There were a few things going on this past week, the largest being Thanksgiving. I continued my search for a newer car. Outside lights and decorations were put up. Suet feeders and the large bird feeder were stocked and set out. Leaf pickup continued. Details below!
The big event was Thanksgiving. Pam and Becky had decided who would prepare what dishes. Pam cooked the turkey roast and pies and Becky brought a 7-layer salad, mashed potatoes, and squash. We had a very tasty and relaxed meal – everything was delicious.
Prior to Thanksgiving we put up our outside decorations while the weather was still mild. This year we put out a few more strings of lights and a special twinkling horse and sleigh display. I will have night shots in a later post, but for now here are a few daylight shots.
Also new this year is a second suet feeder. I built a couple new holders out of scrap “plastic wood” and the results should serve us well.
Pam composed a pair of intertwined hearts using red rope lights and they are installed on the garden fence. The Black Hills spruce, near the garden, received big-bulb lights for the first time this year. I will have photos of them lit up in my next post.
It was a busy week. In addition to the tasks mentioned above, I did another couple leaf pick-ups. Unfortunately, one rear tire on the lawn vac just fell apart. It was of solid rubber construction and could not be saved. The vac is at least 25 years old and new parts are no longer available, so I ordered a couple new generic wheels and will have to modify them to fit the old machine.
The search for a newer vehicle continues. We are looking for a Kia Soul with the EX trim package and these are not thick on the ground. I do have a lead on one in northern Illinois and will be speaking with the dealer this week. I will see if a deal can be made.
Snow flurries are in the forecast for late today and into Sunday. Otherwise, daytime temps are about freezing or just above, and nights are slipping into the teens. There is no snow on the ground at this time; I’m still hoping for a mild winter. One of my upcoming tasks, though, is getting the snow blower out of storage and making sure it’s in running condition. Soon I’ll need it, I am sure!
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Penny
My cousin Karen [pretty much every year] sends the first Christmas card everyone on her list receives. Which means Karen has cards in the mail way too early, delivered the day after Thanksgiving.
The Elma holiday lights parade is tomorrow. Heart House is on the Main Street parade route. Which means (as a gift to the town) we have lights wrapping Heart House porches. But – it’s way too early to be illuminating porches nightly [yet].
Designing/preparing/sending annual holiday cards has always been a time consuming task, spanning months. When I was gainfully employed, getting cards out the door was stressful. Which is why I now take my time with the cards, as the design evolves. Cut-and-paste activities generally put me in my happy place. (Card prep + Hallmark movie + cup of tea or hot chocolate = happy place.)
When the last card is in the mail, any holiday “frenzy” is totally over for me. I enjoy the card journey…and I don’t mail Heart House cards way too early.
Happy Trails.
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