L'aventure américaine

I am home and in my bed on a Saturday- the first time in over and month. I have been maximizing my time at my parents’ while Charles and family were there. It was the best and a direct contradiction to the adage, “you can’t go home again.”  You can. And your dad brings you coffee in bed.  Anyway, it was the best ever and now Charles is safely at home with his family and my kids are glad that things are normal again, but I miss them all and I’ve been awake for 30 minutes and I think I’m going to have to make my own coffee.  Poop. 

As many of you know, I have some issues with football from a public health perspective. Nevertheless, I find myself watching it and celebrating  IU. Of course, now I am watching the Bears lose and that isn’t nearly as fun.  2026 is starting well personally because my brother is still here and hanging with him is the best. Also- hanging with him means more down time and family time and a slower pace in general, which is magic.  Anyway. Go IU. Keep your brains safe.  Edited- after a crazy comeback, the Bears won!! Go Bears!

My dad turns 80 today. I made a little speech at his birthday party yesterday and my takeaway is that Dad REALLY doesn’t like the attention. But- I think that there was a houseful of people who wanted to express how much they love him.  After the party, and some well-deserved rest, we all stayed up until midnight to bid farewell to 2025 and hello to 2026. Wishes for kindness and generosity and peace abound.  Happy New Year!!

We have been playing hard here and most of the adults take at least one nap per day. We have been socializing and opening gifts and eating good food and laughing. One puzzle completed so far, which is an indication of how busy we have been. Zero movies completed. Multiple family gatherings. 

A dedicated reader told me that I was slacking.   So, maybe, just maybe, I’ll do better in 2026. Merry Christmas!

 I am sitting on the floor of the basement with Maizie beside me. She's warm and is breathing slowly. She smells like herself. (Side note: I have also thought that Maizie had a unique smell. It's not dog; it's better than that. Something like grains, but wholly her. I have always loved her smell.) Maizie has been the best girl. I vividly remember when we learned about her. I had been looking for dogs and wanted the friendliest breed: a lab/golden retriever mix. While playing Dixit in our apartment in Baltimore with friends from grad school, our friend, Meagan, said that her mom's dog was having puppies and she thought that they were lab/golden retrievers. (Another side note... we were drinking. Maybe Meagan didn't say this. Maybe this is just what I heard because it was what I wanted to hear. But, by the time that we learned that they were not lab/golden retrievers, but rather an odd mix of dachshund, catahoula hound, and lab, I was smitten with the idea and too far...