I'm sitting in my old favorite spot, the front porch. The winter view is so much different than that of the other seasons. The main colors are green and brown. I have a lot of evergreen bushes, and the lawns are mostly green, along with the pines in the distance. Everything else is brown mulch and bare trees. I'm looking up at my big old pear tree. The branches are empty of those nasty berries, and the walkway is clear. The two months of dealing with the tree's mess is worth the good aspects of the other ten. Or so I say now. If I didn't have the tree I wouldn't have a place to hang my hummingbird feeder, and if I didn't have that, I'd have no reason to spend so much time on my porch.


Today was warm by MD standards. I think it was in the high 50's, and by mid-week should be in the 60's, before going down again. I spent the afternoon taking down all of the outdoor Christmas lights. It was nice to have an excuse to be outside. I hadn't realized that the deck lights weren't functioning. When I was taking them down I found many sites where the cord had been bitten clear through. Hello squirrel buddy of mine. I really wasn't surprised, although it was the first year that happened. It must be because of my Squirrel Buster feeder. Tit for tat.

I met Kit at the 'lodge'. We had a cozy couch to share and lots to talk about. Meeting her for coffee every Sunday is a LJ (I got that from Andrew..little joy). I came home and soon after Em and I left for Grace's Fortune. There were 10 of us for brunch, and we were in a separate room with a huge round table that probably could seat 15. The table had a huge lazy susan in the middle. The buffet items were unlike any that I've seen before. This was fine Chinese dining. The array of desserts was amazing. I won't even try to describe them. If you live anywhere near the restaurant, in Bowie, I'd highly recommend it. My brother and father picked up the tab, but I imagine it was at least $20 per person. My family was surprised by how much I ate. I told them I went to Golden Coral last night to prepare for today. Silly me. I ate small portions of many things. I was not overly full. On our way there, Emily grumbled about the buffet. She thought it was one that we don't go to anymore. When she saw the offerings, she said she was eating the brunch and not ordering off the menu like we planned. For most of her life she was such a picky eater, that I forget she actually likes food. She eats out a lot with her father, and I'm always surprised by the things she tells me she likes. The most recent was oysters in a tomato based sauce. Not for me!

The family outside of the restaurant. My brother had to be talked into this one.


I'm back in the house now. It got too cold outside for comfort. I really wanted to put out the hammock for a while, but the day just slipped away. There's always tomorrow.

I had two things I meant to write about before but forgot. Here's the first: Last week Emily wanted to wear her slippers to my parent's house for our visit and asked if we had to stop anywhere first. I told her I didn't know, but that her slippers look like suede clogs, and they'd be fine. We went to a huge and busy grocery store to pick up the lunch platter and what did we see? A man (not a kid or teenager) wearing a green flannel robe, with exposed bare legs, and slippers. And here Emily was worried about her slippers. Here's the second thing: When I was at the grocery store yesterday I checked out at the line by the cartons of cigarettes. There was a sign announcing that the MD tax on cigarettes went up $10 per carton and $1 per pack effective January 1. If ever there was a time to quit, this would be it. The average price of a carton was $51.50. I'm so glad I'm a former smoker. How do people afford it?

I finally bought the chuck roast to make my pot roast. The meat employee was putting out her wares and I told her I'd never made a pot roast and asked if she could show me a good package. She was surprised, as are most people when I tell them that, and was happy to educate me. She told me to look for good marbling, looked through the packages, and picked one out for me. I really meant to make it today, but got involved with outdoor chores. I'll make it tomorrow. It's not like we're going to be hungry for dinner after that buffet.

This post is way too long. I hope it held your interest. I'm tired out, and will be happy to hang out on the couch tonight without feeling lazy. I'm off tomorrow and have no plans other than cooking. Ladeda.