The two nights after the masked heeler was released from her den were less than restful... almost stressful. Forgot how crowded it is on one bed with two people and three heelers. Even worse now that one heeler, the one who sleeps between the two people (often with her head on my pillow), still has fragile bones and you have to be careful everytime you shift or roll over so you don't crush her butt or twist a leg.

So last night she and I slept on the floor in the sleeping bag again.

A good rest was had by all.

But the masked heeler's den is obliterated now. Wife cleaned up the rest of the living room and got all the junk off the dining room table (nearly all of which was hers, mostly unfinished Christmas projects), and got the table into the living room.

So this evening we brought in the tree, finally. Three weeks after we bought it. The earliest we ever acquired a tree, and probably the latest we ever got one set up. Let it sit and thaw while we ate spaghetti and watched Jurassic Park 3.

The movie was even a little better than I remembered it from the theater.

The tree was shorter than we reckoned. That has never happened before. Looks okay, but another foot would have been nice. But it is up, with barely a week left before Christmas.

I feel like Scrooge.

And some potentially bad news this evening, as in seriously bad, as in life alterring bad.

Wife called eldest son. Would not give me the straight scoop, but the gist of it is, he may be failing at least one of his classes. Finals are this coming week.

Failure to get a passing grade in any class results in the loss of his student loans. Knew he was in trouble when he came home for Thanksgiving and talked about nothing but Everquest for the entire six-hour drive home.

I warned him. Time and time again. But, of course, the Dad is always an idiot who knows nothing.

We cannot afford to send him to college without major financial assistance. So if he loses the loans, he's out. And back home. Where there are no jobs, no higher education in computers, and a parent who will probably throw him out before the first month has gone by.

Stress level is high now, and likely to be much higher soon.