Tuesday

My Christmas cactus is just about ready to bloom—yes, in January—timing its display to coincide with the violets. In another two or three days we’ll have quite a show. Lettuce in the garden, daffodils in the flowerbeds, freesia about to bud. At least, that’s what was happening out back a week ago. I feel a bit detached, this week, from the world outside; it’s been downright frigid here in San Diego, and I find I’ve lost the knack of handling weather. No insulation in these little houses. Brr.

Maybe that’s why we picked Winter Holiday for the new lunchtime read-aloud. We so seldom have a winter that feels remotely wintry. It had just the right flavor for today, but it’s quite a long book and I’m wondering how all that tramping about in the snow is going to read when we’re back to our 7o-degree sunshiny days, say around Friday.