Greetings (to whoever reads this, if anyone, as well as my future self)!

It’s late afternoon on Christmas Eve (Western-style) as type this, and the sun has finally burst through the leaden gray clouds after attempting to do so several times earlier in the day. Our neighbor’s giant coniferous tree – some sort of fir or pine? – is suffused with a bright golden light, its branches swaying slightly in the wind. We didn’t get a white Christmas in Seattle this year, but at least we are getting some sunshine after days of gloom. Continue reading →