Coming off a few days in the '50s, it was a bit of a shock to see slushy ice on the deck this morning. It's pretty much gone now, but that - and being exhausted from a couple of days of partying with family - kept me inside instead of going for a walk. Now, with new cases of the COVID virus on the upswing, we'll be sticking close to home yet again and, no doubt, spending New Year's Eve in our cozy living room. The challenge for now is finding a bottle of some kind of bubbly for midnight toasting.