We did it!! Christmas has come and gone and although our family was absent in body, Facetime saved the day with us spending hour after hour chatting over/into (?) our screens. I started to write that we have been alone before, but shame on me for that because while we were in Vancouver, Matt and Tom visited for Christmas. Read about that here. I just read it myself and that was a fun reminder of another cold Christmas, relatively speaking. Actually it was in the 50's on Christmas day, but we have had a multitude of dreary days which just makes it feel colder.
Guess what?? There were snow flurries this morning, beginning when we arrived for pickleball at 9AM wearing many layers of clothes to ward off the chill. Our first hint of snow!! Allegedly, more might come throughout today which is slated to only go up to 38 degrees!!!
Our pickleball friend Cobby along with his wife Diane organized a ministry at church whereby twice a month lunch a free lunch is served in the fellowship hall. Of course we would like to help with the Christmas feast! The man who did the majority of the cooking the day before is pictured in the black top hat on the right hand side of the picture. Two turkeys and three ham along with sides!
In the foreground those folks, one of whom I am confidant you recognize, kept the food flowing to the gathered group. Pastor Will, seated with his back to us, is chatting with the mayor of Murphy, pictured in the tie.
As for Will, he seems to be a really nice young pastor with three lovely children. He's youngish, they are really young! His wife is a gem too. We really liked our tiny church, but there are just more opportunities for service here at the Methodist church that has been the centerpiece of downtown for more than 100 years.
That would be you-know-who's shadow on that bright, sunny afternoon. The sky seems to be either a clear and crisp blue, or a dull grey. So far at least anyway.
Back to what is called "Soul Table" your favorite blogger was meant to be a greeter and chatter, both of which play to her strengths, wouldn't you say? Santa came to hand out small gifts as well as pose for photos. Cobby and Diane below.
Not only did they invite us to an event the likes of which we had never attended, they drove us there as well. Meeting up in the community college parking lot near Brasstown, Cobby drove us to Crane Creek Vineyard to meet up with other pickleball friends for a Winter Solstice event. Because we were so busy during the summer, I never even wrote about this beautiful winery with stunning mountain views and what turns out to be surprisingly good wine. Even though the sky was dreary that day, here's a look at what we saw in July.
Note the barn on the bottom left that looks like this up close!
In other words, this Florida gal has a hard time wrapping her head around how different things look in the winter. I know I sound like a broken record, but it can't be helped my dear readers. It was one thing living in a city and watching winter transform the landscape, but out here in the country is a whole other ballgame! Anyway, we had no idea what to expect, in part because I have rarely given much thought to the longest night/shortest day of the year. Apparently l
ots of folks have as many traditions associated with the first day of Winter have sprung up over the centuries. Perhaps because it hardly exists in Florida?
We met up with our friends who had already brought chairs and a prime spot next to the roaring fire.
Of all things, although I was worried beforehand about being too cold, between the fire and the milder temperature, we were very comfortable indeed.
Not only did they have a couple entertaining the crowd, a wonderful chili with toppings galore to choose from was served for free. Baby saltines were a bonus!
The biggest event of the night occurred just after sunset when a huge bonfire down by the lake was lit with sparks flying high in the air.
Bruce and I made our way down the lighted path, getting close to the raging fire.
It won't surprise you in the least to learn that we met some Florida folks there will it? Should you be in North Georgia I highly recommend visiting
Crane Creek Vineyards!
In other news, one morning it was so cold the pond had a little ice.
I am absolutely thrilled to have finally gotten a good shot of the Eastern Towhee.
Isn't it just a super bird? Speaking of birds, we visited Blue Ridge last fall, visiting a wonderful shop with all things related to wild birds. Think heated bird baths, for example. Well, the week before Christmas another trip to BR was planned to shop at T.J. Maxx and while we were there we drove by the shops that recently burned, one of which was that bird shop!
There are those amongst you that have visited that darling town and will recognize this area. According to news reports, at least six businesses burned, most with nothing salvaged.
The absolute worst part? Many of the shop owners were uninsured. 😢
Woo hoo!! I tried the Yorkshire Pudding recipe from my new Joy of Cooking! Lo and behold, it worked!
I was pleased as punch that the prime rib turned out beautifully, as did the roasted asparagus and scalloped potatoes. The desert, however, was, well, while not a complete flop, pretty darn close to it! Bruce expressed alarm when I replied in the affirmative that I intended to show you the flop, but not wanting you to get any ideas that most things I do are good, of course I will show it. That said, it is rare that a cake does not perform as planned. It started with me thinking we would make a pecan pie for dessert. Oh wait, we gave the rolling pin back to John and they are in Asheville. (btw, an Amazon gift card has since changed that) So, because I have buttermilk in the fridge, let's go for a chocolate cake made using strong coffee as one of the ingredients. Why I put it in this angle food cake pan is beyond me. Because I am well aware of how it can leak out of the bottom I placed it on my new jellyroll pan purchased at T.J.Maxx. Whether that was my first mistake is hard to know, but when I pulled it out of the oven and it looked like this I knew things were not going as planned. Sadly the evidence is blurry but thankfully we cannot go back in time for a re-take! That ring like thing in the middle is quite chewy.
Getting it out of the pan was an adventure, but eventually we have what I am calling, "a cake in four parts" that while it looks pretty terrible, actually tastes fantastic!
The powdered sugar covers, what our late mother would say, a "multitude of sins!" I guess another way to describe the cake would be "deconstructed"? Sounds pretty modern, right? The good news is it will last until my birthday!
I have, however, gotten way ahead of myself because I left out something that was really, really special to us this year. Most years we have good intentions of going to church on Christmas Eve, but rarely do we follow through for one reason or another. This year we made sure to get there in time for the 30 minute handbell concert preceding the service. All was pretty darn quiet in Murphy when we arrived.
The church looked magical in the candlelight.
Our seat afforded us a close up of Suzanne playing the piano and let me tell you, it was a blessing and just plain delightful hearing the old carols played from such close proximity.
When the lights were really turned down low, and candles were lit one from another, with the sweet music of Silent Night being sung, well folks, it was good. It was very, very good. To tell you the truth, any other wonderful happening, such as talking to all of our family, was just icing on the cake.
Speaking of icing on the cake, my eyes welled up, as is my wont when I get sentimental, when I opened the gift bag from a lovely young woman, wife and mother of two, who has taken a liking to the two of us.
Brittany brought the bag to the courts maybe a week or more before Christmas and I told her that because our gifts were few, I would open it on Christmas day. Oh my word! So when you worry about us up here in the cold and gloom, just think of this sweet gift and how we are making our way just fine. Of course Bruce is huddled on the couch under a quilt watching the bowl games, but isn't that what quilts are for? Lord knows I have made many that never get used!
Here's to a Happy New Year to each and everyone of you! May 2024 bring health and happiness.
your friend,
Gail
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