Quiet Day

After all the hoohah and hullabaloo of the Eve, New Year's Day was pretty quiet up here.  The Rose Parade floats were some of the most colorful, intricate, and elaborate that I can remember, possibly because I could actually see all the details this year (thanks, Pete).  It was appropriate that Gary Senise was the Grand Marshal.  The parade theme was "Making A Difference," and Mr. Senise has been tireless in support of the Armed Forces and especially veterans.

Having decided to take the day off, I watched another stage production on PBS.  This time it was "Driving Miss Daisy" with Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones, he of that unmistakable deep voice.  The play was certainly well done, but I really prefer the 1989 movie with Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman.

They say revenge is sweet.  I don't know about that so much, but I was pleased to find I'd trapped a rat in the feed shed.  This is war!  The fershluggen ground squirrels have burrowed under the second storage shed up by the house and the holes were big enough to hide a small child.  I'll admit I took a perverse pleasure in dumping the cats' litter box down the largest one yesterday.  That stuff hardens like cement when it gets wet, and we're due for at least some rain this week.  Ha ha!

Toys.  Toys up and down the hall and scattered in the living room.  And what is Ralph's favorite, the one that will keep him occupied for the longest time?  A pull strip, preferably the red one with string attached from a cat or dog food bag, but any pull strip from any package or box will do.  He's like a little kid who would rather play with the wrapping from a present than what's inside.  Oh well, as long as he's happy.