dozing by the dozer...

I think I'm enjoying this year's Advent calendar even more than Todd!  I couldn't wait for him to open these new Star Wars snowflakes that I made for one recent Advent gift:  the Rancor, the Wampa, and R2-D2.

This rounds out our "collection" nicely!

I'm a total sucker for December.  I love when it's sunny, because the skies are so gorgeous!

The trees and sky reflected in the pond...

When it's sunny, the horses are out...

...and we're out, too, taking a little jaunt around the property.

Of course, we've usually got company.

Claudia hunts more on sunny days, I've noticed.  I can see her working the fields from my office window.

A few moments, later, I usually hear a yowling from the front porch.  She's sharing her bounty...and that's the Christmas spirit, isn't it?

Sunny days are great...but to be honest, I prefer overcast winter days.  I turn on all the Christmas lights, and leave them on.  Sometimes we have a fire (and ALWAYS a cat)...

...and it's so cozy in contrast to the grey outdoors. I love seeing all of our beloved ornaments illuminated.  They all have some sort of meaning.  Animals that we've had a special connection to, like Pepito and Pepita from South Carolina...

One of our old cats, Clotilde...

...and various milestones, such as a new house.

I didn't want 2020's ornament to bring up memories of a less-than-stellar year, so I decided to make a felt bulldozer, to remind us of all that we've accomplished in rehabbing this property.  We've definitely had a few bulldozers around!

Hmmm...maybe I should've made the ornament orange and white?

I also love seeing beloved ornaments from my childhood, and favorite ornaments that I've made, like this felt wool coat from the 1940s with teeny attached gloves...

...and the large Scandinavian mitten ornament that I cross-stitched a few years ago.

No matter what kind of weather we're having, the sunrises are amazing.  I have the perfect view from my office window, and they're always different.

I look forward to it every morning.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the lights right now, even if you're stuck at home.

Have a great week!

a father and pup re-u-u-nion is only a motion away...

Will we have a white Christmas?  Only flurries so far...

...with just a tease of accumulation...

...and back to bare ground within a few hours.  I love a good snowfall, but it's all right - in these cold, dry days, we have amazing heavy frosts.

Most days are bright and sunny, which makes that beautiful morning fog.

The small front pond stays frozen, so I make sure to have fresh water available for our outdoor friends.

Sometimes I have company on my morning jaunts.

Claudia has a nice padding of fat and an extra-thick coat, but she's not immune to the cold.  When stationary, she's constantly lifting one foot, and then the other.  Cats can easily get frostbite, so this helps a bit.

Some of my other companions are a bit more shy.

Covid life around here is pretty uneventful, for the most part.  An escaped pup-and-dad reunion provided a bit of excitement...

...amid our generally sleepy days.

We've finished our Christmas prep, although we haven't quite kicked into high gear for the season (look out, December 18th!).

Christmas lights are up...

Mantle is decorated simply, with a felt mistletoe garland and some red ornaments.

The cats are loving the tree.

Between steady work days and cozy nights by the fire, Christmas lights merry all around us while we work our way through the best season of ER, it feels pretty perfect.  It will be sad without friends and family this holiday season, but I have a feeling that we'll be able to have a pretty satisfying time.

Have a good week!