Christmas Holiday

We're back from our visit over Christmas with OnlyDaughter, OnlySonInLaw, Grandson's #1 and #2 and the corgis.  Our weather here (and there) remains very unusual for this time of year.  Such warm temperatures that it was difficult to think Christmas was actually here.

This is the first year that both Grandsons no longer believe in the big man in the red suit.  Grandson #1 was not going to be at home for a portion of his Christmas vacation from school and OnlyDaughter and her family are busy with preparations, paperwork, etc. for a new home they are in the process of having built. Therefore a decision was made that the decorated Christmas tree was shelved this year and instead a decorated wreath was hung over the mantel and the mantel itself adorned for the holiday.  The stockings were hung and filled as usual on Christmas Eve after the boys went to bed and the gifts we took along were set out along the hearth with the others.

There was a beautiful full moon on Christmas Eve and we grownups played a card game after the stockings were hung before heading to bed.  There were no little ones up at the crack of dawn wondering what Santa left but we all managed to get up early and check out what was sitting by the hearth.  Neither Mr P nor myself thought either of the dogs left the Aero bed or sofa overnight but clearly one of them decided to empty Grandson #2's guinea pig's Christmas stocking and play with the stocking itself which was wet when we found it.  The funniest gift I got (those who know the history from when Grandson #1 was born will understand) was a bag of 700 (yes that's seven hundred) Tootsie Roll midgies to snack on. 

OnlyDaughter and I put together a jigsaw puzzle and we brought home a jigsaw puzzle that was a gift to us this year to put together.  That puzzle is the Google map picture of our property/house and the surrounding area.  Can't wait to put it together.

There was a trip to the property where OnlyDaughter and her family's new home is being built to check out the progress of the construction.  There was also some target practice with a new rifle OnlySonInLaw gave OnlyDaughter and a chance for Grandson #2 to set off a smoke grenade.   Grandson #2 and I put together a gingerbread house and decorated it and I must say I think I had as much icing on me as on the house itself.  It appears the trick to putting a house together is to do it in stages and make sure the icing dries well between the stages of putting on the sides, roof, etc.  That's a tip to remember for next time.

One of my walking buddies and I took a walk yesterday after we go home in the 57 degree F weather.  We got back just before it started raining.  There was more rain and wind overnight and today it's cold which is more normal for this time of year.   It's hard to believe that the new year will arrive later this week.  Hoping everyone had a nice holiday and best wishes for a wonderful new year.  See you again in 2016!

The Darkest Day

 

 Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, arrived on Monday.  December here in central Pennsylvania will probably be noted in the record books as the warmest December on record.  With temperatures averaging 10-20 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, it certainly doesn't seem like December nor does it feel like tomorrow night will be Christmas Eve. Rain started falling on Monday night and today the rain came down all day.  

I spent some time over the weekend and on Monday cleaning up the asparagus bed in preparation for next spring.  It feels good to be able to get to some chores that were pushed aside when I was working and didn't have the time or energy to get to.  

I got a lovely surprise when I went to the library last evening.  I had asked that there be no type of party or celebration when I retired which was part of the reason I simply slipped out one day and didn't return using my vacation time to finish out my time until my official retirement date.  When I was working, most of my coworkers knew that I had been volunteering for my local library for quite a few years.  About two years ago, my supervisor -C, nominated me to receive a community service award at work during a recognition day ceremony based on all my time spent volunteering at the library. Well last evening, the librarian gave me a copy of a letter sent to the library along with a wonderful donation made as a retirement gift in recognition of my work at the library.  What a wonderful, thoughtful gift that was received with much emotion and appreciation by the librarian for use at our library.  A heartfelt thank you will be sent to my coworkers and especially my supervisor, C, who was responsible for spearheading the campaign.  In the meantime, thank you C and everyone else where I worked who made a contribution which benefits my library.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.  We will be heading to OnlyDaughter's home early in the morning to spend the holiday with her and the rest of our family there.  Cookies have been baked, gifts made, purchased and wrapped and a few other special foods were also prepared to take along.  Pinterest had some interesting ideas on presenting money as a gift and I ended up ordering a book written by Donna Lang called A Gift for Giving to make booklets to present cash to the grandsons and my Mom.  The instructions were easy to follow and there were a few tips I learned that I will remember if I make them again as gifts.  

Merry Christmas to all and safe travels if you are traveling.

A Christmas Wish

One of my Christmas wishes has been fulfilled a little early.  The 22 ton of firewood that was delivered for cutting, splitting and stacking a little over 2 years ago is finally finished!!!!!!

November and most of December so far has been beyond belief weatherwise.  There has been fog most mornings but the temperatures have been hanging about 20 degrees warmer than the norm.  I'm hoping to get outside later this week to work on cleaning up my asparagus bed a little more before really cold weather sets in.  Yesterday, Mr P set up the log splitter for me to begin splitting the logs that were already cut in lengths and he used a chain saw to cut the logs that needed to be cut into lengths so that they could then be split.  Everything got cut into lengths (two pieces were not cut completely through so will have to done later) and I used the splitter to split two small wagon loads.  That firewood got stacked on the front porch to fill in what has been used here and there when the nights were cool or the weather was damp. 

Rain is in the forecast for later this afternoon so the splitter and the big wagon were prepared this morning so the rest of the wood could be split.  We worked for almost an hour, then took a break for a much needed drink and our dinner preparations were started.  Other than the two lengths of firewood that weren't completely cut through with the chain saw and one log that we won't cut or use because there is metal imbedded in the tree itself (found when a chain was ruined early on during the cutting stage on one section of the log) the wood dumped at the side of the driveway is done.  A locust tree just beyond the pile in the woods and lengths still off to the side of the front yard from previous storm damage will be done when time permits.  What a relief to have that huge pile gone!

Hunting season for buck and doe began November 30 and finally ended at dusk on Saturday, December 12.  We pulled the memory card from the camera mounted in the woods and saw pictures of the deer that move through the back of our property on a regular basis.  We heard very little shooting over the course of the two weeks of hunting season but the son of one of our neighbors regularly sat in his tree stand the first day of the season, most evenings and always on both Saturdays.  The photo of our big beautiful buck was snapped on December 10th so we are hoping that he managed to hide well through the last day.  We'll check the camera a little later this week or early next week to see which deer made it through this hunting season. 

This evening's dinner is in the crock pot.  Our local grocery store had some nice looking chuck roasts.  A coworker gave me the recipe which is really simple and makes a delicious roast beef.  Mix a packet of Good Seasons Italian dressing, a packet of McCormick brown gravy mix and a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing with one cup of water (I used 1 cup of beef broth) and pour it over the roast in the crock pot.  I added some sliced onion that was part of one that I used yesterday and set the beef to cook for 8 hours.  There will be mashed potatoes and a vegetable or applesauce to go along with the beef later tonight.  Any leftovers will be turned into hot roast beef sandwiches. 

Mr P has an eye appointment later today and I will be doing some sewing and work on a few Christmas gifts for the Grandsons and my Mom.  There will be some more cookie baking later this week too. 

Enjoy this nice weather if you are having some of the same stuff we have been fortunate to get.

Over the Turnpike and Through the Tunnels

 It was over the turnpike and through the tunnels, four of them, to OnlyDaughter, OnlySonInLaw and Grandson's #1 and 2 house for Thanksgiving.  We delivered a basket of goodies with Hershey PA items to their house at the end of October to fulfill a request by OnlyDaughter who was in charge of soliciting donations for a silent auction.  The funds raised at the silent auction benefits a program that both grandsons participate in and Grandson #1 already made a trip to France this summer for almost a month as a youth ambassador.  Both boys will be making trips again in 2016 with the program.

At Thanksgiving the traditional foods were enjoyed and the grandsons especially love stuffing. We made sure to make lots of stuffing, both in the bird and in a separate casserole for leftover meals.   I took along two pumpkin pies and one apple pie and the pie leftovers stayed there. 

Our lighted wreath on the side of the garage, which is our only outside Christmas decoration, was plugged into a timer on December 1st and lights up every evening as has been our tradition for several years now.  The house sits so far back from the road that it's the only decoration somewhat visible from the road.

My days since retirement have been spent addressing tasks that seem to have taken a backseat while I was working.  I'd like to turn one of the extra bedrooms into a space where I can work on sewing, crafts, etc.  I'm in the process of going through clothes to donate things I wore to work but won't be wearing any longer.  It's a good feeling to have a clear out and then know that someone else might get some use out of them.  While I haven't been able to shake the 5AM wakeup call that was part of my routine for years, now I can get up, relax, drink a cup of coffee or tea and plan my morning.  Lately that planning has incorporated some trips to pick up items and baking cookies for Christmas  So far the pinwheels, Mexican wedding cakes and chocolate chips cookies are done and the butter is softening for the shortbread cookies. Mr P made a batch of peanut butter fudge too.  A load of laundry is drying nicely outside on the clothesline today and there will be a walk after lunch in the beautiful sunshine.     

I'm enjoying the rhythm of my days since retirement and hope that you are enjoying your days no matter what they bring.  Enjoy this lovely weather while it lasts.

Pies and more

 

 

 

Thanksgiving was spent with OnlyDaughter and her family and I offered to make the pies.  There were two pumpkin pies, which are a favorite with all, and an apple pie.  Mid-month Mr P and I stopped at a local orchard and picked up some York and Northern Spy apples for baking.  The Northern Spy are an heirloom apple and both were delicious just for eating.  The leftover pie dough got rolled into a crude rectangle, spread with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, rolled and baked with the pie.  This is a favorite of Mr P who wolfs it down as soon as it is cool with a big glass of cold milk.

When I was working my boss gave me a Christmas cactus plant that had been hers.  I set it on the window sill at work and me and my coworkers all delighted when it would set buds and bloom twice a year.  The standing joke at work was that when the plant disappeared from the window sill, I would be gone.  Well, it came home with me at retirement (I know, I know, it left earlier than I said, sorry about that) but I wanted my boss to see that it was thriving here at my home.  I continue to enjoy looking at lots and lots of beautiful pink blooms each day.  Thank you C! 

We pulled the camera from in the woods behind the house to see what we managed to capture and got a few chuckles.  There were quite a few snaps of a woodpecker (I've included one above) that was either interested in the camera or was working on making holes in the tree.  There were also pictures of four different bucks that move back and forth behind the house.  There were some of a spike buck with really long spikes, a six-point buck, a buck with only one antler on the left side and this big beautiful boy above, an eight-point buck.

Deer hunting started on Monday, November 30th and goes until December 12th.  I'm hoping all of the deer that travel through the back yard don't get taken and so far we've heard very little shooting since the season opened at daybreak on Monday.  On Monday, Mr P just happened to look out back and noticed some movement in the woods.  There was a fox moving through and while we watched, it took some time to lay down for a short rest before moving on.  I would like to get some chickens next year and so need to keep in mind that there are fox in the vicinity that would love a chicken dinner.  

November was a very warm month and December arrived on Tuesday a little cooler and wet.  Today it's still wet so I'll have to try and fit a walk in between the rain drops.  

Hoping you are having a good week wherever you are.

Happenings

 

The wind is howling outside and has been since yesterday.  There's to be no let up in those gusty winds until late  tonight or early Sunday morning.  The sun is shining and it's not cold but that wind is making the trees sway which makes me nervous.

It's been almost one full month since my official retirement date.  Fall is here, the leaves are almost all off the trees (oh those pesky oak trees that hang on tight to their leaves) and it just smells like fall outside.  Time for apple dumplings, pumpkin pies and soups and stews.

After the week in Myrtle Beach, SC, there was a about a weeks hiatus at home before a trip to OnlyDaughter and OnlySonInLaw's home to stay with Grandsons #1 and #2 and the two four-legged kids for a week.  OnlyDaughter and OnlySonInLaw headed West for a writers conference and we were left in charge.  As always there were some funny moments.  Grandson #1 had crew every evening after school necessitating a pickup at the boat club at 6PM after school and a return home about 1/2 hour later.  We managed to get dinner on the table not long after he and his Pappy (Mr P) got home but there was often homework that kept us all up late.  Then it was an early rise for all to get ready for school the next day.  Grandson #1 had a crew competition in Philadelphia over the weekend so there was an early morning drive to get him to the boat club and a late, late pickup the following evening when they returned back to the club.  

The funniest moment for me was when Grandson #2 and I went to the grocery store on Sunday.  I wanted to pickup chuck roasts to prepare for dinner on the evening OnlyDaughter and OnlySonInLaw were returning from their trip (which coincided almost exactly when Pappy and Grandson #1 arrived home from crew).  Grandson #2 was to take a donation of two canned goods to school the next day so I gave him $5 so he could pick out and pay for the two items he wanted to take.  I picked up some items (Isley's sauce, a local product) as we entered the store and we headed to the bakery to pick up 3 donuts as snacks.  I'm still not sure where but I lost my broken "cheater" glasses after I entered the store and got the donuts but before we headed to the meat counter to look at beef.  We retraced our steps to the entrance of the store with no luck in locating my glasses. There was a stop at the canned vegetable aisle where two cans of mixed veggies were placed in our basket and then it was on to the meat counter.  Grandson #2 assisted me in selecting two nice beef chuck roasts and then I suggested that some ice cream to top the apple pie we had made might be nice.  Grandson #2 looked at the items in the basket and must have done a quick estimate of the total final cost before saying to me, " Um, Ana, I don't think I can pay for all of this with the $5.  I laughed and told him that I didn't expect him to pay for all the groceries with his $5, just his canned veggies.  He brightened up and asked if I knew how much his veggies cost and I told him about $2 total.  His next statement/question was, "Can I keep the change from the $5?".  It made me chuckle and yes, he kept the change.

There was a pair of knitted socks finished which are now owned by the librarian where I volunteer.  A bunch of tea wallets were made for OnlyDaughter that she took along on her trip out West as gifts for her fellow writers.  Neck pumpkin was cooked and canned for future use.  The volunteer dinner at the library was last Friday evening and the theme this year was music of the 50's.  The decorations were so cute and the food was diner comfort food (baked ziti, meatballs, salad, bread and of course a layered jello salad).  

I'm still trying to adjust to not having to cram everything into either evenings (when some days all I wanted to do was have dinner and sit) or weekends.  It's such a treat to go to the grocery store early on a weekday when almost no one is shopping, hang laundry out on a beautiful sunny day and spread my normal household chores over the week.  I will still volunteer at the library on my usual evening but have been going along with Mr P on his volunteer day to help out where I can.  

I want to do some sewing today and maybe work outside if the wind dies down.  Have a good day and weekend wherever you are.