The Moving Finger Writes

I started a late morning with my first library volunteering in over a week. I rode through a breezy, chilly but not too chilly Newton River Park to the Haddon Township Library. The milder temperatures and sunny weather was reflected in all of the joggers and dog-walkers I saw today (not to mention Canadian geese).

The Haddon Township Library was busy when I arrived. It was the tail end of the Children's Storybook Hour, and a lot of kids needed help finding DVDs. One boy wanted Thomas the Tank Engine. A little girl requested Barbie and the Diamond Castle. There were quite a few DVDs to put away, too, especially kids' DVDs. Many parents must have taken DVDs out for their kids to watch during Christmas Break.

I got out a little early. I had other things I wanted to do today, too. I made quick stops at Dollar Tree (for sponges and a new laundry bag) and WaWa (for a Roast Beef and Swiss Ciabatta Melt and a soft pretzel) before heading home.

After lunch, I started taking down the Christmas decorations. I did the displays first. I did clear out a few small things, mostly cheap dollar-store items I bought when I first moved out and didn't have a lot of decorations. I now have many things that are far nicer.

Since it was such a nice day and I had to deliver the rent to Miss Ellie, I went for a walk after putting the container with the display items away. I headed down Goff Avenue to Newton River, admiring the late-afternoon sun glittering on the mostly-frozen creek. I turned down Ridgeway this time, opting to go towards the end of Kendall instead of the school. I admired people's outdoor decorations. If there's one thing I miss about the holidays after they're done, it's the lights. It's so much easier for me to ride home on the bike in December.

After I got in, I put the Christmas Bears away and took down the tree. Put the bears that stay out year-round in my bedroom. Weeded out a few older bears that I don't really need anymore. Got everything remaining into their container. I cleared a few decorations out of the tree container and consolidated a few boxes as well.

Even after taking two hours to do the bears and the tree, I still had plenty of time for a lovely dinner of shrimp, sweet potatoes and apples, and spinach salad with tangerines, along with several Three Stooges shorts. I ran the first disc of Volume One, including their very first Columbia short, "Women Haters" (done entirely in rhyme), and the hilarious football spoof "Three Little Pigskins."

My dinner was so simple, I had time to bake Mint Chocolate Chip Muffins afterwards. I made Alton Brown's Old School Muffins recipe and added peppermint extract and those Nestle Limited Edition Mint Chocolate Chips. They came out quite nicely, minty and sweet.