Happy anniversary, beth and matt! Lovely little chapel y'all chose.

Cat role reversal tonight. Sammie traditionally sleeps snuggled up next to me, and Harvey sleeps somewhere on me, if I let him. Been so achy lately I have not been letting him. So tonight, without any reminders, he slept at my side. I woke up with Sammie on my chest, purring a very soft Sammie-purr (very different from the Harvey purr, which is very similar to the intensity of a cordless drill). Also, I don't know if it is the difference in her choice of spots to settle on, or the difference between the ten pound cat and the nine pound cat, but her sleeping on my chest did not make me feel painfully immobilized the way Harvey does when he sleeps on my upper legs.

I thought people would like to know, I canvassed the opinions of my younger brothers on whether TM!Girl is interested in me. My brother the pig says yes. My brother the doctor asked the rather sensible question of whether I was interested in her.

One brother is now konked out on the couch, while the other is clinking things together in the kitchen. I like my family. (After watching "Death to Smoochy", other brother has a new motto: "Sorry if I smell like piss. You know how it is.")

vw, I woke up about 20 minutes after you did. Did you do that? I really could have used another hour.

Damn. And I was trying to be so quiet!

Holiday baking has commenced. Last night, I cut up pounds of dried fruit and a goodly amount of candied ginger for fruitcakes. These have soaked overnight in a quantity of rum that would have even Capt. Jack Sparrow saying "don't you think that's a bit much?" Cider, butter, and spices have now been added to the mix, and it is bubbling away on the stove, making my house smell oh-so-yummy.

Later today, molasses crinkles and checkerboard cookies. When the fruit/rum mixture has cooled, it will be turned into batter and baked. The cakes will then be marinated in Calvados until Christmas.

Oh, Anne, that sounds just marvelous. I'm jealous!

I agree with brother the pig. Making sure you have all the contact numbers is a sign.

I don't know why I am up. Bobby's soccer game isn't until 2PM so I could have slept in. And yet I got up early made coffee and watched General Hospital tapes for breakfast. That is junk food deluxe I tell ya.

HEC! Or other hair people. My hair has grown quite a bit. Long enough to get caught in the car door, backs of chairs and so forth. I like the long part in that I can twist it up when I am working up a sweat, but I think I look better with some shape around the face. Whenever I look at hair style pages the models have way more hair than me. I think I have perhaps 73 strands of hair. I'm probably going to do some red henna again, but I have hesitated because I have some grey strands now and I think they are fun and I hate to cover them up. Ideas for a cut that is shaped around the face yet still long enough for me to feel girly. (yes I know that short hair is perfectly girly, but I like the feel of it longer)

Mmmmm I can smell Anne's cooking from here.

Apparently we had a mouse. I'm so glad I slept through it.

It was the only one, right?

Only the one that was found.

It was probably just looking for a warm place. (Should have asked if it was a house mouse, deer mouse or field mouse. Field mice have another name but I forget what it is.)

It's possibly the warmest morning we've had here all week! And the longer forecast calls for it to get warmer still! Temps actually ABOVE freezing.

I'm having some morning coffee and a toasted bagel. And people are cooking Christmas goodies on my tv.

Vole. That's the other name for fieldmice.

My fluffy cat yells at me everytime I step into the kitchen. Silly cat - you've had your breakfast!