Tronsday of Ember

We packed up everything in a not too flurried fashion and had a pretty easy drive to Tron's apartment, where we arrived in midafternoon. Oh what a joy it was to see her and the Lumberjack! She is looking so much better now, healthier and happier and with a very short, chic little cap of newly grown hair. It feels so soft--just the way it did when she was a baby. She was up on the couch with a blanket when we arrived. Their little apartment is adorably decorated with strings of lights, holly and cedar, and a tiny but real tree they got from the produce market. The Lumberjack is looking a little different too. He has lost 40 pounds since the last time we saw him, due to a special diet he's on because of a stomach problem. He can hardly eat anything, and I was crushed that he cannot partake of all the special foods I brought, because they are not things he can eat. But they said they could save the box of German ginger cookies, and maybe he can have some in a month, when he might be able to start reintroducing some different foods. We caught up, shared some pictures, and the Sparrowhawk and I handed out the little Christmas things we had collected for them. We ordered middle eastern takeout from a place they like, and watched a silly movie. Then we said good night and drove over to Deb and the Prussian's, where another lively and probably too long conversation ensued. We stayed up way too late, even without benefit of refreshments, because their kitchen is undergoing renovations. They would have offered us things anyway, but we were replete with felafel, plus ginger cookies and eggnog. And now it is high time to conk out. I can hear the freezing rain beginning outside, but it should go away by the time we're up. I have my fingers crossed.

Lamb'sEar of Ember

The freezing rain had mostly gone, leaving a few slippery patches behind. We had a brief morning visit over tea with Deb and the Prussian, they offered prayers for our safe travels, and we headed over to Tron's again. We paused to get coffee at a shop that has changed hands several times. Long ago, it was the neighborhood mini-mart where my family used to get buy many necessary things. Its passing was a mini-tragedy for my aging parents. The building was subdivided into a liquor store and a coffee shop. The latest owners have created a trendy but not very effective ambiance. We ordered two 12 oz. lattes with an extra shot, one with just one shot plus almond flavor. We got one extra-shot latte, one single-shot, and one with almond flavor that probably had two shots, but who knows. All lukewarm. Ah well. I very selfishly started sucking down the two-shot latte as soon as it appeared, and the Sparrowhawk let me, because my need was greater than his. He and Tron mixed the other two together and then split them, so they each got a sort-of almond flavor with more than one but probably less than two shots. This was way too complicated on not enough sleep.

The Lumberjack made us some delicious waffles with strawberries, which was extra nice of him because he couldn't eat any of them on his special diet. He showed us the new warm pea coat that was his Christmas present from us. We talked with Tron about the problems of getting new boots, which will be our gift to her if she ever finds any. We had more happy visiting, joking, catching up, just the normal things that happen when people aren't too sick to stay awake. And then I started to see that she was getting tired again, and she and the Lumberjack still needed to make a holiday call to the Lumberjack's parents, so we said goodbye and left, with so much gratitude and hope in our hearts--and also a big bag with all the tupperware we'd used to transport food on previous visits! We hope to see them again sooner than last time. Perhaps to celebrate the January birthdays, depending on how soon Tron recovers from her radiation treatments. The Lumberjack did very well on his third yearly review, so we're hoping they'll be here for future years of celebration.

We were lucky enough to drive between the weather, as you might say: between last night's freezing rain, which had melted, and tonight's thick fog, which was just setting in as we came home. There wasn't much traffic, and thus a remarkable shortage of jackassery, greatly appreciated by all. We crashed when we got home, me especially, and had to take an emergency nap that left me still stunned with tiredness. Before I fell asleep, I fortunately remembered to take some things out of the freezer: the extra lasagna plus some sausages. Heat up, add salad, suppertime. Will crash again soon. Mission accomplished! To see Tron and the Lumberjack was the greatest Christmas present. They live in a little window in my heart, like an Advent calendar.