Winter continues

Part of our preparation for going anywhere in the car necessitates cleaning off the driveway so that ice won't form under compacted snow. The snow shovels (mine is ergonomically configured) go into the back of the van, so that if it has snowed while we are gone, we can clean it off again. The paper boy leaves the morning's papers in the mail box, and we have to trudge out to get them, rather than just open the front door to pick up the papers lying just outside the door. This is the first day since before Christmas that we have not had any snowfall. We've been told to prepare, though, for snow during the next 10 days. At least the snow storage in the mountains is adding up in a more satisfactory way. Living in a desert climate makes us very aware of the need for extra snow in the mountains during the winter months, so we're not supposed to grumble too much at daily snows during this time of the year.

Our Resident Pheasant Comes to Lunch

As I wrote before, Ron has put a piece of plywood on top of the children's picnic table we have on the patio, and clears enough snow from it to put plenty of birdseed for the tiny birds (sparrows, chickadees, and finches) that winter over in the evergreen trees that ring half of our lots. Occasionally the greedy doves come and scare them away, but yesterday we looked out to see that our resident pheasant, who lives with his harem under the evergreens had flown up to the table to partake, too. He does seem to have a voracious appetite. Pickings on the ground have to be scarce with the abundance of snow all around. He was not disturbed by our movements within the house as the little birds are. He appears more in silhouette than in actual color. Photographing him against the white snow (and through the patio door) screens out the beautiful browns and the iridescent green gloss of his head.

Be sure to click on the pictures so that you can see part of the colors.

Isn't winter fun?

This little garden figure that holds a frog is huddled against the garage, wearing his cap and shawl of snow. Looks almost like mistreatment, doesn't it?

Coming and going - the snow in the driveway doesn't look so thick because some friends came yesterday afternoon and shoveled it out once. There was still enough wind blowing this morning to have Ron looking like a snowman when he came in from cleaning the part of the driveway we need to back the car out.

The Big Snowstorm

We awoke on Christmas morning around 7a.m. to blowing snow, and it didn't let up until about 9:30 p.m. We were just happy we didn't have to go any place, but felt very snug celebrating Christmas in our house. The report was from 12 to 20" of snow. (I think we got the 20") The south windows were coated over with the blowing snow, and it was deep enough to go inside the big boots, not stay on the outside. Beautiful this morning! Some big animal invaded the yard in the night - we live near Creamery Hollow, and sometimes the deer, and even a moose or two have been known to invade, being driven by the snow. When you see the blue skies and the glittering snow the morning after, it makes one happy to be alive.

The sundial wears an even bigger cap.

Ron puts a piece of plywood on the little picnic table on the patio, scrapes off as much snow as he can, and spreads a banquet for the little birds. Sometimes the pesky doves come, and occasionally a bold magpie shows up, but we discourage him from the feed.

More White Christmas

The snow makes our neighbor's apple orchard look like an etching. We never tire of the scenes we see from our home. The Bear River Range of the Wasatch Mountains to the east constantly changes as clouds billow up from the east, or the sunlight causes canyons and peaks to be highlighted, or the shadow cast by the mountains themselves makes them an icy blue.

However, it is lovely to view the cold, snowy scene from within our warm home. And this particular stained glass piece looks very Christmas-like, and appropriate for the season. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Santa and the three Gage girls

This picture is the epitome of sweet innocence. Julia, Andrea, and Jennifer, looking totally enchanted with Santa, who must be promising them all of their Christmas wishes. What a Christmas Classic!

Christmas in Laramie, 1968

We made our own Christmas in 1968 in Laramie student housing. Dorothy and Sara created the ball and the gold Christmas tree, and the boys made candles. I'll never forget the day I came home from school and work, to find that Brig had decided to go ahead and melt some parafin to make another candle- the whole thing was spilled all over the stove, floor, and himself. Fortunately, the jeans were thick and he was not burned - and everything cleaned up. We did have a very slick kitchen floor for a while. My friend from the art department, Eleanor Carrigan, came to dinner and took these pictures. Remember to click on the pictures to see them enlarged.

Dorothy

Christmas 1961 Dorothy was a very intense baby. This glittery silver Christmas ornament hung above her crib, and she really wanted it. She would have been three months old when this picture was taken. Wasn't she an exquisite baby girl?

Winter Wonderland

The sundial that Julie & Mike gave us so long ago is our indicator to measure to see how many inches of snow fall at a time. It wears it's cap of snow proudly. The twisted branches of Harry Lauder's walking stick (actually a filbert tree) is a marvel of modern art.

And one of our few outdoor Christmas-winter decorations wraps itself around the light pole and almost becomes our snowman for the season. We expect more snow in the morning, just to keep life from being too boring.

Nativity scene #2 - Another of My Favorite Things.

I started collecting the charming tiny Petersen-made mice some years ago, choosing figures that reflected our lifestyle. It's been many years since I filled my little display case, but I find that this little nativity set is one of my favorites. (These Petersen figures are about the only way I like mice.) The figures are tiny - the stable is the largest at aobut 4" high; the taller wiseman and shepherd are about 2 1/4" tall, so this scene doesn't take up much room at all.

Merry Christmas!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Nativity

Since the birth of Jesus is the "reason for the season", I love the depiction of the creche that various artists have done. This is one that we made in Relief Society in Tumwater. I say "made" as a loose term of the word, because all we did was clean the greenware, and go through the steps to the final glaze. This is one of the treasures that I put out for each Christmas season. I'll be showing some of the others that I have as the season progresses.

Thanksgiving

This picture is just to prove that Tony did come home for Thanksgiving. He dislikes having his picture taken, so I had to sneak this one by. Nice not to have to use flash! He was very intent on something on his laptop - Just have to be quick on the draw to catch him.

Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum

When Tony was here for Thanksgiving, we got the tree all set up - with his help, the chore was easier! It's hard to realize that some of the ornaments on the tree are 30+ years old. Mostly, those older ones date back to our 1976-78 years in Germany, and have become real treasures over the years. In the "olden" days, when we had live trees, the magic date was around the 10th of December, so that the tree (or trees) wouldn't get too old before Christmas. We miss the scent of the live trees, but are thankful that we don't have safety issues with artificial one that so perfectly graces our living room this season.

Christmas is just around the Corner

There are so many aspects to the atmosphere of the Christmas season. One is amaryllis. Mother (Grandma Blood) often had several amaryllis plants. After nurturing the bulbs through their growth, bloom, and dormant stage, she would set them out, water them, and here would come the amazing stems and blooms. I have some in the garage that are still dormant - I will bring them in soon, but in the meantime, I picked one up at our local grocery store (the only one in town), and green is already beginning to show at the top of the bulb. Maybe, just maybe there will be a bright red flower in a few weeks? Anyway, now that we're officially in December, the signs of the joyous times are all around us.

When it rains, it pours...

It's raining in Arizona - and finally it feels a little like fall.  And so I am going to shower you with pictures.  Let me preface by telling you that this was a joint birthday party.  Dallin shares a birthday with a little boy that lives a couple doors down - Alejandro.  He is just one year older.  He wanted a Star Wars party and Dallin didn't really care, so we went with it.  This was a HUGE party!  I think it's the biggest I've ever thrown (besides our wedding).  Usually about half of the invitees respond... nope.  ALL.  Everyone except one family that I invited showed up.  I think a little over 60 guests.  Which was great - Dallin had so much fun.  We got a jumping castle, pinata, and paper plate space ships for the kids to decorate.  We grilled hot dogs and I made a Stormtrooper cupcake-cake.  We put a '4' candle on one cupcake for Dallin and a '5' candle for Alejandro.  Dallin got a billion birthday presents - including an Indiana Jones whip and hat.  So cute.

So the previous weekend we blessed Mia.  No, we aren't Catholic.  The dress just makes it look that way.  She did look gorgeous, though.

AND before that was Halloween.  I went to Colorado for my paternal grandmother's funeral, but Dallin stayed home and went Trick or Treating.  He was a fireman.  Coincidentally, he wants to be a fireman when he grows up... he went around the block with Daddy and Aunt Sara (Beth).  John said every house he stopped at he wanted to go in and play, so finally John gave up and he let him stay and play at one of the neighbor's house.  Dallin is just too familiar with our neighbors - possibly the only drawback! ;-)

Thankful Thanksgiving Flowers

Our children remember that we do love to have flowers around the house; we are always pleasantly surprised when they send us floral gifts. This one came to us in time for Thanksgiving from Julia and Mike and their family! The remembrance is sweet and we are thankful for all of our children at this time of year. Be sure to double click the pictures to see these in all their glory.

Autum Colors

This picture shows the beautiful world as it was just a couple of weeks ago. Things change quickly at this time of year, as we settle in for a long, cold winter. Alas, that beauty of a couple of weeks ago is now gone, with all of the red leaves on the ground underneath the burning bush. The days have been glorious, cold, very frosty in the morning, with temperatures 20 or a little below. We are gearing up for Thanksgiving, with Christmas to follow right on the heels of that thankful celebration. We have neighbors whose yard is so full of flashing Christmas lights, bouncing from here to there, that it lights up our whole cul-de-sac. Scary! We'll be more sedate, with our usual subdued program - nevertheless, we will celebrate the season appropriately.

A Tumbler Quilt for Astrea Nyx

The traditional pattern for this quilt is called "Tumblers", and usually it is a charm quilt, with every tumbler-shaped piece being of a different color/pattern. Tradition says that you may have two blocks of the same fabric, and the puzzle is to find the twins.

Jennifer chose this pattern for her new grandchild-to-be when she was here in September, and we had fun raiding my stash of batiks to find a combination we both liked. I've done a bit of tweaking, but, essentially, the colors stayed as we originally chose them. My photography technique isn't great, because it looks like the thin light inner border is crooked - doesn't look like it on the quilt, but we'll let it go. The moral to the story is: If you really want a baby quilt, come to my house, and you can choose your pattern, fabrics, etc. :-) (Suzanne gets the next one, and she did choose her pattern.)

Dallin's Birthday

Attention, dear family! Yesterday was Mandy and John's Dallin's birthday (fourth, to be exact), and I find that I cannot post any of the pictures that have been sent to me because they are deeply pixilated. This little boy is such a charmer (we are judging this from his pictures), that we would like to show the whole family what he looks like on this very important birthday. So, Mandy, John, Dorothy, Ken - somebody please come to the rescue. When you do, I'll edit this blog entry out, and yours will be the official birthday posting! Please?

A quilt for Mia Lilly

The quilt has been sent, so I can post this one on the blog. Every new baby needs a quilt - and since Mandy likes kitties, I thought that Kitty Cucumber would be a good subject for a little quilt for Mia Lilly. This quilt became a tool for learning to use my new Pfaff Grand Quilter, which is a commercial machine. I really didn't get the knack of the whole thing until it came to the border, but ththe next one I quilt will be better. I hope that Mia will use this quilt up - more complicated quilts can come later, but babies just need to use up those first quilts.

Happy Birthday, Lauren - only one week late!

These pictures are not in any order, but they do tell a bit of the story! This was taken a couple of years ago at our house, when Lauren and Hayden decorated pumpkins for the front porch. When Hayden was born, Lauren felt that we were sure making a big fuss over him, but she proved to be a wonderful big sister and protector. Lauren developed a love for the cello - this was the "braces" era, a bane to every teenager who has to undergo such treatment.

When Lauren was smaller (when they lived in Tucson, AZ), Lauren collected Beanie Babies and Pound Puppies. This leopard was a favorite - This was Christmas time at Sara and Frank's house.

The backpack was crammed full of Pound Puppies. Once, when Sara, Frank, and Lauren were at our tiny place in Mesa, and were staying overnight, I found Lauren placing little Pound Puppies all over under the beds. When I asked her why she was doing that, she very wisely said that they were there to take care of the alligators!

This was Thanksgiving in Tucson. Lauren created turkey decorations for the table. Creativity should have been her middle name, because her artistic talents were obvious at a very early age! Her abilities have just kept increasing.

Lauren, when you were born, I got to come and stay with you and your mom and dad for a week. I slept in the same room with you, and you were absolutely the perfect baby. The first night I was there, I got up several times to make sure you were breathing! You slept through every night from about 10:30 until 9:00 the next morning. (You made up for that angelic behavior by fussing (crying? howling?) for a couple of hours before bedtime, with Mom and Dad taking turns holding and comforting you.) Later, as you were growing up, we began staying in Arizona through the winters, and so got to see you more often. There was always something new and different - when you were three, your favorite word was "actually" - every sentence seemed to be preceded with that word. As you grew, the words got bigger! Before you moved away to Indiana, we did get to spend one Grandparents' Day with you at school for your first grade year. There are other good memories - including the time in Indiana when we dyed Easter eggs, and then you and I ate hard boiled eggs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now, you are growing up, have become even more accomplished in your art and schooling, and are in your upper years in high school. The years whiz by, and it won't be long before you'll be graduated and in college! It will be exciting to see the direction you decide on for your future. There is always another chapter.

The Newest Member of the Family!

Camillia and David are the proud parents of Astraea Nyx, born on October 28th, in Irvington, New York. Her name has significance, since Astrea was the goddess of justice in Greek mythology - Jennifer, proud grandmother, can fill us in on the rest of the details. Our congratulations to the fourth great-grandchild in our growing family! The baby is beautiful, and Mother and Dad look very proud and happy.

The Time of Frost is Here!

As the rising sun peeks at the world from behind the shrubs and the garden shed onto the frosty lawn, we are reminded that we are about to embark on another season of cold. In view of all the turmoil that is taking place in our world, I thought of a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien that I have saved: "Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule." The other quote that I saved: "It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him." Just a couple of thoughts for you to consider today.

Comments

Oh, yes, and please don't be shy about adding your comments to the postings by clicking on the word "comment" at the bottom of each blog entry, and filling in the blanks in the page that comes up. :-)

The Blog

I am happy to see all the names of those of who who accepted the invitation to be a part of this family blog. I will be happier when more of you put postings on, so that we can keep up a little bit better on this far-flung family. Pictures and news are so very welcome!

Hilda, the Dreadful Witch

For twenty years, Hilda has come out of her box and into the world to grace us with her presence. Her biggest claim to fame is her knobby knees, which are discreetly hiding in this photo. I made Hilda for our home, but she soon went to the dental office during the Halloween season. I have wonderful pictures of Suzanne holding her, but the album with all of those pictures seems to have disappeared, no doubt being used by The Borrowers (as in Mary Norton's books), but it should come to light sooner or later. Anyway, for someone who dislikes Halloween, (think costumes and too much candy), I really think some of the decorations are fun. We did not observe Halloween when I was a young 'un (think "the olden days"). Living in the country, as we did, where most farmers families had outdoor plumbing, Halloween could be a time of "tipping over the outdoor facilities" by mischievous older boys. Fortunately, our FHA-sponsored, concrete-based outhouse was safe from the vandals - too heavy, by far. The year I was in 8th grade, I got to stay in town with a friend and go trick-or-treating. She had a party, with stuff that was supposed to be scary, and then out into the dark night we went. I was not impressed - it all seemed spooky and stupid. However, my kids all wanted the experience, so during the years we lived in town, trick-or-treating, with the ensuing stomach aches from over-indigence was the order of the day. I was not good at helping with costumes. Some years, they were the cheapies from the dime store, and sometimes they were just old bed sheets with holes cut in them. Not wonderful at all! Now, we're glad to just stay home, and answer the occasional doorbell. It's always fun to see the cute little neighbor kids, who have already done their thing at the trunk or treat being held in the next cul-de-sac, but we don't appreciate older boys who come with their big bags, ready for loot, quite as much. And, I quit growing pumpkins in the garden to put on the front porch, because they inevitably got trashed or taken. Not worth the trouble. We can all breathe a sigh of relief when the 31st of October is all over, and we work into the most peaceful holiday of the winter - Thanksgiving!

Sunset

The sunset last night was reflected in the bay window in the living room, making the stained glass Japanese cranes have a whole different look.

Then, when you faced west, this was the vivid picture! "Red at night, sailor's delight, red in the morning, sailor take warning!" This morning dawned clear and frosty, but it will be a gorgeous day. Must be time to play football.

Glitch

I'm still trying to figure out what happened to the ability to put comments after each posting. I compared my settings to Judy's at Amsbaugh Gardens, and don't see anything different. If one of you "readers" has the answer, please let me know. Otherwise, it's a beautiful day in Preston.

The Quilt Show

Our annual quilt show for our quilt guild, The Preston Piecers, is over - we had 73 quilts this year! My Jackson Hole quilt placed first in its division, leaving the watercolor quilt, now named "There's a Gecko in My Garden" without an award (you can only place once in each division). The watercolor quilt ended up with a little hole in the middle of a 2" block, so I had to cover it with something! (The purple gecko.) The detail of the broderie perse (flower) shows the fun I had sprinkling crystals around the quilt. And, Louise, the Dresden Plate quilt, which is not a good photo because I couldn't get a straight-on picture, was such a triumph to finish, after beginning it at your house in the summer of 1993. Making quilts is so satisfying, that I can't imagine why anyone would not want to do it! That means all of my siblings!