Just Rain So Far

We had a rainy day.  This is not normal for Green Bay, WI in the waning days of December.  Well, it isn't out of the ordinary judging by the last few years but this is "the Frozen Tundra" famed in song and story (and more than a few barroom jokes) and we're just not getting any tundra-ing.  It's just not right that we don't have any snow cover.  Lala drove home from White Lake today and called to say that they got a few inches of snow last night and that it was pretty.  All we've got is rain and I'm not at all convinced that we're going to get the cold and snow they threatened us with.  Last time I checked the weather the temperature's supposed to go up overnight.  Right now it's 45 degrees.  Not snow weather.


I managed to snap a picture of the pair of chickadees that were tag-teaming the platform feeder this morning.  They're hard to see because they're so fast, they zoom in, grab a seed, and zoom away.  I like watching them.

On Sunday evening Lala and I discussed the drive to and our stay in Yellowstone.  We figure we'll drive out on I-90 which will take us into the park at the east entrance which means we'd have to cross the whole park to get to our cabin in Mammoth Hot Springs.  We looked at the map and I remembered my cousin's recommendation that Durwood and I get a room for a night or two in various parts of the park to save gas and drive time so we agreed I'd call Xanterra, the company that runs the accommodations and concessions in the park (they're not part of the government so they're not shut down) to see what I could do.  I did that this morning and talked to a lovely woman who helped me get 2 nights at Lake which is near the east entrance, one night at Old Faithful, 2 nights at Canyon Village, and for the last 3 nights I kept the Mammoth Hot Springs cabin.  It'll be a little more expensive than if we'd stayed all 8 nights at Mammoth but it'll cut down on our time on the roads.







Yesterday when I came home from the Y it smelled like hot plastic in here which led me to think that more of the Christmas tree lights were burning out so today I dragged up the ornament bin and undecorated the tree.  Then I stood there with a Sharpie and marked the socket of every lit bulb.  Afterward I put the tree on the floor and tugged out each and every bulb from the marked sockets and put them all into this Tupperware to keep in the ornament bin so that when bulbs burn out on the tree in reserve I'll have all of these to replace them with.  Yes, I double-checked to make sure that the voltage or wattage (whatever) is the same.  The de-bulb-ed tree is today's toss.






 
After that I heated up the second half of the roasted carrots and cauliflower along with some more ham and a bit of sweet potato.  Then I watched "The Christmas Chronicles" on Netflix while knitting on the sock foot.  It was a fun, feel good movie with a non-standard Santa played by Kurt Russell.  I'd watch it again.

27 December--Ann Vallayer-Coster, Carnations, Pears, Cherries, and an Apple on a Table.  Jeremy came in the apartment door, reached to put down the mail and his keys, and stopped in mid-drop.  There was fruit on the entry table, flowers too.  Gail must be painting again, he thought.  It was dim in the entry hall, not the best light for painting but he wasn't an artist.  He heard a low humming and followed the sound into the living room where Gail lay stretched out on the couch.  She had her hands over her ears and she was humming.

Nope, haven't got a clue where that might have gone or what it means.  In fact, I'm rather glad that I almost fell asleep so that I had to quit because I don't think I want to know where that would end up.  I did some laundry today, mostly because all of my favorite ankle socks to wear to the Y were down the chute and I've got my assessment appointment tomorrow at 1 o'clock.  I need to wear clean socks.  Speaking of falling asleep, I just about am right now.  See ya bye.
--Barbara