1. Back still hurting, but much better. Cracked tooth? I am hoping it will make it to my appointment on the 29th. All in all? Not bad.
2. My sister Judi's grade school ornament shining out of my Christmas tree.
3. One of the many great perks to my job: freshly whisked matcha in the middle of the afternoon....just when you need a pick me up.
4. The green beans I made for dinner the other night outshone everything else on the plate. In fact, I can't remember what else we had. I had a tiny bit of Italian marinated olives left in a jar that my beloved Ceal had given me some time ago. It had been hanging out in the back of my refrigerator so I dumped it in a pan and sauteed the blanched green beans over a high heat in it, blackening them a bit in spots. Oh my Lord but it was delightful. A bit of heat, a bit of tang, and lots of bean.
5. Some of the best Christmas memories are things made by old friends. Owen bugged me into reconnecting with old friend Stephen Mitchell the other day. That boy is damned smart. It made me very happy.
6. Last night we finished putting the LAST of the ornaments on the trees and chatted with the boys about old pictures and Christmas decorated trains. I told Leo that I always hear the Korby Lenker song Christmas Rain in my head as Christmas Train. He gave me a sweet smirk. Lord I love that boy.
7. Owen recently told me, "Mom, you had a really exciting life. I know it's starting to slow down now, but I still want you to have fun."
Uh, thanks?
8. And last but not least.... Love is putting your colleague's socks on her because she just had a hip replacement.
See? Not all the news in the world is bad!