Bright Sunlight chases away the Dark Shadows in my Den…

I awoke this morning at 5 AM to find Maggie and Bunny in the bed with me. Maggie had been chewing on bunny all night in her affectionate way and she was a slimy dog saliva encrusted mess when I went to grab her and throw her on the floor.

“Yuk Maggie!” I exclaimed as I held Bunny gingerly up with two fingers and cast her from the bed.

Maggie jumped up and chased after her. She is obsessed with that little stuffed animal.

I donned my robe and walked into the kitchen to open the fridge to survey its contents. It is time to go shopping again as Tuesday nights is traditionally my grocery shopping night. I am out of eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, and fresh bread. I had to improvise this morning and cooked four sausage patties and four pieces of toast from a loaf of bread I had frozen in the freezer. I missed my usual fare of scrambled eggs, cheddar, bacon, and toast.

After breakfast, I set out for a good morning hike. I walked around the neighborhood block many times for one hour. One hour of walking at 3 mph is 3 miles or around 400 calories burned. I will set out later in the day possibly after lunch for the rest of my hike out spring road or down to the tracks.

This morning as I walked the sun had yet to rise and was just a muted glow on the horizon. All my neighbors still had their outdoor Christmas decorations lit. Most use timers these days. It brought such a warm feeling to my soul to see these sights of Christmas cheer. It brought back fond memories of being a child when dad would corral all us kids into the car and we would ride around town looking at all the Christmas lights, Christmas decorations, and Christmas trees in the front windows of homes. Those were magical times during my youth.

It seems I will be spending Christmas alone this year. My parents are driving up to my sister’s house in Birmingham for Christmas Eve and Christmas day and then flying to San Diego to spend Christmas with my brother. I will have a nice, quiet Christmas spent alone at home. I asked my father not to try and cajole me into going and he agreed. I have been through so much lately because of my illness and just need some quiet time this holiday. Dad is going to arrange with a friend to bring me a home cooked holiday meal on Christmas day.

I bet Abbagirl will be pleased to know I saw Dumpster Diving Dan yesterday. He was digging in the dumpster behind the shopping center late yesterday afternoon when I was on the last leg of my daily hike. I was eager to get home as I was dying to use the bathroom. I waved vigorously hello and he waved back. He seemed to be doing well. I hated I couldn’t stop and talk to him. I hadn’t seen him in days. It was odd to see him dumpster diving so late in the day though. The sun had just begun to set. I guess Dan was running late yesterday. I will try and catch up with him before Christmas. I have a pantry full of Chef Boyardee to give him as he hasn’t been by lately to pick it up.