Back in DC

Had an uneventful drive down to DC. This afternoon, Mary baked her Christmas cookies for tomorrow's festivities. She had a few setbacks, like dropping her bottle of molasses in the supermarket parking lot, then realizing she didn't have the spices she needed, then realizing she screwed up the recipe (but fixed it) and I held my tongue for fear of suggesting to her that the way I "bake" (i.e. go to bakery) is so much easier.

But here she is, sanctimoniously showing off the finished product:

And up close, these are Mary's "Sugar Coated Gingerbread Chewies." Ok, I admit it. We sampled one and it really was good -- like a cake-y ginger snap, covered in sugar.

Milo, the cat, was acting up tonight. This is in Mary's dining room where Milo takes a giant leap from her sideboard about three feet over and three feet up, and he sits up there for a few minutes and then jumps down.

I have new appreciation for cat people photographing their animals, as I realize how difficult it is to get a good one, but here's Milo up close: