Some Strange Seasonal Stuff

Burt and I have been absent for far longer than we ever intended to be. I'd blame that long spell of unseasonably warm weather between Halloween and Christmas for keeping me from getting things done, if I wasn't usually behind on my holiday preparations every year anyway. I have no excuse.

Flowers don't bloom in my garden past November, ever! This year, the pansies in the window boxes were so lush and pretty I didn't have the heart to pull them up. They somehow managed to survive until they were hit with an all out blizzard just three days ago. At least now it looks like winter.

Andy came home in time to help with the Christmas preparations that include making lefsa, a legacy from our Scandinavian ancestors. It wouldn't be Christmas without it, although once when we were traveling in Norway I did see it prepackaged for sale on the train, in the middle of the summer. 

It's basically mashed potatoes mixed with a little flour then rolled out like pie dough and baked on a hot griddle. I don't think it's supposed to blow up like a puffer fish but eventually it did flatten out.

It's always fun to have a cute pup around to help with the baking.

(Even if he did sneak off and poop behind the Christmas tree!)

Burt got a good chuckle out of that!

More seasonal baking, this time with a different appliance that is really only useful for making one thing at Christmas. What can I say? They taste good and someone has to make them.

Andy also lent his expertise to rolling up the KrumKake.

I will refrain from making any jokes about how to pronounce that name, for now.

Before the blizzard hit we took the opportunity to get out and enjoy the woodlands one last time, without snow shoes or cross country ski's, anyway. Andy and Kristin did some geocaching while Jeremy stayed home with Burt. Of course, we forgot all about how early it gets dark! 

It was great to be able to watch Mosquito Hill turn red in the setting sun. 

Nick took photographs from this mossy knoll all year long to record the changes.

Finally, we ended up at one of my favorite spots just in time to take photos during l'heure blue.

I'll end this post with the last display from our town's Festival of Lights, as it seems appropriate to New Year's Eve and because it was about the only photo I took from the event that turned out.

How are you celebrating tonight?

Best Wishes to everyone for a very Happy New Year! 

Yikes! It's December!

Autumn can come and go in the blink of an eye in these parts. Summer hung around for a few extra weeks and fall followed suit, probably due to a rare spell of decent weather that didn't blow all the leaves off the trees! It sure didn't feel like Thanksgiving with the sunshine and warm temperatures.

Our neck of the woods put of quite a colorful show this fall. I wish it still looked like this but I'm afraid we are down to bare branches against grey skies. Is it a crazy to wish for snow to dress it up?

Thinking about our recent Thanksgiving holiday, it just occurred to me that it's all the preparations and seasonal events leading up to the celebration that I get the most enjoyment from, as opposed to the actual day itself! Is that terrible? I'm not sure. Anyway, with the kitchen cleaned up and all the leftovers dealt with, it's time to catch up on what's happening in cyberspace. As you can see, Stewart enjoys spending time looking at pet photos on Facebook (I think). He even "Likes" some of them.

Taking a break calls for something less stimulating than coffee and since this is definitely the season for a hot drink, mulled wine (or port in this case) is the current beverage of choice. It's still a bit too early for egg nog, besides I usually save that as a reward for shoveling snow. Oddly enough I never run into anyone drinking either of those two concoctions any other time of the year. Do you? 

However, they are the perfect drinks for relaxing by the fire while procrastinating about putting up the Christmas tree. It can always wait until tomorrow, besides the fall decorations still look festive and were super easy since they're basically an edited version of the Halloween stuff that was already there. I blame Stewart and Spenser for setting a bad example with their kitty laziness.

I leave the Halloween blood and gore to the professionals so all I do to transition into Thanksgiving is swap out the witches and spiders for a few turkeys and pilgrims. Of course skeletons are for every season and to create a warm and relaxing atmosphere, Burt decided some candlelight was in order.

Preferably it will be the candles that are lit.

It's good to have someone to look out for you . . .

as well as someone to spread the word about your latest catastrophe.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate it!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.