We are ready for Santa.  The cookie jar is full to the brim of gingerbread men, and we will put out a few for Santa tonight.  

 

I hope he comes to your house too.

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

 

 

I picked up this branch with lichen growing on it when we were on our walk.  It grows all over the place.

 

My Seek app called it Bushy Beard Lichen, or Usnea strigosa.  That is about all it told me. So I looked it up in Wikipedia, read about it, and still don't understand much more than I did before.  

 

So I am just going to share this picture of some very cool lichen, and let you explore on your own.  Let me know if you understand any of it.  ;)

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

Now that the leaves are off the trees, we can see the mistletoe.  Look way up in the trees, and you can see big clumps of green.  That's the mistletoe:  the leaves are green, and the berries are white.

 

If you bring mistletoe inside, make sure you remove the berries because they are poisonous. And you don't want to take the chance that any berries fall to the floor to be explored by cats or dogs or children.  You probably don't want to step on them either, grinding them into the carpet.  Just sayin.

 

I am sending you little kissing sounds right now.

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

 

 

I tried my hand at flower arranging using Christmas greens.  This is what I came up with to cheer my friends who are going through a tough time.  I made two of them, and they were beautiful on the long wooden dinner table.  

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

 

I saw this on Facebook, and it made me think how fortunate I am that I don't know anybody who would do such a thing. 

 

Looking for snow in the mountains.

 

HAPPY DECEMBER !!!

 

When we walked the loop on Saturday, I noticed this Bradford Pear tree hanging onto its leaves, STILL!!!

 

I guess these last few days of 60 degree weather isn't sending the right message to the trees that it's time to drop those leaves.  But I have to remember that they know exactly what they are doing, and I am just a casual observer.   

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

Patty's Nandinas are in full berry mode, looking a lot like Christmas to me.   

 

There are about 6 or 7 bushes like this across the back of their house.  A couple winters ago when it was so cold, we thought they were dead.  But they have come back, and are beautiful again.

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

I'm not sure WHY he does it, but this is how I found Gizmo this morning.  And it's not the first time either.  He's been doing it almost every day lately.  He pulls out the basket of pink and red fabric, scoops out a few pieces, then curls up in the midst of them.  That's how he spends the morning.  

 

I just have to wait for him to move before I can get to the ironing board, and get on with my work.  

 

Why the pink and red?  Why any of it?  I don't know.  And I bet he won't tell me.

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

 

 

 

 

This is how it looked outside our windows on Monday.  It was warm enough to go for a walk, but still a little too damp.

 

We thought about it, and decided to wait for another day.  It's OK to take a day off now and then.  

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

It's Momma's birthday, and time to decorate for Christmas.  We brought up the snowmen, Father Christmas, and enough silk poinsettias to cover everything.  That's how we do it.  

 

I also found a log of already made cheese biscuits (from last year) so we will cook those today too.

 

I'm so glad we've had a few inside days, to make cookies, cook cheese biscuits, and decorate for Christmas.  I love thinking about how fortunate we are to live here in the mountains.  

 

I hope your holidays are off to a wonderful start too.

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!