother was sad, because he loves to go to the orchard several times during the summer, especially with our Tulsa friend Mike, but we had a nice time there and I got to walk around and sniff all the trees. And once again, I did not “Reply All”!

On Labor Day weekend, we drove back to the District. We even got to take the boat out for a little cruise! Our friend Guy captained, with the help of our friend Scott. It was a great time!

We were there on that 9-11 day. Everyone’s always a little quiet then, and I think I may know why, even though it makes me sad if I’m right. Do you know how everyone just rushes from nine to eleven without stopping to say ten? I think maybe 10 people died on that day. I hope I’m wrong because that would be very sad, but it might be like when my brother turns the page in a magazine really quickly if there’s a picture of a snake. Anyway, the Pentagon-shaped building lit up a big spotlight. It looked like it was going up all the way to Heaven!

My brother and his friends Al and Alan got their band together and played one evening. It was fun, and our other friend Mike sang with them some, too.

Wow, I just realized that we have a lot of friends named Mike! I haven’t even mentioned yet our friends Mike and Susan, who are my Godniece Betsy’s parents! My brother got to have dinner with them this summer, up in Bartlesville, which I think is close to where the Pioneer Lady lives.

When we got back to Tulsa, my brother and I got to go to two Halloween parties. The first one was on my brother’s birthday at our friends Kristin and Steve’s. They’re the folks who took in the little black cat that made her home on our porch last Summer. I even got to take a swim in their pool, although it came as a surprise to everyone, even me!

Then, on Halloween, our friends Ed and Rachel hosted another party. My brother and I went as a lion and a lion tamer to both of them. He called us “Tame and Tamer”. Can you guess who is which?

Our cousins Susie and Mark are always so nice to invite my brother over for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. And, I always get some great leftovers! They’re even better than what I find on our morning walks!

My niece and nephew-in-law came to visit us before Thanksgiving! Their visit was way too short but we had such a fun time! Then, our friend Mike with Tripp came to visit us, too. It is always so fun to have visitors stay with us!

As we started decorating the house for Christmas, our friends Mike from Tulsa and Jan brought me a great present!

I am so honored that the Baby Jesus is a Golden Retriever and I am trying to live up to the example. My brother took the little Christ Pup – I mean Child – to church for a blessing!

Then, as we got closer to Christmas, I had a big surprise! My brother had gone to the health club and I had just settled down for a long winter’s nap.

Before I knew it, look who paid a visit!

Santa Claus gave me a nice pat and Mrs Claus took the picture. I’m so glad they came to visit me early so they could spend more time with all the good girls and boys on Christmas Eve!

My brother drove us around and we looked at the Christmas lights one evening. They are beautiful! Our friend Jody and his brother have a Christmas light business, and now I guess some lady named Ellie Dee is starting to make a name for herself! It seems like every time I looked at some lights, my brother said, “Those are Ellie Dee’s.” Some of them are really spicy on my eyes!

It looks like we’re getting a new truck this coming year! My brother has made a reservation for us to get an F150 Lightning. It sounds fast! And bright. I’m glad he didn’t order one called a Thunder: that would make me bark!

Anyway, my brother says the Lightning is kind of like me: it can run on anything! I think he sounds like Forrest Gump’s friend when he tells me it can run on coal power, nuclear power, natural gas power, wind power, water power, steam power, sun power, oil power, even trash power! I think we’ll get along fine. Now that I know its diet, I sure hope it comes already housebroken!

Well, my brother and I are looking forward to some great new adventures in the Year of Our Lord 14,154 – that’s 2022 in dog years! We sure hope to see you then!

Love, Winston