Letting Go of the Bay Leaf: Jigsaw puzzle

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Mosaic Monday #122: A Simple Post

It's been a busy week, folks. Not in a bad way, mind you. No regrets. It just means I haven't had much time to compose a post. So, it's going to be a simple one this week! I am sure some of you will celebrate this moment - not quite as much to read!

Simple pleasures are joyful, right? Who needs more complexity in life? What are your ordinary delights? I have so MANY!

Fritos, skiing, cooking by the Head Chef, puffy clouds, jigsaw puzzles, stuffed animals, wild animals and PEEPS! Peeps - 5 squishy-soft, sugar-coated moments of sheer bliss!!!

Spending time with people we love are some of the best occasions of our lives. For several weeks, Dear Neighbor Friend and I had been planning a trip to Blacktail for cross-country skiing. On the day we went, the skies were blue, the snow in perfect condition and the company entertaining. And I only fell twice! Downhill skiers don't adapt well to snow-plowing with a pair of skinny skis that have no edges!!!

I am one of the most blessed women on earth -- to have a hubby who is also Head Chef in our house. I think sometimes he is surprised when I thank him for a simple meal, but I genuinely enjoy each and every morsel. I love food, and it doesn't have to be fancy to make me happy.

#1 Daughter and I started a jigsaw puzzle over Christmas, and I am delighted to say that I finally finished it this week. It didn't take long, really, but somehow it always fell to the bottom of my list. What a great sense of satisfaction to put in the final piece! And to text our daughter that it is done!

I derive deep contentment from walking the back forty at any time of year. Sometimes, I can just sit and observe the cloud formations as they skate across an imaginary ice rink in the sky.

I am easily amused, so a "ski ramp" built by the lift attendants at the top of Chair 7 (Whitefish Mountain Resort), and populated by skiing/boarding stuffed animals, tickled my funny bone.

And then there are the real animals who continually amaze and fascinate me. I have written in the past about otters (March 1, 2020) (October 10, 2020), and you can imagine my glee to discover otter photos on my trail cam recently. One (or perhaps more) has returned to the spring at the lake below our property. This is the same spring where the eagles have been feasting (see post February 7, 2021). The collage below has just a few photos - the playful personality shines through, don't you think?

And yes, it's carrying a fish! Looks quite sassy, doesn't it?

Farewell until next week. I am praying that life brings you abundant, everyday, simple joys!

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.

Sunday, December 20, 2020

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!