You know George.  He's the guy with the tractor.  You know, the tractor that moved the haybale into position, the tractor that helped raise Mike's carport roof, and the tractor that clears the roads when it snows.  He loves that tractor.

 

Here he is on Christmas, and you can see that he's already been driving his truck, and getting ready to clear the roads.

 

His comment along with this picture was:  "Merry Christmas!!! Great to have NY gear!"   At first I didn't get it, I thought he meant New Years, but then I remembered that he and Priscilla came here from New York.  Of course he would have good winter clothes, and being George:  good winter WORK clothes.

 

And sure enough, he spent most of the morning clearing the roads and pulling folks out of the snow.  

 

 

THANKS GEORGE!!!

 

 

 

We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!!  You know, the song....

 

My friend in Texas asked me to call her and play my cello for her on Christmas.  So I got out my beautiful cello and practiced a few Christmas carols to play without having to look at the music.  They sounded pretty good, so I decided to call her.

 

I put on the Santa hat and set up the chair in front of the glass door, so she could see this gorgeous snowfall, and Jon took my picture.  Really, we were just killing time until it was 8 am in Texas so we could ring her phone.

 

Ya know how some people have two numbers in your address book?  Well, I called Donna's home number, and when a lady answered, I started playing the Christmas song.  Jon held the phone and sang along with me, and when we ended, the lady said "Well, Merry Christmas to you too."  It wasn't Donna's voice, so I asked if this was her number.  Nope.  It was her OLD number, and somebody else has it now.  She thanked us for our music, we all said Merry Christmas, and hung up.

 

Then we called Donna's mobile number and she answered.  We played and sang for her, and she sang along.  When we told her the story about the wrong number, she laughed and called me an angel.  (I don't know about that, but I do love to make people smile.)

 

We hoped to make one old lady's day by singing and playing the cello, and we got to make two old ladies smile.  Even though it was an accident, it was fun for us ALL!!!

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

 

 

 

Just when I thought I had nothing to blog about:  we got snow!!!  On Christmas!!!

 

I guess taking a winter break wasn't such a good idea.  I'M BACK!!!!

 

Our neighbor Tom took this picture of us on Crabapple Lane as we were dragging the sled back up the hill.

 

It was so beautiful, and 26 degrees.  We stayed out long enough to sled down Stonebriar and Crabapple.  We took a few runs each, but you still have to drag the sled back up.  That gets old really fast.

 

So we got in a little sledding, then spent the rest of our day inside.  

 

WISH YOU WERE HERE!!!

 

I don't want to be a party pooper, but I'm out of ideas for a daily blog.  I have loved writing them every day, but the garden is about done, and I'm running out of interesting stuff to write about.  Although...I had planned this blog for December first, and keep finding something to say.  

 

When I run across something interesting, I will share; but maybe I'll just take a little break.  See you next year. 

 

LOVE YOU.  Gerry

 

This is one thing I like to do on wintery days, when we can't go outside.  This should be enough to hold me for the entire winter, maybe into 2025.

 

Of course, there is also cooking, quilting projects, paper crafting, folk art projects, blogs to write, books to read, our 2021 garden to plan, yoga, and walking the loop.  Never a dull moment around here.  But some days I like to just sit and work puzzles.  I can fill an entire morning with coffee and puzzling.

 

We count it as exercise.  Brain exercise.  Hey, it CAN'T hurt, right?

 

HAPPY DAYS!!!

 

 

 

Why do we decorate evergreen trees at Christmas?  Why do we give presents?  And how old are some of these traditions?  The Farmers Almanac offers some interesting answers to these questions.  

 

I have it bookmarked, and visit the site often, but I thought you might like to cruise on over to The Farmers Almanac and check out some interesting Winter Solstice Folklore.  There is a Christmas Quiz (that I failed,) stories about the birds of the 12 Days of Christmas, recipes, and legends and traditions associated with the Winter Solstice.  

 

Go to:  https://www.farmersalmanac.com/  No sense my retelling the stories that they tell so well.  I hope you find this interesting.

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

 

Now that the leaves are off the maple trees, it's easy to spot Mistletoe growing on the branches.  You can see it all around the neighborhood.  This tree is in Lee's yard, but there's also lots in one of the trees in the meadow, across from the haybale snowman.  Look up, and if you see clumps of green in an otherwise bare tree, it's probably Mistletoe. 

 

I remember hearing stories about Nanny shooting Mistletoe out of the trees using a .22 rifle.  It could be a family legend, but I love that story.  

 

My favorite horticultural story is that the berries are sticky, and when birds eat the berries they have to clean their beaks of the sticky residue.  They scrape off the sticky mess on the branches of the trees, thus REPLANTING the seeds!  The ultimate gardeners!!

 

If you decide to bring Mistletoe into the house, be sure to remove the berries, as they are toxic to children and pets.  We love to hang a sprig in the doorway, to sneak a kiss whenever we walk under it.  Like we need an excuse.....

 

Remember to look up when you're out.  I hope you see some Mistletoe.  Think of it as a kiss from me.

 

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's my friend Patty and her joyful sign post decoration.  She is the mastermind behind these decorations, and I am the Partner in FUN.  There are 4 more signs:  HOHOHO, HOPE, LOVE, and BELIEVE.  Look for them around the neighborhood.  For those of you who are too far away to cruise around the neighborhood:  here are the other signs.  HOHOHO is already mounted at Solitude.

 

 

We even started thinking about next year's decorations.  Can't wait to create more folk art with my friend.  We do have fun together.

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

 

 

This makes me feel warmer already.  This is a picture of the beach at Nags Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  It was mighty hot that day if I remember correctly.  We walked on the beach barefoot, and waded into the ocean a lot.  

 

There was even a venue set up for a wedding on the beach, looking out at the ocean.

 

 

That was fun.  Thanks for going with me on our virtual trip to the beach.  Now, back to winter in the mountains.

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

Oh look!!!  Our favorite Santa.  Wonder what HE is doing!!????

 

"Making a list and checking it twice.  Gonna find out who's naughty and nice.  Santa Claus is coming to town."

 

I hope YOU made it to the nice list.  I know WE did!!!!

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!