Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Christmas holiday

We had a great trip to RI, really enjoyed being there, had lots of good visiting and relaxing.  Relaxing from what?  Well, I was on vacation.  Vacation from what?  I just talked to a friend on the phone for a long time and she asked me what I've been doing to keep busy.  Oh dear, how embarrassing, I don't do much of anything.  Lunches in Plattsburgh.  Play with Lab puppies at the breeder's.  Watch too much TV, read too few books.

Anyway, Christmas was very nice.  I got there on Monday the 21st, had an easy drive down.  Liza was in good shape but has a torn meniscus and worries about her knee so doesn't do much.  We went to town every day, which is the norm for visiting her.  She sat in the car while I did shopping and errands, that was just fine.  We had a good Christmas day, lots of presents and fun.  Mark cooked a delicious chateaubriand for dinner (WOW) and that was fun.  Mark and & took the dogs to the  beach after Christmas--it was a short walk because it was rainy and windy and the dogs were not enjoying it at all, since they were on leashes.  I went to Jamestown to see my friend Linda.  We shared a duplex when I lived in RI so have known each other for 40 years.  We had a good visit--we always get together at Christmas and used to go to lunch in Newport but now we just visit at her house.  Easier and very pleasant.

I drove home yesterday, left Liza's at 8 and went around Boston instead of my usual Hartford-Albany route.  I stopped in Hanover, NH to visit cousins.  I stayed a couple of hours, had a really nice  visit with them, then came home through Vermont and across the lake.  There was a lot of traffic, which surprised me.  It took longer than my usual trip because of the route, so I was tired when I got home at 5.  The house was just fine, it didn't burn or collapse while I was gone.  No frozen pipes, the weather was warm and wonderful while I was gone.  Last night it was 10, and it snowed about 5" during the night.  Now it's sort of sleeting but is 20 and not bad.  I went out to get the paper this morning, they've plowed my road and the snow tires and AWD I have made it an easy drive.  Tonight I'm going to a neighborhood party on the other side of the lake with friends.  It should be nice, it's an annual gathering.

I have no plans for the rest of the week.  I talked to Annie Holt this morning--they were here for Christmas week but went home yesterday so I didn't get to see them.  They'll be back.  I think my friends want to have me come for dinner--they're here from Scarsdale, and have a relative who's new to the area and they want me to meet her.  Next week I'm going to the breeder's to help her give shots and microchip the second litter of pups.  There are yellows and blacks in that litter, wow are they cute. 

It's been a really nice holiday season.  The weather, strange as it was, was fine.  Now we're having winter but it's still warm, due to be 40 tomorrow I think.  No sub-zero temps predicted.  I have friends coming to their camp below my house at the end of January and they're hoping for extreme conditions.  We have a long way to go to reach that.

I have chores to do--unpack & put away stuff, set up my new smoke detectors (that was all I wanted for Christmas), put away my new toolbox (very nifty present from Mark), feed the birds, shovel the deck, get more firewood.  Will any of these count as an activity for the day?  I need to get back on track with my 3 things a day.

Dogs are happy to be home.  It seems strange, even though I was only gone for a week but it seems as if I left a long time ago.  I have to adjust to my routines, get back into the Hawkeye swing of things.  I'll go to Pat & Jim's in a little while, got some Canadian Club whiskey for Jim at the NH liquor store yesterday.  It will be good to see them again, hear about their holiday.  Soon enough it will be 2016.

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