Its been a time of wonderment, family, friends and festivities around the old homestead. We have had some snow, some ice, and very cold temperatures interspersed with periods of almost balmy weather. All the Christmas shopping is done and today, Christmas Eve, we are just baking and enjoying our over night snow from the big storm sweeping the Midwest and Atlantic coast. I got up this morning and fed the birds (we have four wild bird feeders that get emptied several times a day), stoked the outside wood boiler, and burned some paper trash in the cold snowy morning all before 08:00. We then went for breakfast at the local hangout and saw a bunch of friends and delivered our Christmas cookie tins to some of the local people who we know. Judy and I also went to a farm a few farms down to get one of the kittens from their barn cat and I got seriously bitten by the poor thing when we tried to get it into the carrier...had to go to the emergency room for a tetanus shot and anti-biotics but we were in and out in 30 minutes and everyone was extremely friendly.
We are toasty warm and just enjoying the beauty and peacefulness that surrounds us...and right now we are enjoying a bowl of homemade pea soup and watching Frank Capra's "Its a Wonderful Life"....and you know, it is a wonderful life.
Here are just a few pictures of the last couple weeks leading up to Christmas and we hope each one of you has had as relaxing and enjoyable holiday period as we have.
This was our Christmas parade, we are a small town of about 119 people but we put on a very nice little parade and we are proud of it. Here is Joe brining in Santa.
The T.O.P.S. ladies who served as grand marshalls.
The high school marching band from the school that serves this area.
No politics in this parade...if your not into family, friends, and god dont come.
Does he look happy or what?
The poor horses pulling this float had to contend with me running the siren on the pumper truck not too far behind.
It was bitterly cold this day and at one point a couple of horses jumped thier fence on a place along side the parade route and ran down the side of the parade...a couple of locals corralled them into someone elses pasture and all was well.....it was just so....cool.
None of us have much money but these are good people and this was a great parade. I think this one won first or second place.
Yours truely was driving the pumper truck and a couple of ladies from the Fire Department Auxillery were throwing candy...we were warm and had a great time. If you dont understand why driving a fire truck and hitting the lights and sirens is great then I pitty you.
The town Christmas tree was located on an old foundation of a bank that was wiped out during an F5 tornado in 1960. We used to have a bank, a hardware store, and a small theatre...all wiped out during the tornado and the town never recovered.
And of course Santa was on hand for all the kids. We are in the Lions Club and we all gathered the night before to put together bags of candy and fruit for everyone and no one got left out.
Was it cold?...Yes it was.
Everyone managed to stay warm though.
It may be cold but it is really so beautiful and quiet around here that I just cant get enough of it.
The big gift is Holly's...I think she will like it.
Country festive.
No hearth but we make due!!
Boo Boo found his stocking a bit early in the spare bedroom but he has to wait until tomorrow to open it.
Yes we are a little redneck
We made Christmas cookies the other day and had fun decorating them...just wish the kids and grandkids could have been here to help.
Good eats all around...bad for the diet.
We need a better camera but we are festive outside as well.
The manger sceene has been one of our traditions since we married.
My best friend at work cleaning up from baking.
So we are all warm, we are in a holiday spirit, and we want for nothing. Merry Christmas to everyone.
