We spent some time with our gifts. My in-laws looked through a book of old pictures of Austin. I think my dad started his new Dick Francis novel. I ate some of the fruit slice candy that my Aunt Dottie always sends.

Mom and I started on a jigsaw puzzle of Christmas ornaments. It was one with the weird cuts and all and even the corners weren't obvious. We didn't finish it. It'll probably be waiting when I go visit this week.

Forrest and I spent some quality TV and reading time at home as Christmas Eve waned.

We woke to a rainy Christmas morning. Seems to me that rain is not the usual Christmas. Cold or warm, even snow but not relentless rain. But that's what we had. Mom and Dad came over before we went to the in-laws. I took her picture with the digital camera and sent it to the relatives.

My mother-in-law had turkey breast and dressing and gravy and several nice salads like peas and cheese and waldorf. Also sweet potatoes and beans. And cornbread. And ambrosia, a fruit salad, for dessert.

We taught them to play Spinners, a game with double nine dominoes with a wild card thrown in. My father-in-law had trouble seeing the dots but became wily at the game.

My parents went off to an open house they were invited to and we did the same. The gal who sold me the parents' house has a new townhome. It's always odd seeing someone's stuff in a new place. She had nice food and good champagne. We trudged home in the rain and spent another evening with reading and coffee and TV. I mostly ignored the TV, reruns of Ally McBeal and football.

Got up to a Tuesday when I didn't have to go to work. As usual on maid day, I dashed about picking things up so that things would get cleaned. I have more or less finished up the piles of newspaper. See...if I was retired they wouldn't stack up. Except when I traveled, of course.

Instead of dashing off to work at 8:30 or so, however, I got to keep messing around. Doing a journal entry, picking up a few more things, reading the paper. Still, I'm overwhelmed by all the things I could, should, would, want to do with this free time. Ah, well, soon I won't have any and that'll be that!

In the end, the maid showed up after I'd made an Access data base of most of the movies we own and, to get out of her way, I went to my parents. I had a quiet visit with them. Mom and I finished the puzzle that was a picture of Christmas ornaments. One rues the day they invented computer-cut jigsaw puzzles. What weirdly shaped pieces. As usual, we ended up looking on the floor for the last couple. I ate leftovers for lunch with them. Dad pointed out a redbird outside in the pouring rain. It was a quiet and pleasant visit.

I drove home in more rain. More rain. More rain. I stopped at the grocery store. The carts were wet and cold. When the doors to the store opened cold air rushed in. It isn't icy but it is sure unpleasant out there. Geez. Think I'll stay in now. I could wish for better weather during my time off so that I could take Chalow for a walk. She went to the vet today and got clean teeth. She lost weight. Her liver count is better but not perfect.

Forrest had in mind steak and wine when I got home. I had not, of course, purchased steak! So he peeled off to Central Market to get his own version of groceries. Then he cooked the steaks using some rub the guys at Zoot gave us and we drank a 1994 Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. A delicious wine. I read the papers. On the day they arrived. This is what retirement would be like.