
Even that has been cleaned up and packed away with the rest. I take the time to band each row of branches so that it's easy to put up the next year. I can only imagine how it would be for the poor fool who throws the branches in a box, one by one, and leaves it to somebody else to following year to figure out.
Bubby and the bossman finished up the inside work last week--everything except a few window cam-locks. We'll make a plan on how to get the siding up, although it doesn't seem to be a happening thing until spring. I really wanted the snow guards on the roof to keep the snow from "avalanching" all at once off the metal roof when it warms up. But it has been snowing lightly and the temps will stay below freezing, so I don't know if it will get done or not. Apparently the boys went to Long Island for a long holiday. Guess I'll hear from bossman next week.
Christmas was pleasant, and as you can see, I pack up the decorations on 26 December. My parents always left the stuff until after new years, for the sake of visiting, I think, but New Years is a nothing holiday to us, so when Christmas is over; it's over. Stepdaughter and hub-II brought the kids (all FOUR of them) over on Saturday. They were remarkably well-behaved. Hard to believe that the four-year-old girl is a terrorist at times, but that is Grandma's report when she stays at their place for overnight visits.
As for the mention of Marg: I saw a pair of slippers on one of her older posts (which I can't find now or I'd link to it) that I wanted to have for when I take my boots off in the mudroom. I figured I'd just wear them to the bedroom, then put on sneakers or rigid slippers like I usually wear. Anyway, I sent the post to Donna and she figured out how to knit a pair for me.

Today is the first day I'm wearing them, and I've had them on since we got home this afternoon. My feet were cold here where I sit last night, but for now, they are very warm. Can't say if it's the room temp or the slippers, but I'll find out after a few days. It was 20 degrees out last time I looked and that's usually good for cool floors.
It hasn't been snowing much, even in parts of the country that expect it and need it, but it's been raining plenty here. Downpours yesterday have a sump pump running intermittently today. This isn't a good situation, since with the water table as high as it is, there will be no place for spring runoff--be it from snow melt or storms. But that is beyond my control unless we head for the south.
The days are getting longer in the afternoon, by 5 minutes already, and it will be less than a month before the sun sets at 5 pm here. A few cold weeks after that and the worst is over. All one can do is hope for an early spring like we had two years ago. Last year was much too cold and wet to be pleasant.
Well, have a happy new year, although I prefer to say, make the best of each moment. As I mentioned in a comment to Jeri this morning, the realization hit me when I was putting away the Christmas stuff that one of these Christmases will be my last, and since I don't know which one, they (like everything else) need to count!