Merry Christmas! This morning, Hubby and I went for a walk at Balls Bluff Battlefield Park, a small local Civil War battleground on the banks of the Potomac. (The Union troops got slaughtered.) The smallest National Civil War Cemetery is there, with a little more than a dozen graves of unknown Union soldiers. Wreaths Across America are decorating their graves for Christmas. Back at home, I got busy prepping for the afternoon meal. Hubby felt like a bike ride, so he went to Vienna on the trail and back on the hilly road. My sister and her husband came around noon. For hors d’oeuvres we had bacon-wrapped scallops, brie, and mini crab cakes (thank you, Wegman’s Grocers). The main meal was boneless lamb leg, hasselback roasted potatoes, and roasted brussel’s sprouts tossed in chocolate-raspberry balsamic vinegar. Sis brought spaghetti squash, roasted beets, and sautéed fennel. She made an apple pie to go along with my homemade ginger cake with Bird’s custard. Pour a little prosecco on top, and you have yourself a food coma when it’s all over. Later, Hubby and I went for another walk around the neighborhood. The temps reached near 70 today, and even at 5 PM, it was warm enough to walk without a jacket.

We talked to Hubby’s daughter in England; she had knitted me a beautiful scarf and her dad a handsome hat. Hubby got a lottery ticket (drawing is tonight), a box of tea, and a new bath tub that needs to be replaced. I got a charm for a bracelet (which is a replica of a 17th-century orifice cleaning tool (don’t ask, and it’s orifices of the head), and a calendar from Britain (gorgeous pix of the Lake District) along with a chocolate bar from France, which I can’t wait to taste (from my Pinch & Punch Pal). I also got a new bathroom and basement. Santa was good to us. This evening it was Zoom with the family and some Christmas favorites on the telly. I see a sleep-in in my near future and maybe even a day where I don’t do some kind of work around the house.