Letting Go of the Bay Leaf: Norm's News

Fulfilled. Peaceful. Energetic. Joyful. Eager. My holiday hodgepodge of emotions - has it only been a week since I posted last? So much goodness packed into 7 days!

Fulfilled. Some people warn you that entering the Christmas season with expectations can only to disappointment. On the contrary, I find that keeping an expectation generic usually avoids any disillusionment. For example, I hoped for one-on-one time with #1 Daughter, but that's as far as I let my imagination ramble. So, our ladies-only shopping trip, including a stop in the local diner, was fabulous.

Mural on the back wall

Norm's News (the diner) resides in John McIntosh's Opera House Square built in 1896. The upper floor served Flathead Valley residents as an opera house (seating capacity 1,000), lodge meeting hall, ball room, theater, roller skating rink, and high school graduation auditorium. Today the first floor is home to Western Outdoor, Montana's largest western retailer with more than 1,000 hats and 2,000 pairs of boots. While the auditorium space upstairs remains empty, the sleeping rooms have been renovated into 5 classic and stylish downtown loft apartments.

Bonus? I picked up a couple of items for next year's Halloween costume, including this spiffy hat!

Peaceful. Lately, snow and near-zero temperatures have transformed our neighborhood into a different space. I cherish these moments of near-silence for my strolls.

The Whitefish River sports frozen edges along the banks and in slow-moving eddies; the ducks don't seem to mind.

Along the path, a scraggly bush draws my attention. Although it's adorned with plentiful ornaments commemorating lost four-footed friends, it's not quite enough to overcome the waywardness of its branches. My mind imagines it as a modern-day Charlie Brown Christmas ... bush. It doesn't take long for my stream of consciousness to transport me to my favorite line from A Charlie Brown Christmas: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth, peace and goodwill towards men.' That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

#1 Son, Spousal Unit and

#1 Daughter

Energetic. You have to be if you are going to ski or ride Big Mountain in temperatures below 10 degrees F (as it was on December 24). You won't stay warm otherwise. Which reminds me of a joke: What do you get if you cross a snowman and a vampire? Frostbite!

Cold temps yield rewards! Cast your peepers on these views!

Moisture in the air is vaporized into fairy dust by the frigid temperatures; mini-glitter is everywhere!

Heading downhill to the Village; Flathead Valley spreads out before you, running up to Swan Mountains on left

Whitefish Lake peeking out - can you see it's frozen on the left side?

Joyful. When Christmas Day starts with Christmas cake and coffee, you know it's going to be good!

We take our time opening presents, aided by breaks to Skype with family in the UK and Ohio. And to get more coffee. And to work on the turkey. And to have some snacks, 'cause Tom the Turkey won't be ready 'til 5.

Clockwise: tasty morsels for Spousal Unit; LED chopsticks for #1 Son (they look a lot like light

sabers!); Hedgehog journal, bookmark and pictures of Delilah, a hedgie belonging to a

friend of #1 Daughter; "Significant Otter" for #1 Son from his girlfriend; Sperry Chalet

blanket for me (Sperry Chalet burned to the ground during summer fires);

goodies for #1 Daughter

Invariably, we witness some presents that evoke tears (of joy) or outbursts of giggles. This breed of gift-giving calls for enough knowledge of the person to select a meaningful gift, and a level of creativity that introduces an element of surprise. What joy it brings to the receiver, and even more so to the giver!

Clockwise: Moose napkin holder for me; Bruce Springsteen's The River

vinyl for #1 Daughter; Slate coasters for me; Mini Lego for

#1 Son; "Beautiful" Holiday sweater worn by #1 Son

We all have Montana gear now! Plus hand-knitted headbands

(by #1 Daughter), ski socks and leggings for me

All the excitement is too much for Josie. Which reminds me of another joke: Why did the man sleep under the car? So he could wake up oily in the morning.

Eager. I joined the blogging community just 10 months ago, and I quickly discovered some bloggers who publish photos from trail cameras. Wow! Impressive! Bears, bobcats, deer, raccoons, cougars ... I immediately placed 'trail camera' on my Christmas list. And Spousal Unit came through with a Moultrie A-30i, which features 12 mega-pixel resolution, .7 second trigger speed and a 60-foot flash range for night-time pictures.

Yesterday we installed the camera within the acreage of our log-home-in-progress, near an obvious animal trail (snow helps!) I am practically jigging with anticipation - what secrets will the little SD card reveal next week when we retrieve it? Watch this space and you will be one of the first to know! It's like Christmas morning all over again!

Praying for your contentment, peace, energy, joy and anticipation as we enter 2018. Happy New Year!

I had a request for recipes from my Treasured Traditions post. Please check out the following links:

Mary Berry Christmas Cake