'Tis the Season

To get frustrated, I guess. Knitting time is at a minimum, and gift knitting is definitely behind, but I expected this. I'm trying to get a number of work projects out of the way so that I will have nothing demanding my attention during Christmas. Next Tuesday is the goal to get all the extra stuff done. Plus the decorating. I'm not ambitious at all, am I. The only decorating so far has been the Advent wreath on the dining table. And it's not really a traditional wreath. We started using this candle holder many, many years ago; it's old and covered with the ghost wax of many candles, but I wouldn't give it up. The kids probably wouldn't let me, anyways.

Christmas lights are going up around the neighborhood. I really enjoy walking around at night now, and I've got Buddy now to walk with me. He's unimpressed by it all, though. Much more interested in smells. Especially cat smells. He won't chase our cats, but he considers all the neighbor cats as fair game. We keep him on the leash, of course, so the cats aren't in any danger, and hopefully they all have enough sense to stay out of our yard now. We used to get some cats come up on our back patio; they'd hiss at our cats through the door and try to catch birds at the feeders. I haven't seen them, though, the last couple weeks. It's nice to have a good dog in the yard.

I've got a thirty pound box to ship out east tomorrow. It's the only box I'm shipping and I hope the lines at UPS won't be bad. They usually aren't, and I'm still a bit early, I think. Long lines can be depressing. Ho, ho, ho. In the meantime, no snow on the mountains yet, and nothing but sunny weather predicted. It's gone below freezing at night now and the garden is definitely dead. A few trees still have leaves, but not many. Now I'm really enjoying the hand-knit socks!