Chili, because.

We had a nice holiday with Father in-law and some neighbors (of ours) that he invited. We don't dislike said neighbors but the only thing they have in common with FIL is religion. As soon as they showed up he wanted to dance with her. I quickly shot him in the ass with a nerf gun but no damage was done. It's really uncomfortable for everyone because he is trying to get away by being the 'innocent old man' but we really know whats going on and you can tell when others don't feel comfortable. We already had the 'can't date anyone we work with' talk so we are just seeing how things play out.

I continued the nerf war for about 4 hours (it's what happens when we pick out the toys to give a nephew) and then we moved to lego's. Somebody picked up a troop transport and tie fighter but couldn't find the falcon anywhere locally. I always wanted one but he had to settle but it didn't matter they were all dumped in a pile and scooped into a box for another time.

We wanted to spend Christmas in the mountains but the rest of the family didn't. I had to be at work on Saturday so it was for the best. Here is what the drive down looked like on Saturday afternoon:

Some winds but otherwise it was sunny until this spot almost halfway.

As expected because it's December.

Solid ice. The town is around the bend and straight on.

Fresh snow and Rabies the cat is surviving on her own just fine.

X marks the spot that Rock made.

The high yesterday was 20 and it was a little breezy to make it negative 9. I decided that would be a no workout day (3 in a row, somebody help me) and Rock didn't get many hikes because the ice was forming on his paws. We can't do the booties unless we muzzle him so he gets to sit around more in the winter and be bored.

I did run this afternoon, it was about 9 degrees with wind chill but the sky was blue and I felt sloth-full and needed to do something. Long sleeve shirt, running wind-proof jacket, gloves, ear muff thing and shorts. I was super overheated, should have known better but wanted to prevent frostbite in case the wind picked up. My legs are always fine, it's my fingers and ears that get bitchy.

I like my stew and chili very chunky with just enough juice to soak into the crackers. Kidney beans, white beans, ground beef, onion, tomato dices, jalapeños (they don't carry Serrano peppers here), cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, tomato paste. It wasn't very spicy so it was more like hamburger stew but we managed to eat 5 bowls.

We saw Star Wars but have to see it again because some parents brought their 2 and 3 year old kids and let them run around and play in the isle. Just like off leash dogs, it's not the dogs fault (or kids in this case) but there really isn't anything you can do because the parents obviously don't care.

I hope your holiday was bright and you got a little more freedom and liberty under the tree! We donated to some great dog organizations and helped 2 friends get their first firearms. The year is coming to a close so it's time for reflection and goal setting. Can't be sure of what the next year will bring but it's going to be wild for sure.