The Here, There, and Everywhere Post

I have a lot of little things to talk about today, and 

the first is kind of a big thing. 

One of my favorite bloggers and a good person is leaving the blogging world. 

Our friend, Deweena Callis, of "Across the Way" on our sidewall down below, is 

going to stop her blog.  She has only been blogging for a year, but I can 

tell you she is a beaut.  She found it was taking up much precious time, and has decided to stop. 

Deweena will be a loss to the blogging world. 

Deweena is not the only one to leave... some others I used to follow 

regularly have stopped, because folks, life and circumstances change, and 

that's all there is to say about that.  I just know that I'll miss Deweena's wonderful posts. 

I'll leave her last post up on our sidebar for a few days, in case you want to read it.  I thank her for reading us so faithfully for the last year. (The link above will take you to it). 

After talking about how I was going to leave everything up until Epiphany, I have undressed the Christmas trees and have taken about half of the things outside to move to the storage sheds.  In a few weeks, Chris will come up to help me rearrange things out there, and we will store everything where it is easily found next year. I am leaving our Nativity scene up until Epiphany. 

Look what I'm doing:

Chris will be so proud of his old Gran. 

I am marking EVERYTHING this year. 

On the top and on the side, so we can SEE WHAT WE ARE DOING. 

Quite the organizer! 

Of course, there is a mess in the living room right now. 

And a mess on the porch, which stretches out by the sheds... because I have things stacked out there, too. 

Lilly Ann, by the way, would absolutely blow a gasket to know that there are CHICKENS ON HER DECK.  I let the henspa flock out to get some exercise.  Mysteriously, it has gone up to 30 degrees, so I am going to go out shortly and hitch up the cart and move some of those boxes the easy way across to the storage sheds.  The goats are in the pasture getting some exercise, and away from where they can get in my way. 

Here was the start of our soup for tonight's dinner.  I added orzo and small pieces of chicken. 

We're having corn muffins with it.  Simple and filling and good. 

And I made some celery sticks filled with pimento cheese for Keith to snack on, as we are trying to get away from the Christmas candy. 

I wanted a goat ornament for the tree this year, because we have goats now. 

I found one in the unlikeliest of places... at the Vaile Mansion gift shop.  I got a goat, a rabbit and a deer, all like this little one.  They were each 3.00, and I was glad to get them, as there were only the three. 

I never saw another goat ornament the whole season.  

Last night on PBS was a holiday special for "Call the Midwife", a series I dearly loved. 

While watching it, I looked down at the afghan covering my lap. 

This is it... is it not beautifully made?  I paid 3.00 for this one and for a plain 

brown one at an estate sale this year.  They were beautifully and probably lovingly made by someone in the past, and I am blessed to have them. 

I'll tell you something else I am blessed for... as I sat at the kitchen table this morning 

writing the checks for the few bills I pay around here... I began to decide to which charities to send 

money this month... I have a few that I try to get several times a year... and a new one or two. 

I realized while writing the small checks to them that I am able to do this because of Keith's kindness to me. 

It is Keith who carries the financial burden here, and always has.  Yes, I helped while working... and I have used my 40lK money to do some of the improvements... but Keith is the one who carries the load, and because of his largesse, I am able to help others.  God bless him. 

I have also spent some time with these favorites this morning.  

I was sorely disappointed with my "heirloom" tomatoes last year, and the touted 

SuperSauce.  I am going to be much pickier with what I order, because I hope to start seeds indoors again. 

I am looking at flower seeds, too. 

I do have some Baker Creek lettuce left over, and some other odds and ends, but am 

in no hurry to get everything out... yet. 

One other thing, in this eclectic post... I realized after "speaking" with 

Deweena that I have changed in my blogging habits, too. 

For several years, I sat down at the computer for several hours a day, reading blog after blog. 

I don't do that anymore.  It seems I have enough to do without sitting in front of the computer for hours on end, and Abby lets me know by barking when I have sat too long.  I rarely am on Pinterest any more, either... because I realized that once pinned, I was not going back to really LOOK at things.  Yes, I still pin... but I am more judicious in what I am pinning.  Things change, don't they? 

Blogging Stuff

Finally getting the tree up and the house decorated.

 

I look at all of the "shelter blogs" with the absolutely gorgeously decorated mantels, etc... and wonder how on earth the people writing those blogs have time to do everything!   I do enjoy seeing them, but wonder if they have as much fun taking it down as putting it up.

 

We continue on decorating here, though, for the grands and yes, for myself.

 

Still can't find my parent's Nativity set... though Keith has brought in another six boxes.  I am ashamed to tell you we have at least 12 boxes of Christmas, maybe more.  I am going to go through them on the porch Saturday, and we will set aside those we are going to donate for next year. 

 

I wanted to make a few comments about blogging tonight.  I am so appreciative of everyone who comments on this blog, you just don't know.  Even if it's a negative comment, I still appreciate them.  You see, it takes an effort to make a comment, to think about it and type it out.  We have actually gotten very good ideas from some of your comments. 

 

Last night one of the comments was that "we will see about the netting in the elements" ... we agree, actually.  It's a test to see how long it stands up, we know that the plastic we used for the hoop house didn't last very long.  Also, Michelle... I was the one who stopped Keith from making the full framework that he wanted to make for the new henspa yard... and he intends to finish it and put the whole framework in.  I was worried about getting birds moved before it got really cold.  Now we've had a little respite, so he will continue working on it. 

 

I try to comment on different people's blogs weekly... I put in an hour or so a day (yes, sometimes more) and make short comments because I think it's encouraging to the blogger.

 

Speaking of commenting, I change the lineup of blogs that are featured on the sidebar from time to time.  Two of those blogs, in the past,  were very good ones... and their writers/owners never commented even one time on our blog.  Not once.  I finally wrote one lady to tell her how much I enjoyed reading her blog in her contact email.  I received back a condescending reply and felt very saddened by it.  (In email, not on the blog).  Others have become good email friends, and I appreciate their friendships, no matter how long distance it is.  All I'm saying here is, People.... reciprocate! 

Off the soapbox now.

 

Here are some pictures I took the other day on my way to do an errand.

 

I featured the Manderscheid's display once before, but wanted you to see how they have dressed it up for Christmas. 

 

If you can enlargen this picture, you can see the incredible detail that the sculptor puts into these creations. 

 

 

They have very cute decorations for Christmas, and Santa has a good lineup of reindeer, that are lit up at night.

 

Here is a reminder for everyone... be careful when you leave buckets upright.  Two winters ago, I found two mice that had frozen in a bucket with an inch of water in it one night.  I felt dreadful, even though they were mice. 

 

The other morning, I found this little guy:

 

 

I had left just a few drops of a water in a Homer bucket, thank heavens... but he must have jumped all night trying to get out.  He was stunned.  He sat there for a minute after I got him out of the bucket, not moving.  Eventually, he moved off, slowly. 

 

These absolutely AMAZE me!