Long Weekend

We left Vango and Holly at home (doggie spa!) and headed to the Atlantic to visit long-time friends. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, particularly wandering through historic Saint Augustine.

Filling the Rain Gauge Again

Over 6"/15cm already this morning, and it's not stopping any time soon. We have a lake out front, and everything else is on the verge of flooding. Boots, snorkels, and kayaks on standby!

Life in the South

'Q to go, smokin' all the way!

Taking Down Christmas

Such a bittersweet activity! I always hate to see the holiday season end, but disassembling Christmas is a guaranteed trip down Memory Lane. Every ornament is special, associated with a person, event, or time. For instance, we have old ornaments from my childhood Christmases, souvenirs from travel--wooden shoes from the Netherlands and fuzzy mittens from Alaska--and a patriotic ornament from 2001. This year we added two ornaments to our collection. The "Happy Camper" ornament is in honor of Vango. The school bus is a replica of the lunch pail I so proudly carried throughout first grade! Now our home looks empty and dull, and I am left dreaming of Christmases future.

1/1 Detox

We blew off our usual New Year's Day hike in favor of some much-needed yard work. With perhaps 50 evergreens on the property, we are inundated with pine straw. The Lawn Ranger came up with a novel way of clearing it that involved him riding and me doing the heavy lifting. Or so it seemed. I worked up quite the sweat, which was probably good after last night's celebrations. Next up: hot tub!

Happiest New Year!

We rang out the old year with friends last evening. Great company, food, and drink.