Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda – December 3, 2023
Yes. It is officially “that” time of year, but I did find one last vestige of Halloween on the street. Now, I am not one to grovel or beg for anything, but I really—really—wanted this scary dummy for my living room. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Apparently, my human companion does not share my enthusiasm for the holiday.
Saturday night, I spent a brief bit of time at the official tree lighting ceremony in front of City Hall. There were lots of people out and a few dogs, so I couldn’t stay too long. I did get a chance to see the Dancing Christmas Trees just as they were about to go out to perform.
Just down the street the Downtown Alameda Business Association held their Winter Market. There were lots of booths with some nice jewelry, clothing, and even a person who was selling homemade jam.
There was a band playing holiday songs, and one of the tunes provided the title for this week’s report.
This past week, the outside temperature dipped so low that there was enough frost on the cars in my neighborhood to build a snowman. On Tuesday, my human companion started complaining about the cold even before we left the porch. Keep in mind he was wearing a flannel shirt, hoodie, and a big Columbia ski jacket, along with one of those furry Russian-looking hats. You know the ones that have the flaps? He also has ski gloves with electric glove liners.
This week also saw the first major storm front of the season, but most of the rain fell at night so I missed it on my walks. I found some rain drops on a bunch of leaves and thought I would share my “nose-eye view” with you all.
I don’t recall seeing many Hanukkah decorations last year, so I was excited to see the inflatable Menorah over on Willow Street.
There are more decorations going up in Alameda yards every day—lots of inflatables including this yard with chipmunks, which are nothing more than cute squirrels, Minions in sweaters, a snowman, and other symbols of the season, too.
While more and more of the leaves on the street trees are turning brown, there are a number of plants that are just starting to show their colors. I picked out these two red ones as symbolic of the holiday season.
Finally, Trader Joe’s started selling their canine Advent calendars, and I am looking forward to twenty-five days of Salmon and Sweet Potato treats. So good.
I have a couple of addresses to check out for holiday decorations, but I could use a few more. So, if you or a neighbor has a holiday yard display, please let me know by emailing my human companion at [email protected].
I hope you all have a great week—and don’t forget your favorite canine when doing all that holiday shopping.
Mouf, Roving Reporter
Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda
Mouf and his human companion can be reached via [email protected]. Their stories are collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jeff-Cambra/. All photos by Jeff Cambra.
