What a way to greet the first day of December. With snow on the ground. My youngest son, Kip, left Saturday night to go back to Columbus after spending two nights with us for Thanksgiving and there was but one or two flakes flying around while we watched him leave. An hour later we looked outside and there was an inch of snow covering everything and the night sky was a mellow orange glow from all the humidity in the air. So, technically, the snow fell on November 30. I love it when Bill and I get into doing a project. We had two of them going today. One was rearranging the bedroom so that we could get the TV up a little higher for more comfortable viewing pleasure. We have those electric adjustable beds anyway but the idea of putting the TV a bit higher was appealing. I had mentioned the idea two weeks ago and he couldn't let go of it. So, today, we both grabbed hold of the idea and ran with it. In the bedroom we went and began brainstorming. We went from the extreme down to the simplistic. In other words, from expensive to not-having-to-spend-any-money. In further words, from buying an entertainment center that would fit in the alcove, where the TV and the small dresser it was sitting on resided, to bringing up the unused electric fireplace from the basement and then adding a VCR tape drawer under the TV to get the height we wanted. Voila, worked perfect. It's the landlord's fireplace but he said we could use it. We just hadn't had a use for it until today. We already have an electric fireplace of our own in the living room. I love that croton plant beside the fireplace. It's eight years old. I'm rather proud of the fact that I've kept it alive for that long. The added bonus of our landlord's fireplace is that it has a heater in it. A wonderful addition to the bedroom since that bedroom is the coldest place in the house now that winter has set in. Can we say BRRRRR? And I mean BRRRRR. But the coldness in there is really nice for snuggling under the blankies while watching TV. I still only sleep in a nightgown, or pajamas, and a sheet, though. While in the meantime, there's Bill in his flannies, sheet, and electric blanket holding onto Leona the bear to keep warm. No, I'm not going to show a picture of that. It would be cute, though. The second project was fixing up a cover to put over Bill's car to keep the ice, frost, and snow off it for the winter. We decided when we moved in here that I would have the spot in the one-car garage since he's first to leave in the morning. That way he doesn't have to move my car out of the way. And I don't have to park on the street. What with my grumbling knees and fear of falling on icy sidewalks in the winter, it is much better for me to be parked up by the house. But, poor Bill, he has coveted that spot in the garage ever since we moved here. So, he came up with a Red Green solution which I say is a sign of his becoming more and more less Canadian but since it was in the style of Red Green maybe he's not. He'd rather wrestle with a huge tarp than spend more time scraping snow and the likes off his windows. He bought an 8x10 tarp and a bunch of magnets. Then, I proceeded to take blue tarp tape (blue because that's the only color we had on hand and why spend more money if you don't have to) and taped the magnets in strategic positions around the edge of the tarp. The theory being that the magnets will be strong enough to keep the tarp attached to the car during wind and snowstorms. Not that we anticipate that much snow here in southwest Ohio but one never knows. That and ice storms. Then, as I am wont to do, it has been my tradition to put up candles in the windows on the first day of December. For me, it is a season of lights so I like to string lights everywhere. So, I put up this huge faux neon candle. I bought it last year on sale and hung it in the apartment window where we lived before here. It never did look right in that small window. But here! The bay window was just made for this fat baby. Looks great and lights up the whole neighborhood. The polar bear heading north is a good touch, too. I wish all the Christmas lights would stay up till March to help brighten up the long nights of winter but most people worry about paying a huge electric bill. Or maybe they just think that Christmas lights are only for the month of December. There are some people who take their tree down the day after Christmas. I say, what's the point of having had a tree at all if you're going to do that. It's like they only just tolerate the season. Bill and I opted for going out for Mexican food for dinner. A nice reprieve from three days of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and pumpkin pie. I showered, donned my pajamas, and we headed out. We went to La Mariachi, a fairly new establishment in Hamilton. I had a coupon in hand that gave us a free entree. I like those deals. Still we spent $14.00 plus tip. For once, I had a craving for a margarita and got one, a small one, and it was just what I needed. Very refreshing. I had one hot chili rellenos that came with the El Combo plate and that margarita helped put out the fire. It was a very nice, atmospheric Mexican restaurant. I get another coupon, we'll be going back. Well, I guess that's enough of the pictorial display for the day. Hope your holiday season started out on a bright note.