Winter Creeps In

The rain has finally come in quantity this weekend. It's been pleasant staring out the windows at it and the liquid-intensified colors of grass and trees. Just when the sky seems to be lightening a bit and the rain easing and I considered donning coat and boots to walk the dog yesterday, another downpour arrived. I did venture out this afternoon, and we had a precipitation-free constitutional. I really needed it.

So I haven't done much this weekend aside from a load or two of laundry and putting together a long shopping list for Ikea and wrapping the gifts I'm contributing to one of our local charity. It was a particularly stressful week at work and I think I'm still reeling from that a little bit. I also didn't exercise enough and had some routine medical stuff done, just to pile it on. But it's Sunday night, so once more into the breech. Hope springs eternal and all that yadda yadda.

One bright spot in the week was the annual office craft sale I organize. Mom brought down some new pieces the night before, so I had plenty of stock. We did a better job of promoting it to the company, including the two other small businesses in our business complex, so we had the best traffic ever this year. That's always nice.

At least the parties have been plentiful this month. We've already been to three, and M attended an additional wingding put on by the Bar Association.

On Saturday last we went to an evening hosted by the wills and trusts attorney M works with occasionally. He and his wife invite people to eat, drink, and be merry and bring a gift for the Toys for Tots program. As you can imagine, their home was filled with lawyers. And an enormous quantity of Christmas-themed bric-a-brac. Where do they keep it in the off season? And a large and adorable Bernese Mountain Dog. The highlight of my evening was chatting with a real private investigator. What an interesting line of work, though a bit too much threat of physical violence for me.

Playground
Originally uploaded by suzipaw

Last Sunday we headed to chez Honey for a family gathering. More delicious food and pleasant conversation. We played Bananagrams, headed out to the local school playground in the chill weather, M wii'd with the kids. Very nice.

Last night we went to M's law firm's party. It was very low key--at the home of the couple who run it, a home cooked meal rather than at a swanky restaurant. But that's saying quite a bit since the wife is a trained chef who left the culinary world behind to practice law. Another evening of pleasantness. They have two adorable young daughters and just adopted an ancient black lab from the shelter. We ended the night with a bit of Texas Hold 'em and I actually did pretty well after a bit of coaching. Trying to channel my luck for Vegas.

Today was spent in service of the goddess of consumerism. We headed down to Ikea, hoping to finally find bookcases that work, but they were just too…crappy. I just couldn't stand the idea of having them in my house. (I've been toying with the idea of having a furniture maker whip us up something simple but solid in walnut or cherry. Uncle Lloyd, where art thou?) We did come home with plenty of less crappy other crap, including a desk for M that will nicely match the other tables in my craft room and lots of drapery to take the place of the closet doors we banished to the garage during the renovation.

It's getting late and I should prep for the gym tomorrow. But just wanted to close with the sentiment that I really miss blogging more!