Merry Merry!

Above: The cake I made for Di’s party tonight—minus the sprinkling of powdered sugar that frosts the trees. Di will add that when she serves the cake tonight.

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I’d been looking forward to the party last night for weeks! But I’m glad I didn’t go. I feel Covid safer by not attending, and my day ended without me feeling shitty about my speech because I saw no one yesterday and didn’t have to try to talk. Well, that’s not quite true: I walked with two of my fellow dog walkers (FDWs), but they know I can’t talk and they’re happy to let me walk ahead just listening to them chatting and walking behind me. And I saw Di when I delivered the cake, but I only stayed a few seconds and I let her do all the talking. I left her a note explaining the need to sprinkle the trees with strained powdered sugar.

I spent all morning after the walk icing the cake and trees. Then I had a quick lunch before doing all the dishes and tidying up after all my baking of the past two days. Mid-afternoon, my good buddy and former neighbour, Kelly, came and we had a nice visit over tea and the cookies Paula gave me. I adore Kelly; she’s kind and incredibly skilled at too many things! Late in the afternoon, I delivered the cake to Di’s place, and afterwards, I took Sheba to Drumbeg for a walkabout. Then we came home for couch time together by the fire.

It felt wonderful to come home and settle in. There was a blizzard of sleet when I was icing the cake and so everything is covered in cold, wet slush. I was sad to miss the party, but I can do without the anxiety of exposure and the embarrassment of my speech. Di has promised another get together when I feel up to it.

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I have a plastic garage. It has a simple metal frame with a plastic stretched roof stretched over it. It’s great for keeping my car cool in summer and it gives me dry access and egress to my car. But snow is a hazard. If I don’t keep going out there and using my broom to knock all the snow off it, it will rip from the accumulated weight.

So, throughout the day and the last thing I did before going to bed, I went out to knock all the snow off its roof. I went to bed worried that the plastic would rip last night. It’s been snowing like mad without a break, and it’s predicted to snow some more today and tomorrow. This is the first white Christmas here that I can remember.

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Well … a white Christmas we have! But there was not a heavy snowfall last night, so my plastic garage is still standing. It’s snowing lightly now and there are likely to be flurries of snow all day, so I’ll just read and chill all day. Sheba and I will walk, but our walks will be short. She hates the snow that builds up on her feet, matting in her hair. And I don’t want to slip and fall. 

Merry Christmas all!