What to do when the party's over?

It's a bit of a drag. Christmas is over and now what?

I don't really like this time of year. Taking down the tree and packing away the decorations isn't nearly as much fun as putting them up. And once the festivities are over, all we're left with is winter. A lot of winter.

We've been snowed in - iced in, really - and I've been down with a bad cold. We both took time off work and we've just been napping and reading and visiting with each other and playing with the cats... well, now that I think about it, it hasn't been so bad after all.

So I'll just wish the world a Happy New Year and get back to it!

Merry Christmas!

To all, a very happy day!


We are spending it peacefully at home, sleeping in, playing with cats and ribbons, eating a fine ham dinner mid-day and heading out for a quiet walk together. And while there is an underlying sadness in not spending it with either our kids or our extended family in Arizona, there is still a happiness to the day together that we treasure.


May your holiday bring joy and the new year bring health and good fortune.

Making Sense; Making Noise

We've received some odd information from our local weather people lately. Regarding this evening's lunar eclipse, for example, we've been helpfully informed that it is NOT necessary to wear protective eye wear to observe a lunar eclipse... in fact, they said, you can look at the moon with your bare eyes. Amazing. Good to know. And the other day we were warned (not just once but twice!) not to 'rest on your laurels' because the good weather wouldn't last and icy conditions were expected to return. Perhaps we shouldn't 'let down our guard' but I really don't see how 'laurels' - either theirs or ours - came into play there... Although, now that I think about it, they also claimed to have"'brought the snow level down for you this evening" - not, in the first place, that we wanted them to, but also not that we really think THEY can rest on their laurels and claim credit for that.

I'm just puzzled. If you talk for a living, shouldn't you do a better job of it?

Rain, rain go away

Once again we find ourselves under flood warnings for our little river. Just a few days ago the water level was quite low but we've had big rain, and big rain collects in a big way! Snoqualmie Falls is raging. It normally flows at a mere fraction of this and only covers about a third of the rock face that it is currently spread across. All this water is heading our way. It will be joined, a few miles downhill, by the Tolt River - already overflowing its banks - and then will rush down the valley toward our bridge. And we think we might be stuck again.



We've loaded up on canned soup...

Early Christmas present

I got my Christmas present early this year - a new laptop. I'm thrilled with it. It means I can futz away on the computer while sitting in front of the fire in the family room or at the dining room serving table overlooking the front yard. I can type while watching squirrels in the trees and type with Maddie draped over my feet on the sofa or type in a comfy chair... The possibilities are all wonderful. And of course I had to have my own printer (they keep getting better for photo printing and I am thrilled with this new one!)

You would think that this new set up would inspire me to get back to production on the blog but it hasn't. I haven't been keeping up very well with my email correspondences either. Or even photo processing. What have I been doing?

Playing solitaire. Hundreds of games of solitaire.

And not doing well, for all that. The new computer came with a game loaded, of course, and unlike the old computer's game this one keeps track of your winning percentage. It turns out that I am terrible at solitaire! I miss stuff all the time. I blame my poor eyesight but really it is likely to do with all the distractions aforementioned regarding squirrels, cats, and falling leaves. In any case it is maddening. The game tells you when you have no more possible moves - a message I am by now quite familiar with - and it is just an innocent click from there right back to a new game, which you can't just 'quit' because it will affect your winning percentage. You can see that I'm hooked.

And Mark - ever competitive - keeps asking for a report on that all important 'winning percentage.'

At first I told him I am just getting used to the look and feel of the game and not doing well. Then I had to get evasive about my 'number' while speculating about what a good winning percentage might be, in his opinion, to see how far short I would fall... (33% he declares. Imagine! I should win every 3rd game without cheating? I think not!)

I finally had to admit it. I am solidly stuck at 13% and can't seem to get much higher.

Useless activity. And embarrassing