Mark sent me this picture of the upcoming "Great Conjunction" of Jupiter and Saturn.  It was taken a few days before the peak conjunction.  You can see Jupiter and Saturn in the lower right corner of the sky.  This is looking southwest, about 45 minutes after sunset.  See how close they are getting?

 

I'm showing you this today to remind you to go outside TONIGHT and look to the southwest.  I hope you'll be able to see the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.  I've also seen it called the return of the Star of Bethlehem.    

 

If you miss it tonight, you'll have to wait two decades for the next chance to see this beautiful sight.  That's 2040;  better do it tonight.

 

THANKS MARK!!!

 

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!!!!

 

Look at this beautiful Sycamore tree.  Platanus occidentalis.  This one is in Meeks Park, near the little bridge.  

 

I love looking UP into the sky at the Sycamore trees.  The mottled brown bark flakes off in jigsaw puzzle pieces, leaving the trunk to look like Camo fabric, and exposing the white underbark at the very top.

 

My Peterson Field Guide says that Sycamore is considered one of the most massive of eastern US trees.  They grow 50' to 130' tall, and live to be hundreds of years old.  The leaves are huge: 6-10 inches across.  That's how I remember the botanical name:  leaves as big as dinner plates.

 

The wood is hard and coarse-grained, and used for boxes, barrels, butchers' blocks, cabinetwork, and furniture.  Indians used the trunks for dugout canoes, some weighing thousands of pounds.  

 

Be sure to notice the Sycamores when you're out and about.  They're the ones with the stark white branches poking up into the winter sky.

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

 

 

Photo credit:  The Farmers Almanac.  

 

I was reading an article about the Winter Solstice in The Farmers Almanac, and came across this picture.  It shows the longest shadows at noon, caused by the angle of the sun in relation to Earth.

 

The Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is the shortest day and the longest night of the year, and it occurs next Monday.  It's probably already on your calendar, showing the first quarter moon.  

 

This year on the Winter Solstice, December 21, 2020, we get to welcome winter with the "Great Conjunction."  The moon is near the two giant worlds of Jupiter and Saturn on the 16th and 17th.  Then Jupiter passes extremely close to Saturn from the 20th to the 22nd, coming closest on the 21st-the solstice.  These two giant planets will be so close together that they appear to merge into a single "star," and be visible with the naked eye.  

 

This phenomenon occurs every two decades, but in 2000 it was too close to the sun to be observable.  Look for it about 45 minutes after sunset near the Southwestern horizon.  We'll be out there, and I hope you will get to see it too.

 

HAPPY (almost) WINTER!!!!

 

 

 

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!!!

 

 

 

I didn't know we were going to see a parade.  But we did!!!

 

Five turkeys walked right up our driveway.  And they did it slowly enough for me to get a picture.  I wonder is five turkeys qualify to be called a rafter.  That is one of the four collective nouns for a group of turkeys, according to Siri.  The other three are:  gang, raffle, and jewel.  So, I guess instead of saying we saw parade, I should have said we saw a Jewel.  Nah, it was more of a parade.

 

I love our neighborhood:  Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter!!!

 

HAPPY DAYS!!!

 

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!!!