Last Saturday, I started the morning out with an eighteen-mile run at Sand Run Metro Park. My boss and friend Jim had suggested it as a good run since the path is maintained even in the winter. It was also unseasonably warm, so the path was in good shape. What Jim did not tell me, and I had not remembered, is that two miles of the three-mile path are uphill, which meant six miles of uphill running out of eighteen miles. My legs hurt pretty badly by the end of the run.

It was Mer’s day, and so she had us drive to Canton to the second-run theater, where they were showing the movie Hitchcock, a film about Alfred Hitchcock’s struggles to get the movie Psycho made. My mom loves Hitchcock and passed that trait on to me, so I loved the film. It was an engaging story, and it was stunningly well acted.

After the movie, we ran by Dale and Carlene’s place and helped them hang some more pictures. Mer was kind enough to let me go out to Handel’s ice cream afterwards, so it wrapped up a mellow little Saturday.

On Sunday, we had our family Christmas dinner and gift exchange, for the King side of the family. Aunt Mary put together a quite wonderful meal, and we all had a good, relaxed visit. We did also get to exchange gifts, which I quite enjoy. The day was pleasant, and I probably ate too much, but it was a good time.