Logan and Kacey

Neighbor Logan has lived with dogs all his life. He is good with them, taking care of them and playing with them. Kacey’s jumping and barking don’t bother him. When Logan came over to visit me, the dog was soon snuggling up to him. The young man, as always, was willing to pose until I got a fairly good photo.

The picture I really liked is blurred, because Logan was moving quickly, trying to get his own photo of Kacey. Both were moving targets for me.

David’s Dog

Grandson David wanted a dog for a long time. Friends of his had taken in a rescue and were willing to part with her. Kacey (or as I write her name KC) was a bit anxious at first, but she seems more at ease with us after two days.

Our snow didn’t stick until it snowed all night. David and KC loved it, staying outside about two hours. I couldn’t believe she had icicles hanging from her stomach!

KC barks at neighbors

KC has now met the most dog-loving neighbors in two households. What a lovely welcome they gave her!

Thunder!

We were expecting a thunderstorm but were surprised at the intensity. David was sitting in the family room when lightning hit nearby, followed by a crash. The thunder knocked a painting off the wall. It, in turn, took angels and a Danish nisse to the floor with it. None of the figures were harmed, but there is a small tear in the sky of the painting. I am very sorry about that, because it was painted by neighbors Shawn and Bob’s daughter. They will look at it with me and see what can be done to repair it.

Our weather forecast included snow. It did snow here, not just in higher elevations, and so far we have about a zillionth (of whatever measurement you use) of accumulated snow on the ground. I enjoyed watching it, even when it looked more like rain than snow.

Washed my Teeth and Brushed my Hands

I had already washed my hands and picked up the toothpaste to use in the normal way. Instead, I was looking at hand lotion and squeezed toothpaste onto my hand! At least the shock of that kept me from hitting my forehead with my toothpasted hand.

Yes, I’m still a miser. The toothpaste went on the toothbrush where it belonged, and I went to bed before my brain absented itself again.

Logan Makes Waffles

Neighbor Logan (12) had been busy with school and Christmas holidays, so I hadn’t talked to him for quite a while. He came over to deliver a hand-written thank you note for his Christmas present. I am always impressed when someone writes a note, and he composes a really good one.

I had gotten involved with a computer problem and wasn’t dressed for the day. He noticed and asked if he should come back later. Most adults would not have been so sensitive!! I took a quick shower and texted him that I was ready if he was still available.

We chatted for a bit, then we were going to do Wordle at the same time. I forgot I had already done it. He had four of the letters by line four, I think. He got it!

We were deciding what to do next. I said we could play games, cook something, or …. I didn’t finish the sentence when he said, “Let’s cook. I love to cook. I’ve made things with tuna, and I’ve done chicken tenders.”

When I asked for clarification, he said he had breaded the chicken pieces himself. I thought to myself that he would soon be out of my league. I mentioned a couple of things for which I had the ingredients, and he jumped at making waffles. He walked in the kitchen and straight to the sink to wash his hands!! Golly! He didn’t have to be reminded!! The first thing in the recipe was eggs, and he went over to the refrigerator and got them out, along with milk. He did all the measuring. After we went over safety measures, he used the immersion blender. It was his first time to use one, and he was good at it.

Logan had a healthy respect for the heat from the waffle iron. He chose to watch me pour in the batter and take the waffle out. When it was time for him to go home, he helped pack the waffles in plastic bags.

Only minutes later Shawn sent me this photo. What fun it had been for me, and they put them to good use!

Winter Warmth

I knew it was warm, but not that warm! Wearing my lightest windbreaker, I stepped on the porch and immediately turned around and hung the wrap on the doorknob. This January the temperatures have gone up and down like a yo-yo.

When I realized the sun had really done a good job, I took a selfie on the porch at lunchtime. At the end of every year, without fail, I wonder if it had been warm enough to eat outside at least once a month. This year I’m going to document it so I can’t argue with myself. I rarely win.

New Year – Return to Roots

Nieces Kathie and Julie planned a small family lunch on January 1, and they brought the majority of the dishes. Since husband John wouldn’t touch black-eyed peas, I had never followed the standard Southern menu of collard greens, black-eyed peas, and cornbread – all dishes to bring good luck in the new year. We had those three items plus ham, apple salad, a creamy lime Jell-o salad, and a sweet potato casserole. To top off that plentiful meal, I passed around Date Pecan Candy, a recipe our mother made for the holidays. Bob hadn’t really remembered the taste and was glad to have it again. Of course, being almost pure sugar, no one would want it again for another year, if then.

I scrambled to take a closeup so I could see faces and missed Michael, David, and dog Gumball.

Beth and Bob spent the night and did what they always do – made themselves very useful. I happened to take a photo of Beth cutting Panettone (pronounced with four syllables), an Italian Christmas bread/cake that I had never tasted before. They were given two huge ones and shared one with us.

Bob restored my bathroom sinks to working order. Both had mechanical stoppers that had stopped working, because something was too loose. He had never seen that particular type of connection and looked it up on the internet. There were two things he adjusted, and I know where to look now, not that I could fix one easily.

The year is off to a good start. I hope the same is true for all of you.

A Small World Airplane Story

Daughter Lise flew out of Spokane, Washington, on her way back home to Denmark. She sat by a man who was traveling with his wife and two young daughters. I don’t know how they got on the subject of Vikings on that short flight, but she thought the man said the name Lars Brownworth. She continued talking, thinking she must have misheard it. He said it again, and she asked, “Did you say Lars Brownworth?”

Yes, he was talking about the author of several books he had read. Among them were Lost to the West, The Sea Wolves (Vikings), and The Normans. Had she read any of them?

Lise said, “Yes, I have. I know the author.”

I hope she paused for impact.

“He is my first cousin.”

Of course there were exclamations of “small world!” The traveling man wouldn’t have known one of Lise’s names is the same as one of Lars.

I remember that young Lars always had his nose in a book, but he would put the book down if anyone spoke to him. I’m still impressed with his good manners. At that time he was immersed in mythology. I don’t know when he switched to history, but he seems to have lived it as he read it. He is now known for making dusty old figures come to life in his books. There is a special magic in that.

Shortest Shower and Fastest Walk

Due to extremely cold weather, our power company had sporadic blackouts lasting a few seconds. I was not concerned, because I knew we always had hot water when the power was out. Lathering my hair with shampoo on Christmas Eve, I ignored the shower light that went out and came right back on. Yow!! The water from the tank-less water heater immediately became cold. COLD!! I wasted one second deciding whether or not to step out. I stayed and rinsed off the shampoo. It’s not quite as bad as you might think, because I am now in the habit of standing under cold water for a moment at the end of every shower. I can stand more cold water than I ever dreamed of! When my brain got over the cold water shock, I realized we have hot water only when the generator kicks in during a power outage. Lesson learned. There is no photo, because my hair was plastered to my head and did not stand completely on end.

On the day after Christmas, I was determined to walk to make up for staying inside for a few days. Besides, I had eaten an unseemly amount. It was 9F ( -12.7C). I would have been fine if I hadn’t taken four short videos of the two little streams that run under the road. Below is one frame from each video, showing streams running under ice.

I shoved the camera back in my pocket and pulled my bare hands back into the sleeves of the coat. I chose to walk as fast as I could to warm the hands, rather than admit defeat and slink home. Back at my street, I was quite warm and stopped to talk to Frankie and her visiting daughter as they walked their dogs. Even with that stop, the house felt overheated. I am between cooling off and shivering now.

A Birthday Savored

This was a rare year that I had time to think about my birthday after it was over. Daughter Lise celebrates Birthday Month in November and doesn’t let Thanksgiving squash it. I feel blessed if I have a day before to think about my birthday and one day to experience it before Christmas crowds it out. How I appreciated all the phone calls and cards, both mailed and electronic! This is such a busy time that I never expect anyone to remember and am grateful when I am noticed beyond all expectations. Blogging friends sent many written words and wishes. Thank you all very much.

David spent the whole day with me, celebrating the entire time. We drove in the mountains for several hours, always a treat. A quick fast food sandwich was our lunch, and we shopped in the crowded supermarket. While we were home, birthday balloons were delivered. How I delighted in them! They have danced about ever since, reminding me how blessed I am.

Shawn and Bob had a pizza party for me, and that included live music! One of the musicians was a relative of a relative, so that made it very special, relatively speaking.

I wasn’t expecting cake or presents, so I was surprised by that. Shawn bought a lovely cake from the town’s best bakery. I have a very weak spot for bakery treats. It’s great that not only was Logan there, but also Shawn and Bob’s two grandsons were with us. The staff asked if they could have a taste of the cake. I know it sounds crazy, but I was glad there were only two huge slices left that we brought home. I savored that, knowing I would have eaten half of whatever was left. Gluttony for birthday cake knows no bounds.

This photo shows their singing Happy Birthday to me, which I could hear. What none of us heard was that the musicians sang that song especially for me. We were sorry that a raucous table between us and the music blotted that all out. It was very sweet of singers.

I love this photo of Shawn, a very gracious hostess.

I’ve never dreamed of sugar plum fairies, but I have dreamed of snow – lots of snow. I had some sent especially to me! This is a photo of the house where daughter Lise is visiting son John $ and Rose in Washington state. They have included me with phone calls and videos. I’ve had chats with daughter Kate, too, as everyone waited for the big storm that was sweeping the nation. David and I were amazed that we saw zero on the thermometer and found the constant blips with electricity to be a bit disconcerting.

That brings us to Christmas Eve, certainly far different from any before. In past years we always stopped whatever we were doing to listen to the service of lessons and carols live from Kings College in England. I knew where to find the service on line, and David kept it going. Because of the brief blackouts, we lost the internet connection repeatedly. We had the service bulletin on the screen and had do-it-yourself scripture readings when the power failed. David was able to reconnect as soon as the power came back on, so we didn’t lose much. If the choir cut out on an anthem or carol, we supplied the music by singing it ourselves.

Nativity by Shawn

Merry Christmas!