Mosaic Monday #113: Holding on to the Holidays

Is your Christmas tree still up (if you celebrate Christmas)?  Ours is standing proud, and probably will until the end of the month.  It just went too fast, folks.  Anybody else feel the same?  I have given up listening to Christmas music, but I can't quite put away the tree or all the decorations ...

So can you tolerate a smidge more of December?  Just for me, your blogging buddy?

So where to begin?  Or how to continue?  Let's see, I think I have figured out that food is a crowd-pleaser (this is for you, Debbie).  Team cooking (Head Chef, #1 Son and I) in early December included Nasi Goreng and Jamaican Jerk Chicken with ginger rice and plantains.  #1 Son favors Asian dishes, hence the Nasi Goreng.   Well, he likes jerk seasoning too, so maybe he was driving the menu choices!  My request was for the plantains, a type of banana that has a crispy, caramelized texture when fried.  A ubiquitous Caribbean dish, it was a must-have to accompany the jerk chicken.  

Ok, maybe that's not really about the holidays - would some ornaments be more appropriate?  I couldn't share these before now - they were SECRET gifts!  As I have written in the past (here), creating a personal ornament for family members each year is a relatively new tradition.  I enjoy the whole process - choosing a design, buying the materials and stitching the ornament!

As long as we are focused on presents, below are some photos of my treasured Christmas gifts from the family.

Thanks to Spousal Unit, #1 Daughter, The Boyfriend and #1 Son for their generosity and thoughtfulness!

The holidays can pack on the pounds, so I try to stay active.  Dear Neighbor Friend and I go cross-country skiing around her property - we have been blessed by Nature's finest decoration of hoarfrost and snow.

While these macro shots are jaw-dropping, so are the micro views of feathery frost along the creek and lake.

Right before Christmas, Spousal Unit and I resumed our seasonal positions as Ambassadors at Whitefish Mountain Resort - the exercise, fresh air and opportunity to meet new people is a welcome change.  The Mountain is taking COVID precautions very seriously - the livelihood of many people relies on a successful winter season.  One of the Mountain watering holes, the Bierstube, makes the pitch well.

I walk our back forty regularly, often building in a visit to the trail cam.  I have had quite a few trail cam malfunctions, and don't have much to show you from December.  But sometimes there comes a moment of serendipity.  I was collecting greenery for decorations, a few days before #1 Daughter and The Boyfriend arrived.  Looking closely under a tree for Oregon Grape Holly, I spied a spot of white close up to the trunk of a Douglas Fir.  Strange; the rest of the ground around the trunk was bare.  How did that clump of snow get there?  I moved forward and suddenly realized that white clump was nothing other than a snowshoe hare!  It allowed me to get quite close and take this video.  So adorable!  (I will ignore for the moment that it might enjoy my landscaping next spring ...)

Closer to home, I have a squirrel story.  (I think everyone with birdfeeders has at least one squirrel tale!)  Two Christmases ago, I received a window feeder.  Ever since, it has been attached to the outside of our dining room window, and we are thoroughly entertained by the ongoing traffic of chickadees and nuthatches.  Well, you guessed it, a squirrel has discovered it.  This photo was taken through the window at close range.  Did the fellow bat an eyelash?  Not in the least!

Well, I am reaching the end of my holiday anecdotes.  I have enjoyed re-living these memorable moments, and I hope something in my narrative put a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face.  January is marching on, and now I am ready to fall in step.

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time). 

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog. 

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back. 

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by. 

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully. 

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter