CountryMouse's Refuge

Finally got the Christmas decorations and little tree put away. I did it in stages. Someone on a mailing list I am on said her granddaughter said, "The Christmas tree is up in the attic, crying!!". Eep!

I think it felt a little less sad this year, taking down the decorations, since I had had them up since the end of November (I *think*...it seems forever ago that I put them up). And I have all kinds of ideas of setting up little displays of Briarberry bears here and there around the house.

Although I will probably put the pretty-roses-with-fiber-optic-strands-light (a present from Ducky long ago) up on the stereo, where the little ceramic tree was, so that we can have *something* lighted, to help ease the transition. :-)

I am really enjoying Cat'r's reading The Hobbit to me! I tried getting into Tolkien some years ago and was immediately bored and impatient. Cat'r heard or read somewhere that it is MUCH better read aloud. So that's what he is doing. :-) It is also SCARY (for mice!). I have to have a bear to hang onto while he reads to me. :-P A couple days ago it was Teddy; but yesterday Teddy wanted to sit on Cat'r's lap and help Cat'r read; so I had my soft blue Clubby II (Ty Beanie Buddy) bear to cuddle and hold tight. I fell asleep before the chapter was over, though. I am still sleeping a lot...and need to. I read on another mailing list/support group that this is due to the half life of the radiation. I don't know...but most of the literature says effects take about 2 weeks beyond the last treatment to abate.

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P.S. I wasn't thinking. Whoever said (on that one list/support group) that the radiation had a half life wasn't thinking. The only way a person getting radiation treatments could have something going on with half life in his/her body would be if s/he had radioactive implants, which is sometimes done for a "boost". Then one *is* actually radioactive for a few days. When the implants are removed, the radioactivity is gone.

I need to get a nap! I have been fooling around with my cute Briarberry bears, trying to reacquaint myself with which little accessories go with which outfit/piece of furniture/etc. (believe me, Fisher-Price went into great detail with these now-discontinued but totally cute bears and their friends and all their accoutrements!). Also I was putting away the Christmas things I had them set up with (Berrykris' bag of toys; Merryberry's "Night Before Christmas" book, stocking with candy cane, plate with cookies; etc.!).

*Then* Bunnicula went to Michael's for me and got me some doll stands that I *think* will work for bears on ice skates and bears in ballet outfits, leaping through the air! :-D AND he got me several Really Cute Sweaters (that fit 10-12" bears), most by Darice and one or two by BearWear. Most of them are Valentine's Day themed, but one is sort-of a stars-and-stripes one and another is green (which will be perfect for Mollyberry to wear on St. Patrick's Day). So I was obsessively looking through all the bear-y outfits I have, to see what these sweaters will go with (a couple of the red sweaters will go perfectly with the red back-to-school skirt and also with the red-checked picnic-set shorts).

The only problem with things from Michael's (at least the one near us) is that they smell perfume-y (equals headache-for-mouse). So I am trying to air the sweaters out. I suppose I *could* handwash them with a mild soap and in cold water...but I don't think I want to risk their getting out of shape or dye running or anything.

Okay, *now* I need to go nap.