It's cold and damp here. OK, cold is relative. It was -6 for a few nights in a row and never really got above freezing during the day. When I was working in an office that would mean I'd have cold feet by the time I got to work and I had to wear extra gloves for my bike ride. Now it means wearing so many layers that I can hardly bend over at work. I had to put a magnet on my hammer so I can pick up metal things that I've dropped without bending my legs.

It has become exceeding obvious that working 12 hours a day everyday for months at a time has taken its toll. I had to take 2 weeks off with what appears to be an inflamed disk. Fortunately it was a slow time at work and I probably would have only worked a few of those days, anyway. I'm now back at work moving slowly and very carefully. This week we start framing the walls so it'll be a test of how healed I am.

Rachelle has mostly moved into the new and improved studio. I still need to build the counter and sink, but I can easily work around her to finish that. After that a door and siding will be all it'll take to finish.

Christmas preparations are going well around here. We took a trip to town yesterday and did some gift and food shopping. Rachelle has gathered up some branches and turned them into a Christmas tree arrangement that we just decorated last night.

Aside from 3 or 4 medical callouts, things have been very quiet and peaceful over the last week or so. Its shaping up to be a nice quiet Christmas season around here. ...just the way we like it.