Hello 2019

I did have to work yesterday (I also worked on Christmas Eve). It's not the end of the world. A few hours work with very little pressure.

We finished up early. I fetched my kids. Grabbed some snacks and went home.

By 3pm we were all in comfy clothes settled in for the night. We're not a party family. None of us were in the mood to party anyway.

We made dinner as usual. My daughter's boyfriend headed out to work, bullet proof vest and all (not a nice night to be working night shift in Security).

My son played games, me and my daughter watched stuff or did our own thing on our laptops. by 10pm she headed to bed (between the death of her grandpa and house sitting a strange house she hasn't slept much).

I headed to bed with my laptop and a new series to watch around 10:45. Not long after my son followed to his bed.

I watched my series until 11:30, knowing that I couldn't go to sleep yet as (even though they'd already been going for hours), the midnight fireworks would start soon.

11:50 they started. My old dog Bella slept through those. She's pretty deaf these days and fireworks don't affect her as they used to. That was until 12 when the huge bombs started. Then she jumped up and she wanted to run out (she gets into such a state, she tries to get out, not realizing the best place for her is here with me).  I called her onto my bed, and my other dog, Koda, jumped up too. He's not usually affected, but even these got too much for him.

For a solid half hour the continuous bangs and bombs continued. They continued after that too, but by then they had started dwindling. 12:30 Koda jumped off to go to his usual spot at my bedroom door. Bella stayed put for a while.

The sad thing was hearing the neighbourhood dogs crying and yelping over the sound of the fireworks. I don't want to be too judgemental, but I haven't gone out in years over new year's because I choose to stay home to make sure all my pets are safe. All 3 cats, and both dogs were in with us. That started the year after the first year Bella showed her fear of fireworks. She was probably 3 or 4 years old. I was out at a family gathering. It wasn't even midnight and my neighbour phoned to tell me she was running around the streets. I came home and locked her inside, gave her calming tablets and joined the family again. Big mistake - she panicked to the point she tried to dig her way out. I came home (before midnight still) to a dog and floors covered in blood. That was the year I decided I'd never do that again. If I do go out, I'm home by 9:30 (and even that seems to be too late as some people just can't resist the idiotic practice of setting of fireworks in residential areas).

I belong to a few animal groups. My phone was lighting up from early in the night with all the doggies running scared. But midnight became ridiculous. Once again, this morning there's posts all over the groups of found pets, missing pets and of course, all the injured ones.

Fireworks are supposed to be illegal here. But every year it seems there are more being set off. Our metro police do nothing - there's supposed to fines issued to people setting off fireworks (even just crackers!!). Unfortunately they don't even bother to answer their phones. No law enforcement.

This morning, my pets are all happy and not stressed. I will continue to spend New Year's Eve at home. And if there's any reason I can't, I'd make sure someone is home with them.

Not the best photo, but as you can see, my dogs left no space for me, but they were happy and content to the point they fell asleep.