Merry Christmas

It wasn’t a white Christmas like in most of the rest of the country, but it was dang cold. Three nights in the 30s this weekend. Something seemed odd when I brought in my orchids, then I realized there were no lizards jumping around inside like always happened in South Florida. I’m still not quite used to living here.

Per tradition, we started the day with oyster stew. Annie and Grace each got a tablespoon of broth, which they lapped right up, or would that be right down? Afterwards, both took long baths, then withdrew to their respective sleeping areas.



Neither are interested in going to their kitty litter boxes on the porch. Several times we pitched them out our bedroom door, and each time, they raced over to their cat door and come right back in. One time, Annie stopped for a peek into the little cave I made William by hanging a towel to cover the doorway of his shelter. She’s too big to get all the way in, so she hustled on. I am pleased that the heating pad in the roof of his area seems to be keeping it about 20 degrees warmer than ambient air. He went inside 3 days ago and hasn’t come out since. Eventually, the cats will need to make a pit stop, so we continue to put them out.


Early afternoon, Stephanie and Kyle brought a lovely rib roast, Brussels sprouts, and biscuits for Christmas dinner. We made smashed potatoes and mac n cheese (at Clara’s request). I tried a microwaved steamed pudding that turned out well. It began with candying clementines, an 8-day process, which takes out some of the spontaneity of the recipe. I overcooked my crème anglaise, but caught it just as it barely turned. Still delicious. Stephanie took over the bûche de Noël, creating fabulous mushrooms. 

After dinner, Clara and Aiden jumped in the pool for a quick swim, but deemed it way too cold to enjoy. Their being outside did encourage Gracie to join them. She managed to just fall in the spa enough to get her tail wet. That extinguished her enthusiasm. I wrapped her in a towel for a quick dry, so all well. Annie looked on from inside in contempt.




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