I finally got off my butt this weekend and did some walking. It’s been a while since I hit my target number of steps/active minutes, according to my phone. But volleyball kicks back in next week, so it’s good to get moving this week in preparation.

Since I was out and about and in need of cornichon (as one is, occasionally), I headed to Georgetown, where I was greeted by a snow couple:

I also got to see some of Glow, the holiday light display:

Since today was Russian Christmas (Rudi’s mom was born in Russia), we celebrated with presents and a fancy supper. We opted to forgo borsht, our usual Russian supper, in favor of raclette, an Alpen dish of stuff dunked in cheese, because I found our grill when I was at my folks’ place and cold weather just demands hot cheese. We had two types of cheese, boiled potatoes (including the ones we harvested from our garden this fall), sopressata (okay, that was only Rudi), and the aforementioned pickles. It was delicious and we felt very elegant.

I finished the evening by ripping back the heel on my sock because it made the stripe do weird things at the heel. (I want to see if knitting an extra section and starting later will make the heel transition less obvious.)

I knocked off a book I’d been reading off and on for a couple months. Not either of the ones that are overdue, mind you, although I did put a dent in one of them yesterday.

I also finished another book earlier in the weekend, washed all my hand-knit socks, slept in, mailed some Christmas cards, hit the farmers market, and watched The Christmas Prince on Netflix, which was actually pretty cute.

All in all, a nice first weekend of the year. May there be many more to come.

Here are some things I’m hoping to do this cold first weekend in January:

1. Read Turtles All the Way Down.
2. Visit the library.
3. Send the last of the Christmas cards. (Honestly! This is just sad at this point!)
4. Do laundry.
5. Watch a movie. Maybe The Showman or The Post.
6. Bake something.
7. Visit the bookstore to make a return.
8. Go to the farmers market.
9. Get some sleep.
10. Celebrate Russian Christmas.

How about you? What do you have planned this weekend?

Wishing you warmth and comfort and coziness in the new year.

Coffeeneuring Ride #6: Mt. Pleasant Library (3160 16th St., N.W.) and Pear Plum Cafe (3064 Mt Pleasant St., N.W.)

Sunday, Nov. 5; 2.4 miles

Chai, pear-plum and cherry pies

We took Bikeshare up to the Mt. Pleasant Library on a rainy afternoon because the Michelle Obama photo exhibit (showing pictures from Amanda Lucidon’s Chasing Light: Michelle Obama Through the Lens of a White House Photographer) there was going to close later that week. (more…)

It’s late, I’m tired, and so I’m giving you a half-assed blog post:

Tasting: Right now, tooth paste, because I’m literally this blog post’s length from getting into bed. But before that it was reheated tea and peanut butter M&M’s (the candy was raw) to give me enough energy to wash the dishes, put away the leftover pizza, and get ready for bed.

Hearing: The sound of Rudi’s breathing. The fridge humming. Traffic outside. Corey sharpening his claws on my bike tire. (Oh, now he’s here to see what I’m typing, so loud purring.)

Smelling: Nothing, which means the litter box soaking in the tub must be ready to be emptied, dried, and put back into circulation.

Seeing: All the bags in my living room. We haven’t unpacked from our trip north and tonight we went shopping for my contributions to our office adopt-a-family charity and didn’t get home until almost 11. We’ve already agreed tomorrow we’ll put everything away after we get home.

Feeling: How sharp Corey’s claws are (Apparently trimming them is also on tomorrow’s agenda.), but how soft his fur is. The warmth of the quilt. The ache in my back. Tired.

Those last items means it’s time to put the computer away and then put me away for the night. See you tomorrow!

Oh, but before I go, one last thing: There’s still time to sign up to take part in the the Virtual Advent Tour if you’re interested! I sent out emails today to everyone who asked to have a date or two, so if you left me a comment (saying anything other than that you’d be back in touch yourself this week), you should have a message from me. Once I hear back everyone is okay with their dates, I’ll post an updated schedule. And I’ll get badges done tomorrow or Thursday in case anyone wants one. We begin on Friday!