How much is that doggie in the window?

When the hubby came home today, I heard him talking very loudly in the garage.

Then the garage door opened, and in came a very large golden retriever.

The Hell???

The hubby found her wandering the streets, made an effort to find the owner, then piled her in to the car and brought her home. I gave her some water, he took her for a short walk to go to the bathroom, and we just tried to pet her and keep her calm until the cop/animal control showed up to take her.

Very well behaved dog. Responded to every "No" and "come here" and "sit" very well.

And the cop came to take her to the shelter until the owners call, and our house is empty again.

Man, the place seems empty. We've talked about getting a dog, but just haven't done it since we both work full time. I should talk to my friend Kim, who works at a shelter, about any older dogs that might be a good fit. Sigh. We're both big dog people, and have been without a dog for too long.

Holiday plans are in full swing. Hit Trader Joe's tonight to find they were out of half of the things I wanted. Hope to wake up early tomorrow to make it to the grocery store and then spend the afternoon scrubbing.

Sunday will be cooking and prep. The list...

Xmas Eve Day Brunch
Making:
Creme Brulee French Toast (assemble ahead of time, bake it on Xmas Eve morning)
Bringing:
Bagels, smoked salmon and cream cheese (was thinking of a salmon cheesecake thing.... screw it... I don't have the engery to make something that may not be any better than the basic sum of its parts)
Prosecco and sparkling blueberry juice

Xmas Eve Dinner
Making:
Mini bagel dogs & dipping sauces
Green beans almondine (kinda ripped off from the Bouchon cookbook)
Raspberry Chocolate cheesecake (purchased for some fundraiser thing, just gotta defrost)
Cinnamon Palmiers
Brownies with Cherries & White Chocolate chips (this is still a maybe, I have all the stuff on hand, we'll see if I get around to making them)

Christmas Day:
Crackers & cheese & salami (just have to pull out of the fridge)
Brie & chutney (just have to pull out of the fridge and open jars)
Veggies & spinach dip (dip is store bought)
Quiche from the Bouchon cookbook (this is the big cooking undertaking of the weekend)
Some little desert bite thingies I got at Sam's Club


Not too bad.... relying on enough quality store-bought things to keep it easy. The quiche is the big stress.... have not made it before, but if I blow it, I'm not going to worry. Might also throw together a "mini meatballs in the crock pot" thing for Xmas day as a backup. Or just pull out the quiche for an easy dinner on Wednesday. Don't know yet at this point.