So, we sat and talked a bit. Bill did, too, but as his usual habit, Bill drifted back to the computer room. Meanwhile, Kip was saying that he was starting to feel tired, too. Something about being around the broad with the mega B waves--me. By midnight, I had to call it a day. I found him the proper sheets and comforter and left him to his own devices. We heard him foraging in the kitchen not too long afterwards. He said he really hadn't eaten any dinner. Only trouble was the little noises he was making woke me up just as I had relinquished wakefulness. I dunno about Bill, he seemed to be doing pretty good along those lines. I didn't want to shut the bedroom door all the way tight. I was afraid of how much colder that would make the room. Have I mentioned how COLD that room is? Eventually, I faded out again and didn't wake up till Bill went to the bathroom at some dark hour of the morning. I was having a nice dream about him, too.
The main event Kip and I managed to accomplish today was to roll out the gingerbread cookies and get them baked. As you can see they turned out great. Along with the peppermint pinwheels I made yesterday and the shortbread teddy bears I made two days ago. We were tempted to use all the Halloween cutouts instead of the Christmas ones but we didn't. Well, okay, we did use the little ghost one. Heh, isn't there the holy ghost? Kip put little silver balls and red hots on half the cookies. They looked nice except for the red hots rather melted too much while baking. They tasted damn scrumptious anyway. I'm withdrawing my notion of making any more cookies. I want to make a mincemeat pie, for sure, though. I'll toy with the idea of pumpkin pies, too. I might make them if I can get Kip to help me. Now I'm facing all that Christmas Eve cooking and then Christmas Day. Know what I mean?
So, who wants to cook the day before all the major Christmas cooking? I don't. And since Bill doesn't cook, and since I didn't have much more vegetarian stuff in the house for Kippy, I declared that we would do Captain D's for dinner. Inexpensive and very yummy fish, so that's where we went. You know Long John Silver's or Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips? Well, that's Captain D's except they do fish a whole lot better. Then it was our annual tour of Christmas lights. We aren't happy until we find the mother-of-all Christmas displays and are able to marvel at how much glitz one household can cram into a yard. And you have to wonder about the electrical bill. I'll tell ya, there's a block of houses in Jackson, Ohio that would make anyone envy. Undubitably amazing, it was. I took some pictures of it but they didn't turn out good enough to get the full scope of what we saw so I scrapped the idea of showing it on my website.
Dusky warms up to Kip pretty fast although Dusky is still wary of every movement Kip makes and dashes out of the way. But Dusky actually comes out of hiding after half a day and lets Kip pet him. 
There's something about this gentle giant of a son that Dusky seems to trust quicker and easier. Kaboodle loves everyone. She's been thoroughly enjoying Dusky's timeout. He hasn't been contesting her for a spot on the VCR blanket. She's been up there all day since Dusky has had to be on Kipwatch. Kaboodle took a break from the VCR to let Kip give her some petting in front of the lightbox while Kip read "The Oddysey of Homer" he has to read for his college class. Yeh, Kippy, the scholar. He's only a couple of quarters away from getting his first degree.
I'm in my usual overwhelm mode. The one where I have tons of stuff to do but don't do any of it. Yep. I do this every year, every Thanksgiving, too. There is something to be said about going away for Christmas. Hmph, but knowing the Muckheads they would probably follow me.
Are you all stressed out enough yet?
I've provided a link to the Peppermint Pinwheel and Gingerbread Cutouts if you'd like to make them. Eva, my one and only fan, has requested them.