Winter

Per Garison Keillor; The lovely thing about Christmas is that is compulsory, like a thunder storm, and we all go through it together.  

                                                                                                                                                                          Don't forget to click on the picture to see all larger. 

We will have a warm Christmas this year.  In the 60's and no hope of snow in the future.
Being a former Minnesota kid, I sort of miss the snow. It has been blessedly rainy for a few days, cold enough to wear a coat outside and socks to bed at night. A whole inch by my five gallon bucket reckoning. I always set them out when there is a good chance for rain.
We had finches and cardinals and sparrows and doves on the feeders today.  Had to make a run into town to get more seed.

We are staying home for Christmas. Not even having turkey or ham.  Our favorites are the menu plan..

Slow cooker chuck roast with plenty of broth for gravy and future soup.
Left over broth and gravy make a lovely base for my soup.

Mashed potatoes
salad; fruit or lettuce or slaw
green beans with butter and garlic (my favorite not hubby's)
Probably will do French bread toast with nice sprinkle of meat rub. Like it better than garlic butter.
Oh, yes and green and black olives.
Then tiramisu  and maaaaaybe pumpkin pie.

When all is eaten and kitchen is clean, I will take a stroll in my garden.  We have a plum thicket that died in the third year of the drought.  We had over 70 days of 100+ weather. No rain most of that year.

Some may look at the tangle of dead plum, vines, honeysuckle and wild rose and other varieties, and think "why don't they take that mess out?"
I will tell them they if they ask.

My stroll in the garden will be accompanied by the chatter of birds. Cardinals, sparrows, finches, waxwings, and probably others who use this mess for shelter.  I have heard the wren calling for a mate already.  This is music to my soul.  I have heard the Cardinal calling its mate.  I have learned that the Cardinal will hang around if this sort of environment is available.

Neat, tidy, uninteresting (no matter how pretty) yards are not for me.  I have a good pair of hearing aids now and relish in those quiet whispers and chips I hadn't heard in years.  My heart is full!

I wish the world a peaceful Christmas, and all who "believe".

  One of the nice things about Christmas is that you can make people forget the past with a present. ~ Author Unknown

 I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. ~ Charles Dickens

No matter how carefully you stored the lights last year, they will be snarled again this Christmas - Robert Kirby