The day looks beautiful, sunny and clear, but the cold weather has settled in for a while. It is 29˚ now and the high will only be 31˚. The high?

I don’t have a junk drawer, but I have a tool drawer. Anything I need is there. It has both kinds of screwdrivers, a regular (I know it has a name, but I have no idea what it is) and a Phillips head, a couple of wrenches, two hammers, one small and one not so small, an awl, Gorilla tape and black duct tape. It has nails in different sizes, screws, thin wire and Christmas ornament and picture hooks. A couple of old frames, some wood pieces needing glue and a book bird fill out the rest of the drawer. Once I organized the drawer and put all the nails and screws in small jars, but the drawer still gets stuck anyway. I’m okay with that. I’m a pro at unsticking drawers except for the middle drawer in my desk. I have tried everything, but it doesn’t budge. It’s frustrating.

I wish I could build stuff. I once took a woodworking course and made some shelves. But whenever I used the huge electric saw, I envisioned losing fingers. I didn’t, but the fear was always there.

The first sort of exotic thing I ever cooked was chicken Kiev. I even made a table decoration, a styrofoam church with an onion dome. When I put my fork into the chicken, it spewed the garlic butter the way it was supposed to. It was a success. That got me got hooked on cooking and later baking. I always try to make my table decorations mirror the cuisine. For my Mexican dinner, I even made piñatas once using balloons. I love decorating the table. It is the awe factor even before we sit down to eat.

I have decreed today as another lazy day though I am going to change the bed. After that I’ll rest from my exertions.

Winter still holds the upper hand. Today is cloudy and cold with periodic snow flurries. The strong wind is whipping even the sturdy oak trees back and forth, back and forth. The sun appears then disappears behind the dark clouds. Luckily I haven’t need to go anywhere and can stay home cozy and warm. I’m going to do nothing constructive.

Henry is restless. He wanders up and down the hall, turns and stares at me then wanders some more. He’s brought a couple of toys to the couch and is now chewing on his Christmas elf, a stuffing less shadow of what it once was.

Yesterday for game night I made tapioca. My mother used to make it all the time. It was one of my father’s favorite desserts as well as one of mine and my sister’s. I like it either hot or cold though I mostly eat it cold. The taste is a memory.

My muse is resting. Last night I read for a while then finally fell asleep sometime after three. I’m still tired which, for me, translates into being easily distracted. I read one paper, checked my e-mail, then read another paper. I tried to watch a couple of movies, but neither one has held my attention. I’m now watching Logan’s Run, a movie I’ve seen before, a couple of times, so I don’t need to give it my full attention. I can let my memory fill in the blanks.

I’ve run out of words. I think I’ll get a cookie.