our carefree retiree

It's almost Christmas!

Our mailman is kind of a saint, carrying our business packages every day, so I always like to bake him something around this time.  This year, I made fudge (for the first time!).  It was much easier than I expected.  It sliced like a dream...

...and packaged nicely.

I also made gingerbread cookies with maple glaze...

I love packaging this stuff up! 

We managed to squeeze in a Christmas play during this busy time, too!

A Christmas Carol

It's been cold, and the birds are still raiding the feeders.  The cats are riveted.

Well, most of them.

Strangely, Claudia has become unwilling to spend much time outside.  In the past, she was completely unbothered by ice and snow...

...and was grumbly when we forced her to come inside when the temperature dipped too much.  Even with a foot of snow outside, she wanted to be out there in it.  

"So what if the snow is almost over my head!?!"

Now, she doesn't want to be outside at all.  Even on 50 degree days, she sits on the barn doorstep and scratches piteously until Todd lets her in.  She spends most of the time asleep in an old chair.

I mean, when she's not snugged up against my foot at my barn work station.  It makes it kind of hard to move around, but I don't mind!

She's quite the elderly lady now, and I think she's pretty sensitive to the cold.  It's not ideal to have a cat living amongst our merchandise (hair, litter box, etc.), but I'm hopeful that we can work something out for her.  She's been a hard worker and deserves a cozy retirement!

Meanwhile, our boys are still pretty spry and keeping us on our toes.

I've been able to observe the beautiful sunrises lately...

...but you may have noticed that I haven't been posting many nature shots.  The fact is, my Achilles tendon is still pretty painful, and I have not worked out or walked in well over a month.  I've tried resting it, and now I'm trying massage and physical therapy.  Walking for more than 15 minutes is pretty excruciating, so unless I can see it around the yard...

interesting mystery fungus by the pond

bird nest revealed when our maple tree shed its leaves

mysterious scrapes in the ice on front pond

...I'm not photographing it.  I'm working on tendon strengthening over the next two weeks and I'm hoping that by the new year, I'll be able to take some gentle walks...fingers crossed.

Have a great week!  

No Elf, No Shelf

 Why are winter sunrises so much prettier than other times of year?

Even after the flamboyance of early sunrise has flamed out, the beautiful pastels that remain are views that I look forward to every morning.

We've had our first snow!  It wasn't much...a brief spitting, then sun...but it was enough to muck up the roads for several hours.  Claudia makes an appearance at the end to remind me that any type of snow = a wet food treat!

We're still hiking most days.

It's peaceful.

Winter is a great time to turn an eye to things that get overshadowed by their more appealing summer cousins.  Fungus, for one.  Not only is it nice to see a bit of color, but amazing to see things thriving in the cold.

ganoderma resinaceum, taken earlier this fall but still around

chicken of the wood, so named for their "meaty" taste

mycena inclinata, maybe?

Pretty patterns in wood...

...and interesting land formations are other things that just get overlooked in other seasons.

Even a nice blue sky, so common in summer, is appreciated more now during the grey days of winter.

The kittens really appreciate it when the sun peeks through!

photo taken in late October

It's almost Christmas!!  I will admit...I dropped the ball this year.  I missed my early November Christmas planning when we were in Missouri, and I never quite got back to it.  I meant to put the Christmas decorations up on December 1st, but we got sidetracked...then it was my birthday, and now a really busy time for work.  Since we'll be gone on Christmas day, I decided not to do my usual whole-hog routine. So we didn't...

Obtain a Christmas tree...

...and decorate it.

No advent gifts, no daily Christmas cookie...

No Elf on the Shelf.

No Christmas choirs, no decorations, no Christmas movies, no nothing.  Zip!  It suits me, though.  I like to absolutely burn myself out on something, take a break, and then go crazy again.  I'm such an all-or-nothing personality type that I truly prefer it this way.  I do the same thing with music, books, and movies/T.V. shows.  I'm taking a break this year, and next year it will be a Christmas bonanza again.  Hooray!!  

The kittens are feeling pretty festive, though.

Happy holidays!!

an Alien concept...

 Christmas!

It's been a busy season.  It was a rush, but I did get a couple of Christmas gifts made.  First, this hat/glove set (Beeswax)...a real delight to knit, even if knitting anything with cables automatically doubles the knitting time.

The second was a fun project for Todd.  Our plastic Scrabble tile bag is in shreds, so I decided to make a new one with fun fabric.  This bag was a real challenge for me, since I have a terrible time following written directions and there were several new techniques involved...but...I love the finished product.

The bottom has pleats (!!!) so that it will sit nicely.

It's lined, and has drawstrings at the top to keep the tiles contained.  I love this bag.

A lot of usual Christmas traditions here.  A different-flavored Christmas cookie each night in the week leading up to Christmas, all flavored from a basic sugar cookie dough:

A week of Elf on the Shelf, culminating in one of my favorites...an Alien-themed scene.  Todd and I are huge fans of the (first two) movies, and it didn't take long to stitch the basic Facehugger shape out of felt a couple of days before Christmas Eve.  Our "household Elf" is fairly sinister, so this is a fitting ending for his week!  :)

We watched loads of Christmas movies, spent Christmas day in pajamas, and had some delicious homemade sweet bread.

What we Midwesterners call Mexican Wedding Cakes, but Todd calls Russian Tea Cakes...

A slightly stuffed...but happy!...day!

The kittens loved the huge piles of wrapping paper, although we were infringing on their territory a bit.  They've claimed the floor space by the window, both cramming into a small dog bed there.  It's so sweet, though, that we don't mind a bit.  Kitten love!!

There's quite a lot to see, and always nice to have a snuggle buddy!  It's become the popular hangout spot in the house.  Even Borga wants in on the action!

Just one more day of leisure before we get back to the daily grind.  Temperatures have been cold here, although we missed the big snowfall that other places received.  Still, it was harsh enough outside to keep us inside!

Looking forward to a final vacation day today...tidying up the Christmas mess, eating leftovers, and curling up in front of the fire with a good book.

Hope you had a great holiday season!