Saturday Morning Coffee

Good to see you! How’ve you been? Sit right on down and pull up a chair; I’ll pour the coffee.Has it really been two weeks since our last Saturday chat? Well, last weekend was Christmas, so that’s understandable. I do hope you aren’t too put out.
Mr. Tom’s in the hospital again – we had to call the ambulance on my birthday. Not how I’d planned spending that day, but things happen. Doctor originally issued a devastating prognosis (Mr Tom is 98, after all) but was proven wrong by a man who said

I told you, I”m not that easy to kill.

He had several things to address and has responded well to treatment. We took Christmas to him on the 25th, and he was pleased as he could be, given the circumstances. In a Christmas miracle, we were told he’d be able to come home (right home! no rehab!) on the 26th, but then he developed a fever and they won’t release him. Now they’re saying Monday. We shall see.

Christmas was spectacular, to say the least. I already told you about being outdone by Krystal on the gift-giving front, but I received other notable gifts, too. Krystal’s sister gave me two books, both of which look interesting and one of which I’d entered to win on Goodreads but didn’t. She also gave Krystal and I handmade wands, and by coincidence they very nearly matched the wands that we received on Pottermore. Mom and Dad R. gave me much needed socks and a belt, as well as a good supply of Lebkuchen and other German baked goods. My family sent us assorted teas, books, gift cards (Huzzah! Food!), and the like. My oldest brother and his family sent us a welcome mat with owls on it – right now it’s too cute to use. Before the break, my students supplied me with quite a bit of coffee and gift cards (mainly for books, but a few for coffee). I’ll be set for the next few months, lol.

There was one gift rivaling Krystal’s: her Aunt Rose and Uncle Jason (my aunt and uncle now, too since I married into the family . . . and lived with them for almost two years while I finished college and moved from Pennsylvania) – anyway where was I? Oh yes, now I remember. They gave me a gift I’d wanted for quite some time: a trip to Washington, D.C.!

 

We left on Monday and returned late on Thursday and it was a blast. I’d tell you more, but I’m planning on writing about it in more detail over the next week or so. Did I take pictures? Of course I did – over 300, in fact! You can bet I’ll be sharing those too. You want a preview? Check out my Instagram, as I’ll be sharing a couple photos a day for the next few days. Where did we go? Oh, we went to the

National Mall & Monuments

Library of Congress

National Archives

Smithsonian (American History & Natural History)

Folger Shakespeare Library

Arlington

If that doesn’t sound like much for a three(ish) day trip, you’ve never been to D.C. Trust me, it was plenty!

I got back home to find Smokey had been quite annoyed at my leaving, as in peeing on things annoyed. Thankfully that’s stopped, although he hasn’t stopped trying to sit on me every time I’m still for more than 15 seconds. You’d think he was happy to see me!

Can you believe we’re at the end of another year already? I don’t think I’ve anything planned for tonight, but you can bet junk food will come into play at some point.

How about you? What have you been up to these last few weeks? Any New Years’ plans (or plans for the New Year, as the case might be)?

Don’t worry about the coffee, I just put on a new pot.