Gray and Rainy, Not Very Christmas Like In Darien

At Least Bella and Greta Love Me

Dog Walking With Marisa

Up later than usual, at 7:30, to a gray, wet morning, getting cooler too.  Before I had the coffee made, all three gals came down, so it was me, Beth, Lettie,  Evie, and three dogs, no boys for a good while I suppose.  Today looks like another day of madness on the road, as everyone tries to buy one more thing, makes sure they have everything they need for that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner. We are no exception, as the lists are already being made, the stops arranged.

Biking In His Den

Yesterday was a good day and like many family Sundays, it was made up of good food, some shopping and football, at least for Rami and me.  No one else gives a hoot about the NFL, which is refreshing actually.  People got up slowly, so no big breakfast, just everyone making their own as they arose.  I took Cody for a walk, Rami worked out on his bike, and everyone else hung out with their iPads until late morning, when the big shopping event took place, our trip to America's greatest invention, COSTCO, home of the deal you cannot resist.  Surprisingly, we found a parking spot and inside it was not total madness, just plain old madness.  We resisted the urge to buy, buy, buy and just concentrated on food items for the week, and of course, filling up on the samples, the best part of our visit. Rami and I finished the shopping task off with a buck fifty special, a Hebrew National dog and a coke, the best food deal in America, sugar and fat, yum.

Telefunky After Dinner

Nothing special the rest of the afternoon, Tyler was off with friends, working out, the highlight being the arrival from NYC of Rami's sister Lettie and two dogs, Greta and Bella.  They created diversion for the rest of the afternoon, until it was time for dinner.  We cooked a pork roast outside on the grill, browning it first on all sides over a hot fire, then turning the heat down to around 300º and roasting it until about 135º.  I was surprised how moist and tender it was.  We had roasted potatoes, a salad, a couple of bottles of wine, so it was a fine dinner.  Afterwards, some of us played cards, Telefunky, until 9:30, when it was time for Marisa to go to bed.  We watched some more football till we were tired, about 10:30 and went to bed.

It's 8:30 and Beth and Lettie are getting geared up for the first shopping run of the day, hoping to beat the crowd. Good luck.