Bags Are Packed, Ready to Go

7:07

7:36

7:55

It's 7:00 and guess what, the sky is an amazing combination of pink, gray, gold and blue, as the sun has not yet risen.   I have been up a half hour, listening to NPR, the depressing news of the killing of two policemen in New York City.  It's going to be warmer today, with some sun but at the moment, it's a frigid 21º.

Ready For A Walk In Dobbins Woods

Sunday, after a quiet morning, relaxing with the local paper, coffee and enjoying the moment, we decided to do something.  Amazingly, we got up off our couches, put on our hiking clothes and boots and when off to hike Dobbins Woods, about a ten minute drive from our house.  It was a perfect temperature for walking, a crisp 30º, with not a whiff of wind.  It was invigorating to just breathe in the cool air, to walk in the woods, untouched except for animal tracks everywhere we walked.  We rarely see a sign of life whenever we hike, so it was interesting to see how much the snow fall was covered with tracks of animals, mostly deer and rabbits I would think. We have not been in Dobbins in months, so the changes from early fall to now are pronounced, little green except for the few hemlock groves, lots of dead fall, littering the whiteness of the ground, and open vistas, as everything has died back.  We were out for just about an hour, never cold except for our hands.  A good way to start a Sunday.

Among The Hemlocks

After walking, we drove to Wegman's so Evie could get a flu shot before we head East.  Wegman's was packed with shoppers on a Sunday morning, getting ready for the holidays I suppose.  Every checkout aisle was open yet I still had to wait.  We were home by 1:00, just in time for the start of the Browns game.  Evie made us breakfast: eggs, bacon, and bagels, and we settled in for the afternoon, watching some football, listening to the Browns game, doing some reading, packing for our trip, and enjoying the afternoon.

Around 4:00, we broke our no alcohol before 5:00 rule, opened a bottle of white, and sat in the living room, listening to NPR and reading.  Evie also wrote and tried to send one last Christmas card but the website, FELT, was down so it was a bit irritating.  She wrote them an email and they immediately responded, even on a Sunday afternoon, and let her know when the site was back up.  Great customer service but a balky app.

We had a typical Sunday dinner, leftover rotisserie chicken, with stuffing, mashed potatoes,  spinach, gravy and a salad.  We were looking forward to Sunday night TV because two or our favorite series, Homeland and The Affair, were having their final episode, tying together all the loose threads.  SPOILER ALERT: Well, Homeland was a mega disappointment, no booms or flashes, no heroes thwarting terrorist plots. Instead, we learn that Carrie has a stepbrother, that he mother left her when she was fifteen, and she's never forgiven her.  Who cares about Carrie's private life.  Let's get back to her CIA job for heavens sakes. She and Quinn have a brief moment, but she will not commit, so he's off to Syria with a Special Forces team.  No doubt to be captured and extracted from a cell by Carrie in next year's series.  And Saul compromises his morality and integrity, agreeing to work with the terrorist who was responsible for the deaths of over thirty State Department employees.  How unsurprising that he's pragmatic, political, willing to compromise to get his job back.  We put off The Affair until tonight.  Maybe the two lovers will live happily ever after, riding off into the sunset, leaving behind their families, happy with their choice.  Not!