“So, Twiggy, I have a question.”
“I don’t want to play with your pink thing.”
“That’s not the question.”
“I don’t want to go outside. It’s freezing.”
“That’s not it either. I’m wondering why this fence is around the Christmas tree?”
“Oh, brother. You really have to ask?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The fence is there because a certain child can’t keep from pulling off branches.”
“A certain child? You mean me?”
“Winner, winner chicken dinner.”
“Well, for heaven’s sake. I’m only investigating what it is made of.”
“Yeah, and chancing a trip to the ER.”
“I wouldn’t swallow those branches. Just a taste is all.”
“Well, Mom and Dad can’t take that chance. They have Tempeste-proofed the place.”
“I don’t think that shows a lot of trust.”
“Says the kid who can’t stop eating leaves.”
“Okay, you have made your point. You sure you don’t want to ruckus with me?”
“Let’s wait a little. It may warm up later. It’s supposed to be 55 degrees (12+ °C) later.
“Still chilly.”
“Yes, for us, but better than right now.”
Fiction Favorites 
Your tree is beautiful, John, and given Tempeste’s love of leaves, the guard is wise! ‘Winner, winner, chicken dinner’ made me chuckle. Wishing you all a lovely weekend and much love to you, Mrs H, Twiggy and Tempeste. Xx 🩷
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Thank you, Jane. Much love back to you and Tim. ❤️
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What fun, John!
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Thank you, Joy. We do have fun here.
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The tree looks gorgeous! Best to protect it from Tempeste.
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She is a little devil for sure. Thanks, Darlene
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I think your tree looks wonderful! I’m wondering how to keep the cats out of mine. lol
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That is impossible. Cats love to sit in trees.
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Mine sure do. LOL 😀
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😀
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“Winner, winner chicken dinner.”–I had never heard of that expression until I moved to Florida. Cracks me up every time! Good to see the little pilgrims back in action. I am hoping they have Christmas outfits? 😉
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I think ChatGPT can arrange Christmas outfits as well.
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Needles are like holiday leaf treats.
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It would appear so. 😊
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I knew the subject of leaf-eating was going to come up!
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Of course. It is always top of mind here.
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Beautiful tree, John! I’d hate to see it lose branches and someone wind up at the vet. Bond was curious the first year, but now he just likes napping underneath it.
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Lucky you. Last year, we put up the tree, and ten minutes later, we took it back down.
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That tree definitely screams Tempeste temptation.
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There is a lot she would like to grab for sure.
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Ah, yes. Pets and trees: the great seasonal conundrum. I have a friend who has to fence her tree as well. Her pup doesn’t try to eat the limbs, but it does very neatly pluck off every ornament it can reach and carries them to various hiding places. Who can understand the mind of a dog?
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We are taking precautions. We are not sure what Tempeste would do. Last year, the tree was up and then down again within 20 minutes.
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I never considered the leaf thief would also be a Christmas tree muncher. Glad you have the fence. I had to buy one for my granddaughter when she was little. My dogs never seemed interested in our trees.
Thanks for the smiles, John. Stay warm down there! Sending the girls ear scratches.
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Thank you, Staci. They appreciate the ear scratches.
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A Christmas tree eating dog? Are you sure Tempeste is not a cat in disguise? By the way, beautiful tree.
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Yeah, she is a dog for sure. Just an inquisitive dog who needs to taste everything in the world. Thank you. The tree is The Producer’s handiwork.
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What would we do without a Producer?
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Live in a cardboard box.
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Sadly, you’re probably right😂
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😊
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I was wondering how you kept her away from the tree…That looks impenetrable.
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She does make a run at it and butts it with her nose. A quick, “quit it,” stops her. The quit it does not work on ornaments etc.
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I laughed out loud when I saw where the tree was. We did the same thing, but ours was put up because a curious toddler just couldn’t leave the tree alone. A lot like Tempeste. Our cats liked to climb our Christmas trees – we had to wire them to the wall to keep them from going over!
Great post!
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We only had one cat that liked to nap in the tree. Lucky for us, she used the trunk to get higher, so no wiring was necessary.
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Winner winner, chicken dinner. Twiggy, ya mind if I steal that? 🙂
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You can have it, Miss Susannah. It is an old Southern term originating in the bingo parlors, where a prize might be a chicken dinner in a local restaurant.
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That sounds pretty swell Twiggy. Count me in. 🙂
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You tease us by not showing all of your tree! What we see is lovely and best to Tempeste-proof it for all your sakes!
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The Producer smacked me up the side of the head since she is not finished yet. I’ll do a reveal when I get the go-ahead.
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Ahhhh!! Gotcha!!
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😊
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Diva Dog would nap under our tree, thankfully she wasn’t interested in it in any other way. I hope the fence works! It looks like a lovely tree.
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So far, Tempeste has not figured out how to get by the fence. I hope she doesn’t
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I had a cat that absolutely lived for batting around the ornaments at the base of the tree. Moving the ornaments higher on the tree did solve that issue, but then the cat figured out those lower now-empty branches not only moved when batted, but were kinda nice to chew on. That fence is a great idea.
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We hope it will work. We also hope Tempeste grows up enough to leave it alone.
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Twiggy is just like a toddler 😂🤣
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Thank you, Robbie.
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Lol! Tempeste proofed Christmas tree. Yep. I understand. Great conversation!
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Thank you, Jan
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We’ve had to use the fence in years past. We are in the clear this year 🙂 Beautiful tree!
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Thank you, Denise.
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Such temptation right there in the house. Looks like a real tree so the scent must be attracting her too. May the fence keep the tree and Tempeste safe. Looks good.
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Thank you, Jo. I think the fence will hold.
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your house is to Pet friendly set up – !
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We live in a large dog house. Yvette. Our sole purpose in life seems to be to make our dogs as happy as possible. We didn’t have a tree last year cause we couldn’t figure out how to keep it away fro Tempeste. We did set it up and then ten minutes later took it down. It was flocked and a mess.
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well it looks likes the small gate is working – and what really made me smile is your couch is like ours – with a doggy blanket almost at all times – ha!
cheers to our wonderful pets 🐾💜🐾
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We keep the covers on always. Even with company visits. 😀
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I try to leave them on but my spouse takes the blankets off! I yield – but it sure does protect the furniture and isn;t it great having sofas that are pet friendly
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These covers are designed for the couch, so they work fine. The fabric is supposed to be resistant, but who wants to take the chance?
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Yes, I agree – because the couches sure do come some great fabric options – but the blanket toppers (or covers) can also be washed and freshened up so easy! and by the way, we put our old couch set into a guest space – and we were just out there setting things up – and marvled at how well the leather couch and love seat held up. And John, the reason is because over the years we put down little covers (colors that mctahced the leather0 and it proetected the leather and was soft to sit on (but my husband took those up often! ha)
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They do pay off, as you point out.
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yes – and i enjoyed our comment chatting – wishing you a great day amigo
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Always nice to chat. Wishing you a super day and week, amiga.
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🙂
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Ah, young ladies, I had a cat (named Chomps) who used to chew everything that was looped around the Christmas tree, so it all hung down, which allowed him to lay under the tree and lazily swat at it. From that moment on, we never put up another tree. So, at least you have a tree to look at. Chomps, well dealt with it. xx
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Sounds like Chomps was someone we could identify with, Miss Annette. 😊
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Hope one of them, doesn’t end up on the naughty list.
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Me too. Tempeste sure pushes the boundary.
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I really should learn to pay more attention. Because of the name, Twiggy, I had some how thought she was the leaf/twig eater, but that is actually Tempeste? Oh my…. Or is Twiggy named after the skinny 1960s model, since I always thought she was the white plumper pup
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Twiggy was names after the 60’s model because she was the runt of the litter. She is the white plumper pup because of steroid use.
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I feel partially redeemed then. Oh Tempeste ( short for temptation or tempestuous?) Naughty girl.
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Tempeste as in Tempeste in a teapot. Tempestuous is a good description.
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It’s so nice to see the girls, John. Protection for the Christmas tree is a good idea.
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Thank you, Tim. I thought so, too.
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“Winner, winner chicken dinner.” Ha ha you are a little bit mean today Twiggy. Poor Tempeste.
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Sometimes I have to be, Mr. Thomas. Tempest would be a wild animal if left unchecked. 😀
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Ha ha Twiggy, you keep the order. That reminds me of our late German Shepherd Baby (name Baby not actually a baby) who guarded the entrance to the kitchen. She cut down on food theft by the other dogs.
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I can just see that. Thanks, Thomas. 😊
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That’s a great idea!
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Thank you, Becky.
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The pictures are beautiful and the story made me chuckle. 🙏🏻🙂💛
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Thank you, Mohan. So glad you enjoyed the post. 😊
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👍🏻🙂🙏🏻
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😊
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Let alone pee on them.. lol!!! These puppies.. give us strength, John!!!!! Nice tree!!! xxxx
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Yes, they do. Or we can muster strength just to deal with them. Thanks, Cindy.
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This story makes me think of our old dog Jake, who used to rip up his expensive dog beds for fun.
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I can imagine. Tempeste tries but the bed she likes to torture is too tough for her. Thanks, Pete.
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Ha! So cool.
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Thank you, Neal. So glad you liked the post.
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Best if Tempeste admires the lovely tree from a distance. 😌
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Yeah, being surrounded by a fence is the best way to keep a distance. She is such a scamp. 😀
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Beautiful tree!
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I’ll tell The Producer you said so. Thank you. 😊
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😊🙏🏻
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I think 55F is what the inside of my house is-you don’t want to hear what the outside temp/high is. 🤣
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Oh dear. We would all perish even at the thought.
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You know that’s exactly what they’re thinking!
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They told me it was. 😀
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Ha!
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😄
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LOL, “Winner, winner chicken dinner.” I’m sure I’ve heard that at least once before, John, but for some reason, right now it amuses me no end.
I haven’t put up a tree since I got the Scoobies a couple of Christmases ago. I know that I’d wake up every few minutes wondering if “that sound” was them chomping on it. And for them, a fence would simply be a climbing aid. Big hugs.
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Last year, we put up a tree and took it down in ten minutes. We knew it just wasn’t going to be an item that discipline would cover.
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I hope the fence works out. Watching after our beloved 4-legged hooligans gets stressful. 😳 🙀
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You would think they would recognize danger, but no.
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I cracked up at “Winner, winner, chicken dinner.”. Let’s hope Tempeste understands.
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Too much to hope I’m afraid. 😊
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Sigh!
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Maybe when she gets older.
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Yes.
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😊
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Hmm, Tempeste does have a point. That tree looks mighty tasty.
How exciting to have it your home.
Tell dad what a beautiful Christmas tree that is. I love Christmas trees.
🎄𝓧 🎄𝓧
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Yes I will tell Dad, Miss Resa. I’ll tell mom too cause she is the one responsible for the design.
😊X
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Yes, tell mom! The tree is stunning!!!🎄𝓧
🎄𝓧
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😊X
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Twiggy is just so good at telling it like it is. Tempeste will muddle through, especially once she gets a few more ruckuses under her leash.
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I think age is going to make a difference. I hope
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I think you’re right
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Just too funny. I’ll bet Tempeste is dying to get in there. 🤣😂
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Oh yeah. She makes a run for it daily. 🙄
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🤣🤣
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😀
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My congratulations with the Christmas tree, dear John! It decorates merry Resort days. 🎄 In fact, I like an intellectual black & white doggy discussion about a fence in the room. A human life is full of odd ideas…they must think😂😂😂🍻🍤🍤🍤
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I’m sure they think we are crazy. Why else would one put up a tree and then put tempting bangles on it only to fence it off. The gods must be crazy. 🍰🥂
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👍😂😂😂
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