The Ice Storm flew right by us;  all we got was cold and rain.  But Sunday was definitely an inside day around here.

 

So we made our own fun.  We took tomatoes that we froze last summer and made a big pot of tomato sauce.  I thought it was about 3 or 4 quarts worth, so we got busy canning it.  It was a fun project for a wintery day.  

 

Turns out we had 16 pints!!!  We had to set up the canner twice, as it only holds 9 pint jars.  That's OK, it was nice to work in a warm kitchen.  And we have lots of lovely seasoned tomato sauce.  We added garlic, oregano, thyme, basil, pink celery leaves, and peppers that we grew last summer in the garden.  

 

I hope you did something fun.

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

The Big Storm of 2026 missed us.  There was a lot of build up, and predictions for a real mess;  but we live in a "bowl" here in the mountains, and the storm slid right past us.

 

This is what we got this morning:  a little snow.  It is cold, though.  Not supposed to get up to freezing today.  So I guess it will be another inside day for us.  That's OK, we love it.

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

It was kinda warm on Wednesday, so we walked the loop.  As we were getting down to the creek, I couldn't believe how beautiful these trees looked against the winter blue sky.  

 

I hope you are getting out when it's warm, because it appears that this weekend is going to be back to cold.  I'm hoping for snow, myself, but not holding my breath.

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

We were out for a walk on Monday, and saw Tom and Sky out on their golf cart.  Jon noticed how gray her muzzle is getting and Tom told us that she will soon be ready for "senior food."  Wow, where did the time go?

 

I just looked it up in the archives, and I introduced y'all to Sky back in April, 2019.  She was just a puppy then.  Here is her picture to refresh your memory.  Or you can go back and read the entry for April 24, 2019.

 

 

It is so fun seeing the kids grow up.  

 

HAPPY 2026!!!

 

HAPPY 2026!!!  

 

Yikes!!!  It was cold yesterday.  Look at that wind chill:  8 degrees.  But also look at the future forecast:  snow!!!

 

It probably won't snow, but it's fun to think about.  I mean, if it's going to be cold, we could at least get snow.  I am not trying to tell Mother Nature how to do her job;  I'm just asking for a bit of the fun stuff.  

 

Anyway, it's supposed to be warmer today.  We will take it.  ;)

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

Yep, this is the trail.  Now you see why we needed resting rocks along the way.

 

Blood Mountain is a beautiful section on the Appalachian Trail.  In fact, it is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia.   The Appalachian Trail begins at Springer Mountain, Georgia, about 30 miles from this section.  We often meet through hikers in the spring on their way to Mount Katahdin, Maine.  That is the end of the 2,200 mile trail. 

 

Of course, we have no intention of through hiking, but it is always a happy day to hike this little bit of the Appalachian Trail.

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

I showed you the resting rock in our neighborhood last week.  Well, yesterday we hiked up Blood Mountain in Georgia and we stopped at all the good resting rocks.  This was our favorite.  It is a huge rock along the Appalachian Trail, and located at just the right place for a needed rest.  And best of all, there was a spot just the right height for me to park myself for a little rest.

 

It was a gorgeous day for a hike: 73 degrees;  it felt like May or June.  There were lots of folks on the trail, and we all had smiles on our faces.  

 

I hope your weather is nice right now.  I know there are lots of places where it is really cold;  and we will get that soon enough, but for now we are loving our warm December.  

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

You gotta have pie for Christmas dinner, right?  Well, we made blueberry pie.  This is how it looked ready to go into the oven.  It wasn't quite as pretty coming out, but I'm not going to show you that.  It spilled over a bit.  And once we cut into it, it wasn't all that pretty anymore anyway.  Sure was good, though.

 

Hope you did something fun for your Christmas dinner.

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

How about this for a cute Christmas memory.  

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS, Y'ALL!!!