For the last few days I’ve not done much of interest: laundry, wrote thank you notes, did the bills and budget, read, napped, and watched a couple movies.
On Wednesday, when I finished the bills, I thought I’d make a stab at accomplishing something, so I started fluffing the new tree. It’s a huge tree and will take many hours to get the whole thing done. I’d started pieces on several layers earlier to see what it looked like.
I took off the upper 2 pieces so it would spin more easily in the stand as I worked. I managed to get the first tier done before I quit. At this rate, I ought to finish it about mid March…
I was on the phone at my desk on Wednesday and saw a black squirrel appear and eventually climb one of the poles after the feeder. I can’t get photos when I am on the phone, sigh… I can’t remember ever seeing a black squirrel here. My husband would have known….
As I watched another gray squirrel came out and climbed the far pole and made it out to the thistle feeder. That one doesn’t have a baffle, as it doesn’t need one. It gave up, not trying the ones with baffles. But it will be back…
Later still, there was an explosion of action as the black cat jumped into the middle of at least a dozen birds and 3 or 4 squirrels on the ground. It missed every one of them, not even close. I hate it’s after the birds, but there’s nothing to be done. It’s been hunting chipmunks and mice there for years.
Mostly I’ve been enjoying the quiet and peace. The Christmas music plays all day, instrumental in the office and all kinds in the living room. With the fans going to move the heat and the hallway, they don’t compete at all.
It’s hard to believe it’s almost a week from Christmas and the trauma/anniversary. Last year on New Year’s friends came in and put my office together on the first floor to deal with the tsunami of paper from my husband’s death. Fortunately, all of that is behind me. There’s just the tropical storm of end of the year paper and getting tax stuff ready, ahead.
I’ve read all my Christmas books I’m going to for the season and am working on a library book about the Barbizon hotel for women in NY. When that’s done, I’ll resume the Robert Parker series I was working on a couple weeks back.
Thursday more normal life resumes with the carpenter’s helper coming in to work on wood for the masonry heater. I may have him do more about getting the old bedroom ready to paint. But that will mean I have to go up and prep it… We’ll see…