Apparently my idea of having you suggest a title went over like a dead balloon because the suggestions were few and far between. Our sister-in-law Judy came up with a good one, and who is surprised at that, aside from those who do not know that she taught high school English classes for four decades. She made mention of a Hallmark movie and if you have been reading this space for very long it is a safe bet you were thinking along those same lines!
This upcoming Saturday afternoon I've been given another job to help Laura and that is to be "Santa's helper" while folks have their photo made with "him" in the sleigh that is in front of the tree. You've yet to see said sleight but for sure, you will soon! Wanting to look the part, I picked up a decorated shirt at one of the thrift stores we frequent, however, I think the weather is taking a turn towards colder weather so perhaps I will be wearing a coat. We shall see in more ways than one!
It has been wet and rainy a bunch of days, keeping us from playing pickleball in Murphy on the outdoor courts. Instead, we have been driving to Andrews, about twenty minutes away. No complaints here because it is such a gorgeous drive and looks different every time we go there.
Lots of low-lying clouds on our way. That grass!! It is so insanely green it hardly seems real, but real it is. After so many freezing nights, we do not understand how it stays so green, unlike in Orlando where at the first hint of freezing temperature, the grass turns brown.
Oh my word, the mysteries of life!
The leaves on the Japanese maple, those that are hanging on for dear life, have turned a color I am calling russet.
Interestingly enough, when it rains they become supple as pictured above, yet at the first hint of dryness, they shrivel up into a tight ball.
While we are in the general area of the front of the house, it makes me very happy to walk up to the steps and see the tree through the window. BTW, the man of the house made the wreath.
Across the street from us, Zach and Michelle are having fun with their beautiful home this Christmas season, putting up a tree on the first and second floor.
If you are a bit of an eagle-eye, you might notice the rhododendron with big buds on them that happened during the warmer days of Autumn. We have some in the back yard, not as big, that also are confused.
One thing that I am so very pleased about is that for the first time that I can remember, I managed to do all of the Christmas cards at once! And put packages together that Bruce took the post office which is, you guessed it, two blocks away!
The chair was so comfortable, the Christmas music playing in the background along with the view outside the window, helped make it such a pleasant time. Now I am well aware that these days fewer and fewer folks send out Christmas cards, but I am not amongst that bunch. My motivation in continuing the tradition is joy and remembrance. Each card that I write brings back such fond memories, it is very much worth it to me. And I expect nothing in return, although it is nice to check the mailbox and find seasons greetings in there. Mailbox money is nice too, however I only receive any four times a year, rather than once a month in the past. That said I am so pleased with some of the new things
they are offering. Whether or not any clients will like them is yet to be determined. 😁
Haha, came across this at Walmart.
It is everywhere folks and a good many of you heard of it here first!! We played inside again this morning and I am starting to get accustomed to the experience. The folks are very nice as well.
Shall I show social things or river walk things first? Oh wait, I cannot hear you. Perhaps I will flip a coin?
We went to a lovely handbell concert at Church of the Messiah. Perhaps you recall we attended there for our first three months here in Murphy, changing not because the church wasn't wonderful, but because it was just so small. It was lovely to be inside again and the ringers we know who are part of the group did a beautiful job in the acoustic friendly church.
Talk about a Hallmark movie set! It is one of the prettiest buildings in town.
Walking the two blocks to our home on a very cold night, when I looked up it was just so lovely.
And yes that is the courthouse, a requirement of every county seat.
Saturday afternoon David and DAnna put on a beautiful spread during their holiday open house. Friends it was all too pretty to eat.
This snow globe!! I was dying!
All of our thrifting so far has not turned up a snow globe, but I bet eventually it will. Of course I could buy one, but that's not nearly as much fun as finding one. Growing up in Atlanta, DAnna learned to cook from her mother and grandmother. I love that she puts out some of the classic Southern dishes including this beauty.
It looks picture perfect! A first for me, it was not my favorite, but I very much loved the chipped beef cheese ball.
While on the subject of cheese balls, and who isn't on the subject of cheese balls this time of year? But I digress...John and Laura came for dinner last night and I went full-on old school, serving meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn and cucumbers and onions in vinegar. Olives and a cheese ball were the appetizers. A chocolate cake and peppermint ice cream rounded out the meal. Yup, very much a retro dinner, and why not, as you well know, I am very much a retro kind of gal. For more than three decades (!) I have had a cheese ball recipe given to me by our dear friend Mary, one of the most accomplished cooks that I know. Even though I could remember how delicious it was, and really what I am about to type seems either remarkable or silly, you choose. Anyway, I finally made it yesterday morning, served it last night, and it was just as delicious as my memory told me it was. What the heck had I been waiting for?
The children's choir had a sweet performance during the worship service Sunday morning.
Standing ready with their pint-sized bells, they rang them like mad! Following that the ukulele band took center stage. The expressions are pretty priceless aren't they?
I am thinking perhaps the middle boy may go on to star in a rock and roll band?
While the cold weather has not bothered us much, it has changed some of our habits, whether it is pickleball in the morning, or me taking afternoon walks which have not happened nearly as often as is typical. When I do get the chance, I am soaking everything in. Even they grey sky can't stop me!
The birds, whose identity is unclear, gather in groups and boy do I like it! The sound is fantastic!
It is tempting to think all of the trees are the same, however, as you can easily see in the above examples, their infrastructure are quite varied.
Check out this bark! Very cool, isn't it?
Tammy, who is in Florida, got in touch with me yesterday, asking me about the winter birds and were we still feeding them, and are there a bunch, and other bird lovers talk. Yes the birds are going through seed like nobodies business. And somehow they find their own, like this beauty pictured below.
The Mallards are looking very elegant indeed in their ultra rich colors.
There is very little color in the park these days except in a few places. These bushes are called Burning bushes.
Berries are abundant on the holly bushes.
Here is something that I do not recall ever taking the time to study before, but it is noteworthy and deserves a mention in this space as we learn all that we can about our adopted home.
Fallon, Christian and Bill continue getting to know one another with some good day,s and some better days. It is such the adjustment! When I saw this happening in the park the other afternoon I had to wonder if this young mother was super cautious when her child was a newborn?
I could be wrong, but as I recall, I never changed any of our boy's diapers in a wide open park before. But maybe I did. I have often been wrong.
Did I tell you that we donated to the swim team?
And no I am not tooting our own horn, only mentioning it because such a small donation made such a big difference to the team. They had their first big meet on Saturday morning, and while we did not attend ,I am going to keep up with the team's season.
In a small town it is easy to make a big difference.
Have you ever done this before?
Sounding like a broken record, the candles refused to go in at the outset, so I shaved them down in order to fit them into the candle sticks that we bought at you know where! Oh yea, the Christmas glasses too. Asking if I had space for them, I explained to Bruce that all of the super tall kitchen cabinets are empty, so for sure I have room.
Look who is as cute as a button!
About a month from now we will see this sweet face in person. In the meantime, we are relying on technology to stay abreast. What a Christmas blessing! Only a week away!
your friend,
Gail
p,s, for some reason my last post went very much under the radar. Should you care,
click here.
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