Merry Christmas

 

^"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men.'"

"...And that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

 

 "A Charlie Brown Christmas" 

A Second Look--December 21, 2011

Exploring the yard for Second Look posts this time of year is certainly getting me outside more than normal.  I don't like cold weather and tend to stay out of it whenever possible. However, I went out on a cold, damp, and windy day this week to explore the yard with Theodore. We found evidence of deer everywhere including  hoof prints, flattened grass and leaves where they have been laying, and droppings. I resisted one more time taking a picture of their droppings. You're welcome.

The red bellied woodpecker has returned to our feeder after a few weeks absence and the juncos are ever abundant as are all of the other little brown and gray birds that we can't seem to remember the names of no matter how many times Aunt Martha tells us what they are.

See what we found this week.

Red bellied woodpecker.

Weathered black walnut shell half

Green tinted fungus

Part of a shoe that looks like it has gone through a lawn mower.  This shoe did not belong to anyone here.

Black raspberry canes. Or are they blackberry canes? I will forever be confused between these two plants unless they have berries on them.

Trumpet lily (Lilium regal) seed pods

Grazing cattle behind us. It looks like they have a thicker winter coat now.

Weathered hydrangea blossom that was tumbling in the wind far from the hydrangea bush.

Junco on patio

Ponderings from Theodore-the Early Years

Theodore has always been a thinker--meaning long after I have moved on from a subject, he is still pondering it. Occasionally, we are going to visit some of his questions and observations from his earlier years. Some are serious and others are humorous.

 ____________________________________________________________________________________

This is one of the things Theodore was trying to figure out about Christmas when he was younger.
  

                                   Elves
                       For almost all eternity

                       Santa's working elves,

                       Are making toys for girls and boys 

                       To put upon their shelves.

                       It strikes me a bit strange,

                       That no one's noticed yet,

                       If Santa never gets paid,

                       How are the elf wages set?

Food Waste Friday, December 16, 2011

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money.

Here it goes for this week.

Unfortunately, orange juice went down the drain this week. It hadn't gone bad, but it's a complicated story about a leaking carton, a mess on the counter, and sensitive tastes. It doesn't quite make sense, but my son assured me that his cup of OJ should be part of Food Waste Friday. 

Also, you may remember last week when I started cleaning my spice cabinet and found many OLD spices. This week I used some of the old cloves to make an orange pomander. Thanks to you all and Food Waste Friday for motivating me to do it.

A Second Look--December 14, 2011

This week I did a Second Look on a clear, crisp night and examined the Alberta Spruce by our front door. 

See what I found.