Who woulda thought that we would be planting anything on Christmas!!!  Well, here's the story:

 

Our neighbors planted raspberries years ago, and they took over their garden.  So this year they dug them out, and offered the canes to us to plant in our garden.  

 

So we made a Happy Christmas project of it.  The weather was perfect, 69 degrees;  so we planted 10 raspberry canes in our upper garden.  We mulched them well, and are hoping that they survive the winter.  

 

What a Happy Christmas indeed.

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

How about this for a cute Christmas memory.  

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS, Y'ALL!!!

 

We went for a walk in the park on Saturday, and it was beautiful.  I think the temperature was about 55.  Pretty nice for the last day of autumn.  As we passed this American Beech, Jon mentioned how pretty the bark is:  it looks like camo.  It kinda matched his Mossy Oak hoodie, so I had to take their picture together.    

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

Look how beautifully the kale is holding up in the cold.  It is biennial, so it has to survive the winter in order to make seeds.  It looks pretty good so far.  I'll let you know if it makes it through the winter.  

 

But for now we can enjoy a bit of kale in salads, omelets, and on and on.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I went out to the garden to fetch a bit of kale for our Asian Cole Slaw, and noticed how beautiful the dinosaur kale is still.  I guess it doesn't mind the cold and the wind.  (Unlike the rest of us.)  ;)~

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

Picture borrowed from the Farmers Almanac.

 

Winter will arrive this morning at 10:03 EST.  It is the shortest day, and the longest night of the year. I know you know that already, but the Farmers Almanac has an interesting article on some fun rituals and practices surrounding the Winter Solstice.  Check it out:   https://www.farmersalmanac.com/winter-solstice-first-day-winter

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

Yay!!!!  They turned out great!!  I guess the secret is to cut them a little thicker than 1/4 inch.  

 

We cooked them on Wednesday, and they were just like Momma's:  crisp and a little bit crumbly.

 

I just know that Momma and Betsy were cheering me on.  

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

 

 

It is a lot warmer now.  We walked in the park the last couple days, and it is way better.  Yesterday it got up to 60 degrees.  What a difference!!!  We saw this grinch tree and Jon just had to have his picture with it.  Look:  no gloves.

 

You know, winter in the mountains is great.  We get a little cold, followed by a few days of warm, then a little more cold, then a little more warm, easing us into winter.  

 

We love all four seasons.  

 

HOPE YOU ARE HAVING FUN!!!

 

I know this is a funny picture to use for a weather report, but I am NOT going outside today.  It is currently 10 degrees here.  

 

And yesterday it only got up to 24.  So we stayed inside and cooked.  

 

We already made Christmas cookies, so we made this fabulous Cast iron Skillet Blueberry cake.  The recipe came from Cook's Country and uses 2 cups of raspberries and ginger, but there is also a version that uses 2 cups of blueberries and cardamom.  It is a great recipe.  Let me know if you want me to add it to the recipe section.  

 

 

HOPE YOU'RE STAYING WARM!!!

 

We love making these cookies too.  We only make them at Christmas, and share them with friends.  The recipe makes 60, and they generally last way into January, because we aren't really sweet eaters.  I guess we're sweet enough.  

 

Anyway, they're easy and fun to make, so we do it for the fun.  

 

 

HAPPY COOKING!!!!