1.   The mystery bug.  A’s doing better than he was a week or two ago, but this thing just doesn’t want to quit. The official diagnosis from the doctor was “I’m stumped” – he suggested it may be a 7-10 day virus. Rare, but not unheard of. It’s now been 16. I’m not sure what’s next… More tests maybe, or more time. It would be nice to have a diagnosis, a neatly labeled way to understand what’s going on.

2. Up in the air.  I’m scheduled to head out to Dallas this week, a quick in-and-out so we can do a face to face meeting with the Company. All told, I think I’ll be gone less than 30 hours. But see number 1 above – A definitely holds a veto button on this trip.

3. It never rains… The roof started leaking on Christmas Eve.  We quickly ruled out the solar panels as a source, got a tarp and sandbags over the general area of the leak before we left for Cabo, and then had someone out here last week who patched it up enough that it *should* hold through the rest of winter. But come summer a new roof needs to go on.  Then last weekend, while A was so sick, the shower started leaking into the basement.  Not so much that we couldn’t use it. Enough that we knew we needed to do something about it.  Well, this weekend, we tried to adjust the shower so that A could actually stand under the shower head and ended up with another leak, of the water-pouring-into-the-basement-from-multiple-points variety. The only saving grace is that the shower and bath have separate plumbing, so the bath is still operational.

4. Looking forward.  On Wednesday, I’ve got a post going up about Fireside Magazine. Those of you who’ve been reading this for a bit know that Fireside is near and dear to my heart. All that I’m going to say for now is that if you like good stories and support paying writers a living wage, you should check them out.  I’ve also got a couple of other posts in various stages of draft that I’m hoping to get out over the next week or two.  One is the story of how I ended up with a squatty potty for Christmas.  The second is my “do” list for 2016. I’m treating this more like goals than resolutions, and they range from spending more time writing to reading more diverse books to going on actual dates with my husband.

5. Snow Day! I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit sad that we missed all the snow.  I’d also be lying if I said that one of the best things about being in CA is not having to shovel out.  I hope all of you on the East Coast are warm and dry, with plenty of hot cocoa  and a handy hill for sledding.

Closing Tabs

Say it ain’t so! Turns out pizza rat may have been a hoax.  My faith in the Internet is shattered.

If you’re into photography, you may want to check out The Photographer’s Ephemeris. This website and app will show you the time and location of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset.  Want to know where to stand to see the sun set over the Golden Gate?  This has you covered.

A restaurant in Brooklyn is selling a gold plated, Cristal-filled donut for $100 each, and people are buying them by the dozen.

The ultimate 19th century mansion porn.  You’re welcome.

Question of the Week

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