Made it through Christmas!

Yes! We made it! And it's over, thank goodness. Not that I don't like Christmas, but this was one of the more challenging ones I've ever lived through. What with being sick and having to scramble at the end, and not having much of anything to wrap on account of not being able to shop due to being sick, it was not a fun time. On Christmas Eve I felt so awful I really thought maybe I needed to go to the hospital. But I couldn't put my finger on what exactly was wrong, so I kept going, and by Christmas Day I felt better. So we survived.

It's not 100% over. I never did manage to make some of the cookies I meant to make, so I've promised the kids I'll do some more baking this week. And my book group is coming on Tuesday, so I'll have to spend the next two days cleaning (while Rocket Boy is at work), and then there's New Year's Eve, for which I'll feel like I have to do something. Maybe just watch a movie. But I'll have to get more sparkling cider and snacks.

Having a honeybaked ham for Christmas was, as always, a very good idea, even if the kids are already tired of it. Tonight we're having it with green beans, tomorrow we'll have it with sweet potatoes, Tuesday the family can go out to eat, due to the book group coming, Wednesday I'll make rice ham dish, and Thursday I'll make a big pot of split pea soup with the last of the ham and we can have that on Friday too. And next Saturday we'll eat out and Sunday we'll forage, and I won't have to think about coming up with interesting things to cook until the next Monday, January 5th!

The cats had a good Christmas, I think. Their present was three little catnip mice, which they've been chasing around the house ever since the 25th. In this photo they are looking for the mice, which are already lost.

Teen A wasn't very happy with his Christmas -- he had asked for boxer shorts, at least I thought he did, but it turned out he wanted boxer briefs. I gave the boxers to his uncle, and I haven't been back to Target to get boxer briefs, but maybe this week. After the book group comes. 

Teen B just wanted regular underwear, so he was happy with his, and he also liked his new pajamas. Teen A was very scornful of his new pajamas (boxer shorts, sigh), so I'll probably give them away. 

But Teen A's heart wasn't with us -- it was with his girlfriend -- so I don't think it would have mattered what I got him. He got her something small, which we think was a piece of jewelry, and wrapped it in multiple gift bags and boxes, from a very small gift bag up to a great big box that he and Rocket Boy wrapped in pink striped paper. He hasn't told us whether she liked it or not, but we pretty much didn't see him at all yesterday (she was home from a ski trip), so you can draw your own conclusions.

Yesterday, Teen B and I had coffee with his old "mentor" from elementary school, when he was involved in something called Kids Hope. Miss Trish and he met once a week after school, mostly to play games. She was supposed to help him with his reading, but he didn't want to read, he wanted to play games, so they played games. He would bring his own games to school and she would bring games, and they would play and play. He was in that group for three years (3rd-4th-5th grades) and he and Miss Trish became very good friends. So I've kept in touch with her, and a couple of times we've managed to go out for coffee at Christmas time. She's a VERY nice person. We spent two hours chatting with her! I thought it was maybe 45 minutes. Anyway, it was lovely, and we're going to invite her to his graduation in May.

Today, Rocket Boy and I drove to Rocky Mountain National Park so that I could get a Senior Lifetime Pass. I've been eligible for three years already, but RB has a pass, so I figured I didn't need to get one too. But then we heard about what's going on the America the Beautiful passes in the new year: Trump's face! According to a ranger that Rocket Boy talked to, a LOT of people have been buying the old passes during the last few weeks, for exactly this reason. 

The thing about having a pass like this is that now I don't have to pay to get into any of the parks -- but I want to pay! They need my money! But this way I can stick a $10 bill in the donations box, things like that, but I still have my pass to get me into the park. And if we're ever really poor and can't afford to pay to get in, we'll just use our passes. It's a win-win.

After buying the pass, we drove a little ways into the park. It was so cold, in the 20s, and a terrible wind was blowing, so we didn't try to do any hiking (we did see a few people trying, being blown to bits). We barely got out of the car! 

But it was really pretty. We didn't get much snow last night, but a little, and the wind was blowing the snow around the mountain tops, very mystical looking. We kept stopping the car to take pictures, but I don't think the pics really do it justice.

Then we drove back down and on the side of a hill there was a huge herd of elk, just lying around. I think it was more than I've ever seen together. Mostly females, a few males with antlers. I suppose the females are pregnant. They give birth around May/June. They looked perfectly happy, just lying on the cold ground in big heaps. (In the photo they seem to be standing up, but just a few feet away there were a whole lot more lying down.)

We also saw lots of magpies on the trip. Magpies don't mind the cold.

Then we went to one of the visitor centers and I bought a winter hat, but it doesn't fit. Oh well. I'll give it to someone. We stopped at a cafe in Estes Park and I had hot chocolate and Rocket Boy had a cheese pizza. And then we drove back home.

***

So, the week ahead... As I mentioned above, I've got the book group coming and then New Year's, so those two things will keep me busy. Rocket Boy is going to work Monday through Wednesday, then he'll get Thursday off, and back to work on Friday. That will give me lots of time to clean and prepare (mentally) for the new year. 

I also just need to feel better! I'm still coughing horribly, although it's improving a little. But still these deep, throaty coughs, very "productive." But the stuff that's produced is clear or whitish, no sign of any infection. Just more of this weird coughing illness. So I think I'm getting better. I haven't gone for a walk in two weeks, so this coming week I'll try to walk. The weather should be good, no ice or snow -- I really have no excuse not to walk.

I haven't done any writing in December -- first the plumbing disaster, then getting sick, then Christmas... But that means I can do some writing in January and it will be fun. Have to think positively about January. There's absolutely no sign of any weather coming over the next seven days, so that's something. I've never experienced a warm, dry January (at least not since moving away from California). I wonder what it will feel like. Well, here we go!