Day 3 Welcome to Winter

4 December 2025

Good Morning Everyone!

With the wind, it was -28 on Wednesday. Today will be slightly warmer, but the wind will be bitter.

Thank you so very, very much for your notes. I am so touched that the little video of Hugo Yugo playing with Toby brought such joy to so many!

I was particularly touched when one of our readers sent the following, “Toby and Hugo Yugo! Hilarious. I laughed until I cried. Especially when Toby grabbed her tail. Thank you for cheering me up on the first day of my husband’s cancer treatment. I needed that. I’m going to show the video to him.” We wish you and your family well as you continue down this long journey of treatment, and I hope to have more videos of the feisty HY and Toby for you to enjoy.

Many have asked about Brock. Dear Brock. My heart aches, and tears always fall when I see him in the winter. I cannot imagine what happened to this beautiful, gentle Tuxedo cat to send him into a life of homelessness. Just thinking of him outside when it is -19 C causes me great agony.

We are testing all manner of contraptions to see what he will actually use this winter. Today, he opted to sun himself on the shelf of a strange end table. Raised up off the deck, it provided a good vantage point to rest. I wish there was a heated mat on that shelf. I might try putting one there with some insulating material around a couple of sides to break up the wind but not enough to cause Brock to feel trapped.

His fur is in good shape and quite shiny.

I have accepted that Brock will never come inside the house. So, instead, the quest is to keep finding ways to make his life outside as good as possible. Rigid home insulation has been put on the ground under the deck, with an area isolated off with a heat lamp and a heated pad. Brock must spend a lot of time under the higher area of the deck where we have created ‘his apartment’ because when I put the food in the heated dish and call ‘Kitty, kitty’, he is there in less than thirty seconds. Could you keep him in your thoughts? Winter is just starting, and it is long.

Toby and Hugo Yugo helped put up the holiday garland over the French doors. Then HY spent the next hour trying to figure out how to tear it down! The eucalyptus needed a trim, so HY couldn’t reach it. The joy this mischievous pair brings cannot be measured.

Zonked from all that activity.

Calico’s Tip for the holidays (no matter which one/s you celebrate): Please remember that people do not need more stuff. We only have to declutter later. They do not need you to go into debt to get something under the tree for them. They need you to be happy and stress-free. The best gifts can be your time, a handwritten note, or even a donation, however small or large, to help a rescue or rehabilitator. A homemade card, a jar of homemade jam, and help to clear a garden… be creative. Money does not have to be involved…in fact, from our perspective, it is much more fun when it isn’t.

Our present to be bestie is babysitting her British White Retriever for ten days so she can visit her son. It feels good to be able to do that, and imagine… we are going to have so much fun. Lots of photos will be posted!

Calico also wants you to remember, for her, the outdoor animals this winter. This lovely poster showed up in Manitoba Wildlife Photography FB, original creator unknown. It highlights the struggles that Dyson and her family face each winter.

We are always happy when you can join us, and we love getting your letters. Take care. See you tomorrow for Day 4.