O Christmas Tree!

I dare you to read that title and not start singing in your head! How lovely are your branches indeed. That, my dear readers, is exactly how I feel about this year's edition of our Peck family Christmas tree. Don't get me wrong, I am sure we've had some lovely trees in the past, however, this one, well it is such a beautiful tree that I swear we could have put it up without ornamentation and it would still be remarkable. Bruce, never known as a huge Christmas buff, probably because he was always working so hard, with inevitable problems and deadlines during the holidays, but this year, well, he's smitten. He even had one of the property managers in for a look which is saying quite a lot. Perhaps it is the Hallmark movie effect? Those are enough to put anyone in a good mood, aren't they? Or, are you fans? It was only last year, during the long winter nights in Vancouver, that we became fans and it appears that we are not alone, according to this report.

Over the course of two days the tree was complete; here it is in all its lit glory!

It was with joy that I opened each box of ornaments, discovering them anew. It took every single ornament I owned to adorn the branches. I did have one new ornament that Matt bought for us last year, this one sporting the Hudson Bay colors.

Should you be unfamiliar with those colors, it is the nutcracker on the left. Jon and Alissa gave us the Texas ornament and there are other family members gifts represented in the above photo. While I love seeing folks trees that are themed, for me it is all about the memories, which I suppose, some might consider my theme. Bruce's Mom, and sister Michelle, used to love giving ornaments and near the top is one given in honor of his Dad the year he died, only weeks before Christmas in 2003. I know one thing for sure, unlike last year with our tiny tree, this one won't last for four months! Surely, by then I would tire of it anyway. 🎄

A trip to the post office during the holiday season is one thing that can bring either joy or irritation. In my case, it does make me happy to see all of the folks sending packages to loved ones all over the world. That said, my experience last week was not all goodness and light. Far from it. Part of it was my fault because I filled out the wrong customs forms, but man, the woman who worked behind the counter. Yeesh! So grumpy. I'll go no further except to say that I did not relish a return visit yesterday, but it could not be helped. Now, however, I think my work there is done. Because it took 15 days for a letter from Dale to arrive from Vancouver, in part due to the Canadian postal strike, I wanted to get my gifts going in hopes that they will arrive in time for Christmas. We shall see.

It had been far too long since we've entertained, but that draught has now come to an end as we hosted our Sunday night happy hour group at our place. Most everyone had not even seen it, but that has since been rectified. I wish I had a better close up of the adorable home made blouse Pam is wearing. So proud of her!

Some folks have taken down the wall that separates the kitchen from the living area, however, we decided that it would work just fine the way it was. Having the pass-through is a real bonus as far as I'm concerned. In our old house, the kitchen was also separate with my sink facing the window. Now, I can see my guests and still be at the sink if need be.

I'm not sure what Lisa was pointing at, but later on she sat on the sofa with Roxanne for some conversation.

Happily a crowd of twelve fit just fine, and there is still  room for many more which will come in handy next week, More about that later.

The kitchen. No backsplash yet.

Below the counter should be tiled. Surely it will get done eventually.

Here though, is a plate of fried chicken I made on the lovely new countertop. Give a girl a cast iron skillet, the Bon Ton recipe, and a box of lard, and this is what you get. That recipe, btw, is the best ever.

I'd spoken with them on Friday and she said the tile should be in soon. Then, Monday I neglected to listen to the house voice mail until after they had closed. The message was that the tile was in and we could pick it up. No such idea occurred to us as we were under the impression they were going to install it. Bruce asked me yesterday morning how much tile had they ordered? When I told him the figure he became skeptical and drew out the whole thing, discovering that they had estimated far fewer tiles than was necessary to complete the job. Great. After a call to the office, Jeremy was dispatched and although he was skeptical himself when he arrived, he quickly learned that Bruce knew what he was talking about. And now we wait again. Obviously, not earth shattering, but I do wish everything wasn't quite so complicated. Or expensive, for that matter. We do have managements attention now and that never hurts. They will be installing as we'd planned.

It has been a long time since last I went out to take photographs for the fun of it, so I decided to go back to my old stomping grounds, visiting Leu Garden on the first Monday of the month which has been free in the past. Before I got there though, I finally stopped to photograph this fantastic mural, a tribute to diversity, all done in mosaic. Seeing it as you speed down 17-92, you entirely miss the complexity of each heart. I'll post a close up in my next post.

Beginning with the huge mound of dirt as you enter the gardens,

and the ten dollar entrance fee, the whole visit was a huge disappointment. Plus it was SO hot and humid. Apparently they are not honoring that offer while they have the exact same exhibit they had three years ago, according to my photo library.

As I've found with most things in Orlando, since returning, I feel that they can do so much better. The annuals were pitiful, while the weeds in the beds were plentiful. Tree bark was one of the most interesting sights as on this Japanese Crepe Myrtle with matching Bromeliads.

I was not leaving until I'd seen at least a few Monarch butterflies.

By no stretch of the imagination was it worth the admission fee, or at least that is how I felt, although seeing this was pretty cool.

Why, oh why, after that disappointment, did I call Apple for help, knowing full well how miserable that would be? I'll tell you why----although the photos were found, using the photo program is so slow that I want to tear my hair out. It has been seriously taking some of the joy out of my photography life. Explaining to Joshua, the young Apple guy, that it was a complex problem and if he did not feel capable, please get a more senior person, he assured me he could fix it quickly. How quick does a two hour plus conversation sound to you? I thought you'd agree. One problem is now sorted out, but I am still having to wait far too long for other stuff. Boring for you, I know, for which I apologize. In fact, I'd love nothing more than to never mention it again, but I know better. I'm tempted to move back over to Google for my photo storage---anything has to be better than what I've been putting up with. We shall see.

One thing that happens on Sunday mornings at church is a time when "joys and concerns" are vocalized before prayer time. It occurred to me as I was writing this that this post embodies that. Yes, I'm annoyed as heck about the tile and I dare say I very much dislike that postal worker, yet, I am filled with happiness that we were able to find such a beautiful tree AND, there is a new bird in town. How's that for a combo?

This beauty showed up yesterday afternoon and is a Green Heron, which would be much more evident had I been able to get closer. That rust colored neck is gorgeous!

The biggest joy, on the other hand, is there are but 48 hours until Mr. Peck begins his much deserved time of retirement. Pretty exciting! He will be spending Friday night playing the part of a Wise Man in our church pageant. I dare say he's well suited to that part. 💗

your friend,

Gail