Riding a roller coaster into 2023

The last evening of 2022

The weekend started out nice enough. We had our special Christmas service on Sabbath since services last week were cancelled due to ice, and then went back to church that evening for a amateur hour/talent show in which my husband performed. After that we went to a senior home to visit my Dutch friends who had just moved there the day before after spending nearly a year apart due to health issues, and then got treats at Dairy Queen on our way home. Nice, huh? I thought so.

The dogs enjoying their Christmas gift still

Brian was gone when we got home; he'd told us he was going to hang out with friends. After doing chores, we settled in with the dogs and the fire in the fireplace to watch the news – until the power abruptly quit at 11:00. Oh well; we weren't planning to stay up to welcome in the new year at midnight anyway, so to bed we went.

The power was still out when fireworks and gunshots awoke us at midnight. It was still out when Brian called us at 1:45 am because his car was stuck in a ditch. Rick headed out to pull Brian out but found the ditch deserted (someone else stopped and pulled him out, but his phone died so he couldn't tell his dad) and Brian parked at home asleep in his car when he returned . . . with the power still out.

A bright, sunshiny new year dawns!

When the first day of 2023 dawned, the power was still out, so Rick started the generator to keep the fridge cold, the well pump operating, and a few outlets hot for charging phones. After my phone had charged, I went out to observe my one annual tradition, starting every new year on horseback. Thanks to the beautiful weather, we enjoyed not only a very good school in the arena (with a pair of red-tailed hawks soaring overhead), but also a ride down the gravel lane and back, wishing neighbors a happy new year. And while we were out, a neighbor texted that power had been restored; hurrah!

This afternoon I took down our little "tree," and with that, Christmas 2022 was dispensed with. A little handspun, handknit woolly sheep hat had joined the minimal ornaments on Christmas Eve, as it was one of my Christmas gifts from a dear friend (shown with Poppy's nose for scale):

Another gift – or the result of another gift – arrived yesterday in the mail. My sister gave me a gift certificate to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and I selected the following (don't tell my guys that I ordered three varieties of summer squash!):

Then I had a little dress-up fun with Leo. My mom has sent me some cute dog accessories over the years, mostly for the bulldogs we used to have  – the jingle bell collar was one of them. Today he modeled a couple others.

all dressed up with nowhere to go

"take me out to the ball game"

He's a photogenic little fellow, clothed or naked!

Happy New Year from . . .

Cold hands, warm hearts

We are being touched by the winter blast hitting most of the country. Temperatures dropped into the low 20s Wednesday night with a wind-chill of 10°; freezing rain/sleet arrived yesterday afternoon. This morning our world was white with the stuff, slick and treacherous. Rick and Brian had to chain up to get out and about and home today.

I've stayed busy with the extra schlepping required to support the animals and keep the house warm. (It's supposed to warm up and rain tomorrow, so it wasn't worth hauling out the extension cords and tank heaters.) I've been breaking ice for the horses, swapping out frozen buckets and waterers for sheep and hens, thawing the hummingbird feeder, putting out black oil sunflower seeds, and stoking the fire.

Without the bitter wind, the dogs have been able to go to the barn with me today. If I hadn't been so focused on staying upright, I would have tried to get video of them romping around with enthusiasm, slipping and sliding like cartoon characters. I did get some photos of Leo out in the pasture, enjoying an icy stem:

Ever since he and Gracie arrived, I've called Leo "Ice Man" for his color and pale eyes – and in the beginning, his emotional distance. Distant no more, he has a home for the holidays – and the rest of his days; yesterday Rick finally said we can adopt him.

Merry Christmas to all of us, to all of you!

In the nick of time

Yesterday dear, supportive, creative blogpal Debbie gave me a suggestion for Christmas decor. Since I was enjoying my first full day at home with just two dogs and much less chaos, I decided to implement it. The dogs and I went for a walk in the upper pasture, where I cut some small branches from our Douglasfir, tied them together, propped them up in a festive miniature orchard basket on the piano bench, wound on a wee strand of LED lights, and hung a few of the porcelain angels my mom brought me last month. Voilá – Christmas spirit flowed into a hole I hadn't even noticed! On a roll, I placed the gifts others had sent/left with us on the piano bench, lit my red 'knitted' candles on the piano, turned on my glass globe (a Christmas gift from years ago), and finally put the jingle bell collar on Poppy for her Christmas portrait. (I'd like to do the same with Leo, but he's just getting "sit" down; "sit stay" is not on the horizon yet.) Then I made a double batch of white chocolate cranberry cookies and four loaves of my whole wheat flax meal bread with walnuts and cranberries added while watching a Hallmark Christmas movie.

This morning is sunny and bright (a rather nasty-looking front arrives tomorrow), so I'm going to make holiday deliveries to neighbors and friends. I've already met the neighbor on our north at our mutual fence line with a loaf of that bread, and have four-five more deliveries to make, along with a grocery run ahead of the weather and holiday meals. I also need to get in a ride on Stella while I can, so I'd better keep moving!

Fa-la-la-la-la from . . .

Gone girl; new girls; knits/purls

Gracie in the arms of her adoptive "aunt" (sister of new "mom")

After some final time together with us and Leo this morning, Gracie left for her new home today. The new owner (and her sister) were thrilled, and all the text reports I've gotten so far have been glowing. Leo is doing fine at home with Poppy; the only one struggling is Rick, who is feeling bad that brother and sister had to be parted. He still hasn't stated definitively that we are keeping Leo, but I can tell he's leaning that way. My main objection is the adoption cost; people, it is a LOT. I would rather get this little munchkin, a half-sister of Poppy's, next month when she is old enough:

But for now, at least, this is Poppy's playmate, now wearing a collar we had on hand that fits him instead of the harness:

Our new hens from the neighbors came in two trips. I only intended to get three of their six mixed-breed pullets hatched out this year, but when I happened to net one of their year-and-a-half Easter Egger hens first, I decided to keep her, too. I do love Easter Eggers!

This is Lady E, the Easter Egger

This is Ash, a crossbred pullet

The white splash pullet in front is Puff

The bigger white splash pullet behind is Pearl

Ash and Pearl look to be part Easter Egger; Puff looks quite different even though she has cheek tufts. Supposedly all three were sired by a Crévecoeur rooster; I think Puff takes after him. One of the white girls gave me a blue egg today, so that's fun!

I've managed a little knitting this month, making these mitts and hat with some stashed commercial yarn. They ended up man-sized and I don't know any men who would wear fingerless mitts, so into the gift stash they went.

Caught up for today at least at . . .