Tossing Salt Presents:
12 (Dougie) Days of Christmas – Day 3
Loopy, Feed a Stray & Tree Decorations
DougMaynard.com
Doug Maynard

Salutations, my friends, and welcome to Day 3 of the Twelve (Dougie) Days of Christmas. It’s a beautiful Sunday morning, and my heart isn’t really into this today, but I made a commitment, so here we go. Better to commit than to be committed, right? I feel good today, but I have a nagging feeling that something is going to go badly before the day is out. It’s just a feeling, but I trust my instincts. With that in mind, maybe I’d best just get to get it while I’m still in a relatively positive mood. So let’s do this.

We all know how this works, right? Two random topics from the Magic Bag and then one random Christmas-related topic from the other bag, the one reserved for Christmas-related topics. And then, with no prior warning or preparation, I write about those topics. I just say what comes to mind and hope for the best. Sometimes it’s good and other times, not so much, but it’s always fun and great insight as to how my mind works. So let’s get a few topics of discussion from the infamous Magic Bag.

From the holiday bag, I’ve got Tree Decorations. And for the other two picks, we’ve got Loopy and Feed a Stray. Okay, this might be okay. I’m ready so hang on tight and away we go.

Loopy

This is a vodka made by Three Olives and it tastes like Fruit Loops. I’m not kidding. My bro and I had some for his ex’s birthday many years ago and drank this, mixed with pineapple juice. And it was good! Damn good! It runs about 16 bucks for a fifth so it’s not expensive at all. Very little aftertaste, and no hangover the next day. Well, I didn’t have one anyhow. I think Kenneth and Tam did, but they weren’t regular drinkers. I was the resident drunk at the time. But it’s called Loopy. It’s made by Three Olives. Mix it with pineapple juice and it’s good. Damn good!

Feed a Stray

I hate seeing animals abandoned or treated badly. If I see a dog or cat that seems to be alone, I’ll try and feed it and help it if I can. I keep some extra dog and cat food in my truck so if I come across a stray animal that seems hungry, I can feed it. It’s the right thing to do. And it reminds me of a better time a few years ago. Are you ready for a story?

We used to have a couple of kitties that would show up regularly at our house begging for food. So of course, I’d feed them. And do you remember that old commercial about you telling two friends and they tell two friends and so on and so on? We fed those kitties and they told their friends. And then it was four kitties. And then eight kitties. And then a dozen kitties. And a possum. And a raccoon. It got to where, when I would come home from work every night at 8:15, there would be a dozen cats waiting for me in the driveway and on the carport, waiting for food. And I’d feed them.

This went on for a while, but someone finked us out to the police and the Animal Control officers came out and made us stop. So we did, but I adopted one of the kittie’s kittens, brought him into the mouse and he became my fur baby. That would be Mouthie. I miss those days. It was getting expensive, but the cats didn’t run from me and I could sit out there among them while they were eating and it was so cool. The possum or the raccoon didn’t run either. I was Scotland County’s own Dr. Doolittle and didn’t even realize it at the time. It was a cool time. And the stray kitties. They were cool too.

Tree Decorations

What do you use to decorate your Christmas tree? It’s been a while since I’ve had a tree here at the house, but the decorations were kind of standard. Glass colored balls to shine and glisten. Lights, either colored or clear, to brighten up things. Some cardboard gingerbread men my brother and I made in grade school. They’re looking kind of rough these days, but are still cool.

Icicles. Long silver strands on the tree, reflect the lights. Just don’t let your cat eat them or he’ll be running around the house with silver streams hanging out of his butt. And I’m forgetting something. Assorted little ornaments that I’ve picked up and gathered over the years. Can’t forget the fake snow either. And all of that is great. Add pictures of Santa and some angels and you have a perfect tree.

But the best tree I’ve ever had so far as decorations go? It was a huge live tree and we decorated it in silver icicles and Natural Light Cans. A few clear lights and fake snow. That was it and it was incredible. We didn’t have cell phones back then, but I remember it so vividly. It was beautiful and perfect for two single, twenty-something guys. I remember it oh, so well.

And there you go. And I’ll admit that thinking back about those three topics, the Loopy vodka, the Christmas tree from Briarwood Apartments, and all of the straybies has put a warm and fuzzy feeling deep in my tum-tum. It might be gas, but I think it’s just good thoughts. And the Grinch’s heart grew three times bigger that day! Yeah, I feel okay. I need to go text my bro-son and tell him I love him. Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow with Day 4. Be good and as Kojak used to say, Who loves ya, baby!

Ubuntu!