on these cold nights i put out the footrest of the lazyboy, and the puppy gets up on my lap and sinks in where he can keep an eye on the christmas tree and out the front door as well, when it's daytime. now it's night, and the tree is lit, and cold as it is outside (it's fair to freezing), we are pretty comfortable.

all is not totally well in the household - it's hard for kids to stay away from friends, especially those who are just 'hanging out' and doing their usual teenage things. but it's coronavirus times - there are cases all over the village, and our kids are less than careful - so we're just saying no. cold and lonely as it is out here, we're going to live 'til the spring.

meanwhile amazon has got a lot of our money, and the packages just keep showing up, and getting wrapped, and going under the tree. i've never seen myself as materialistic as some people, but in this sense i suppose i'm as bad as most or at least close. it keeps some of the kids' interest up - all these wrapped presents under there - and the excitement builds up, sometimes so much that the big blowout is kind of a letdown.

but my goal is to survive it. afterward, we have a week until new year, and it's one of my favorite weeks, because being an academic, i've rarely had to work. i could hang back and read "best of" top ten lists, and reflect on the previous year. now everyone seems to agree that this one was a big disaster, and i'll agree inasmuch as this virus thing is messing with everyone's head. but good or bad, it's almost over, and it's always nice to see in the new one, and stay up until midnight with whoever chooses to hold on.

got out to see the "christmas kiss" the other night, by simply walking up a small hill, and turning back toward the house to the west, to see the planets low on the western horizon soon after sunset. i kind of liked that idea of "christmas kiss," but not only was my camera somewhat bad, but my naked eye not so great either, so i can't say i killed it....instead i enjoyed it, and remembered that, the last time jupiter and saturn were this close together, my ancestor patience brewster was arriving in the new world, in 1623, and lucky for me, because here i am today. the new mexico skies were clear and starry as usual; it's been dry. they fill up with stars as the night goes by and i often just go out to look. i'm never really sure about everything i see, but i think i know planets when i see them, so i'm pretty sure i got this one. patience, my dear, i wonder if you're up there.

teens, yes, teens can be tough. you can't blame them, that their world falls apart right at the wrong moment. one told me he would be ok if he got the virus. wrong, i felt like saying. that kind of proved that he needed someone to tell him what's right, at this moment in his life. he doesn't care about the "christmas kiss," not this one anyway. it's not an easy stretch, to be stuck at home right at the moment you need to be out there, talking about who you are. it's hard enough, knowing who you are, anyway.