Today is Peter Kevin's first day of work since April.  To say it felt odd is an  understatement.   I am so used to thinking "I can stop on my way home from work and.....".  And that will no longer be as simple, at least for the time being.

Pk drops me off at the train at 6:40.  I catch the train into Philadelphia.  I'll take the same train home and then get the bus from the train station home.  It's about 2 miles and will add 45 minutes to my trip at the end of the day (and about a half mile walk).  Eventually, we're hoping he can take a different train into work and then I can use the car to come home and then go back and pick him up.  It's all a bit complicated until we see how things fall out (and can buy a used truck for a second car).

Things we did this weekend:

We got our tree.  It's actually a perfect size for our living room (if by perfect you mean "something large and bushy around which we will be stumbling for the next month") and it smells like pine heaven.  We were visited by the penguinski fairy who left us two glittery penguins hanging out front.

I cut out snowflakes for my office doorThey are eye catching and very popular.

And Pk finished putting up the lights on the front of the house.  We wanted to do something different this year but since he has been out of work for so long, we'll leave that for next year. 

I've been watching the birds out of my office window.  That is an ornamental pear and it gets "berries" or berry-like growths on it in the fall.  The birds love them.  This guy is so fat that it's a wonder his little wings can carry him.  It's a robin.  I never thought of them as birds that flock but more as a solitary creature but this year, I have seen great big flocks of robins.  They are not flying south like they did when I was a kid. We used to watch for "the first robin of spring" to let us know that winter was on its way out.

And speaking of winter, we got a dusting of snow last week.  It was so pretty to watch and promptly melted as soon as the sun came out.  Pk keeps talking about having snow for Christmas but I think that has happened less than 5 times in my life.  He is optimistic. 

I have purchased my pollyanna gifts and am waiting for a few to arrive.  I also got a few small things for Pk.  We will have a small splurge in January after he gets a few paychecks under his belt.  I don't have a mountain of gifts to wrap (which makes me happy) and nothing I have to finish knitting.   The decorations are up and the cookies will get baked next weekend.  It feels like Christmas might be coming but (and maybe it's because of the job thing), it feels different.

Not better or worse, just different.  I guess until Pk actually gets paid for this new job, I don't fully believe in it.  My plan is to walk out the door from work at 3 on Christmas Adam (the 23rd) and not come back until Jan 5.  I can't wait.  I know Pete won't have the time to take like that this year but he'll have Christmas Day off (I think) and New Year's Day.  Whatever happens, it'll be joyous.