Started Typing: 4:21 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 4:58 PM ET
I really thought I’d be able to pop into the new thread earlier today! Work wasn’t particularly busy, but a couple of tasks took more time than expected. The important thing is that I have arrived. 
Yesterday it was really great to see my friend and our Thai lunch was yummy, but The Nutcracker was just so-so. The dancing was good enough, but the story changes were meh. Granted, it was only my second time seeing a production, but even my friend – a Nutcracker aficionado – agreed that it was only alright. Oh well. It wasn’t a bad show, all of the kids in the audience were well-behaved, and it got me out of the house. And now we know to skip this particular production if it comes around again next year. My friend isn’t on Facebook, so we have to stay in touch the old-fashioned way (you know, via emails and text messages ). Right now we have no other shows planned; we’ll see each other again in mid-February, at the local indoor jazz festival.
The local volunteer fire department starts their “Santa on a classic fire truck” neighborhood rides tonight, and mine is first on the list. He’ll be coming through sometime after 5pm. I don’t think the truck typically comes down my street, but I have the VFD’s Santa Tracker bookmarked just in case: it’s too cold/I don’t care enough to walk a couple blocks, but if he happened to pass my door I’d step outside to wave and take a photo!
Thanks! 
I’m thinking that I’ll post a week’s worth at a time; maybe every Saturday morning. Today’s item was a tiny red bird ornament. 
Alternately, you could supplement your stick with something like this:
https://i.ibb.co/Kqsqpcm/PXL-20241129-191802609.jpg
In addition to shoe’s observation, there are those of us who only need “some” blanket: one with no holes would be too much/too warm!
That is both wonderful and terrible. 
*GASP*…how could you drop the “n” word so casually?!?
I’ve outsourced two of 'em (cleaning the house and cutting the grass), but of what’s left I’d have to say dragging the biiiiig trash can to the curb once a week – and also putting it back on the patio when it’s empty. It takes all of 2 minutes each time, but for some reason I hate doing it! To the point where some weeks…if the can isn’t totally full…I will actually skip a pickup for no good reason. A close second would be shoveling snow, which narrowly avoids first place only because it just happens a few times a year.
Baby steps are totally still progress!!