I made vegetarian Shepard's Pie, salad, and banana cream pie for supper. Dan, Cathy, Donna, and Mummy attended supper.

Supper table.

 Afterward, we decorated the Holiday Tree. It was a lot of fun.

The Holiday Tree.

Mummy had a really nice time, we talked about cats (a lot).

Mummy, Donna, Cathy, and Dan. 

 I had a really nice time too, it was a lovely night.

In the Spring of 2013 I may be helping teach an archaeology field school at a Spanish Mission site south of Tucson. So yesterday we went down to walk around the site. The mountains were coated with snow, so pretty.

Mountains.

While we were standing at the edge of the terrace, the Santa Cruz River decided to start flowing. We wondered whether we would be able to drive across it again (we were able to).

Santa Cruz River.

 We saw three pieces of Chinese porcelain on the ground surface. The porcelain was shipped by galleons from Canton, China to Manila, Philippines, then to Acapulco, Mexico, and then by freight wagon or mule pack trains to the northern settlements. It was a high status luxury good, helping to brighten the lives of the priests at the far away mission.

Blue on white porcelain.

 The Mexican food we had for lunch did not brighten my life. Instead I came home and threw up. I had recovered sufficiently to practice making macaroons, which I will take to the company cookie exchange tomorrow.

Crazy rainy days. For the last 24 hours it has been almost continuously raining.


















Pretty rainbow.

I had to work outside yesterday morning and got soaked. There was even more water today, and the drive to work was at times stressful, since the water was over the tops of the curbs.

















Splashing to work.

A lovely vermillion flycatcher has been hanging out on the fence outside my window. I enjoyed watching him (the boys are prettier, of course) flitting about looking for delicious flying insects to eat.


















Vermillion flycatcher.



















Another view.


I hope he sticks around for a while.

I waited patiently on Friday night for the train to pass by.

The trains in Flagstaff are very long.

There was snow on the ground and it looked colder than it was. In Flagstaff, people were wandering around shopping and I finished buying Mummy some presents. We drove by a photo mural by Chip Thomas. His ephemeral works of art are beautiful.

























Baby.

Evan drove most of the weekend, and today I convinced him that macaroni and cheese made with Velveeta was delicious.
























The lady at the knitting store asked him about his wife, while I stood there. Sigh.

I had brought along my large wicker wreath and we went out in the woods to cut pieces of pine and juniper.

Evan procures.

There were elusive elk prints everywhere, and we saw a long-eared jackrabbit scamper away. At one point a pair of hawks flew high overhead, calling.



















Hawk.

There was enough snow to make a snow angel (or perhaps, a snow demon in my case).




















I am graceful.

I wonder what the hawk thought as it watched me flounder in the snow.




















Angel.

That afternoon we completed the wreath, using old large holiday bulbs to add a splash of color.

It is hanging above the fireplace now.

Brian Brown is the head of the National Organization for Marriage- a Catholic/Mormon front group that has channeled large amounts of money to the various anti-gay politicians and ballot measures. So of course the obvious Republican candidate for him to support would be Mitt Romney, who has been married to the same woman for 42 years.

HAHAHAHAHA

Instead, he's a big supporter of that total slut Newt Gingrich, attending a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser. That's correct, Gingrich, the man whose cock accidentally ends up inside the vaginas of staff members while he is married to some other woman. Married three times, had an affair while he was leading the impeachment of Bill Clinton for having extra-marital sex.

I suppose the Amway family or the Catholic Bishops told him it was alright to support the man-slut instead of the long-time married man. Can't see the Mormon donors to NOM being very happy about this.

A whole weekend without the Internet. So that's what it was like to live in 1993 again. I read journal articles and books, played Age of Empire, dragged Mummy around to stores, cooked.

We went to Michael's and I bought craft kits to take to my local elementary school. I live in a very poor neighborhood and I know that many children would not have any presents on Holiday.

Crafty gifts.

When I brought in all of bags of kits, the woman behind the counter said to me, "Oh you are our Santa every year."

Purple.

It's a rainy December morning and the flowers outside are happy.

Pansy.

Puff wanted to go outside, he's meows plaintively until I take him out. He is very curious, and doesn't pose well for pictures.

Homer and Puff.

All of the rain is making the wildflowers Evan and I planted in the front yard sprout like crazy. Around February or March I'll have some purple there as well.