Camping Theme Ornaments

I did post once before about these in 2010, but since then I've been given a lot more ornaments for the collection. I now have so many that I didn't even put them all out. There are tents, hiking boots, paddles, canoes, skis, snowshoes, skiing and snowshoeing bears and moose, canoeing/skiing/showshoeing Santas, all kinds of camping gear, leaves, campfires. I really love the collection. Most of them have been gifts from friends. Some are hamdmade.

Over the past year I found both the green cloth and the set with the little girl and tent. That was a birthday present from Marie a lot of years ago- maybe 2007ish. I could look it up, but who cares? Anyway, I thought I lost it somewhere (not a quality event), and was really happy when I found it.

These haven't been out for several years. I decided to make it the table decoration for this year.

Sadly, you can't see the ornaments very well. I put some white lights on the tree and they don't really help the decorations show up. You'll just have to come see them yourself! Here is the left tree.

And the right tree. Can you see that the trail is the NCT? And there is a blue blaze on the tree.

Here's a closeup of the doll set. She has a tent, a sleeping bag, a pack, and a purple squirrel. The squirrel is up in one of the trees. The campfire is an ornament from National Wildlife, and the water bucket and lantern are part of a set, maybe also from NWF. The dog peeking around the corner of the tent is very like Chips. And down in front is Snoopy with his troop of Woodstock and associated campers. I'm a snoopy fan.

But Omer came home today and he plopped an obstruction down right in the trail! We'll need a chainsaw.

I continued to be somewhat lazy today, although when Om came home he got stuck in the driveway, so getting him out was my excercise for the day! Did some more cleaning in the kitchen and finished the turkey soup. Kitchens just get awful.

Back to business tomorrow.

See Camping Christmas Trees

Not the Tree(s) I Wanted

No, I'm not unhappy with the Christmas tree. Not at all. It now has lights.

I am unhappy that I forgot to put the SD card in the camera when I went out snowshoeing. I took several pictures to share of trees that would at least be updates on previous posts, but I can't guarantee how interesting they would be.

So, the good news is that I went out snowshoeing again. For sure I did a half mile today. I'll add the mile from the two days to my walking total. I may want to snowshoe a slightly more significant distance on Saturday, so I think I need to get out a little bit before then!

Worked some on the usual issues, and had a Zoom meeting.

Miles hiked in 2025: 460.9

See Putting the Tree Up

Second Verse, Same as the First

We had a nice calm Thanksgiving.

How many people do you see in this picture? How many people do you think are involved in taking the picture? Total is two, right? Joshua did not show up again.

He called later from someone's house because he won't put minutes on his phone to say that he had fallen asleep. (as he did last year, also without a working phone).

Well, Om and I had a lovely meal. The turkey turned out great! I gave thanks for two things that made this meal possible. Mom's wonderful turkey recipe with sausage stuffing, and Dad's sharp knives and the gift of teaching me how to keep them sharp.

We kept the menu simple. Omer and I are both trying not to gain weight. We had mashed potatoes and roasted butternut squash.

And that dessert? Here's the plating. It was almost worth all the work, it's so good. Low carb and moderately low calories for what it is.

And the turkey? Since I don't do this every holiday any more, yes, it's worth it occasionally. Because of the bacon, to keep that moist, it has to be serviced evvery 15 minutes for the entire cooking time.

I did not do anything but cook and clean the kitchen after every mess until about 3 pm, and play my game a little in the short empty spaces. I think I'm going to chill for the rest of the day too.

But. frankly, this is why, if I'm going to cook, I'd rather it be for 10-plus people. Pretty much the same amount of mess and more people can enjoy it.

See Pre-Thanksgiving Madness

Pre-Thansgiving Madness (aka Food Day)

It's really a problem. I don't like to go out to eat hardly at all any more, preferring the things I fix. But as has been previously mentioned (particularly at every holiday), I am lifetime-sick-to-death of cooking.

No matter, the cooking is required if I want to eat these things. Today was nearly a total food day. I shopped. I cleaned and refilled the salad tray. It always looks so pretty when it's fresh, but I promise not to show it to you over and over.

What I did do is make some cookies for Josh because I know he won't like the dessert I made for Om and me. So, I made him coconut cookies, and they are not in danger from the rest of us. He won't see the blog, so he'll be surprised. Maybe he'll even be happy.

Then I made a dessert for Om and me. It wasn't quite as much work as the one in the link below. But it has four layers, and one of them involves cranberries. You'll see the display view tomorrow.

And then the kitchen had to be cleaned up, because of course, I get to jump right back in tomorrow morning to get the turkey in the oven. I got a small one, but the way I fix it (my mom's way) is a lot of work. That process, however, is SO worth it for the yum factor.

Om brought home a tree. It was bundled, and had been for who knows how long.

Now it gets a chance to stretch it's green wings for a few days before he starts decorating.

And just to remind you. There is now a piano back there. We put the tree out far enough that I cen get to the piano. I'm going to dig out the music and try to play some stuff for Christmas this year.

I did some regular work in the morning, but it was mainly a food day.

See Once in a lifetime pie

Chocolate Now... Stress Later

It has been kind of a running joke on here that there are a number of the sayings on the back of Dove Chocolate wrappers that really fit the day. The newest round of "fortunes" is mostly lame. They recruited suggestions from consumers, and I'm mostly underwhelmed with this round of sayings.

However, one of them stood out, but I've been hanging onto it because it doesn't fit very often anymore. I'm really quite stress-free in this season of my life. I'm mostly doing things I've chosen to do with little hassle, maybe a deadline or two, sometimes extra energy required. But not much actual stress.

But today was a little stressful. I fixed one of the computer programming issues I was frustrated about yesterday, but I can not seem to find the other one. It's something easy that I'm just not seeing. Troubleshooting identifies the problem as being not in the code, but in the file structure. I keep looking at it and it looks OK. Maybe tomorrow I'll see the problem instantly.

But my frustration level is high. In response, I cleaned the dining room table. I promised the guys I'd cook for Thanksgiving. The autumn tablecloth that I couldn't find last year turned up this summer. (See, you just have to be patient!). I decided to go with the turkey candy dish for this year's decor. The nice candle I bought last year still looks good. I added some of those shaped candles that were so popular in the 1950s- 1960s. These are from Omer's mother. So we have a mix of family treasures on display.

I like having a really clean area. But, the project part of me just looks at that nice open flat surface and thinks it's being wasted as work space!

So, yes, there has been a tiny bit more chocolate involved in today than usual.

And also, in frustration, I started playing one of my favorite computer games again today. I quit it before the big hike because it takes too much time. And I couldn't get my old account back, so I had to start over at level 1. Bummer. But I'm tired of match-three games. Maybe I can do a better job of controlling my time-wasting now. Or not.

Hopefully, tomorrow I'll see the error in the web file structure.

The heavy snow has totally missed our hill. However, it was starting to snow harder as it got dark. We will see what morning brings!

See Tempt Your Sense of Exploration

Easter Music 2025

 The music this morning was terrific! I've included our handbell piece (the hardest we've done this year), the choir, and a soloist.

We played "Hallelujah" by Beethoven from The Mount of Olives. Becky is on piano.



The choir sang "Easter Song" by Anne Herring. Directed by Becky, of course.



And Hunter Brown singing "The Trumpet Shall Sound," by Handel. John Taranko on trumpet and Becky on Piano. A little bad camera work, but I discovered I had to hold the camera to get them in the frame, and I wasn't fast enough to get set up in time. Also, these are just recorded through my camera microphone, so he actually sounded even better than this.



I slept 1.5 hours last night. I was fine in the morning, but felt punch drunk all afternoon. I don't seem to be good at taking naps in the daytime. I managed to putter around in the gardens a bit.

I should sleep tonight!

See Handbells- Here I Am, Lord

Food Coma

 We were ready for Christmas. This looks very impressive, but we actually cut back quite a bit on the gifts. However, we've always been masters at making something small look very festive.

We skipped a big breakfast today and just put out a veggie and cracker tray. The proof of pie is also in the picture.

The Om played Santa.

We had ham, mashed potatoes, mixed vegs, the cranberry relish. I thought I was eating a reasonable amount, but ohhh... too full. Obviously, Josh was here, and Steve called for a nice chat.

Oh, the pie? You want to know what kind? We cut that for dinner. Cherry!

You can count on there being pie in my breakfast future too!

I had to lie on the heating pad for a little while this afternoon, but I'm pretty much back to full activity.

See Silent Night

Silent Night

 The day began with waffles. We really like them, but neither one of us needs all the carbs, right? So they are a big treat when we do make them.

Om took the nicest picture. I like the angle looking through to the tree. And see the two jars? Om likes regular syrup, but those are two I really like. One is dandelion syrup, and the other is elderberry. Yum. yum!

Then we made cranberry relish for tomorrow. Om likes to help with that.

In the afternoon, I made another pie. Stay tuned.

Then the bell choir played in the Christmas Eve service. Lots of music, which I really like. Got recordings of the other two songs we played this year. I'll share one of them tonight. Silent Night, with congregational singing.



My back is tired, but it held up pretty well to increased activity.

Merry Christmas!

See Christmas Eve 2023

Two More Handbell Videos

 Here are the other two videos. The first one is the adult choir. This is a difficult song, and we did a pretty good job. I really wish people would quiet down. There is background talking all through the song. Sorry about that. This is "Angel's Jubilee."



And we also have the second song that the kids played. "Angels We Have Heard on High."



I concentrated really hard on editing today. Made good progress. Maybe two more days, and I'll have this project finished. Already have two more in the wings. Tried to be really "good" today, and I mostly succeeded. Also had to do a few errands.

See Christmas Church Service

Christmas Church Service

 Yes, we played handbells today at church, but it was also a service with a lot of Christmas content. We played 2 songs, and the kids bell choir also did two. I also have some still shots. I'll do two videos today and two tomorrow.

The adult bell choir played "What Child is This?"



John and Bruce sang "Jesus, What a Wonderful Child." My camera audio isn't good enough to record voice.

The bigger kids narrated the Christmas story. The one is dressed as the "mouse." Yes, the one that wasn't stirring. Except it was... and providing some snarky commentary about Christmas being the season of "gimme, gimme, gimme." Which the others convinced him was not true.

This is the kid's bell choir. This is like basic training in a church that promotes bell choirs. The director holds up a card with colors on it, and the kids ring when their bell matches the color on the card. I missed the very beginning of the song, but I didn't want to cut any out. It's "Away in a Manger." You'll catch the tune in a few seconds.



But this is the very best. No disrespect meant, but I think it's adorable.

Yes, that is Mary and Joseph. Please note that Baby Jesus is Pikachu!

I've managed to do some editing today, but this was enough.

See November Handbells

More Christmas

 Got out my favorite Christmas decor for the table this year (on Sunday). It may not have been out since 2013. Is that possible? Hmmm, I think it was used the year that Dead Mule Swamp Mistletoe came out (2018), but I can't verify that. Anyway... here it is (there are various parts that I switch out, but the candle holders and the bears are always central).

I made some bars (on Monday) for gifts. Do you remember the Morning Glory muffins that were popular a couple of decades ago? These are essentially the same flavors. However, these bars have no flour and no sugar. They are pretty yummy. I was thinking they might travel well for hiking, but they are probably too moist for anything longer than a weekend. However, you could probably dry them (bake at a low temp) more and crumble it up for granola. Actually, that sounds really good. Anyway, I'm keeping the recipe.

Did I mention that I really like my polar bears? When I was younger, I had delusions of changing out seasonal decor almost every month. Quickly learned I was not motivated enough to do that. But I still like to play with it once in a while.

I don't know where today went. I did quite a bit of editing and formatting. I worked some on my own books-- not writing of words, but other things that need to be done. I got the snowblower going, but one of the drive axles is not engaging, so there's another small engine hospital visit. I emptied three buckets of compost! I went to the store since we are getting a big storm tonight. I didn't feel like going but was low on coffee. Then I thought of a couple other things, and I knew I'd be unhappy with myself if I didn't go when the going was easy.

The kitchen is a raging mess. The pie is gone. Well, tomorrow will come and the dishes will still be there and the pie will still be gone. C'est la vie. I would be sad about the pie, but this was far and away the best pie I've had in quite a long time. The memory will sustain me!

Perhaps a good snow day will provide kitchen cleanup motivation. They've already called off most of the schools.

See It Just Keeps Coming

Family Creche 2024

 If you've been around, you know how this goes. All but the two sheep and the dog are from my mother's childhood. 1910s. The mentioned three are from my childhood.

And the RULE is that it has to be different every time I set it up. Well, I had a different plan from this, but it didn't work with the lights, which I'd already purchased. So... I did this. I also put it in a different place this year.

Trivia fact you may never need to use at all. The red berries I used on last year's set-up were Japanese barberry. The mice loved them. I sure didn't know they would eat them. But, they had pretty well destroyed the effect before Christmas last year. Tangential fact. I bought new, snappier traps a couple of weeks ago, and we may currently have the indoor mouse population in check.

You may also know that I have a hard time doing anything in moderation. So, this evening I made another pie. It's in the oven. We just seem to forget how good PIE is. You'll see it tomorrow.

In other news: I edited and put some outdoor stuff away while I was getting out the sand for the nativity set. I made yogurt and the pie.

See Nativity Scene 2023 SeeAll posts with this nativity set

Tree for Two

 Omer always does a really nice job with the lights. This was a couple of days ago.

And decorated. This is totally Omer's doing. He's the Christmas lover.

Although, I will be doing a couple of things. I'm already working on them, but I had to clean some stuff and whatever. You'll see...

In other news: a lot of editing, a little writing, shopping, laundry, the above-mentioned decorative efforts.

See The Lay of the Land

Thanksgiving on the Table

 We have been trying to figure it out, and I'm pretty sure the last time we had a Thanksgiving dinner on the dining room table was in 2013. One year we went to Indiana to meet Loretta, we got invited to eat with someone else a few times. The years we were both working at the newspaper we were too tired to do anything ourselves. We went to community dinners a couple of times. Then there was Covid, and trailer prep for the hike, and the hike...

Anyway. Ta-da!

We had pork chops, and they turned out really yummy. Josh was supposed to join us, but he didn't show up. He has no minutes on his phone, so we couldn't call him. I was kicking myself that I hadn't simply said we'd pick him up. O well, he came an hour later. He had fallen asleep and didn't wake up. Then he didn't really want to do anything, so after a while he left. I refuse to get stressed about Josh. I guess he was happy, and he did get fed.

Here was my attempt to have a little fun. There is a veggie one in the link below.

And what about that pie? We managed to discipline ourselves to not eat some for breakfast. But we definitely enjoyed it for dessert. It's up to standard.

Other than the cooking and meal prep, I did not do a thing all day. It was nice and relaxing.

See Thanksgiving 2013