Crab Legs and Tails

J did a lot of shopping today, while I worked to retrieve the bubblers from the pond. The photos above are from a later trip in the evening to Jewel-Osco, where someone took a lot of time arranging the crab legs in the display. The Buddha's Hand looked interesting, but I think everyone in the store had picked it up and smelled it, so I passed on buying it.

It was warm enough today to work outside without a coat, so I took advantage of it to carry out something like 30 gallons of hot water to defrost the pond. Or at least to defrost the pond enough to pull out the air stones and the tubing of the bubblers, because I didn't want them to go through several freeze and thaw cycles and have the pins at the top crack off, as they seem to want to do even with normal use. Since the pond was frozen solid, it took a while; but the pond looked pretty cool with leaves embedded in different layers and air bubbles trapped here and there. I was too wet and muddy to take a photo, though. I also took in the outside hose and put on the cover on the faucet, which I was going to do before it suddenly got so cold here. I still need to pull in the patio chairs and redo a vent in the garage. I also got a small start on Christmas shipping, which meant that I put boxes on the dining room table and another pile of gifts I mean to send once they are wrapped. Wrapping is the hard part.

Rajendora is going to make me a couple of split kimonos so that Selket can have a more dignified top to wear--I love this kimono on her but it piles up over her tail:

Rajendora (Sewing Box Designs) does the most beautiful doll clothing!