Holiday?

I've now been on "vacation" since Dec 21. I can't wait to get back to work so I can relax. Christmas Day was preceded by a couple of weeks of pre Christmas preparation. Mom and Dad rolled in on Christmas Eve and stayed until the 26th. Luckily we have a small guest house so they could blow the furnace to their toasty delight, in seeming contradiction to their directives to us as children to 'put on a sweater' when we were cold. It was great to have them here, despite all the work (Stewdog was a slave to the kitchen for those days). Not many people can claim healthy and sharp parents at 93 and 89. I am truly blessed (Heck, Dad even has the moxie to call in and get on the air on Dennis Miller's radio show).
Activity didn't stop on the 26th, with a hockey game and dinner. It was sure great to have someone wait on me, cook the food, and do the dishes. Then it was up to Santa Cruz to get the Stewpup back to her job and school. That was an adventure, with a flat tire and finding out that the replacement was hard to come by, but it all worked out the next day. Back home, stopping at my favorite winery to pick up a case of great vino, and a couple other brief stops on the way down, I enjoyed the spectacular drive along the Central Coast. Then the Stewwife's family rolled in for 2 nights and the cooking began again.
Now I see that box of receipts waits for sorting as tax season looms.
So here I sit, content and exhausted, with 2 days to chill before returning to work. The office never looked so good.