It's beginning to look a lot like....

 The Juvat Clan is almost completely rejoined from various points around the Globe.  MBD will be joining us sometime this afternoon after she picks up Tallulah (her Goldendoodle) from the breeder.  Once this litter is delivered, Tallulah will be theirs with no further requirements.  SIL will be joining us Christmas Eve, because his employer (Scrooge, I believe) has him scheduled until then.

Little Juvat and DIL arrived safely late Wednesday night, thanks to some heads up work by the United Ticket agent in Kuwait.  They had been booked from Kuwait, to Frankfurt, to Dulles, to Austin.  However, the flights to and from Dulles had been cancelled due to snow.  The ticket agent informed them of that and they were able to reroute their Frankfurt departure to Chicago and then to Austin.  Unfortunately, others checking in with different agents didn't find out that Dulles was closed until arrival in Frankfurt, at which point all the flights to alternate airports were booked.

So, the Big Guy was looking out for the clan.  Since they'd been traveling for 24+ and didn't arrive until 2245 (10:45PM for mere mortals), we had agreed that an evening in the 12th AF HQ building on Bergstrom AFB, built in the mid-70's by Little J's Grandfather, was a wise idea.  (It's currently decked out in a Hilton Hotel uniform.)

Dad was the Red Horse Engineering Squadron Commander at the time.  Red Horse is an Acronym (of course) and I don't recall what it stood for.
Source

 

We picked them up the next morning.  I was impressed.  They made it to almost 8PM that evening before crashing and burning.

But, they have had a few days now to rest, they seem to be regaining airspeed.

Mrs J and I have been busy, as I mentioned last week, and the house is looking pretty Christmas-y.  The old Christmas tree was, indeed, skunkified beyond recovery, but the new tree fits the new house's high ceilings quite well.

Our guest house is fully booked through the Holidays (yes, Beans, with paying guests). So we decided to also make it fit the season.

I actually took this photo of the master bedroom to inform Mrs J that we were ready for our guests and that I had made the bed.  She was in town and the guests had called asking for an early check-in.  The scramble klaxon was sounded and the alert bird scrambled.  I walked out the door as they drove up.

So, despite that short bit of excitement, it's pretty quiet around Casa Juvat.

The sentries are alternating watch/nap duties.

Mrs Little Juvat is recovering from Steak and Egg Burrito breakfast catching up with her friends.

Later this afternoon, they scheduled some "action" activities.

Hey, they had a long trip after a rough year, they have parental permission to chill for as long as they want. So there!

Had a pretty spectacular thunderstorm night before last,  the steel roof sheds a LOT of water.  I'm glad I put downspout extensions on so the water was moved a few feet away from the house.  However, putting the dogs out to do their "business", resulted in foot baths upon re-entry. The ground around the house hasn't completely re-compacted after construction so even a little water turns it pretty muddy.  

Life in the country!

As the saying goes in Texas, "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes it'll change."  Yes, Beans, upon uploading the picture and noticing the dangling garland, I'm pulling out the ladder (Again!) and fixing it.  But, at least the lights work now.

So...I know this isn't a deep philosophical/political/other, posting, however, it's the Christmas season and my Family is back together.

Much like this two week old jalapeno plant, time flies and they grow fast.  I'm going to post this and go be with them.

Y'all have a wonderful Holiday Season and  Merry Christmas!