It’s raining, and warming up–supposed to be about 60º tomorrow!  Now that’s more like it, for Southern winter (official).

Here is a stack of M&Ms cookies by E, and a preview of Chanukah things to come.  Lights to come…

It’s always a challenge to find beauty in the bleakness this time of year.  Whether it’s the gray cold, the sense of isolation amid the desperate festive frenzy all around us, or the dysfunctional state of the union, it’s hard to stay hopeful sometimes.  All you can do is keep moving forward and be glad for all the little signs of life continuing undaunted.  Like these determined green collards holding on in the garden.  Or this one small yellow flower I found hiding among all the dead, dry weeds in the field, like a bright neon sign in the drabness, proclaiming “Open for Business”.

Owning a home is not for the faint of heart–or the finite of funds.  Or the inflated of age!?  Any of you homeowners know if it’s not one potential catastrophe, it’s another, always inopportunely timed.  It’s a law of nature, or something.  When you’re old and poor especially, you gotta be resourceful.

I won’t bore you with tedious details.  Suffice it to say, once again E came to the rescue with one of her clever (i.e. cheap but effective) temporary fixes to fend off the inevitable.  I’ll just say, whoever “renovated” this house to “comply with code” had no clue what they were doing, and got away with it, as so often happens down here.  It’s discouraging, but we move on to the next fun challenge.

Sometimes non-eventful is the optimal state.  Just ask Misu.

Here are: a sunrise, ravens, and Misu demonstrating the zen of lounginess.

Here is a cheery gin drink on a going-dormant sort of day.  It has:  London gin, touch of ginger liqueur, ginger ale, berry juice, triple sec, a California lime slice, and a mint sprig.

The dazzling full moon was setting out front early this morning, as the sun was rising out back, after another frigid (20s) night.

Indoors, signs of the Chanukah season are coming out, and Misu is becoming quite the languid lounge cat.  Why fight the inevitable?  All that’s missing is the martini.

And just like that, it dropped from 65° to the 20s practically overnight, with snowfall.  Here’s the scene Misu and I woke up to this morning.  It’s not even winter yet, especially down here.  Only a few years ago I remember running around outside with the grandkids in teeshirts in late December.  Weird flukes of nature seem to be the norm now.  Anyway, it’s pretty.

The little bit of holiday shopping we po’ folks are able to do was accomplished in a few hours, in a few stores, on a Monday after the official stampedes were over.  Call it Blackish Monday.  Avoid getting trampled to death in a Walmart, and still take advantage of ongoing sales in saner stores.  The coupons I had downloaded saved us even more money.  Now we’re done.  *not gloating*

Then, since we hadn’t eaten at all, we adjourned to Yassin’s for falafel.  Besides great authentic Middle Eastern food, we get to contribute to a worthy cause.  Yassin’s is the ultimate immigrant success story.  He came here from Syria with nothing, and now is enriching his community and hiring immigrants himself.  It’s a safe space for minorities of all kinds.

I can’t take enough photos of this flowery profusion.

It’s been in the 50s and 60s here; what better time to pot rooted herb cuttings.  I feel like I should be seriously gardening, except there’s nothing to do out there.

I keep the “kitty TV” refilled with birdseed for Misu’s viewing pleasure.  Lately a chipmunk has moved into the bowl and keeps stuffing its face with seed for storing, making frequent round trips, in between squirrel traffic.  Of course the chippy proved elusive for this photoshoot, but the squirrels aren’t shy.  This keeps Misu very occupied.

Here is how Misu deals with the challenging month of December.  I heartily recommend it!

Here’s an example of less is more: I barely tried with these tropicals, and look at the flower explosion.  Whereas all my striving to grow basic plants down here has yielded less than stellar results.  I blame the crappy soil and conditions down here, but still.

Avdi is over here working etc., which makes us happy, especially Misu, who has been lying in wait, literally.  She can always tell “her boy” is on the way.  We don’t get to see him as often anymore, so each glimpse is a bonus.

Here’s another case of less is more–less income is more opportunity to avoid the feeding frenzy that is xmas.  Seriously, it’s the best excuse to stay home and not get trampled underfoot.  You can’t argue with cost-of-living nonadjustment!