Windy, windy, windy. Consistent strong winds for three days this weekend have made the house a little harder to heat. Not so much harder, but more work.. Can’t just light the fire in the morning and forget about it like we often do. Our afternoon sunshine often negates the need for adding more wood. With winds, at times gusting 65k straight at us since Thursday, we have needed to keep the fire roaring. It is time to start using the arbutus we have set aside for the colder days.

My son and granddaughter have found a way to visit us safely this month. We will likely have an opportunity to see all of our kids, if not on Christmas itself, at least in December. There is a plan in place to soon bring a new puppy into our home. We have finally sealed every possible mouse access route into our house. There are many reasons to be happy today.

Christmas won’t ever be the same, now that we live here, and we will continue to have to celebrate many occasions without our family as long as the virus continues. With the return of respect for science to the American government, I believe the chances of a coordinated defeat of the virus for our common good is now possible. Again, many reasons to be happy today.

I saw the weirdest thing the other day. Seven sea lions lined up about fifteen feet out from the cliff below the Wilsons and as a unit swam toward the rocks. Then, they would flip over and swim back out. Kind of like swimming lengths in a pool. I watched for more than an hour before I realized that they were herding small fish to the wall and then eating them… The fish would fly through the air trying to escape.

Even after nine years looking out my window I am still seeing new things on the nature channel.

Although the wind is still blowing, the sun is shining a little brighter today. There is optimism in the air and many reasons

to be happy