So, on this first day of December, I will share one of the "hand made gifts" that I have finished.. actually I made two of them. This little nutcracker ornament.. one for Abbie and one for Reagan, to go on their trees. I am trying to make one hand made ornament, each year, for each grand.... this is an old pattern and I have made many of these, but this year... for the grands!!!!
Now, after all my talk of "shop small" today does find Debbie and I... at the mall. But it's not for shopping .. well, just for one small gift.... it's mostly for a "field trip" with Deb... we have a NEADS check in coming up soon and I have been lacking on some public outings. So, we called Kass and Reagan, and they were happy to meet up with us.. and "walk the mall".... Debbie was thrilled to see her buddy....
I picked up the one little gift I was looking for (an ornament to give to Dave when we go to neads.... because he and his family are in their new home)... and then we stopped for a coffee and watched the people go by and have Debbie practice... "under"....
Reagan is getting so big and he enjoyed sitting and watching the people pass by while his mom and I had a little visit. It was a nice afternoon, and though I'm not a big fan of the "mall", it is a nice place to visit and "work a puppy"....
A little later I was down at the barn, doing chores and the like when I heard the guinea hens pitching a complete fit. From their call I knew that "something was up" and stepped out to see what all the fuss was about....
and "this" was the fuss!!! no, that's NOT a cocker spaniel....
and even though I'm not so happy at seeing such a large fox so close to my barn (and birds).. I have to say, he was quite a beauty and was as interested in my as I was in him. Fortunately, he seemed to be more on the hunt for mice than birds and I had a great time watching him in the field. He had a huge fluffy coat.. which makes me think that winter is going to be a good one.
Happy December first to one and all...
Now that Thanksgiving has come, it is really beginning to feel like the holiday season. We have had a couple of light snows that reminds me that winter is really here. To be honest, I wouldn't mind if all "snow" were like this, just enough to give the ground some cover, but certainly not enough to hinder any part of getting around....
Though I have a feeling that "this kind of snow" is not what we will be dealing with this year... I just have a feeling that we are in for big snows.... only time will tell....
We certainly live in a pretty place, and I can't help but pull the jeep over and even take pictures of the things that I like. This old apple tree every year seems to hang onto it's apples for the longest time. And then I have seen the deer and turkey come to it and have a little feast.....
Our wood furnace has been chugging for about a month now. I have to say, its keeps us toasty warm and the heat is so even and nice. Course, I have been stacking wood all fall, but with the wood shed, it's been fairly easy to do... though as you can see, there is yet another pile that needs to get inside....
And we need to get the wagons under cover. Ed bought two of these .. hoping to get the time to restore them... I wonder if that will ever been done, but for now, both are in decent shape and we just have to be sure to keep them that way until he decides what to do with them...
I've been doing a lot of thinking about my Christmas gifts for this year... and have decided that I am going to make as many of my gifts as I can... and the ones that I don't make, I am going to "shop small" as much as possible. This whole "shop small" thing is a lingo that simple means, try to patron the small stores as much as possible... I like that idea very much.
And a few gifts that I am after are at my friend's farm.... so on this day after Thanksgiving, instead of hitting the mall.. I am driving the back roads to do my shopping. Instead of jammed parking lots and road filled with cars... this is view that I see....
and this is the traffic jam that I have to deal with. Do I need say that country life is just right for me?? and I got some pretty nice gifts, that I can't talk about until after Christmas, because I don't want to ruin any surprises....
Decorations are beginning to find their way out... and the calendar is filling up with events..... like everything else in my life, it's going to come flying in and be gone before I can even think.....
Thanksgiving is here again... it would seem. I have been planning for weeks, preparing for the family to come and join us here at the farm... it's turning into a tradition I think. Most everyone can join us this year... which really makes me so happy....
I was the first one up... I had a date... with a bird!!!! I like cooking the bird and since it was one that we raised, it's very special.....
here "he" is.... the rest of the morning was happily spent getting the table set, preparing a few side dishes, and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade on TV. We've had a light snow, and with all of the going on's... it certainly feels like a holiday.....
Kassy, Nate, Reagan with Banjo and Charlie in tow were the first to arrive. I love the little shirt Reagan had on... stating "my first Turkey day!!!"
The rest of the family soon followed and the house was filled with activities and sound. My Mom had bought for Kass a naivety set, and since she wanted to be sure Kass had it for Christmas.. she had he open it ....Reagan was quite interested in all the little boxes and checked them all out....
The turkey was done right on time, and if I do say so... it came out perfectly. I have a feeling that there won't be too many left overs from this fine bird....
And we all sit together... so blessed with each one's company and the joy of simply being together with so many good things in front of us....
I had hoped to hitch Duke and take people for rides like I did last year.. but the wind was really blowing and it just seemed too cold. By the looks of those relaxing on the couch, I think the good meal and warm woodstove after such a great meal... worked their magic....
and for those who could stay awake..a nice time to catch up and visit....
Round two... desserts!!!
Sadie, Jessie and Abbie arrived later in the day. They had other family to visit as well.. so I was just so happy that they were able to get to see us at the end of the day...
Seeing my two little grands together... now that IS Thanksgiving!!!
Abbie is quite thrilled that Reagan is becoming a real "little person"... she loves to see all the things he does now and report to me.... ie.. "Baby, Reagan can hold his own cup now!!!"
So nice that they will grow up together and be close enough to have a real friendship....
Reagan tells Papa that he thinks Thanksgiving was pretty fun....
and I certainly agree... hoping that all of you had as nice a day as we did.... the holiday season has begun....
You must know that "saying"... "the most comfortable spot in the house is where the dog is!!" Well, it certainly is true here... and in the winter, when the sun is lower in the sky, the light floods into the back of our house (which works nicely for heating purposes too)... but even more so...
a guaranteed warm sunny spot to spend a few hours..... and Debbie dog taking full advantage of that!!!!
This past weekend was the "Festival of Trees"... a local garden club hosts this event every other year... this was "one" of the years!!! It's a beautiful event and various clubs set up trees and other decorations and compete for prizes in all sorts of categories. It was a cold night, but I like to go after dark, so that you can see all the lights better....
Abbie was able to come with us, and she had the best time checking everything out. She's pretty excited about Christmas coming!!!!
I brought Deb with us as well.. knowing this was going to be crowded, I thought it would be a good place for her to practice. She and Abbie had great fun together, checking out all the different things to do.
What's a Christmas display without some Charlie Brown.....
Abbie wanted her and Deb to have a picture taken with Snoopy......
The nice thing about this is there are both outdoor and indoor displays. And they way they have you walk along, is by going in and out of small buildings... so it would seem just as you are getting really cold, you get to pop inside and see what's there... and then you are back outside again....
People come up with the most interesting ideas for "trees".. I loved this one with all the small glass dogs.. I have several little dogs like this and thought that maybe I could make a little dog tree like this one.....
One of the buildings you walk threw is a 1800's cape, and this was all decked out. I thought this feather tree was just beautiful..... I wouldn't mind having one like this some day......
And you just know that you could have cozy Christmas dreams in a bed room like this!!!!!
Our dog club set up a display, people seems to really like seeing the "doggie's tree"....
Abbie said that it was her's and Deb's favorite one!!!!!
We enjoyed watching the train... this was an outdoor display.....
Lights in the trees, a cold night, music and so many things to see... great way to begin thinking about Christmas........
But, just to top it all off... as we were driving back to the farm. it began to snow... a pretty good snow at that, we came home to a couple of inches on the ground. Course, Abbie had to play outside just for a bit....
And it is Debbie's official snow fall... I had a hard time getting photos of her, she was zooming around in it so quickly......
She'll be a snow dog for sure.....
And even though this is first of many, and by March I'll be sick of it... there is something very special about the first snow fall..... and so, I smile and tonite consider it a treasure....
