Pizza Perfect

 We ushered 2024 out with pizza. I said that would taste really good and Om went and got one!

Other than that, I worked on a jigsaw puzzle and read. Seemed like a good day to goof off. But I need to buckle down for some work soon.

See Mostly Mossy

Mostly Mossy

 The weather was wonderful again. I couldn't stay inside!

Went for a walk on the North Country Trail. South of where it crosses the Pere Marquette River. Look at sun and reflections on December 30!

All the mosses were glowing in the sun. I really just haven't worked at learning the mosses.

This one seemed odd, but very cute. It's growing up around the bases of these two saplings in a helical manner. It makes them look like little Christmas trees.

This patch may have two different kinds.

And is this the same as one of the ones in the picture above, only a bright yellow green instead of darker green?

This is mostly a lichen, but it's growing on top of a patch of moss!

I did some editing and made some phone calls, but then I went for my walk.

Miles hiked in 2024: 547.7. NCT miles hiked in 2024: 168.5

North Country Trail. Lake Co, MI. Upper Branch Bridge to 40th St and back. 3 miles

See Promises of Green

Rock Garden Report- End of 2024

 Since the snow is 100% gone now, I took a look at how some of the plants are in the rock garden that don't completely die back.

Here's a long shot. You can see there is quite a bit of vegetation between the rocks. I did take the fence down for the winter. I hope the deer won't decide there are things here to munch, but it seemed like the nylon fencing would just get weighted down in the snow anyway.

Lamb's Ear is hardy. No problem there. But I like how interesting this mound of leaves is looking. This started from a sickly end-of-season pot in 2023, and I've already split the clump once. You can see that small wad just left of front center in the long shot. It hasn't mounded up yet, but it's OK.

This one, I'm keeping an eye on. It is marginally hardy here. I did have one long ago that did not survive. However, it's sure looking good so far. You can compare it to the original size in the link below. This is a Euphorbia, called Donkey Tail.

The plants I brought inside are doing fine. I left little clumps outside too, just to test them. The one that wasn't supposed to be hardy at all is clearly dead. The one that was marginal is still alive. The coldest we've gotten yet is 14 degrees, so not a definitive test.

Anyway, from a purchase of one pot of each of those plants, it looks like I'll have 4 pots to put out in the spring.

In other news: I edited a lot, I worked on writing one of my news columns. I did get back to some work, but I have to confess that I'm not working very hard.

See Up the Middle

The Surprise Arrives

 I suppose it's not a surprise if I knew he was coming. But I didn't know until Thursday. So... a semi-surprise.

This is David, Marie's son. I call him my extra kid. His in-laws live in Grand Rapids, so he often tries to run up here during family visits. He spent most of the day here, so the time was spent visiting.

I did manage to do a little editing before he arrived. It was a beautiful day outside, and would have been great hiking weather, but I'm not going to try to weigh that against this visit.

Other than that, the most exciting thing is that I got a stink bug down my shirt!

See Meet David

No Surprise Yet

 I thought I was going to have a surprise for you, but we all have to wait one more day.

Meanwhile, I did a lot of editing, Om and I went to see Homestead. And I finished a puzzle I started yesterday. It's a Thomas Kinkade painting. I don't know which one.

Here's the deal. Cathy gave it to me in a baggie because she doesn't like puzzles where the corners don't meet. (I guess someone gave it to her this way) I didn't know what it was a picture of, whether it was horizontal or vertical- anything. I make it a practice to not look at the picture while I'm doing the puzzle, but rarely do I start with absolutely no idea what it is! Well... I could tell there was sky and a building and some green stuff and dark stuff. The lighthouse was easily assembled. But it was a little bit challenging to decide where the rocks went. And then the sky had to be done pretty much by the shape of the pieces. Fun.

And the Homestead movie? It was good. It doesn't oversimplify the issues. It also does not wrap everything up into a neat package at the end. It's basically a pilot for what is a start-up series on Angel Studio streaming services.

It would be a very good movie to springboard some group discussions of ethics in situations like the one portrayed.

See Ice Riders Puzzle

My End-of-Year Blessing

  I've shared a few times that I like to make a donation to World Vision each year. Some of you sponsored me when I did a 20-mile hike to raise money for them in May of 2020.

This year, I donated to the fund that adds an extra layer to the effort to bring clean water to villages, and through solar or generator power actually pipes the water closer to the communities and makes it available through a spigot.

This is from their website: "One tap from a mechanized water system reliably delivers clean water to an average of 85 people! Your gift helps to drill for water, install a pump, provide generator or solar power, lay a piping network, and finally, provide a tap where families can get sparkling clean water close to home. You’ll help kids and families stay protected from disease by ensuring they have clean water for drinking, handwashing, cooking, watering crops, and more."

I don't tell you about this to toot my own horn. I'm sure almost all of us have causes we like to support. I do think this is a good one. World Vision gets very high ratings as to how much of the money donated actually ends up helping people as they claim.

I like to shop the Gift Catalog.

One of the items on my "Quality Day" list (see What Is My Quality Day?" is to do a service. This is one of these events.

I didn't accomplish much today. Maybe tomorrow I'll kick it back into gear.

See 20 Miles for World Vision

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

Turning the Corner

 Today had 2 minutes and 8 seconds more daylight than yesterday. I'll confess, I'm not a fan of the long hours of darkness. The seasons have turned the corner.

I think my back has also turned a corner. I took a short walk today. I felt like working on projects. I did spend about 30 minutes on the heating pad this afternoon, but didn' have to stay there for hours.

These digitally stylized trees also turned a corner. Or at least they look a lot different- like positive and negative, but they are not. One is black branches against a white sky, and the other is white aspen branches against a dark evergreen background. I took both pictures today on my little walk.

I've shared so much from my backyard over the years, it's hard to find anything that's very new.

I edited and worked on a few projects.

See Snow Shots

Blue Dusk

 Not much to share again. I got out and did all the grocery shopping for Christmas. I edited a little bit.

Enjoy one of my favorite times of day. Blue dusk. Picture not taken today. I looked for some Christmasy sights while at the stores. Nothing doing. Wreath and tree sale racks are nearly empty and looking tacky. Nowhere that I went had any kind of display just because it's Christmas.

I did get a great deal on a ham with a coupon and shopper card. Buying groceries is serious business any more.

I guess I should just be glad I was able to get cranberries this year. Some years the stores are completely out. Today the missing shelf item was peanut butter. I did get some in a smaller jar, but the big jars have been off-and-on available since Covid started.

My back is lots, lots better. I think it's the fastest I've ever "come back" from this bad an attack. But carrying the groceries today reminded me it's not 100% yet.

See deer in snow

The Staircase

  I gave myself another rest day. Of course there are things to do, but nothing super pressing.

I did watch a made-for-TV movie from 1998 that I've always liked. It fictionalizes the story of the staircase at the Sisters of Loretto chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was built in 1880-1881 by a man who appeared rather mysteriously, and left without being paid after it was completed. Barbara Hershey and William Petersen. You can see the entire thing free here. Only warning is the quality of the video is pretty bad. It may be available with better resolution somewhere for a fee.

See The Staircase

I went in search of more info on the true story. I did find it, and it sort of blunts the mystery, but I'm glad to know it anyway. Actually, until the early 2000s no one had any idea of the carpenter. Of course, words like "miracle" and "Saint Joesph" appeared often in the stories. The backstory in the movie is pretty much fabricated, except for the fact that a staircase was not built in the original construction



The second video is Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World which gives a good overview of the myths and what facts have actually been learned. In any case, the staircase itself is still considered a marvel of construction by modern carpenters.

See Sun and Shadows

Sun and Shadows

 I'm quite happy. As bad as the sciatica was two days ago, I never expected to be feeling so good in just a couple of days. I managed to keep doing things until 3 p.m. The problem is that sitting is really not good. Standing is better but lying down on a heating pad is best. So, at least I get to read.

Look what showed up this morning!

Do you like your shadows more organic?

Or geometric?

In the afternoon the sun went away and we got more fluffy snowflakes.

I'm starting to feel guilty about so much down time, so I hope the back contintues to feel better at the same rate.

See Noon Shadows

Adventurous Women 5 - Tori McClure

 This is one of my all-time favorite adventure books about a woman. I'm not entirely sure why because I'm usually more captivated by land adventures than watery ones, but it's a combination of a very strong and tough woman who meets a totally unforgiving ocean. The book is A Pearl in the Storm. Tori sets out to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.



The boat Tori builds just doesn't look very seaworthy. It's clunky and made of plywood. However, the plan is that the design will keep it afloat and self-righting with a water-tight cabin.

She tries to catch the Gulf Stream currents, but isn't sure she's ever actually succeeded.

The accounts of the storms she endures and survives will convince you never to try this at home! It's amazing.

As the book progresses, you learn more about Tori the person and what gave her such a competitive spirit.

After surviving the hurricane on the Atlantic in a wooden boat, she had to abandon this first quest. But this isn't the end of the story.

In 1999, she became the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

My back is much better. I was totally functional for more than half the day, but did spend some time on the heating pad, and I'm headed there again. No headache. I really think that was connected to the back pain. I edited, cleaned the kitchen, took a little walk (moving is better for the back).

See Robyn Davidson

Oops and Ugh

 I've got nothing to share today. I occasionally get sciatica, and I woke up this morning with a really bad attack. Then I got a migraine. I've done some editing, but not much.

Om made some toast, and even the smell was making me nauseated. UGH.

Sharing an OOPS picture from last week. I don't even know how I took it. Ha!

Hoping for a better tomorrow. Now it's back to my heating pad.

See 100 Miles for Monica

Concert at St Joseph's 2024

 Tonight was the annual concert at St. Joseph's church in Hart. I left home at 3:45... what with helping to pack the equipment in vehicles, getting there, practice, performance, and after-event. Got home about 10 p.m.

It was a really awesome concert. There was a lot of energy in the room, and the beauty of the church always heightens the experience. Not to mention it has wonderful acoustics.

I had a spare minute after we unloaded and before practice, I and went up in the balcony. I'd never gone up there before. This way, you can see more of the church in one picture.

This is the front window in the balcony.

We played all four of our songs. The choir had 10 numbers! They sing from the balcony. This year, they were accompanied on some of the pieces by live percussion and brass. Wowser!

I think my favorite was a Polish carol called "Glad Tidings Bringing." There was also a piece simply called "Gloria" that had a lot of tympani and fanfares in it that was awesome too. There was also a Phillipine solo in Tagalog.

Of course, I like the more familiar ones too. We all sang four carols together. And people really sang.

The church was totally packed. They put two extra rows of chairs on either side for the whole depth of the building. (you can see them in the pic of the empty church)

For as long as I've been involved in this, the church puts on a supper for the choir and bell choir afterwards. I really can't eat that late, but there was a ton of food-- lots of good stuff. I'll just show you the "all-important" cookie table. I ate a few samples of salads, a couple of meatballs, and brought some cookies home for tomorrow.

I'm telling you, this concert is always very good, but this year seemed extra-special. Drums? Energy? Something different about me? Not sure, but it was great.

In other news: I moved the snowblower to a more serious hospital (the dealer), I did errands, I edited. Well, I've made it to tired!

See St. Joseph 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