Second day of Christmas, but no turtledoves

December 26, 1:45 AM, our West Coast time. Boxing Day. My daughter just posted a video of family moments since Christmas, last year. My kitchen is clean again, the laundry done, the new goodies are finding their places. Christmas is over, except for the Boxing Day sales, which I have learned to skip. And Dia de los Reyes, the "real" Mexican Christmas, but that's two weeks from now, on Twelfth Night.

I hope you, all my wonderful family, fellow bloggers, old and new friends, everyone, have had as happy a Yule-tide as we have.

It was a wonderful end to the year; most of the family crowded into three rooms, babies, pre-schoolers with important things to discuss (like feeding the ducks), teenagers ("Oh, you've gotten so big!" And the teen addressed this way, for the umpteenth time, politely refrains from rolling his eyes.), out-of-towners, new additions, adults displaying their culinary skills, grandpa Mark making goo-goo noises at the latest infant, someone playing the guitar in the hallway (the only space with elbow room), wrapping paper, baby clothes (So cute!), books and chocolates and flashing cameras ...

The turkey worked out ok, the salad had pomegranate seeds and avocado chunks mixed in; yum! The surprise dish was a Mexican dish, potatoes in a tomato and serrano chile sauce, northern cuisine, really good.

Even the critters participated. Laurie noticed how they were running around excitedly, looking out at the goings-on. The tank is in a quiet corner, but people kept coming in to look inside and point out hermits and crabs to the little ones. I had made out a list of easy-to-find inhabitants:

11 hermit crabs, 3 big shore crabs, 1 small crab, 1 tiny, tiny crab. 3 coonstripe shrimp, 3 trophon snails, several small grey snails (Nassas), 1 green amphipod, barnacles, anemones, limpets, and a tiny black periwinkle snail.

I doubt that anyone was able to do the count, though; not the way the critters were dashing about. They must be much more aware of their surroundings than I thought.

Holly at dusk, White Rock

... and a happy New Year!

(Tomorrow, I'll explain the barnacle photo.)