Very dark and rainy and cold yesterday and raining again this morning. We have the heat on and a fire in the stove, so were not uncomfortable. The chickens are huddling together.

Work was not really good or bad. I was a little shocked to see a Christmas tree when I walked in yesterday morning (artificial). One of the Moms complained to me later in the day that we need a fence around it to keep her 2-year-old away from it. Hmm. Maybe it would have been better to wait a little...she was also sitting at my computer when I came back from lunch...good thing I "locked" it.

J. came to volunteer when I was acting director and applied for and got a position as Americorps participant. His term ended on November 20. We had requested a 2-month extension and turned in all the paperwork. He finally heard, in an email, "Congratulations on completing your service." We had assumed he would be approved and he is pretty upset about it. Not that he made a lot of money, but he had not been looking for another job, or finalizing his work.

We got a couple more $1000 sponsor checks and a $1000 bill for catering. I started working on the November reimbursements. Went home for lunch, because Ray didn't come in.

The oven repair man came and left before I got home. He told Ray that parts for Thermadors older than 5 years are hard to get. Ours is 7. We shall see. On these cold dark days, we would like to bake cookies, for instance.

Captain cut up and cooked the turkey carcass and added carrots and other veggies to make a big pot of stock. Today they will strain it and put it in the freezer, unless they use some to make soup.

Runoff election today for mayor and two judges. There are women candidates in both elections, but my lawyer friend Kent says to vote for the man. I guess I will believe him, rather than blindly voting for the woman.

We were all quite grumpy, mostly because of the weather and the fact that our holiday was over and our relatives were gone. So we had a drink and snack and played cards. Captain proposed a toast to people who are nice to you when you're grumpy. I found a recipe that used up our leftover pork and the chorizo, as well as some peppers and tomatoes. Then, Ray cut up some of the pineapple and I sauteed it to make dessert. It was yummy.

Watched a little TV and went to bed before 10. But I read a lot of the Help, an exciting book about the civil rights movement, as well as family and romance. It was midnight before I put it down...and then I woke up at 5. Darn!