As I sit here on the last night of the year, neighbors seem determined to scare off 2023 wth gunshots and booming fireworks. Poppy and Leo have stopped reacting to most of them, but us humans are still a little wary after getting the news earlier today that a person with an outstanding warrant is wandering the area. She got picked up on our dead-end gravel lane last March for violating a restraining order and being in possession of a firearm. Other than those bits of excitement, it has been a lovely, dry-if-sometimes-foggy New Year's Eve day in which we all got needed things done, the ewes got fresh pasture, and I had a decent ride on Stella. We're all looking forward to more – of the quiet part – tomorrow.
All our visiting family members left early Wednesday morning. A good time seemed to be had by all, together and separately. In the first five days my mom was here, we canned a final batch of applesauce together, made various trips to town for work, Christmas program practice, grocery shopping, agility class, meeting up with my cousin at Costco, a surprise birthday lunch for my MIL, church (and said Christmas program) followed by a second birthday dinner for my MIL at her house (after her daughter and SIL flew in), and a Salem Tuba Holiday concert at noon on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day everyone came to our house for Christmas dinner, and on Tuesday I drove Mom to Portland to meet up with an old employer from more than 50 years ago (he's 98 years old now, and absolutely fascinating!) before driving back to enjoy one more family dinner at an Indian restaurant. After that it was a short night's sleep before getting up at o'dark thirty to deliver my mom to PDX for her 6:19 am flight! What a whirlwind; what a lot of wonderful memories made.
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An unposed Poppy shot; really! |
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She wanted this, a gift basket we won in a local feed store's drawing |
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It was full of dog goodies |
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Leo enjoying one of those dog goodies |
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Salem Tuba Holiday concert in the fabulous Elsinor Theater |
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This number was new to me; I loved the words |
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Another very special number |
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I slipped out to use the facilities and got this unobstructed shot in the lobby |
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My festive cords |
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Christmas dinner selfie by our niece |
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This one doesn't include my DH (the photographer) or BIL |
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Leo says company is exhausting! |
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My mom with her former boss |
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Joining us at the Indian restaurant was my MIL's new fiancé (light blue shirt) |
After all the making merry, it was back to my quiet, pastoral life. 😉
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Ewes sheltering from the drizzle under the big fir in their pasture |
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The boys sheltering under their feeder |
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All I wanted for Christmas from my honey was a warping board like my mentor's, and he made it! |
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Weighing the last yarn spun and plied in 2023 |
And finally, I thought this was a pretty good motto for the new year:
That's all for 2023 from . . .