Sunshine on the Snow

I awoke to a beautiful, sunny morning. I spent an hour reading Trouble at Fort La Pointe and listening to CDs before I finally got up and started breakfast around 11. The small sprinkling of snow we got last night was already gone from my porch by then, but it looked lovely in the park, sparkling as merrily as the river behind it.

I made Chocolate Chip Pancakes for breakfast, then called Mom. She was getting ready to clean the house after Dad went fishing and Keefe went back to South Carolina. Keefe is graduating his Naval classes this week. Mom, Dad, and Keefe's beloved girlfriend Vicki will be going down there in a few days to see his class. They're all looking forward to it, especially after enjoying his visit here for Christmas. Mom is also a fan of the Washington Redskins (she grew up in the suburbs of DC) - she's thrilled that they made the playoffs and Dad's Giants didn't.

After I got off with Mom and finished breakfast, I changed the American Girl and Sailor Moon dolls back into regular winter clothes. Samantha now wears her "Buster Brown" gray flannel school dress. Molly wears her plaid jumper and white blouse. Felicity sports her emerald-green Riding Habit, really the only warm clothing she owns. I got a little more creative with my modern doll Jessa. She slipped into the green-sprigged turtleneck from the late 90s Girl Scouts Uniform, the yellow sweater and black corduroys that were part of her original mid-90s "meet" outfit, Springfield Collection socks, and the boots from Emily's Snow Suit.

The Sailor Soldiers were all returned to their usual nautical-inspired uniforms. Queen Serenity and Wicked Lady resumed their dresses. (Queen Serenity wears the gown from the 80s Crystal Barbie, which I found at a thrift shop  years ago. I got her on eBay in a Sailor Moon outfit that wasn't hers.)

I had a quick lunch of leftovers after I finished the girls, then headed to work. It was surprisingly warm - not ridiculously balmy, like it was this time last year, but warmer than it has been. The snow had vanished. Mom said Cape May County never got any snow at all, just a little rain.

The Acme was lines-down-the-aisles busy all night. It's still the beginning of the month, for one thing. Many people have end-of-the-holiday-season parties this weekend or birthday parties. Others were restocking their larders as they prepared to return to their first full work week in ages. Thankfully, it slowed down enough by 7PM that I was able to leave with no relief.

Oh, and alas, Mom's Redskins couldn't get past the Seahawks, though they apparently played well enough to begin with. The Seahawks eventually won 24-14. At least they made it to the playoffs - I think they were the only NFC East team that did this year.