The rain, the rain … It was just a little too dark and wet today. Occasionally the sound of rain would abate for a moment or two and you’d think it had stopped, before the deluge returned to full volume. I drank too much coffee, was suffering from spending my night in one child’s bed or the other, coaxing them back to sleep, and by mid afternoon my concentration was shot to pieces.
I did get the girls to walk all the way up to Phinney Ridge for hot chocolate. As it was still raining we crossed the street to the church to shelter under an awning while drinking our drinks, and we tried to find the youngest person commemorated in a columbarium (51; most Ballard Christians live into their 90s, apparently, or at least the ones that could afford to have some fraction of their remains interred there). Then we walked back, getting soaked in the rain, and I suppose at least I got a bit of exercise.
La Serpiente and I played another game of backgammon. This time I won by just two pieces. My daughter and I have quite different strategies; I try to take every piece I can, while she focuses on getting all her counters safely into her home section. I don’t know what this implies about us, or which is the optimal strategy. Maybe it’s a good strategy for teaching her about strategies.
She went to bed, we watched a couple of episodes of Derry Girls and then went upstairs and wrapped presents. We have a huge mound of presents we bought and ones we’ve been mailed by family and friends, and tomorrow I might lay them all out under the tree, which would look festive except the tree is jammed up behind the sofa. Need to think that one through more carefully; maybe next year we’ll get it right.
With the kids down, I felt a bit lightheaded, tried to cure it by eating naan bread late at night. Probably a function of three coffees. Better work on that tomorrow …