Gray December

Today was intensely gray. One of the more overcast days we’ve had in a while, with cold drizzle most of the time. Various sources said that snow was on the way—something that hasn’t stuck to the ground since late February. As of about 10 pm, we’d gotten only a little snow, though some places not so far away reportedly have much more. Here, I can still see the grass poking through.

In fact, puddles of water are still visible on the driveway, lit up by the streetlight. That can only mean one thing tomorrow: sidewalk ice. Lilly might have to brave it walking to the corner to catch the bus, and Ann might have to deal with it on her walk to school, unless it gets called off. But that doesn’t look likely, considering the piddling amount of snow.

Lilly got around to having a birthday event earlier this month, a couple of weeks after her birthday according to the calendar. “Event” because I can’t call it a party. She doesn’t call it that any more. Just a gathering of friends who spent the evening with her, ate some food, watched a movie, and all slept on the living room floor overnight.

But we did have a cake, and she got some presents, mostly gift cards to shops best known to her and her friends.

A Decade and a Half for Lilly

Lilly turned 15 not long ago. If I didn’t have any pictures, I’d be hard-pressed to remember a lot of her early years. That’s odd, because taking care of a small child is an intense, time-consuming business, but then again memory is a gentleman.

These days, we’re in the market for driving lessons. A risky undertaking, maybe, but also a necessary rite of passage here in 21st-century North America.

What did she want for her birthday? Money. Also a Subway sandwich, which she’s unaccountably fond of.