Along Comes Ralph...

It's Not All Sad News!

Saturday afternoon I motored over to San Marcos to do the Xmas thing with my sister & parents.  Sis and BIL decided to get another paycheck in the bank before splurging on gifts, so Xmas was delayed for a few days.

Naturally, I lost the gift card to Justice I'd planned on giving my niece sometime in the previous week.  So, I had to raid the wad of cash I was giving Sis & BIL to make up for it.  As always, the parents get the sharp end at Xmas...

Sammy enjoyed his Nerf rifle and Texas A&M jersey.  They both gave a meager "meh" at the collection of hardbound Donald Duck comics.  Well, they're just too young to appreciate the genius of Carl Barks!

I came out all right.  Sis gave me a couple of 30 round PMAGs for my AR, and a jar of cherry moonshine.  Mom came through with the Harry Potter movie collection and Season Four of 'Justified'.

The most interesting part of the trip was meeting the newest family member, Ralph.

Here's Ralph:

Ralph is some kind of scroungy mutt they picked up from a friend.  He didn't like me much at first, but a pocket full of Milkbones and an afternoon of cajoling will sway even the most suspicious hound.

Sammy & Grace adore Ralph, and even though he does smell a bit doggy (in spite of weekly baths), he does seem to be a nice addition to their family.

Kinda nice having a dog around.  Might have to give that idea some more thought...