After much travail involving Ruckus and the irresistible lure of Christmas presents, I finally thought to wrap up his catnip mouse in tissue paper and tie it with a large amount of shiny dangly ribbon. Problem solved, at least temporarily. Ruckus has already unwrapped his present twice, with joy, and he is now staring at it lovingly and considering a third attempt.

I had a chance to get back to the Inferno . . . not a long visit, but long enough to breath in some words. I started prepping for my 24PearlStreet class. I finished editing the extremely interesting intro of a poetry collection, another in the series of Portuguese writers-in-translation I've been copyediting. I made some cookies in the shape of squirrels. I vacuumed up a lot of paint chips. I lost at Scrabble--again!--and went for a long walk in the cold wind. I spent the evening talking about poems and eating too many crackers.

Tomorrow, my older son and his partner will arrive. The next day the kids will borrow my car and leave to visit their grandparents. Tom and I will slip temporarily back into our dyad. And then, on Sunday, the kids will return, the Vermonters will appear, and little Alcott House will become a zoo. Thus, today will involve pre-party housework, a lot of laundry, the making of long grocery lists, and possibly another small visit with Dante. I like to imagine so, anyway.