Jeanine and Lauren got an early start on their drive to Burlington, VT, where they will spend the next couple of days visiting with their sister. Closer to home, we had a dusting of snow that was enough to get me out of the house for some photography. I managed a blurry shot of a Bald Eagle that was perched right in front of the house; he flew off before I could get my camera properly stabilized, and I took advantage of the nice reflections off the river to get a winter scene of the house with my drone.

In the evening, I attended a winter solstice party at our neighbors’ just up the street. It was originally scheduled for the celestially correct night last December, but had to be postponed due to the illness of one of the hosts. The evening included an outdoor fire lighting ceremony and sing-along. I retreated to the back of the circle, performing a thoughtful public service by ensuring my “singing” remained a strictly personal experience.

My recent auto-upgrade to the Tahoe operating system left my MacBook seriously compromised and me supremely irritated. I spent several hours backing up my nearly full 4TB disk, doing a full reset and clean install, followed by restoring all my files and applications. It is not the way I like to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Much more to my liking was a visit to Maya’s new apartment located close to Inman Square in Cambridge with her Aunt Lauren, Jeanine, and Kyle. Later, we walked to a nearby Portuguese restaurant where we enjoyed a delightful meal together.

To support our church, Jeanine donated her cookbook and dinner for six as an auction item. She partnered with one of our neighbors, who provided the wine and served as sommelier. The winning bid was for $1000, and after the auction ended, a matching bid was made for a second dinner. Jeanine teamed up with her sister, Lauren, to create a veritable feast.

• Apéritif and Appetizers
  • Brie Bites with Tart Cherry and Pistachio
  • Roasted Vegetables and Pesto Dip
  • Warmed Nuts and Olives
• First Course
  • Sizzling Rice Soup
• Second Course
  • Brisket & Mushroom Bourguignon
  • Roasted Crisp Potatoes
  • Broccolini
• Salad Course
  • Arugula, Beet, Orange, and Fennel
• Cheese & Fruit Course
  • Assorted Cheeses, Sliced Apples, Grapes, and French Bread
• Dessert
  • Swedish Almond Torte
  • Chocolates

I kept busy as a server, dishwasher, kitchen cleaner, and salad garnisher. These jobs kept me so occupied that I was unable to photograph all of the wonderful dishes, which is a shame because some of the presentations were just as exquisite as the food.

Today, I upgraded my MacBook to Tahoe, the latest Apple operating system. To say that it has been a disaster would be an understatement. It has left my computer in a near-unusable state. I spent the bulk of the day trying to debug the various issues. I have made some progress, but many apps are still working oddly or locking up intermittently, and opening certain files can take tens of minutes.

To downgrade to the previous operating system, I will need to completely erase my hard disk, which will require a full backup of my photos, videos, and data. Given how slow my computer is working, this could take days, if not weeks. I ordered a 4TB drive, which is expected to arrive on Saturday for this purpose.

During the past year, I’ve been volunteering for The Concord Bridge, our local newspaper, using my drone to capture aerial photographs on assignment. On my latest outing, I was approached by a security officer contracted to patrol the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Concord — the state’s oldest men’s prison, which officially closed on June 30, 2024.

The officer politely inquired about my activities, and I politely explained that I was working on an assignment for the local paper. We enjoyed a brief and civil discussion about airspace, property lines, and who actually controls what. In the end, he requested that I leave the parking lot, and I complied, relocating to a nearby public area where I relaunched and completed my photos, careful to stay well outside the prison boundaries.

Afterward, it occurred to me that it might be wise to obtain some form of press credential to confirm the purpose of my flights. I made my request to the Editor-in-Chief, who promptly mailed me a bona fide press pass — which arrived today. I plan to wear it with pride and, hopefully, with just enough authority to spare me from further impromptu civics lessons in parking lots.

On the home front, Jeanine’s sister Lauren flew in from Indianapolis and will be visiting for the next several days. I picked her up at the airport and returned home just in time to meet up with Jeanine, who gave her the grand tour, including a stop at the exercise bar I recently installed for her.

For several days now, we have been visited by a flock of Common Merganser ducks. They often fly very close to the water, and watching them do a water landing is very entertaining, something I have yet to get a picture of. Also hanging out in the neighborhood was a very well-nourished beaver and a red-tailed hawk on the look out for lunch.

Warmer temperatures have caused the frozen Sudbury River in front of our house to begin thawing from the middle out. As the sun was setting this evening, it made for an interesting linear reflection strip. We are expected to enjoy a few more days of warm weather before the mercury is expected to plummet next week.

I took a break from working in my shop to book travel for my trip to Bolivia in March. I had been considering including an excursion to Guyana’s Kaieteur Falls on the adventure, but threats of further military action in nearby Venezuela have led me to drop it from the plan out of an abundance of caution. As it stands, I will be flying through Bogota, Colombia, which may be equally risky.

While Maya was visiting over the Christmas break, she knitted a pair of booties for a colleague who was expecting a child. That baby arrived on Christmas Eve, and today Maya shared this photo of the new arrival in his cozy footwear.

I made the initial version of the pictured pocket hole drilling jig 25 years ago. Ten years ago, I added significant upgrades. Today, I replaced a component that I created on a Markforged 3D printer with one printed on a Formlabs printer. It is the grey block, which is a bracket to support the pneumatic cylinder that clamps a workpiece into the jig when a foot pedal is pressed. Although the original bracket worked adequately, it flexed more than I liked. The new part, printed with a very rigid resin, doesn’t budge at all.

Having completed the two drawers for my new workbench earlier in the week, I spent the afternoon placing layout and measurement tools in the top one. Most of my time was spent organizing the tools to maximize space utilization and placing my most frequently used ones front and center. This photo represents only 2/3 of the drawer width, so I will have to give some thought to what will fill the remaining third. Each tool has a “nest”, so they will not move around

This morning, we had visits from both a red fox and a coyote, both likely on the prowl for a mate. Red foxes are generally monogamous, often forming long-term pairs, though males may seek extra mates once the primary female’s brief heat ends. Courtship starts in winter and includes hunting together, chasing, and playful interactions.​ The dominant male mates with the dominant vixen; pair bonds can last for life, but high mortality means many breeding pairs are newly formed each year.​ After mating, the vixen uses a den system; gestation is about 49–58 days, with typically one litter of 4–6 kits per year.​ Males often provision the female while she is confined to the den, then both parents may help feed and protect the young as they grow.​ In areas with abundant resources, one male may mate with multiple females, and subordinate females may share the territory and sometimes help rear kits.​

Coyotes are strongly monogamous, with alpha pairs usually staying together for life and forming the core of a territorial family group. Breeding occurs once per year, mainly mid‑January to mid‑February, because females are monestrous and fertile only during a short, roughly 10‑day estrus.​ Courtship includes play‑wrestling, chasing, grooming, and food sharing, which reinforce the pair‑bond before and during mating. Gestation lasts about 60–65 days, with pups born in spring; the pair chooses or excavates a den mainly for this season, otherwise living and resting above ground.​ The male commonly provisions the pregnant and nursing female, and later the pups; older offspring or pack members may also help rear the litter.​

Mild temperature and minimal wind made for good conditions to burn off our Christmas tree, which took all of ten minutes. Once I had the fire started, I added wood scraps from the shop and broken-down palettes to create a lovely spire.

I completed two drawers for my new workbench today. They are by far the largest I have ever built, easily four times larger than anything to date. This brings my drawer construction total for the house to 122. I have grown weary of building drawers, and I sincerely hope these are my last, although history suggests not. The drawers are shallow, and one will be primarily used for layout and marking tools while the other will contain scrapers, planes, and chisels. Frequently used tools will be placed at the front of the drawer, with less frequently used ones at the back. The heavy-duty, full-extension drawer slides are scheduled to arrive on Friday, and I plan to install them this weekend.

The vise for my new assembly table arrived today, and I made quick work of installing it. Designed for a 3-1/2″ benchtop, I had to glue and screw a 2″ spacer to my 1-1/2″ top to make up the difference. I also notched one of the table legs to create clearance for the vise’s sliding rails. Alternatively, I could have located the legs on this end of the table further from the edge, but I preferred this approach to minimize the tabletop overhang and to maximize the width of the drawers yet to be installed.

Pictured in the foreground of this aerial photo is the New England Baptist Hospital. Jeanine had an MRI there this afternoon and requested that I drive her to the appointment. I brought my drone with me to help pass the time, and if not for the positively frigid temperatures, I would have spent more time flying.

Not satisfied with the structural properties of this year’s Christmas popovers, Jeanine enlisted Maya’s help to try new recipe refinements and variations in cooking temperature and time. The pair spent hours in the effort and finally produced what I, an official taste tester, deem to be the best popovers ever. Once the optimal outcome was achieved, Maya documented every aspect of the formulation and process. Regretably, she rejected my suggestion to name these creations – Momayas, a concatenation of “mom” and “Maya.”

After recent street work, downtown Concord’s pedestrian crosswalks got a bright new coat of paint. I like the bold color, but I question the need for a trapezoidal outline to define a “T” shaped intersection. Try as I might, I have yet to find an aerial perspective that “captures” the essence of our downtown area. Perhaps that is what makes it so quaint.

It has been two years since I last made improvements to my shop, a process I call shoptimization. Over the last few days, I have completed another round triggered by my desire for a larger assembly bench. The new bench is 72″ x 39″ compared to my previous bench which was 60″ x 30″. The top and legs are made of solid oak, and the bottom shelf has poplar sides and a Baltic birch surface. I have yet to complete two massive full-extension drawers (53″ x 30″ x 3-1/2″) that will sit immediately under the top. The legs and drawers will be set back from the edge by 3-1/2″ to allow for clamping, and I will add a 10-1/2″ vise to the back left corner. The legs are fitted with ratcheting levelers that double as mobility casters.

Because of the increased bench width, I decided to relocate my tool chest from the “clamp wall” to the northeast corner, reclaiming 20 inches of clearance for the back side aisle. I added two low-profile shelving units (made from remnants of a kitchen island we replaced while living in Indianapolis). The one on the left will be used to store sanding and pneumatic nailing consumables. The one on the right will be used for frequently used hand tools and hex shank bits for my cordless drivers. Finally, I will relocate all of my layout and measurement tools from the tool chest to the bench drawers, making them immediately accessible.

One of the many gifts I received from Nicolai for Christmas was a coupon for a pancake breakfast. Today, the entire family, plus Teddy, gathered to help me enjoy the feast. Should Nico ever tire of being an educator, he has a certain future as a chef. At the risk of getting in trouble with Jeanine, I must confess that these were the best buttermilk pancakes I have ever eaten. I was offered the first batch off the griddle and could not be made to wait for the accompanying bacon and fruit before making short work of this short stack. There was considerable discussion at the breakfast table about making this event a permanent New Year’s Day tradition going forward.

Our entire neighborhood was covered with a thin layer of ice this morning, making for treacherous walking and driving conditions. Nevertheless, tomorrow is trash collection day, and it was necessary to roll our garbage and recycling bins out to the street. Laden with holiday packaging and other waste, the wheels left distinctive tracks in the black ice, making for what I deemed an interesting photo.

Our perfect tree, once a shimmering tower of balsam and light, stood naked and skeletal against the window. With Christmas behind us, I worked methodically with my electric shears, cutting through every green bough until only a bare, tapering spine remained. What was once the centerpiece of our living room now lay in a neat heap on the floor. These salvaged branches, still fragrant with the scent of pine, are destined for the porch fire pit; soon, the very tree that warmed our spirits inside will be warming our faces under the cold starlight of a future evening.

A pristine blanket of fresh snow softens every edge of our patio furniture. Beyond this silent space, the world shifts from soft to solid. The river has ceased its flow, an icy reflection of the gray sky. Framing the view are bare branches, each encased in clear ice acting like tiny prisms to catch the weak rays of the morning light.

It is virtually impossible for me to part with even the smallest scraps of wood. I know that I will eventually find a use for each and every piece. The problem is how to store them in the meantime. Today, I began to address that challenge by constructing two racks to store plywood remnants, sorted by width to make finding the right piece easy. In the coming days or weeks, I hope to do the same for my solid wood off cuts.

Despite being short on proper beds, we were thrilled that the kids chose to spend another night with us. It was late morning before everyone rolled out of bed, and coffee was the first order of business. When I noticed Jeanine’s shadow on the cabinets in our great room, I encouraged Nico to lean into the scene and captured this photo of them. I really like the way it turned out.

Jeanine shows off her famous popovers, and Maya her new hiking boots.

Nico and Teddy model their matching bear sweaters.

Kyle is ready for some exercise in his new running glasses.

I was in charge of cooking a rib roast for dinner. It was not a half-bad effort for my first time. Food and game playing consumed most of the day.

Maya arrived this afternoon with a Peace Dove to top our Christmas tree, a change from the angel or star we usually use. In these times, it seemed most appropriate. Her father ensured she did not fall from the ladder as she placed the ornament, a white dove with an olive branch in its beak. The photo was taken by Jeanine’s sister, Susan, who is staying with us for several days, along with her friend Jean. The kids are all here, as well as Nicolai’s girlfriend, Nicole, whom I will refer to as Teddy going forward.

We enjoyed Raclette for dinner, a communal meal centered around melting and scraping cheese, traditionally over boiled potatoes, cured meats, and pickled vegetables like cornichons. It has been our traditional Christmas Eve dinner ever since our local Chinese restaurant closed. We used to dine there with the Budris family.

‘Twas two nights before Christmas, and all through the house, the air smelled of baking, no doubt by my spouse. The tree lights were twinkling, the stockings hung tight, each ribbon and bauble reflecting the light. I poured us some glögg, the cinnamon bold, and marveled at memories—new ones and old. Then, out in the yard, came a rustling sound; the recycling bin had been knocked to the ground! But wait—through the shadows, a scuttling thunk. No raccoon at all, but that flowerbed punk! The woodchuck—my rival, my furry torment— Had come back for vengeance, or maybe just scent. He snorted and waddled, as bold as could be, then looked in my eyes, quite unbothered by me. The cone flowers he’d leveled flashed back in my mind— last spring’s devastation of the botanical kind. I dashed to the closet, adrenaline high, my trusty air rifle glinting close by. I pumped it up twice, then three times—no fear— and crept through the moonlight, my quarry quite near. He froze by the trash can, then vanished from sight— a ghost in the snow, a brown blur in the night. I fired! It ricocheted straight off the bin, and startled the neighbors (and probably him). Now back in my slippers, my pride slightly dented, I pondered the duel that fate had fermented. The beast lives to burrow, to mock, and to feast— and I, the defeated, salute the fat beast.

For many years, I have eschewed wrapping Christmas gifts in fancy paper just to have it discarded in the trash. Saved paper grocery bags have been my go-to substitute. This year, I have turned my recycling efforts in a new direction. For many presents, I utilized leftovers from my shop to fashion custom “gift enclosures.” Unlike wrapping paper, opening these gifts will take some time and may require the use of tools. In the case of the one pictured above, the post “unwrapping” remnants might make an interesting toy for Maya’s cats. For the record, Jeanine fails to see the humor or Christmas spirit in my conservation efforts. Just wait till she sees how I “wrapped” her present this year!

For the second consecutive year, our kids invited their friends over for a holiday brunch. This year we had 38 guests, including a few parents who were also friends of ours. The multigenerational party lasted from noon until sunset with a menu that included overnight brioche praline French toast, mini frittata muffins, a spiral ham, fresh fruit, and an array of desserts.

Relatively mild weather allowed guests to spend time outdoors for a fire ceremony organized by Maya. This ritual involves writing down thoughts or intentions and burning them to release the past, let go of negative emotions, set intentions, or manifest desires.

How do you move a 220-pound headboard from your basement shop to a first-floor bedroom without a team of strong movers? Answer: You turn it into a bus. Using the resources available to me, I added wheels to the front and back of my woodworking creation. Doing so allowed me to single-handedly move it from my shop, out the shop door, around the outside of the house, and up to the steps of the front door. At this point, I enlisted the help of Maya to get it up the stairs and through the door. Jeanine assisted by standing on the cantilevered plywood at the top of the stairs to make sure it did not move under the weight of the metal ramp’s top lip. Due to the very low ground clearance of the “bus,” it was necessary to lift the entire back end to the level of the entry as soon as the front wheels cleared the ramp. Maya, despite her diminutive stature, proved quite a mighty assistant, and together we managed the lift. Once inside the house, I swapped the wheels for a dolly, which made steering through the hallways to the bedroom a breeze. Once there, Jeanine, Nico, Maya, and I rotated it into place atop the nightstands to complete the project. I am very pleased with the final product and, more importantly, so is Jeanine.

High winds today brought down trees and power lines throughout Concord. I had to take a significant detour while returning from a consulting gig as the main road through downtown was completely blocked. When I arrived, the power was out in our neighborhood, but not at our house, where our backup battery system was online. As is always the case, our municipal power company had electrical service restored in short order, just over twenty minutes. The story was not as rosy for our fiber optic broadband service, which was out of commission for more than 30 hours after the top of a utility pole snapped off (pictured above). The repair required a new pole and the replacement of 700 feet of 96-strand fiber.

Today, I completed the bookshelf headboard, the last component for our new bedroom suite. It is shown clamped upside down to a dolly, which has allowed me to move it around the shop. It is, no doubt, the largest piece of furniture I have ever built, and the main construction challenge has been dealing with the weight of over 200 pounds while working alone. When the kids visit next weekend, I will enlist their help to move this behemoth from my shop to our main bedroom and set it on the nightstands that will support it. All that remains to be done is to connect the built-in reading lights to their respective controls and power supply.