The News from Here

 First off: it's cold!  Weather report says it's 12º but feels like -9º.  Yesterday was above freezing and everything that melted has turned to ice now.  I put grips on my boots after trying to walk the grand dog  and slipping three times but luckily not falling.

Speaking of grand dog, we have Maple here until Friday evening.  Dan walks her morning and evening and I do lunch time.

She likes to sit on the top of the couch so I put down an old quilt.

She also likes my chair and if I sit to read there she snuggles in next to me.

Dan preparing for a walk.

I think Maple misses the granddaughters.

I'm also going over to daughter's house in the afternoon to collect eggs from the chickens, check on their feed and water.  Inside the house I feed and water the rabbit.

The turkey breast Christmas dinner was a success. The next day I put the leftover mashed potatoes in the bottom of this casserole, added some frozen peas, the leftover carrots, then some turkey in gravy and topped it with the leftover stuffing.

It was very good.

We had it for lunch again another day and yesterday Dan finished it off.

I also cooked down the rest of the breast to make broth and used most of that for a turkey vegetable soup.  I think there is one more turkey dinner in our future: turkey pot pie.

But not tonight.  My niece Wendy and her husband and two son are coming for dinner and I'm making lasagna.  They are skiing for three days and tonight was the only time we could have them for dinner.  They live north of Boston.

Dan had a rehearsal with his quintet last night so after an early dinner and his departure I sat down with the book Twice by Mitch Albom.  Dan had read it some months ago and said it was good.  This from a reader who never touches fiction.  It was a quick read.  I was done by 10.  It is a very good story and I recommend it to you readers out there.  It's book 90 for me this year.

I have one more book I may finish before the new year comes: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch.  It's for the book group on Monday afternoon the 5th.  I started it a bit ago but was put off by two things. First, the writing style - there are no paragraphs and he doesn't use quotation marks.  Second, the subject - the take over of a democracy; hits too close to home.  I put it down.  Then tried again by reading the ending which made no sense.  I'll try again I imagine because now that I did read the ending I need to understand what happened.

In other news, I took down most of the Christmas decorations.  It's the earliest I remember doing this but just felt like it was time.  The tree is still up but with only the lights.  I'll take it down tomorrow after company is here.

That's all folks.  Happy New Year!