“I knitted this little beaded evening bag many years ago.”

There is only one thing better than spending time at the farm. Spending time at the farm with Mr. FixIt! I asked him Thursday if we could go out for a couple of days and he is such a sweetie. We don’t quite have the amenities at the farm that we have at the house, but he’s a real sport. Usually we pack enough stuff for a month-long safari, but we’re getting better at it. Dinner was Hamburger Macaroni (SO simple…brown 1# hamburger with a med. onion chopped, stir in a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes and a can of drained corn, add a few cups of cooked elbow macaroni and a couple slices of Colby cheese, a little red pepper flakes, garlic salt, pepper, and oregano…stir and serve. Comfort food when served with homemade peanut butter cookies! Yummmmmm!

“The night sky holds endless fascination for me.”

”We are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon, and we got to get ourselves back to the garden...”

Crosby, Stills & Nash

I have always been fascinated by the night sky. Ever since I was a very little girl and my dad woke me up and helped me into my coat to go outside in the middle of the night. We went out to see the Northern Lights. I’ve been smitten ever since. I think that’s one reason I love to camp so much…there’s usually a clear night sky at least one of the nights in the woods.

“Not Everyone is Merry and Bright at the Holidays.”

Do you remember back at Thanksgiving when I told you I ran across a distressing Tweet from someone talking about suicide? I ended up getting busy that day and didn’t get a chance to look back for the Tweet until the next day. I was so afraid I wouldn’t find it, but I did. I felt compelled to respond…another nudge from the Holy Spirit to go where I’m needed. I reached out and heard back. I know very little about this person. I don’t know age…male or female…nothing. I’m very careful to encourage seeking professional care, which is being done. It feels as though the crisis of three weeks ago has eased a bit and now we are communicating. The last message was…

“These are some of my favorite Christmas memories.”

 As I sit and write this post, Mr. FixIt is in town helping his daughter with something and I am getting ready to address Christmas cards while listening to carols on Pandora. I just had my coffee and a couple of the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies I made yesterday. Another heavy hoar frost has the branches of the forsythia decorated with fuzzy white crystal fingers outside the window where I am perched. The mechanical angel on top of the tree is gently moving her wings and arms as she nods her head slowly. It’s a peaceful scene here on the Ponderosa.

“Mr. FixIt brought me roses.”

When I’m struggling with grief, a day in the kitchen does wonders for me. Mr. FixIt knew I hadn’t slept well the last couple of nights since learning the sad news of Miss Louisa passing away, so he was gracious and let me sleep in as long as I wanted to yesterday. I must say, when I awoke around 11:00, I did feel much better. I padded into the kitchen to make my coffee and greet my sweet man in the family room…steaming mug in hand.

“Miss Louisa looks on as Mr. Virgo hugs me at our wedding. She loved being the honorary mom.”

I contacted the photographer who shot Mr. Virgo’s and my wedding. I knew there would be many beautiful photos of my “other mother”, Miss Louisa. Marcia was wonderful. Although I offered to pay her for copies, she sent me a link to a digital folder with instructions to download the photos to use however I wish. I was busy all day yesterday with church and a trip to the mall to watch our little great granddaughter scream on Santa’s lap. I went to the farm while Mr. FixIt bowled. When I got home, I finally had time to sit down and view the photos.

“My beautiful “Other Mother”, Louisa.”

Most of the time, when you talk about your “Other Mother”, it’s the mom of your best friend from high school. My mom was my sister/friend’s “Other Mother”. They were tight, especially after I married and moved to England. They would go to the beach together and have a grand time. I was thrilled they enjoyed that relationship since I didn’t live near my mom.

“The Parkersburg High School Band - 1960’s”

This is the time of year where my Hallmark heart kicks in and I feel the feels…a lot! Anything makes me cry…especially sappy sentimental stuff.  Yesterday would have been my second father-in-law’s birthday. I was very close to him and I wasn’t able to attend his funeral because I had just totaled my truck and had a subdural hematoma. I couldn’t fly. I really miss him. I have so many “Pop” stories. Since his birthday was December 7th, it often fell on Hanukkah and Christmas is right behind. 

“I met one of my readers last night for dinner when she came through town! So nice to meet you, Jo!”

I often receive private messages from readers with comments, suggestions, questions, and sometimes seeking a little extra love and support if they are going through something particularly tough. This was the case when I heard from Jo. Her husband had been recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Like me, she knew she needed to put something joyful in front of her to get through what she knew was coming. She was experiencing anticipatory grief.

“The turkey finally thawed!!!”

This is the Tale of The Turkey That Refused to Thaw. Remember I told you we bought a 25# turkey for Thanksgiving? We bought it two weeks in advance. Eight days before I was going to cook for the family, Mr. FixIt removed the turkey from the freezer and put it in the fridge. The day before I was going to cook, I checked the turkey and it was still frozen solid. I ended up buying a fresh turkey and saved the day.