I am glad we were able to share the Milky Way with our kid growing up. I have heard of people who didn't realize it was real / visible (depending on the moon, of course 😀).

We were visiting our daughter this past Christmas. They live somewhat near there and daughter-in-law complained about light pollution from the nearby city. I told her to be grateful - the fact that there's a distinct segment of the horizon/sky that glows shows that the rest is actually dark.

It took me a moment to understand why people would object to 'dark and stormy night', but I had the benefit of spending summers in a dark area growing up. Of *course* there are dark nights and bright nights, and moonrise and moonset make a difference as well.

Happier times.

She was already mad, because Puppy had the nerve to be sleeping on the dog bed where Growler likes to lie and watch the birds.

At least on the phone, you can tap the three dots next to a message and it brings up a menu that includes mute thread or words, if you tap that you can type in a word. You can also set a time limit. Cute puppy!

Mine

She had texted neighbors in search of baking soda, but couldn't wait given the time constraints. Earlier in the day, she probably could have borrowed the teaspoon she needed

Expedition was a success. Cookies have been made, consumed, and set out for Santa.

Do you get to upgrade 4 cat beds to a cat tower? Lol

Lovely seasonal choice!

Devastating footage from one of the boaters only 100 metres away:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FuN...

Had to be careful not to use the vinegar-water mix to make the tea, lol! I kept thinking oh the kettle's boiled, time for more tea!

Have started a new solstice tradition of cleaning the scale out of the kettle. We'll see if it survives as a tradition.

We had to pick out a toy and leave it under the tree in case Santa needed something for another kid. I was well into adulthood when my mother told me that it was so that it wouldn't look sparse under the tree on Christmas morning.

Roofracks, yay or too noisy?