We opened family presents yesterday; this is what I got from Kevin and the kids. (Where ‘kids’ is basically Kavi, but we have told Anand that starting next year, he really needs to take responsibility for his own present-giving; Kavi promised to help. We refuse to raise a boy who is incapable of giving gifts, or doesn’t think it’s his responsibility.)
Kavi got me a set of adorable owl planters, succulent-sized. They don’t come with dishes, but I have a tray in my office full of stones, and they’ll nestle in there just fine. Fear me and my owl army! They came as a set; if anyone wants to know where they’re from, let me know, and I can ask her. And now I have an excuse to swing by the garden store sometime soon and buy succulents. 
Kevin got me something off my wishlist, an Ember mug that keeps your drink hot. I’ve been wanting one for a while, but it’s $150, which I just couldn’t justify simply buying for myself.
On the one hand, it’s sort of ridiculous, having a mug that costs that much, that has its own charging station and a smartphone app, so that you can set the temperature to your own preference (I’m currently set to 140F, which is 5 degrees higher than their default).
On the other hand, I’ve been working in my shed for over an hour, sipping at my tea in between writing paragraphs, and MY TEA IS STILL HOT. That’s pretty amazing.
It’s going to take a little getting used to — I have to be careful to dry the bottom of the mug before putting it on its charging station (it lasts about 90 minutes on a charge), or I could corrode the connections. I can’t put it in the microwave absent-mindedly, because I might blow up the mug and/or microwave.
But I kind of think I’m going to love it. (They offer a travel mug style too.)
