Elena's 10th Christmas, my 74th, and Luci's first on Ogden Lane, 2021

Christmas 2021 was a most enjoyable day!

I drove out to Helotes to see what Santa had brought Elena--Nathan at his other dad's house this year.  From Santa she got Air Pods, a skateboard, and some horse tack; from her parents a new horse riding helmet, shoes, and other things.  She was, as always, thrilled and thankful for everything, either still believing in Santa Clause or pretending to in the spirt of the game. 

                                                   A blanket from Aunt Day and family 

Bonnie made yummy pecan pancakes, then we had a big noisy group FaceTime with our Virginia family and a virtual tour of their almost-finished kitchen remodel.  Will worked in the afternoon and  I came home and had a nap and long phone visit with Carlene. 

At sunset, the sky brighter red than it's been all year, my across-the-street neighbor came over and we visited on my porch for three hours.  I've always liked him so much (for the two decades we've known each other), but until lately we've mostly visited on the go. Don't we all love those times when nobody is in a hurry and we can discover a whole new level of friendship? 

While he was here, another neighbor brought a plate of Christmas dinner, scrumptious tenderloin and green beans, mango mousse and apple crisp. It was my favorite kind of party--spontaneous, great people, and dinner made by a real chef.  

All these years as neighbors and I'd never known that she owned a restaurant I loved back in the day--The Greenwood, a small and always packed natural food cafe near SAC. Remember alfalfa sprouts and avocado sandwiches on multi-grain bread. carrot cake and vegetable stews?  This was The Greenwood, one of my favorite places to meet friends for lunch in the early Seventies! 

When we buy a house--or are given one as a gift, as I was one unforgettable Christmas in the late 90s, we also land in a neighborhood; meet each other's grandchildren and dogs; and can be there for meals and errands (as it was turn to discover in spades this year) when one of us, say, cracks her noggin on the pavement. I could never have imagined a sweeter place to live than this!