Christmas Memories



I never can figure out whether I am happy or sad at Christmas time.. On the Happy side, our Christmases were magic, growing up. The buying of the Tree was done, always, by Papa. He would come home on the day before Christmas with a True Christmas Tree tied to the top of the car. I say "True" as opposed to those long needled, thick branched things which have no room to hang ornaments with the proper dangle. The icicles all bunch up in those long needles and have no artistic drape to them at all...We got Fir trees for Christmas...the kind that really smelled good and had long, spacious branches where you could actually see EVERY ornament and you could accomplish the daunting task of placing each icicle, one at a time at the correct drape!!! 

We'd be so keyed up inside ourselves and trying so hard on the outside to be good. That tree would drive us bananas..We wanted to water it, we wanted to touch it, we tried to imagine lights and pretty ornaments on it . We tried to figure out how Santa decorated all those trees and brought all those presents to all the little girls and boys all in ONE night!!! I personally believed in Santa Claus with all my heart til I was 8 years old.. Every year, we'd go to bed at our 7:30 PM bedtime and try to fall right to sleep so we could wake up in the morning to the Magic.  Santa decorated the tree, turned on the lights,  and piled a ton of presents under it , without fail., every year...
I always see it in my minds eye...the tree shimmered and twinkled with multicolored lights backed by reflectors (does anyone use reflectors anymore??) The icicles hung gracefully, placed carefully , not thrown, all over the tree and the most beautiful glass ornaments hung all over the tree. I never even noticed that they were always the same!!!! Papa was always asleep on the couch and we had to wake him up to show him that Santa had really come...

On the sad side..I miss US...We were always a tight little group ...We entertained one another, we made up games, we played all day long , we fought like little indians, we drove our Mother bananas, and we always tried to come up with ways to  get back in the house!!!!  We are still a tight little group..agonizing over each others' heartaches, celebrating each others' victories, rejoicing in each others' children, sharing all our hopes and fears. Screw with one of us and the wrath of all decends on your head!!! Be good to one of us, and the whole pack makes you a peripheral family member!!!
I love my Christmas Memories and I miss all my sisters and Brothers ...most of all at this time of year.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas All...This is my Christmas Card this year..I think I'll try to post about once a week this year.. The idea is to let the creative side out to play more...I'm going to include the projects that I'm working on, both in progress and finished, for you to see. You are welcome to comment, request, order or just look at it all... Two new things I'm trying are making AMAZING Hand Lotion and making various Vanilla extracts.

 The AMAZING Hand Lotion is fabulous...I pot it up in 4 oz pots, and it's mailable!~!!!~ Yesterday I found some screw top containers, so I feel safe in putting them in the mail. Free samples are available. Try it... if you like it , it is $2.25 a pot plus shipping. It is gentle, non-oily, and feels Sooooo Goood  on your hands, heels, elbows......It stays on for a long time and Softens more and more with repeated use....






The Home Brewed 100% Vanilla Extract is also mailable. It comes in 4 oz bottles in various flavors. I've tried them all...My favorite, so far is the Spiced Rum Vanilla. I'll have Vodka based, Spiced Rum based and Bourbon based. It takes about 6-8 weeks for the full flavor to develop in my cold, dark, pantry closet, so give me some time to get a back stock of this. The vodka based is ready to go now and the spiced rum based is due to be ready about January 12th. I'm charging $9.00 a bottle. I put a bit of sweetening in it..but otherwise it's Vanilla Beans, and alcohol base....Wonderful flavor !!!

More projects include purses, reusable, washable grocery totes (lined and unlined),  and reusable, washable produce bags (lined and unlined)...I'm on a mission to eradicate those everlasting plastic bags that are coating our beautiful Kansas Hill Top!!! Pictures Later....

 Chill, Dudes!!!!! 

Alfred

Have you ever tried to put medicine in a cat's eye???? Easy to do, right? Obviously, I'm kidding!!! This balefully staring cat is Alfred. For those of you who don't know, I've raised him and his sister, Tiny, from 3 days old...they are now 11..
Spring seems to make Alfred yearn for adventure, and inevitably, after two or 3 nights out, down at the barn, he either comes back with a ripped ear, or an eye infection...just about EVERY year...
This year I was out of eye salve and the infection was getting pretty bad so off to the Vet.... NOT Alfred's favorite place...I had to leave the room so they could do WHATEVER it took to see how to treat it this time...The Vet came out laughing, (THANK God!!!) said they almost lost him out the door,once, but his eye is fine , just needs salve 2x a day....I just looked at her....she said "or once a day ....or whenever you can do it til it clears up..."
That was two days ago...so far Mom scores twice with the salve , Alfred scores twice without ....AND he's getting cagier about crawling into my lap or onto my desk....Which makes it easier to do the bookwork (both cats think they need to wallow all over what I am doing , sending neat paper piles and paper clips and glasses flying across the floor ) but I am getting guilt feelings about not medicating properly... The eye seems to be doing better though.....Cats are pretty unique and almost self healing.....in spite of their owners, I think!!!

Planting is Therapy

I am always happier when I can be outside.. I have great dreams for my lawn and garden....the first warm days of spring in Kansas are always so welcome, I have to hold myself back from throwing all the seeds I've saved from last year into the earth, willy, nilly and physically SIT DOWN and plan!!!!

A couple of years ago..after an episode with a broken wrist, followed by pneumonia ( not the best start to Spring!!) we gathered a bunch of block of different sorts from an auction we did....and voila..a raised bed garden...

I've tried different things in it....Learned that Tomatoes in 5 foot tall cages WILL blow over in the "gentle" spring breezes of Kansas....and they NEVER look or act the same again...so, no more tomatoes up...plant them in the garden at the foot of the hill! I've learned that cucumbers really LIKE crawling on the ground...even the so-called "bush cucumbers" ..so they'll go down the hill too. I would imagine that pole beans and their teepees would rather be down there too... Arugula, lettuce, radishes, basil, and cilantro have done well in the raised bed.....tomatillos not so good..jalapenos get eaten as baby plants, no matter WHERE I put them....several times ...I planted 12 last year, 6 one time, 5 the next....saved 1!!!! rabbits 11 - Hilltopper 1...

This year, I'm trying "square foot gardening" in my raised bed....All except for the long row of Sugar Snap Peas all along the back wall of the bed....Going to put up T-posts and chicken wire for them to grow up on....I've grown them before and the vines and pods are not as heavy as tomato plants....so we'll see how it does...chicken wire is pretty light weight too and if Mr Wild Man helps me string it...it'll be right....Everything else will be planted in it's own square foot of space according to size of veggie...Brussles sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage each get thier own square foot, beets get to have 9 spaced in a square foot, cilantro and lettuce can be in little rows 3 inches apart and then thinned as needed ...same with radishes. I need to look up squashes...

The Kansas Breeze is always a factor, though....Notice the Flowering Crab ....definite lean from southwest to north east as produced by the prevailing winds od Spring!!!

Auction Time

It's that time of year. First Auction of 2010...It's a consignment . People bring out equipment and trucks and pieces of equipment which they

no longer have need for and we sell it for them.

This first one is always a gut wrencher for Darrell...He hasn't worked since November, he

tells people..and he wants it to be big....But most

construction is slow starting this year, and the

money is tight ... They want to hedge their bets

and be sure they have work before they bring stuff out to sell so they can buy new...

It'll be fine, if a bit small...and we have two estate sales scheduled for April plus 5 pieces of Real Estate to sell...

My job is to dot the i's and cross the T's...make sure we have batteries for the mics, organize the trailer office and keep the files in order....That and be the Cashier on auction day..

It's always a ZOO on the first Auction of the year...we all feel like we've never done this before..but it goes as it will. The guys are glad to get out of their shops and barns, the Auctioneers are happy to be playing to the crowds again, the concessionaire has the BEST TASTING HAMBURGERS EVER, and in the trailer, Miche and I joke and laugh with the buyers and sellers, search for keys and hand out Bid numbers right and left...Time Flys.....

Wishing....

Grey and Rainy again.....Yesterday was lovely...Should have taken before and after pictures of the raised garden I cleaned out.....

As it was , I took a picture today....Planted my first seeds for the year; Sugar Snap peas....The vines grow 4 - 6 foot long so the little gate part will not be tall enough....I'm thinking the old stand by....T-Posts and Chicken wire...Unless I can figure out a creative way to use the small trees I've cleared from the plum thickets....

Last night, we sat on our back deck and watched the Canadian Geese pair romance one another...they'll be nesting soon..There are a small flock of Canvasback ducks resting on the pond...Some of them nest there also..The Llama Girls were doing their nightly ritual of playing Queen of the dirt pile....nice evening....First of many this year, I hope.