This is my most longed for day of the year....
WINTER SOLSTICE....
After tonight the daylight starts getting longer again!!
Van Geo's Pacific Northwest Winter Solstice....
(Do you see the northwest wind gazing at the earth?)
On this shortest day of the year,
I send you a Singing Santa gram...
Even during the Christmas season the floors need to be swept and mopped....yep, that happened today. Not all of them, but some.
I reconnected to dear friends in Shepperton, Australia. Folks who were host parents for my son, Burt, when he was an exchange student about 30 years ago. I have neglected them for a few years and wanted to reconnect. They are going to be in Vancouver, BC in June. Sure hope to visit them there!
I reconnected to dear friends in Shepperton, Australia. Folks who were host parents for my son, Burt, when he was an exchange student about 30 years ago. I have neglected them for a few years and wanted to reconnect. They are going to be in Vancouver, BC in June. Sure hope to visit them there!
Reflections of Christmas Past...
Most of the years that I celebrated Christmas in Park Falls, WI, Lou's brother Bill who lived in northwest Washington would ship a box of holly sprigs to us. We would divide them up with various family members. We would each get about 3 sprigs. They were a treasured gift from the Pacific Northwest. Holly does not grow in the cold of northern Wisconsin.
_________________________
Day 22....Friday...
The day's weather was cloudy and rainy. I was a bit under the weather myself....achy joints. Watched a lot of TV. Watched the story of the Bronte sisters recorded from OPB.
Good day to bake the second batch of Chex mix....
Reflections of Christmas Past...
Six or seven years ago I had a super plan to finally get to go to a Trans Siberian Orchestra Christmas concert. I had wanted to attend one for several years. I was living in northern WI. TSO was performing in Milwaukee, 300 miles south. A regional airline offered a cheap, one hour flight into Milwaukee. My ride to the airport was 90 minutes. I would leave northern WI about 4PM and arrive MKE about 5:30. Chuck would pick me up for a quick meal and then meet more of the family downtown for the concert by 7:30. I would then stay for a Christmas weekend with son, Chuck, and daughter, Angie.
However, the Thursday that this was to happen also happened to be threatened with a snow storm up north. I don't remember who drove me to Rhinelander to the airport, but all the way we kept listening to the weather report and watching the road for ice. When we arrived the flight had not been cancelled, so I got dropped off. The weather kept threatening and departure time delayed, eventually all flights had been cancelled. The desk clerk said there would be a flight out at 6 AM. I was alone 90 minutes from home. Now what? The airport gave me a ride to a nearby motel and would get me in the morning. I stayed overnight, slept after a few phone calls to Chuck and bouts of crying.
I remember watching parts of A Christmas Story and the leg lamp.
Meanwhile in Milwaukee, Chuck's mother-in-law inherited my dream ticket. When I finally made it the next morning Chuck tried to make me feel better by declaring I didn't miss anything....the concert wasn't good. I didn't believe that. I did finally get to see TSO in 2015 out here in Portland. The concert was GOOD.
___________________________
Day 23...Saturday...
Elves in the kitchen day.....
Angie Elf encouraged us to bake 4 different kinds of Christmas cookies....
We needed a few more ingredients...
Elves tripping at Fred Myers for more ingredients....
Frosted and frosted and frosted cookies Saturday and Sunday....
Reflections of Christmas Past...
I would make the candied fruit bread every year, "tradition". Lou would always look forward to it, eating it with lots of butter and frosting.
Cookies would be overfill every container available and the floor covered with flour and candy sprinkles...
_________________________________
Day 24....Sunday....
Christmas Eve....
Before heading out to church service Gram G gave Angie a lesson in...
Learning old fashioned bread making...starting with flour and yeast..
I put it in a large bowl to rise and off to church we went.
The weather was a bit drizzly but not bad....
We came home to....
With an afternoon of frosting cookies, and making more cookies we were off to...
Day 25....
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!
Christmas Day with the Millers....
Playing Labyrinth..
Walking in the Snow....
My favorite monkey tail tree....
An evening drive to view Vancouver lights....
Cozy in Vancouver......
Back in the Old Country....northern Wisconsin...
A wind chill of -33 is too much for me....
And to ALL a
GOOD NIGHT!
Reflections of Christmas Past...
Because Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth, when the kids got a little older we would read the account of it from the Bible before opening gifts.
This has been a good 6 Days of Christmas in the life of Grandma G.
"He [Joseph] went there [Bethlehem] to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2: 5-7)
Most of the years that I celebrated Christmas in Park Falls, WI, Lou's brother Bill who lived in northwest Washington would ship a box of holly sprigs to us. We would divide them up with various family members. We would each get about 3 sprigs. They were a treasured gift from the Pacific Northwest. Holly does not grow in the cold of northern Wisconsin.
_________________________
Day 22....Friday...
The day's weather was cloudy and rainy. I was a bit under the weather myself....achy joints. Watched a lot of TV. Watched the story of the Bronte sisters recorded from OPB.Good day to bake the second batch of Chex mix....
Reflections of Christmas Past...
Six or seven years ago I had a super plan to finally get to go to a Trans Siberian Orchestra Christmas concert. I had wanted to attend one for several years. I was living in northern WI. TSO was performing in Milwaukee, 300 miles south. A regional airline offered a cheap, one hour flight into Milwaukee. My ride to the airport was 90 minutes. I would leave northern WI about 4PM and arrive MKE about 5:30. Chuck would pick me up for a quick meal and then meet more of the family downtown for the concert by 7:30. I would then stay for a Christmas weekend with son, Chuck, and daughter, Angie.
However, the Thursday that this was to happen also happened to be threatened with a snow storm up north. I don't remember who drove me to Rhinelander to the airport, but all the way we kept listening to the weather report and watching the road for ice. When we arrived the flight had not been cancelled, so I got dropped off. The weather kept threatening and departure time delayed, eventually all flights had been cancelled. The desk clerk said there would be a flight out at 6 AM. I was alone 90 minutes from home. Now what? The airport gave me a ride to a nearby motel and would get me in the morning. I stayed overnight, slept after a few phone calls to Chuck and bouts of crying.
I remember watching parts of A Christmas Story and the leg lamp.
Meanwhile in Milwaukee, Chuck's mother-in-law inherited my dream ticket. When I finally made it the next morning Chuck tried to make me feel better by declaring I didn't miss anything....the concert wasn't good. I didn't believe that. I did finally get to see TSO in 2015 out here in Portland. The concert was GOOD.
___________________________
Day 23...Saturday...
Elves in the kitchen day.....Angie Elf encouraged us to bake 4 different kinds of Christmas cookies....
We needed a few more ingredients...
Elves tripping at Fred Myers for more ingredients....
Reflections of Christmas Past...
I would make the candied fruit bread every year, "tradition". Lou would always look forward to it, eating it with lots of butter and frosting.
Cookies would be overfill every container available and the floor covered with flour and candy sprinkles...
_________________________________
Day 24....Sunday....
Christmas Eve....
Before heading out to church service Gram G gave Angie a lesson in...
Learning old fashioned bread making...starting with flour and yeast..
I put it in a large bowl to rise and off to church we went.
We came home to....
With an afternoon of frosting cookies, and making more cookies we were off to...
A WHITE CHRISTMAS EVE!!
Taco's, tots and toys, Oh My!! Christmas gathering at Grandma Carole's and Papa Frank's! A wood fire. One large dog and 2 little dogs. Cookies and gifts as well. Good family fellowship with
7 Millers, 4 Shaefers and 1 Schmidt...
Back home through the slushy roads to bake 2 pies before bed at 1:30 AM.
Reflections of Christmas Past...
Because not every Christmas is perfect. There was at least one year where Mrs. Santa watched the kids open their presents and then she climbed into bed, sick with the flu...
_________________________________Day 25....
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!
Christmas Day with the Millers....
Playing Labyrinth..Walking in the Snow....
My favorite monkey tail tree....
An evening drive to view Vancouver lights....
Back in the Old Country....northern Wisconsin...
A wind chill of -33 is too much for me....And to ALL a
GOOD NIGHT!
Reflections of Christmas Past...
Because Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth, when the kids got a little older we would read the account of it from the Bible before opening gifts.
This has been a good 6 Days of Christmas in the life of Grandma G.
"He [Joseph] went there [Bethlehem] to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2: 5-7)
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