Charlie’s Christmas Letter 2025

Hello, Frenz! Some families send out a letter every year to tell all their big news. My mom does not do this, so I decided that I would take care of it for her. I am a beagle, so I am a smart dog and a good boy.

Do you think this looks like me? People say I am handsome. Sadie thinks I am too. She is Miss Deborah‘s dog.

My main job is taken care of my mom. One of the things I do is keep track of the schedule. I know when it is time to get up and go for a walk. I also know when it is time to take a ride and go to the park. If Mom forgets, I jump on her at 3 o’clock because we need to go so we can get back in time for dinner. My dinner is at five.

It doesn’t matter which park we go to. They all smell good. I sniff the ground and all the trees and I can tell who has been there before us. If the park is very far, I let Mom know that we should stop and get something to eat, unless she has brought good snacks for me. 

Sadie is not my only friend. I like other dogs, and I like the friendly cat that lives across the street. 

I like people too, and I expect them to show they like me. Even people we don’t know stop to say I am cute. The mail lady gives me dog biscuits.

About twice a week we go to day boarding, and I like the ladies there. They are glad to see me. I don’t like leaving my Mom though. 

Sometimes I stay at Sadie’s house. We have fun! And her mom walks me almost every day because my mom has a sore knee and her back hurts after a while. 

I have two big sisters, but they are grown up and don’t live with us. We get special food when they come to see me.

Oh, I have another job. I watch for animals when we are riding in the car.  I see horses, cows, sheep, and goats. 

And sometimes I see deer. They are not behind a fence like the other animals. 

Well, it is my bedtime. I hope you have nice holidays with friendly visitors and good food, and naps too. Naps are important.

A Few Winter Trees

 Front Royal, VA

After my podiatry appointment yesterday, I made a quick stop at the grocery and then went to Spelunkers for a hamburger. They have their Christmas tree decorated.

As I mentioned in yesterday‘s post, I drove into nearby Shenandoah National Park. The skies were cloudy, and rain arrived later, but I'm glad I drove up in the mountains because today the park was closed due to multiple trees blocking the road from a wind storm. The winds were even stronger today. If you plan to go to the park in winter, always check first to see if they are open or possibly closing early. The weather up there can be harsh.

Some of the trees have taken a beating over the years. At the overlooks, it’s common to see trees that have had their branches broken multiple times from wind and ice.

Sometimes the sky was gray, but I also saw cloudy blue skies. In the monochrome blue picture, my cell phone camera deepened the color. There were two crows in this tree, but one flew off before I got my window rolled down.

The final scene is from Signal Knob Overlook.

Roofers at 1940 Feet High

Shenandoah National Park

The weather was milder this afternoon, so I drove up on Skyline Drive after an appointment in Front Royal.  Soon I reached Dickey Ridge, and was surprised to see that construction is going on at the visitor center. It turns out that the roof is being redone with terra cotta tiles. The last roof had the appearance of wood shingles, but they were made of textured concrete

I spoke to a couple of the workmen (not ones who were on the roof because that’s a dangerous job, although they had safety ropes.) Yes, they were out here working last week in below-freezing temperatures with high winds. Today’s temperatures were a pleasant surprise for them.  It reached the 50s (Fahrenheit). We had days last week with a windchill temperature of 1°F, and that was in the valley. It’s often about 10° colder on the mountain.

One man commented that he was enjoying the views

Short Story at the Feeder

Birdfy Camera Shots

For a moment, two Carolina wrens were at the feeder. The one on the left flew off in a blur.

“Hey! Where did you go?”

Ice on the River, and a Sign by the Road

Seen from the Road Today

Wordless

Bear Mural and The Marketplace

Sperryville, VA

It seems like every time I go to Sperryville, I see a new mural! Well, I don’t go there very often. It’s an hour away from home, and across two mountain ranges.

I went this weekend to visit the Marketplace. I had not been there since it closed nine years ago. Some of the artists are back, and there are also other shops, including a bakery. Apparently this charming mall reopened last year, but I did not know about it until I saw their Christmas ad. 

Sharing with Mosaic Monday / Murals

Edinburg / Madison District Park

Sometimes I take Charlie to Edinburg Town Park to walk under the tall pine trees. I was surprised to see that on some maps it is called Madison District Park. I asked about this when I went into the town office to pay my final water bill on the condo. It turns out that part of the park is a district park with ball fields, and the rest of the park is owned by the town.

On a recent walk, I noticed a sign with a map. I was confused by it at first because it didn’t seem to show the whole park. When I looked at the other side, I saw that it is a map of the disc golf course, which winds around under the pine trees. (Disc golf involves tossing plastic discs into a wire basket. We used to call those discs Frisbees or even Pluto platters. But Frisbee is a different game, a kind of “catch” which you can even play with your dog.) 

Critters and Cold Days

Hi, it’s Charlie! Mom says people like my reports, so I’ll do the Saturday Critters report today. 

I went to Sadie’s house the other day. I get so excited when I go there. We chase a ball and eat snacks. Her mom says she is part Shih Tzu and part Pomeranian. I am all Beagle. But we can still be friends.

The next animal is a squirrel. I watched it through the window. Sometimes I see them outside and they move fast.

This looks like a deer, but not a real one. Real deer are thinner and have longer legs.

The rest of today’s pictures are from a walk in Riley Park. I saw two animal sculptures. They were cold.

It’s been very cold in the mornings, but most afternoons are okay. I don’t like putting clothes on, and sometimes I take them off in the car. My mom wears extra clothes when it’s cold. She says I should wear them too. 

A Tree in Ralph Sampson Park

 Harrisonburg 

"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful.” — Alice Walker

A Cold Half Hour at the State Park

 Today at Seven Bends State Park

Today started off very cold so I stayed indoors until mid-afternoon. I did get some items crossed off my To Do List. Finally, the weather report said it was 40°F outside, but the windchill made it feel below freezing. It said the sun was about to come out from behind the clouds, so I took Charlie to the park. I drove across the low water bridge and arrived at 4 PM.

We took a short walk and the sun did come out, but it didn’t feel warm. 

Within a half hour, we were back in the car. I paused on the low water bridge for a moment to capture the reflections on the water.

Cardinal and Sparrow on a Snowy Day

We had snow on Friday. Counties just south of us got more accumulation, and then they had another snowstorm this week that we didn't get at all.

The female cardinal must really like sunflower seeds. She dug through the snow to pull them out.

The other feeder has a camera. It caught her tolerating a sparrow. Sometimes cardinals are aggressive at the feeders, but she was so busy eating that she did not really interrupt her meal. 

The sparrow appears to be a white crowned sparrow. I don’t see this kind as frequently as the white throated sparrow, which has yellow parches on the face.