So, Where Were We?

It's always hard for me (and, I suspect, most people) to shift out of the holidays. Not that they're quite over, but I've never been one for much New Year's Eve partying, and though I have a few more Christmas cards to send out, and I get Thursday off work, it's mostly over, really. Back to reality, such as it is.

I've spent a lot of the weekend with one cat or another, at their requests. A little while ago, I was sitting at the kitchen table doing something when Belmont came along and was so loud for attention that I lifted her onto my lap. She isn't usually much of a lap cat, but she settled in quite happily until I was done and we could move to the couch (where she still is now).

Carlos has of course also been vocal about needing me, and you should have seen his face Friday night, when I was crashed on the couch trying to gather my energy to get ready for bed, Belmont purring by my shoulder. "I want you, and instead you're sitting there ... with her?" But a good few nights of snuggling, plus assorted other hours, has soothed him somewhat. He came along when I was on the couch this morning reading the paper, and I pulled him onto my lap for cuddles. Once he was purring, I got out the clippers and trimmed his claws, and although his tail got a little flippy, he didn't even stop purring, and he stayed for another half hour before getting down for the traditional catnip reward.

Belmont woke up when she smelled what was going on, so I nabbed her to trim her claws first, to only mild protest, then rubbed her head the way she likes it for a while, to give Carlos a good long chance at the nip before she barged in. Once they were both doped up, there was a little fussing at each other, but not even as much as a normal day, so it's all good.

As for Florida? It was grand, naturally. I love spending time with my family, and if it has to be there, well, I'll suffer through.

We enjoyed Christmas done Florida-style:

And, as always, I picked up some shells.

 

And threw back more than one that I suspected were still occupied.

We pondered, not for the first time, why we all grew up thinking of "an orange" as a thing with no variety.

Just three of many varieties...

We spotted an actual, apparently functional pay phone, in the wild.

We noted people with positive attitudes:

Why, indeed?

And it is always five o'clock somewhere.

We didn't do tons of presents, since the trip really is the gift, but a few things were exchanged. My brother enchanted me with some new fun for the fridge:

And a toy for the bike:

Can you tell what it is?

It meows, and the eyes flash. Fun!

He also socked me, as well as our mother.

I got some knitting done on the trips, though not much while actually there. I decided to bring the little cashmere scarf for on-the-plane knitting. It grows, slowly.

And, with a dip in the water and some pins, the pattern stands out more, to better indicate how it will look when done and blocked.

The purse sock got its time, too, and is now to the heel.

And now that I'm home, it's back to the bike sock, which is slightly farther along.

The color is somewhere between this and that.

And speaking of biking, time for me to get to it. Miles of beach walking were great (though my legs and hips disagreed), of course, but not practical here. Back on the bike. At least I have the new toy for it!