Now that Thanksgiving is over and we have had our fill of leftovers, it's time to think about other chores and Christmas. The living room mantle has it's Christmas swag; but there's a lot more to do; but not today.

We have to get over to our son and daughter-in-laws house after lunch and I promised one of my grandsons that I would polish a piece of petrified dinosaur bone for him; and since I haven't set up my lapidary area yet, I need to do that first. I'll cut and polish a large oval cabochon if I can get all my machinery setup and working.

When the family went on a dinosaur dig last summer, Aidan found a very rare dinosaur bone. That was the good news, but the bad news was that it had to go to a museum. I was able to find this piece of petrified dinosaur bone at a member sale at our local Rock and Gem museum, and thought it might be a small consolation for his loss.

I'm still waiting for the studio to warm up. It takes a couple of hours in this weather for it to be just bearable!

After I get the cabochon made, I'll drill those corks for the slip trailers. That will be it for studio time.

By the time we get back from our sons house, I'll have to start dinner. I have a new pasta recipe with portabello mushrooms, toasted walnuts, and crispy sage leaves in a buttery sauce. I hope it's as good as it sounds.  At some point I'll have to pick some lettuce. Living in one zone higher than we had in western North Carolina really extends the growing season about a month, especially with the help of the remay covers.