Outside chores were done as quickly as possible this morning. It was grey and raining.  I’ve lived here long enough to be pleasantly appreciative of rain this late in December. We all know what is inevitable but a little later start than now is just fine. Billy got the two new sets of twin lambs out of the rain and put them with their mothers in the barn until this weather passes. I don’t have any pictures because it was raining that hard.

Next we made a list (the list), sitting in the kitchen, and I headed off the hill to get some things for Christmas, taking the longer route along the lake just because I love to see the water. In the first shop, the girl behind the counter still had wet hair from her shower and she chatted with me and hummed Christmas tunes a bit nervously because it was early and I was the only one there. She wanted to know if I was getting the last few stocking-stuffers and looked shocked when I said they were my first. It wasn’t worth the fuss; a few more stops and I was done. By four the groceries were unloaded and I was watering the new poinsettia. I had to let go of my plan to clean the whole house from top to bottom. Ha!  Midnight in Paris finally arrived in the mail and I loved it so much I might watch it again tomorrow night.