Just chatting...

Christmas tree 2015

I'm really here.  In person.  Not in a rerun of an old (but popular) post.  Life became crazy busy for awhile and when one has to move slowly throughout her days, it takes awhile to recover.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with Mrs. Christopher's family here.  We enjoy their company and it is always an excuse to get my husband to finish some long awaited projects.  ;)

There are a few projects that need to wait until Spring.  We had to get the leak in the roof fixed a few weeks ago before it did further damage to the ceiling in the kitchen.  Come Spring, when the windows can be left open, the kitchen ceiling will be patched and painted.  The pipe was fixed coming in from the well (thank God!) but a new well pump needs to be put in come Spring, too.

Hmmmm... it almost makes one want to rent a condo.  But I'm not.  I'd miss waking up to see the neighbor's red barn and the forest next to the gravel lane.  

I decorated the Christmas tree one day and then the next found out my sister was in town. Christmas decorating went into double time so at least the living room was done before they arrived for the visit (just a few hours later).  The family room was decorated yesterday.  It all looks very Christmas-y now.

Bonnie's place always looked gorgeous every Christmas when she lived in town.  (I'm sure it still does in Georgia.)  Christopher loved the way his Aunt Bonnie decorated, which never failed to surprise me.  She has a primitive country-Victorian style.  We overlap at the primitive country but I mix it with English country.   My son liked hers better.   I did, too, each Christmas.

I decided to use most of my decorations this year.  Even the porch is going to get festive again.  We had a new family move in to the former farmhouse on our lane and that family has kids.  So I figure that is reason enough to make the porch look pretty.  Kids absolutely love things to look decorated at Christmas.   The "decorate porch" box is set out and ready for nice weather to combine with a burst of energy.  My energy.

I will wax poetic more about this favorite Season in days and weeks to come.  In the meantime,  my very precious friend (and a favorite writer), Lanier, had to say goodbye to her father this past year.   She has written beautiful thoughts about feasting in a time of great sadness... here. 

I should admit that this morning my husband walked into the front room with me sobbing over the iPad.  It didn't help when I told him that I didn't understand God at all letting Lanier's goat die.  Yes, he did look at me as if I'd lost my mind.  But then I showed him a photo of Puck and how we had been praying he would get better.  But Puck died in surgery yesterday.

Puck, a beautiful pet Nubian goat.  Another loss for my friend.  Anyone who has loved a family member with fur knows that the hurt can run deep... and she is already feeling the pain of loss.  So if you would, mosey on over and read her beautiful words and say a prayer for her in the season mixed with great Beauty and Goodbyes.

I will be back in a day or two.  God willing and the creek don't rise (and nothing else in the house springs a leak).  There is a symmetry... water I wanted didn't come in due to a leak in the pipes and water in the form of rain in the kitchen that I didn't want made its' way in.  I expect my house is asking me to make up my mind.  Do you want water or don't you?