Home and Away

Ah, Christmas.  It evokes memories of home, and visions of traveling there, perhaps in equal measure.  For "home" is a concept that shifts as the proverbial sands at the seaside.  I type this from our log home, and yet I will write in a moment about returning home to Ohio, my birthplace.  Numerous posts about the UK, my second home, populate this blog.  In the final analysis, home is where your heart takes flight!  I am grateful for all of my homes, past, present and future.  

This week, I am linking up with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color.  She has nurtured a fine group of bloggers who will make you feel at home with their I Like Thursday posts.  Check it out!

Christmas brings me such bonhomie that my "likes" could approach War and Peace dimensions.  That might reduce your enjoyment, so I will resist that temptation!  Without question, the arrival of winter and the "white stuff" holds a prominent position on my happy list at the moment.

Snowshoe rabbits are on my "naughty" list in the summer, but it is hard to get irritated with them when they are scrabbling for food through the winter.  

AND, while I don't have a picture, Spousal Unit spotted an Ermine outside the house this week, and for just a few moments, we giggled while watching it pop in and out of the snow.  I found this video on YouTube and this will give you an idea!

Some of my likes are not from this week, but they are just too good not to share!  In November, I flew to Ohio with the main purpose to join #1 Daughter, her bridal party, her future mother-in-law and my sister for wedding dress shopping.  I mean, who doesn't like being pampered and trying on a bazillion dresses that make you feel like a princess?  I can't share the dress with you, but trust me that it is BE-YOO-TI-FUL on her.  She wears the dress rather than it wearing her ... October 14, 2023 will be one special day!  My sister will design the flowers, and during my visit, the two of them sat down for some planning - I was a third wheel!

We visited the gravesites of my parents, and Wyoming Florist (previously owned by my sister and now passed on to the next generation - her daughter-in-law and her son) generously provided these simple bouquets.  If you look closely, you will notice that both of them were born in December - I think of them often in the run-up to Christmas each year.

No trip to Ohio is complete without Skyline Chili, so I made sure to enjoy some before I returned to Montana!  (This picture greets you at the airport, near the baggage claim, and tempts you when you depart!!!)

On the plane, I began reading "The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World" by Laura Imai Messina.  I wasn't sold by the style at first, but it pulled me in and I highly recommend it, especially for anyone dealing with fresh grief.  On December 6, we were devastated by the loss of Spousal Unit's only aunt.  

"Later, Yui realized that she had learned another thing ... that silencing a man was equivalent to erasing him forever.  And so it was important to tell stories, to talk to people, to talk about people.  To listen to people talking about other people.  Even to speak with the dead, if it helped."

We soldiered on and harvested our Christmas tree from our own property.  Who knew a tree could be so heavy?  Normally we have kids here to help with this process!  We recruited a neighbor to hold the tree upright while I judged its position and Spousal Unit locked it into position.  So grateful for our generous neighbors!

"A famous citation from the American psychotherapist Virginia Satir (1916 - 1988) reads: We need 4 hugs a day for survival.  We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance.  And we need 12 hugs a day for growth."

Our kids have trees of their own this year, and they were proud to send us pictures of them.  It didn't take long for fur-baby Ruby to hide within the tree branches at #1 Son's apartment - carrying on the fine tradition of Maggie and Josie!

With our closest neighbors, we had a progressive Christmas gathering last week.  So many delectable dishes and drinks!

The moon was bright and we didn't even need flashlights to walk from house to house.

And I saved the best for last - a mighty shout out to Spousal Unit - AKA Head Chef and Man with Hat.  He can now add another pseudonym to the list - Man with Wings - he completed his check ride this week and obtained his private pilot's license!!!!  He studied hard and persisted despite many obstacles.  I am so proud!  

"(Yui) told her about the frame man at the shelter ... (explaining) that the whole world was cut up into frames: big windows, small windows, keyholes ...  Hana, already lying in bed, lifted the frame to her face and carefully observed her bedroom ceiling, where there were hundreds of stars twinkling from the projector her father had given her earlier that evening.  Then she brought it down to examine Yui's face.  "Even the most enormous things can be cut up into tiny parts," Yui whispered.  "Even the biggest problems.  You can fit anything into a frame."

**********

Linking to Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday #110: Holiday Hijinks

Hello all - #1 Daughter and The Boyfriend arrived on December 12, and it has been non-stop fun.  

The festivities began with cutting down the Christmas tree.  A couple of weeks ago, #1 Son had assisted in tramping around our acreage and down-selecting to five potential candidates.  Each one was marked with a blue tag.  The whole family reviewed the five; it was fairly unanimous that Tree #2 was the best - no bare spots, even all the way around, a nice shape, a good height.

Spousal Unit crept under the boughs and commenced sawing.  Within minutes, the tree fell softly onto the snow below.  #1 Son and The Boyfriend were the obvious choices to carry the tree the quarter of a mile back to the house.

The tree filled the entryway overnight, the tarps underneath catching any melting snow.  Monty the Moose performed his own quality check - only the best tree will do!

While the boys wrestled the tree into the house, #1 Daughter and I fed the hungry birds.  She knew that the chickadees (and sometimes the nuthatches) come to my hand for sunflower seeds, and I wanted her to experience it for herself.  Below is a video with the flying hordes.  I had to laugh a few times, when they landed on my hand as it held the camera!!!  

Decorating the tree consumed most of the next day.  It began with getting the tree into the stand, purpose-built a couple of years ago by Spousal Unit.  With the height and weight of the tree, combined with trying to ensure it is straight, it takes a team!  We normally manage it with three people, but having more hands on deck was immensely helpful!

As we stood back to examine our work, #1 Son suddenly reached forward to catch the tree, which had begun to fall.  Oh my!  Disaster averted!  We had placed some wood blocks under the stump in order to avoid cutting off some of the lower branches, and it simply was not a stable foundation.  So out came the blocks, off came the lower limbs - we observed the tree for some moments and it didn't even wiggle - whew.

Next came the lights, which require a 10-foot ladder to access the top.  We were blessed to have several people comfortable with climbing ladders!   

Traditional Christmas music from our vintage stereo filled the airwaves as we carefully placed the ornaments.  We always enjoy reminiscing about the history of certain ornaments, and this was particularly relevant this year with The Boyfriend part of the process for the first time.  #1 Daughter decorated most of the top of the tree; it was beneficial that this specimen was narrower than in years past so that the ladder could stand closer to the tree.  She was even able to place the angel without the aid of the marshmallow skewer!

(We decided to secure the tree with some thin rope connected the light fixtures on the wall.  It has a slight amount of slack in it, so we can tell if the tree is leaning.  So far?  So good.)  Here is the finished product!  We do believe this is our favorite tree of the three that have graced the house thus far.

Our time together has also included euchre (a card game), board games, jigsaw puzzles, walking in the snow, watching football, movies and more.  One night we made sushi.  I think there is something very bonding about group cooking.

My only trace of sadness is that we are already halfway through their visit!

Merry Christmas to everyone who is celebrating the season!

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

Mosaic Monday #59: Christmas Contentment

Greeting cards have all been sent
The Christmas rush is through
But I still have one wish to make
A special one to you
"Merry Christmas Darling", written by Frank Pooler/Richard Carpenter

Are you still in the grip of the "Christmas rush"?  Leading up to December 13, I was feeling that crush.  #1 Son was due to arrive that evening, and I had a long list of to-dos: housecleaning, finishing the tree skirt, completing hand-made gifts, tying up loose ends on my various volunteer projects, decorating the house.  Unexpectedly, I was called upon for an evening shift at the Sparrow's Nest; it became a win-win in that I was able to work on one of my hand-made gifts at the same time.

This runner was an early Christmas gift from my mother-in-law

Preparing to cut the tree

But since then, my days have brought delightful relaxation.

First up?  Cutting and decorating our tree.  As I reported in last year's post, we are blessed to have a wide variety of trees on our property.  Spousal Unit and I had pre-selected two candidates, and #1 Son had the privilege to make the final choice.  Isn't this spruce a beauty?

Heave-ho, boys!

Tree nears the house

Drip dry in the entry

Tree in the stand, warming by the fire

We bust a gut when Spousal Unit went to install the angel on top of the tree.   (I will admit that she climbed into the place of honor a little bit out of order.  Traditionally, she is the last decoration on the tree, but logistics with a 15-foot tree dictate a different approach.  We employ a 10-foot step ladder to populate the upper half of the tree, and if you place ornaments on the lower branches while moving that ladder in and out and around the spruce, you are bound to break some delicate decorations!!!)

Anyway … imagine if you will, Spousal Unit near the top step of said ladder, armed with a marshmallow skewer.

"Glad Mom is capturing me as I fall to my death," he says.  (Note: capturing, as in photography, not catching, as in falling.)

He stretches forward carefully and maneuvers the angel onto a branch that is pointing straight up to the ceiling.

"Glad you have life insurance," #1 Son says.

But is the angel straight?  No, she leans, somewhat to the side and somewhat forward, as if preparing to fall to earth.

"That may be as good as it gets," #1 Son offers helpfully.

Spousal Unit withdraws the skewer and pokes with futility at the cotton.

"Yep, you might want to cut your losses," #1 Son says from the safety of the floor.

And so she remains, a bit tilted.  But isn't that a suitable metaphor for the human condition?  None of us are perfect.  And what better time than Advent and Christmas to strive for improvement?  "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Make straight the way of the Lord'" (John 1:23)

A couple of weeks ago, we were surprised and delighted to receive a medley of tree ornaments from a good friend.  Catering to our whims, he sent fishing-oriented decorations for Spousal Unit and moose-adorned baubles for me.

We have been debating about the size of the tree - taller than last year?  I dug through my archives, and hereby present a side-by-side comparison for you.  What do you think?

Left - 2018 tree                                                                 Right - 2019 tree

Did you notice the new tree skirt on the 2019 tree?!?  SO EXCITED to finally see it in place.  November 17 was the last post that showed progress on the skirt; at that time, it had three rows of burlap pleats.  The final skirt has 10 rows; I had planned to add three more, but at the time we were ready to put it under the tree, I realized it would be necessary to cut some slits in the remaining felt in order for the skirt to lie flat around the wooden structure that holds the spruce upright.  Boy, am I glad I didn't burn the midnight oil to attach those remaining rows!



Holidays are joyful
There's always something new
But ev'ryday's a holiday
When I'm near to you

Once the tree was complete, we turned our attention to other family traditions, such as board games, movie nights and baking cookies, often accompanied by Christmas music playing on our 52-year-old Magnavox stereo.  

I won Trivial Pursuit - 1980's version (but I am REALLY bad at trivia)

"Do we have any paperwork on the stereo?" queried Spousal Unit earlier this week.  For some time, he has been thinking we should replace the needle on this vintage Magnavox Astro-Sonic Radio Phonograph.  "If we have it, it would be in with the records on the storage side of the stereo," I responded.  And voila!  Look what we found!



It may not have helped with locating a new needle, but the paperwork was fascinating in its own right.  Mainly because there are not one but TWO receipts from Rike's Department store, dated four days apart.  I asked my Mom if she remembered a story about two stereos, but she said Dad handled all the purchasing at that time.  The receipts show two different model numbers, and the one with the later date was slightly more expensive - $414.44. To put that in perspective, the median household income in 1967 as $7,143 and an average house would set you back $24,600! Stated another way, $414 in 1967 money would be worth $3,000 today.  Wow!  Here is Marshmallow World by Johnny Mathis, a vintage song spun on that very stereo.

My friend wrote the following: This card reminded me of your

beautiful new Christmas tree skirt.  Awww!

As December 25 draws near, each day brings new Christmas cards, and an occasional holiday surprise such as a neighbor dropping off a plate of home-made cookies.  Yum!

The lights on my tree
I wish you could see
I wish it ev'ry day
Logs on the fire
Fill me with desire
To see you and to say

I am content.  The cat is on my lap, and a Frasier Fir candle is casting its pine scent into the air.  I sip a holiday highball, and my thoughts turn to our daughter, who will arrive Monday morning.  Our family foursome will be complete.  What could be more fulfilling than that?


I wish you Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, too

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. Monday (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

Mosaic Monday #8 - My Christmas Romance

(internet)

What makes me such a romantic when it comes to Christmas?

Could it be the blue and white dinner ware with a Currier and Ives scene, which were a constant in my childhood?








Could it be the vintage Christmas records played on a vintage stereo, both inherited from my parents?

Could it be my memories of making hand-made bows and Christmas ornaments with my oldest sister, the florist?










Could it be the anticipated joy on Christmas Day, when we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus in the nativity set, and then pass on that joy to others through gift-giving?

It's all of that, and probably more, that leads me to a romantic, tradition-bound approach to decorating for the season, especially inside the house.  And it's not just the outcome but also the process that is important to me.

The pink ribbon marks the spot!

The ideal example?  Our Christmas tree.  In my world, a tree should be fresh and one that you cut yourself.  For many years, our family tradition dictated a trip to the Christmas tree farm.  Last year, our mighty foursome trekked public lands to secure a sweet-smelling pine. This year, we took it to a whole new level by reaping a 15-foot Engelmann spruce from our back forty.  





(Spousal Unit and I selected the tree in November, which prompted Spousal Unit to construct a tree stand from scratch - our old, leaky plastic tree stand would be no match for this tree!)

Normally, all four of us would select, harvest and decorate the tree.  This year required some adjustment, given that #1 Daughter's first-job-out-of-college meant that she will not arrive home until December 23; none of us could stomach the idea of waiting that long to put up the tree.  So, the day after #1 Son arrived home, we set to cutting and transporting this beauty.

Can you see Spousal Unit under the tree with the chain saw?

Timber!!!

Two men and a tree …

With teamwork and patient perseverance, the tree was secured in the stand (and I am pleased to report that it is still upright!)  We let the branches dry for 36 hours (snowy here, you know!) and then the big morning came for trimming the tree.  Of course, we can't place a single ornament without Christmas music, so #1 Son cranked up the vintage stereo with the three albums.

Yes, that's a marshmallow fork that

we are using to place the angel!

It is customary for the kids to take turns placing the angel atop the tree as the last decoration, but the size of this pine caused us to put the angel on first.  Quite simply, getting the ladder close enough to the tree to reach the top meant we couldn't have any other ornaments on the tree for fear of knocking them off.  Yes, we CAN adapt when the situation calls for it!

After the lights have been strung, the true fun begins - the joy of re-discovering our ornaments, and telling stories about them.  Like the glass ball from Chincoteague Island - and how I dropped it right after we bought it, spilling sand and shells onto the ground from which they came.  Fortunately, we were still on the island and we secured another one that I was not allowed to carry …

Like the three crocheted angels that my Mom made for all of us some years ago to represent three family members that had gone Home before us.

Like the hand-made-in-school ornaments that remind us of those innocent days gone by.

I could go on for several hours, as we do when decorating, but I will stop before I get carried away.  This year, we saved ornaments for #1 Daughter to put on the tree - "her" ornaments, as well as a representative sample of other general decorations.  More joy is coming!

So, I think you get the point - we cherish the result and the journey along the way.  In future years, I may tell you about other decorating traditions, but for now I offer some additional mosaics.

Mosaic Monday is open as usual this weekend; it will take a break on December 31 and the next link will open on Sunday, January 6.  I pray that you and yours may have a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.  See you then.

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. Monday (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. 

An InLinkz Link-up