Thank you for the kind e-mails you sent wishing Abby a speedy recovery. She is finally at home after nine days in the hospital. We had another little scare last week with a high fever and some fears of a secondary infection, but after a day of tests and worrying, it was determined she was reacting to her antibiotics and the side effects subsided. Now that she is home, we are all trying to get back into the swing of things after what feels like a strange time warp from Thanksgiving to December.

In the meantime, we can’t forget about Maddy. She was a trooper, too, coming to the hospital to cheer her sister up and having fun getting a little extra grandparent time. Of course, there is never a dull moment with the grandparents, but one little activity that she did really stands out.

My mom wanted to try out a little Christmas tree craft with her, so she got out some paper towel rolls and construction paper to make handprint leaves and attach them to the cardboard roll. That wasn’t good enough for Maddy. She rooted around in the recycling bin and found an old cardboard box top and cat food cans, grabbed some paper and markers, and went to work creating a Squirrel Café.

Since the picture is kind of small, here is what her menus says:

Menu
     Peanuts – $5
     Cheese Platter – $5
     Num Num Dish – $10
Dessert
     Walnut Yum – $4
Snack
     Nut Smash – Free

There is also a note at the top that states, “Squirrels Only” (that means you, Birds). And the funny thing is that not 40 minutes after my mom sent me the picture of Maddy with her Squirrel Café, it saw its first visitor. Maddy has decided that her next project is to build a Squirrel ATM because apparently the squirrels are dining and dashing and not paying for their meals. Just as long as she is feeding the squirrels at Nini’s house and not ours, she can build whatever she wants.

As we get closer and closer to Christmas, don’t forget the gardeners on your shopping list. There are lots of delightful plants, flowers, and garden accents that make great gifts. You can check out our 2021 Gift Guide below. And of course, a Kerby’s gift card always makes the perfect gift. They get exactly what they want for their garden. And if you don’t need gifts, but just want to relax a little during the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we are here for that, too. Come out and see us, take a stroll on the boardwalk, enjoy the fresh air, and keep on having a Merry Christmas.