The cold still lingers. The days or nice, but the nights are hard and cold. I’m happy to be inside. We’re in that period of time, where the old year lingers as well. Done. A little tired.

So far, I’ve had a brilliant Christmas season and a brilliant Christmas day. I’m sure there’s more to come because this, now, is the twelve days of Christmas and it lasts until January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. So, I can be in the Christmas spirit for at least another ten days, and that feels pretty good.

As always, I’m waiting for the kid to get up. Kid as in one, and he’s not a kid, although to me he’s still about six. In the old days, it was the kids, as in three.

We had a nice family Christmas yesterday although we missed the brother, son, and middle child. He was home ill. We ate, we drank and made merry then swapped presents. It was fun all the way around.

I finally did it. Bought a cheap, hang on the wall, outdoor thermometer. It’s on a porch pole right outside my kitchen window. This morning the little red column of mercury stands at 10. That is shiver my timbers cold.

Spent time wrapping presents yesterday. I need to up my game. I’m good at wrapping presents by family group so that I know which paper goes with what group. But the little touches are missing. Ribbons and bows.

Here’s some news I’ve yet to share. Just down the road from me, they’re building a multi-unit apartment complex. It’s one piece of property over. I can hear the construction vehicles constantly.

Baby, it’s cold outside. Random song line to describe today’s weather. No point really. It just seemed the thing to do. This tendency toward randomness often happens when I get a good night’s sleep and I got one last night.

Well, that was interesting. A night of dreams. Literally. I went to sleep, dreamed, woke up and did that four times. Four dreams.

I was dawdling in bed this morning, enjoying the warmth of the covers, when I realized I had to get moving. I had things to do. Well, a thing. Get a haircut.

Well, dang. I anticipated rain all day yesterday. It never came. At least not to me. It was just warm and muggy. Real Texas winter weather.

It looks as though it will be a day where we anticipate rain. I like that sort of day. Gray. Full of promise.

I’m wondering what next year will bring while feeling good about the possibilities. And that’s good medicine…

All the recent tiny rains, the ones the drizzle down over long hours, have done wonders for our bluebonnet crop in the back lots. The ground is wet as far down as you care to dig, and the plants love it.

Fried a pork chop last night. It came out just right. Golden brown with crispy fat. No pink inside. That’s a first. I won’t bore you with the details, except one.

Boom. The Christmas cards are done and in the mail. On the last day in November. He shoots. He scores. Now it’s present buying time. I already have some. I feel as though this may well be as pressure free a Christmas as I’ve had in a long, long time.

I’m nearly halfway through addressing my Christmas cards. Two boxes down, two boxes to go. My rough count stood at 60. I don’t get that many cards in return. The custom seems to have fallen out of favor.

For the first time in many moons, I tweaked my Christmas decorations. Added to the collection. Made changes.

I love brisk, cold mornings. Especially when I only need to go out into them to feed the cats or just stand around and enjoy the air.

It’s a fuzzy slipper heavy robe type of morning. Luckily, I have fuzzy slippers and a heavy robe. I’ve had both for a long time. It might be time for an upgrade. But well-worn fuzzy slippers and heavy robe are soothing, and I doubt anyone who sees me in them well ever think, jeez, get some new duds.