Author: doug

Another gorgeous sunset over Quincy, this one courtesy of some “wintry mix” weather that never really materialized today.

Lis video-chats with her niece & brother using the webcam I got her for the holidays.  You can see the tiny camera and its pretty big microphone in front of the Mac.

The video & especially voice quality is much better than the webcam built into my netbook.  And we’ll be able to video-chat when I’m traveling.

Lis got me a FoodSaver vacuum-sealing appliance for Christmas.  You put food in the little bags and insert the end into the machine, and it sucks out all the air and heat-seals the bag.  You can then freeze food for much longer without it getting freezer burned. 

Here we have duck breasts and legs — super cheap after the holiday — ready to be frozen.

Christmas Day at my brother’s house today.  My niece & nephew had some fun on the frozen pond.

We went out for Christmas Eve with the Jews last night, as is our tradition.  I split a scorpion bowl for 2 (which is also a tradition) with Lis’s coworker Jenn.

Parker had discovered this nest in our old house.  Well, now that it’s (a) in the sun for much of the day and (b) directly over one of the radiators, it’s his new favorite spot.

I finally put up some holiday lights this past weekend.  I do like the look of candles in the front windows.  I just wish their cords were longer so I didn’t have to scrounge extension cords from all over the house.

Nog!

One of the things I love about the holiday season is egg nog.  I like to spike mine with bourbon — or, in this case, Jameson — and top it with plenty of freshly grated nutmeg & cinnamon.  I also like to mix soy nog in with the commercial stuff, to cut the sweetness and thickness just a bit.

First real snowstorm of the season, and we got a good one… hardly the 10-15″ predicted, but I’d call it a good solid 8.

You may recall a few days ago I complained that Parker had found his way inside Winnie’s food box.  Well, I tried to fix her cat door, but it seems it’s past its useful life and must be replaced.
 

The good news is that I found a suitable replacement at the local Petco, and the new design seems somewhat more durable.  We do wonder how long he’s been stealing her food.