First Find!

Geocaching is a sport that has been around for quite some time. Someone hides a container with a logbook and a trinket or two inside, publishes the latitude/longitude coordinates on the geocaching web site and waits for someone to find and log the discovery. 

I discovered geocaching a couple years ago and made some tentative - and unsuccessful - attempts to find nearby caches. It was humiliating to learn that there is a cache less than .2 mile from my front door, and even after several attempts, not be able to locate it! But TODAY, because of a last-minute change of plans, I decided to try once more. Today, the find was so ridiculously easy, I'm embarrassed to admit it took me three tries before succeeding. 

Next, I want to find the cache that is hidden outside the Central Library. I updated the geocaching app on my phone, and it's pretty good at showing me nearby caches and the most direct route to them. But once I'm there, solving the puzzle of locating the actual cache is the whole point of the exercise. The library cache has been found by others recently, so I know it's findable. I didn't see it on my first pass, but I'm going to keep looking.

My goal, in addition to the fun of exploring, is to learn enough about the activity to be able to hide one inside the library.  I've got the container already, plus the log and pencil. What I need to do next is write a description containing clues, and get the cataloger to create a label. We have no shortage of giveaway items, so the trick will be the creative hiding place. This should be a fun activity we can capitalize on to generate goodwill.

Nine Days To Christmas

At first I thought a Sunday Christmas was a good thing. now, I'm not so sure. I grew complacent, thinking we had LOTS of time, Now, it's nine days to Christmas, and we have yet to:

• Get our tree,
• Write the annual Christmas letter,
• Bake cookies and more cranberry bread,
• Mail cards.

Instead, I've been playing DragonVale and obsessing over breeding a Reindeer dragon, a Blue Fire dragon, and a Crystal dragon.

That means I have today, tomorrow, next Friday and Saturday to make Christmas cheery and bright in this house, because I'm working right up to next weekend! I do have gifts, still hidden in odd spots about the house and not yet wrapped, so I won't need to do the whole last-minute-shopping thing, thank goodness. 

Tomorrow, we will drive to Davis Ranch to get our tree. We'll need to decorate it right away, so that means clearing stuff away in the living room, vacuuming and excavating the tree stand before we hit the road. We also need to replace our tree topper, because the old one broke last year.  Once the tree is up, I'll feel a lot better, and can go to work on Sunday with a clear conscience.

I'm planning to do a bit of baking this year for gifts. Will have to get that done ASAP, if I decide to mail away some of it. I guess they don't call it a Christmas rush for nothing!

I Am Liking These Mom- 'n' Dad-Only Evenings!

It's been a few years since I've needed to monitor homework assignments, attend Back to School Night, solicit co-workers for school fund-raisers. Now that Daughter spends most of her time with friends and eats at home only occasionally, we've had to adjust the portions we cook, as well.

You'd think I'd be at a loose end or have an immaculate house, but actually, I'm enjoying a new opportunity to work on crafts, bake, and play Scrabble and DragonVale. So while Husband snoozes in the La-Z-Boy in front of the TV, the house remains comfortably cluttered as I work on my various projects.

 Christmas will be a scaled-back holiday for us, as we don't have a lot of discretionary cash this year. We're looking at other ways to provide gifts and let people know we're thinking of them. I've discovered a quick pattern for crocheted fingerless gloves, and they've been in demand from those who saw the pair I made for Daughter last winter. I made three additional pairs in the last three months, and last week, I bought yarn for a fifth pair. I won't be making anything as ambitious as the Afghan I  made last year, but will be aiming instead for smaller items in volume.

Cranberries are plentiful this year, and my freezer is full of them. I intend to bake several loaves of Cranberry Bread, and also Cranberry Cordial. Daughter is lobbying for cookies; I'd like to do another gingerbread house!