Boxing Day

Today is Boxing Day. When I was a kid I used to wonder what this was about. It didn't make a lot of sense. All I could think of was people putting on the old gloves and having at it. But it seemed to have something to do with Christmas. According to the calendar, if I had been a Canadian, this wouldn't be a big mystery. But I'm not and it was. I guess I'm just one of those people that can go on in ignorance, figuring that if it's important enough, I'll find out sooner or latter. Many years later the mystery was revealed to me. It has nothing to do with a fight ! Back in those days when folks celebrated a Christmas season rather than a prechristmas frenzy, this second day was for giving a small gift to the people who served you. This was sometimes referred to as a "box" weather it was an actual container or not. Anyhow, it seemed cool to me.
So what does this have to do with a dog ? Nothing. But about the dog, This is a half Chihuahua dog, (not a boxer) and would not normally be laying still unless she had exhausted herself running in circles. But this time she is lucky to be still living. Christmas Eve, we were waiting into the night for our last bits of family to arrive. Sitting out there on the porch under a blanket in our car seat it was getting cold. My sweetie had hot tea, my daughter and I were working on a bottle of Southern Comfort. The doggie was on a chain (a small one). She wanted to get over on the porch with the cats and the rest of us. This is when being soft hearted doesn't pay off. This pooch is not what one would call well-behaved. After a brief pause on the porch with us, she decided to explore the night. The one place she had no business to go was the road. Of course that is the one place she went. There is not a lot of traffic out here that time of night, but what there is is deadly. The youngest heard the thump and the yelp from inside the house and started to scream. The dog took off running and hid in the dark. We figured she was a goner, but when we found her hiding in the neighbor's yard, she was still living. It appears that she is very sore but with no permanent damage, and very subdued. Well as of today she is limping around a bit and it appears she'll be around to annoy us a while longer.
Well, it's back to work in the morning. Happy Boxing Day. Maybe you got a nice box, maybe not. Maybe you gave one, maybe not. Soon we'll be putting a wrap on this year and getting a shot at a new on. I still say, Merry Christmas.