Here we are, a rainy day in December, making cookies.  We love to make our gingerbread men cookies.  Jon rolls out the dough and cuts the little gingerbread men, and I decorate them with m&m's and chocolate chips, while we listen to Christmas music.  Our whole house smells wonderful, and we have fun.

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

 

 

I don't have a picture for you today, but check back tomorrow.  We are expecting rain all day today, so our plan for the day is to cook!!  I will take pix and let you know how we did.

 

HAPPY DECEMBER !!!

 

Speaking of Christmas decorations:  look at this Sycamore tree.  It has dropped all its leaves, and all that's left are the seed pods hanging on like ornaments on a Christmas tree.  Hold onto your hat!  Each one of those seed pods has about 50 seeds in it.  If they all germinated, the world would be covered in Sycamore trees.  Of course they don't all germinate, but don't they look neat hanging on the branches.  

 

The other cool thing about Sycamores is their exfoliating bark.  If you look up into the top of the tree, you can see stark white branches poking up into the winter sky.  I hope you see some in your travels.

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

You know that old snag down in the meadow?  Well, when we were driving out last week, we saw these turkey vultures up in the tree.  I'm not sure if they were shopping for lunch, or just hanging out, but aren't they magnificent?  

 

I read that they are gregarious and hang out in large groups, and we have often seen lots of them flying together.  The article that I read also said that they have a wingspan of 63-72 inches, and can weigh up to 5 pounds.  That's a big bird!!!

 

I love seeing them flying overhead, but this is pretty cool too.  

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

On one of our walks I noticed that the Christmas ferns are still nice and green.  I think that's how they got their name, being evergreen and staying mostly green right up until Christmas.  Some of the leaves will fall over and melt into the forest floor, and others stay upright and green through the winter.  

 

You can also see another identifying characteristic; at the base of each leaflet is a little thumb, making it look like a mitten.  That's how I remember the Christmas part.  

 

If you would like to read more about this fern, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystichum_acrostichoides?wprov=sfti1#

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

Look how cute the haybale is this month.  Somebody got creative and decorated it, and the little hill for Christmas.  

 

I found out that it wasn't just some body:  it was Karen and Val and Cheryl. 

 

 

You guys are awesome.  Thanks for making us smile.

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

I'm not sure if food projects qualify as a craft, but this one kinda does.  It looks very crafty to me.

 

Julie told me that she went to a charcuterie class last week, and when I saw this picture, I just had to share it.  It's a little too much food for happy hour, but it looks like great fun for a Christmas party, or any party for that matter. And this one doesn't look that complicated.  Go ahead, try it!!!  If you do make one, send me a picture.  I love crafty stuff.

 

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

 

 

 

I've shown you the blueberry bushes before, but usually when they are blooming or fruiting. Today I want you to see their fall color.  Did you know that blueberry bushes are deciduous? Yep, they are, and before they drop their leaves they turn this beautiful red.  We have eight bushes on this hill, and they are all blazing red.

 

Next on the agenda for the blueberry bushes, after they drop their leaves, is to prune them. You do it when they are dormant.  We will pick a warmish day in January or early February and get out there and cut them back.  The plan is to take out the old canes, trim back the newer ones to within reach, and generally get them into shape, before they set new leaf and flower buds for next year's berry crop.  It is a good thing to do every year, and we have been pretty good about it.  

 

And these bushes have been giving us blueberries (almost every year) since we planted them in 2012. 

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

I am thinking about getting this quilt kit for a winter project.  It will finish at 81 inches square, and the colors are just right for my marsh room.  It says skill level:  intermediate.  I'm ok with that, but it looks like needle-turned appliqué, and that scares me a little.  It is very precise, requiring serious attention to detail.  

 

OK, you talked me into it.  

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

 

 

I saw this little lady on my dill and I had to take her picture.  She is so cute surrounded by all that green.

 

And, I know what she's doing there.  She's feeding on the aphids that have invaded my garden.  I don't know how many aphids one little ladybug can eat, but she's happy, and I want to be rid of as many aphids as possible.  The aphids don't hurt us, and can be washed off easily, but they get on the kale and dill, and I don't like it.  

 

So, little lady, eat all you want.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!