Boxing Day

This is the Churchill Arms pub in Kensington, all decked out for the holidays. It's known for its all-consuming exterior decoration, from flowers in the summer to Christmas lights. I've photographed this place before but I've only ever been there two or three times; if I remember right, it's much smaller inside than it looks.

As anticipated, not a whole lot happened around here yesterday. I plowed through three or four magazines and opened the rest of my magazine stash (still sealed in their postal mailers), revealing four more to finish before I can say I'm caught up. Argh! I'd also like to start another Newbery book and I need to get off my butt and do some walking.

I did try to motivate the dog for a walk yesterday. I remembered taking her to the Heath at Christmas last year, so I thought we'd go there -- but she was having none of it. I got her down the front steps and then she dug in her feet and turned for home. She barely touched the street.

Sometimes she's just not in the mood -- and it is rainy out there, which is always a deal-breaker for her.

The downside of having a less active dog, though, is that I am also less active. She used to run me ragged, but it was good for me. I suppose I could just go to the Heath myself, but that seems kind of pointless.

We had this very handsome visitor at the bird feeder. Look how colorful his feathers are -- that flush of blue at the back of his head and the distinct pink and black ring. (I'm thinking it's a male, as is generally true of the most colorful birds of many species, but I'm just guessing.) Often these parakeets are just various shades of green, with indistinct neck rings, but this one is a real Beau Brummell.

Dave and I watched "Don't Look Up," on Netflix, a brilliant portrayal of the human capacity to get distracted and ignore bigger problems. We loved it! And we also Zoomed with his family, which was chaotic (as his parents had a terrible time managing the technology and connecting to the call) but we finally got everyone together. My brother doesn't particularly like Zoom and my mom wouldn't really understand what was happening anyway, so we didn't try to connect with my family, but I sent them greetings. (And my brother said the box I mailed to my nieces almost two months ago without tracking arrived as expected, so that's a relief.)

Also, my mom got my flowers and candy, and my brother e-mailed me a picture showing that they'd arrived, so I was glad to see they weren't misdelivered and sitting forlornly somewhere else in her retirement center. As I told him, "Yay! My hundred bucks didn't go for nothing!"