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Merry Christmas to all

The pies were made, from our homegrown pumpkins, cranberries cooked with a bit of honey to sweeten them, cooked mustard made for the ham. Mountaingdad asks for it each year, a simple recipe really.
Mustard
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c dry powdered mustard
2 beaten eggs
1/4 c vinegar ( I use raw cider vinegar)
1/4 c butter
Mix sugar and mustard in a small saucepan. Stir in beaten eggs and vinegar and mix well. Turn heat to low and add butter. Cook stirring until mustard thickens. Store in the refrigerator. It will keep for a couple of weeks.

The roll dough mixed and stored in the refrigerator until this morning. Rolls to bake, turkey to roast, potatoes to mash. A late afternoon feast will be enjoyed.
Another tradition with our kids and carried on to grands is the reading by Mountaingdad of Clement C. Moore’s poem, “The Night Before Christmas,” which will be read over the phone or by Skype to the Florida family while we join in from the living room. Stockings will be hung and eager grandson put to bed.
Wishing my readers the most wonderful of holidays however you celebrate. Enjoy your family and friends.

December 24, 2014
Christmas Eve’s Eve

Another gloomy but not as cold morning, no sunshine predicted for today. Sausage is cooked, biscuits await the oven, all waiting for other faces to show themselves before baking and making the gravy. The morning treat is fresh hot biscuits with sausage gravy.

Today will be baking day, pumpkins pies, dinner rolls, maybe one batch of cookies if I can get grandson on board with the idea of helping. We traditionally, all my life and my children’s lives, we have had Christmas dinner on the eve, so some prep will be done today.
Christmas morning we will have huevos rancheros, my hubby hails from Texas then after the morning gift exchange, the kids will leave for Virginia Beach to spend the rest of the day with the other Grandparents.
For now, the house is quite, stirrings about are beginning, a second pot of coffee will be needed soon and the biscuits must be baked, the gravy made.
Have a peaceful eve of the eve and enjoy your friends and family.

December 23, 2014
The Return of Light

Today, the day after the winter solstice dawned late with gray skies, freezing drizzle and several weather related headaches among the 4 adults.
Homework help was provided by Mountaingmom, while Son#1 with the worst headache dozed on the couch trying to feel better for this afternoon. He, Mountaingdad, and Grandson#1 had planned an outing to see the newest Hobbit movie. DIL left early with a longtime friend of theirs for coffee and art time.
Fires were lit in both the fireplace and the wood stove and have been stoked throughout the day to ward off the dreary damp chill.
Once the guys left, I settled in with my book, a cup of tea and a quilt in front of a fire to read and enjoy a quiet afternoon.
I am glad that we are on the lengthening day cycle now, the dozen hens are providing only an egg or two each day, the dark short days are depressing. It is time for snow, steaming stews, fresh bread and longer days. It is too dreary today to even want to knit on the mittens. The big guy enjoying the fire at my feet.

December 22, 2014
Done, just in time for Christmas

This is the sweater that I began as soon as the weather began to cool off enough to hold a sweater in my lap. It was knit to coordinate with the Hitchhiker scarf I made last summer and fall.

The project got sidetracked to knit the three sweaters for the grands and two other gifts that are wrapped for Christmas. My sweater pattern is a formula based on the Ann Budd Top Down Sweater book, changed to suit the stitch pattern that I wanted. I am pleased, I think. I’m still not certain about the 3/4 sleeve that I chose to do and may yet take the cuffs off and extent the sleeves to make it long sleeved. It is a nice warm wool and very soft Shepherd’s Wool, knit on a size 8 needle, yoke style with a single button closure at the neck.

Now I’m off to knit two pair of mittens for the Florida grands who will be moving here the first of the year.

December 20, 2014
A Time to Rest and Enjoy

The shopping is done, groceries stocked, gifts wrapped and under the tree. Tomorrow, Son #1 and family will arrive back in my car that they drove home at Thanksgiving and we will have time together, sitting by the fire, enjoying the Christmas lights.

Tomorrow is supposed to bring a wintery mix, much less than had previously been threatened, the front is passing farther south than predicted earlier this week. If the weather permits, we will venture to the Farmers’ Market to try to buy a beef or pork roast for one of the dinners while family is here. Perhaps we will get some other meat as well, with the family also eating from the freezer, we will use the stew beef and ground beef and it will be two weeks before we can return to the Farmers’ Market.

Tonight, I am tired and cold, having done some clean up, some laundry, split a few dozen pieces of firewood from sections that were too large to get to burn easily. Dinner has been prepared, eaten and cleaned up. With a cup of Cocoa and Chambord, I am sitting with my knitting and a book, soaking in the warmth of the fire, . . .

enjoying the tree, . . .

with the gifts awaiting an eager grandson, and glad that I did unwrap and display my Santa collection, though this is but a few of them.

Wishing you all a happy holiday with your loved ones.

December 19, 2014
The Demonstration

I grew up in the hippy age, an age of demonstrations, some peaceful, some not so much. Even though I witnessed some of these demonstrations or the aftermath of some not so peaceful, I never participated in one.

Tonight as a senior citizen, that changed. The companies that are trying to force the fracked gas pipeline through our region are holding federally mandated “Open Houses” to feed more of their rhetoric down the throats of the landowners whose property will be despoiled by the installation of this 42″ pipeline, if the pipeline company gets all of the permits it will need. One of the companies involved has criminal charges against it in Pennsylvania for dumping or improper disposal of toxic waste byproducts. Neither of these two companies that are hiding under an LLC have ever built a 42″ pipeline and not through karst topography in the mountains. Each of these Open Houses is being held in a county affected and in each case, the county has tried to organize an anti Open House against the pipeline. Tonight, the Open House was in the next county and they picked a site where there was no room for the opposing meeting, so the opposers advertised to their involved residents and to the adjacent counties opposition groups to come out during rush hour and demonstrate on the side of the highway in front of the venue, beginning an hour before their Open House was to start and continuing well into the dark. We had 8 and 10 foot banners, a 10 foot long mock up of a 42 inch pipeline with a banner on it’s side, hand drawn signs and some of the printed signs that most of us have posted on our property. We waved signs and held a peaceful demonstration right near the entrance to the venue until well after the meeting was underway. It was cold, brutally cold and windy out there, especially as the sun set. There were far fewer demonstrators than we had hoped, but it was poorly advertised and as I said, it was cold. The counties are unanimously opposed to this proposed pipeline. The pipeline builder will be taking land and right of ways by eminent domain for their personal gain. This pipeline will not benefit the landowners, will not provide jobs, will not benefit the businesses in our counties, but will put us at risk, will threaten our groundwater, will damage or destroy 3 caves near us that are home to bats, including albino bats, will threaten 2 historical covered bridges and threaten or destroy several historical homes. We wish more had come out, but we did have media coverage and were told that more opposing public had gone in to the Open House. We heard that there was to be a peaceful “Sit In” during the last half hour of the Open House, however, we had to leave before it all broke up for the night. Our hope is that this profit making company will give up due to the opposition, the sensitive nature of the area they are trying to traverse, or due to the falling crude oil prices. Perhaps more states will follow New York’s lead and prevent fracking in their state for health and safety reasons.

December 18, 2014
Tis’ the Season

We are but a week from Christmas and the house is just today finally decorated. When we had kids or a grand in the house, I was always anxious to get the decorations up, but this year the spirit has been lacking. After Thanksgiving, I did unwrap my collection of Tom Clark gnomes and Santa gnomes, put up the two foot artificial tree with the Hallmark mini ornaments that used to adorn my office when I worked and pulled out the quilted and cross stitched wall hangings that my very talented sister in law and step mom had made for us years ago. Then I stalled. There was no Christmas music in the house, we weren’t listening to it in the car. The CD player took a power surge sometime after Christmas last year and quit, I changed to an Iphone with only 4 g memory and it is full of my non Christmas music, we don’t have a radio in the house except one that gets weather stations and emergency info, so no way to play the Christmas CDs. Today we finally decided to go out to get a tree and run some other errand and while I was in a store, Mountaingdad found the radio station that plays all Christmas music this time of year and I began to feel some spirit. The same SIL and step mom over the years had also given us a collection of cross stitched and quilted ornaments. Before we moved to the mountains, we had a 5 foot artificial feather tree that I decorated in the den with all of those ornaments given to us and our kids. Two of the kids have taken their box of ornaments, the third one is stored here and for the past several years, I have tried different ways to display those beautiful hand crafted gifts. The first year, I draped the loft railing with cut pine swag and hung them from that. The next year, I bought a vine swag and hung them from it, then left the vine swag up year round, changing the bows securing it to the railing with seasonal bows. Last year after Christmas, it was taken down as it had gotten so dusty and covered with dog hair that it no longer was attractive. While visiting family last week, I mentioned to step mom that I was thinking of getting a huge wreath and putting them on it. She asked why I don’t just get an artificial one and secure the ornaments well enough that the whole thing can be taken down after Christmas and put in a big plastic bag to store it until next year. Today, I did just that. We bought a huge wreath, a spool of red, green and gold plaid ribbon to make a bow and once home, I secured the ornaments to the wreath and fashioned a large bow.

It was hung on the center post of the loft this afternoon. While we were out, we went to one of the local tree farms and selected an 8 1/2 foot tree and a new stand as our old one had the screw in pins that had become so bent they wouldn’t hold up the tree.

A walk on a chilly day to pick the right one.

Waiting for the tree to be cut and taken to the car.
Home, in the stand and watered.

Each year since we met in 1977, we have bought an ornament for our tree. Sometimes they are Hallmark ornaments, but in recent years, they more likely represent a trip we have made or are hand crafted wood, pottery or metal. The years that one of our children were born, a baby’s first was also added and we have been given a dozen or so by parents or grown kids since then. The tree decorating was always a family affair and as it is just the two of us now, we joined together to get the tree decorated, joking about a few ornaments that one of us doesn’t like and where it will go on the tree. There are ancient strands of candy cane yarn roping that always results in a joking playful fuss. The lighted tree top star failed last year and we had returned from a cruise with Son #2 and family with a huge dried starfish. That became our new tree topper and was used again this year.

While preparing to get the decorations up today, I remembered that I could play the CDs on my laptop plugged in to my speaker that I bought to play music from the phone, so we had Christmas music! I even unpacked the rest of my Santa collection for the first time in several years. The house is decorated, awaiting Son#1 and family sometime next week to have Christmas dinner with us on the eve, a turkey and ham purchased today, and to be here for Christmas morning. The decorations will remain up for the grands from Florida to see when we arrive here on January 2nd or 3rd from helping them move. Daughter and I will pack them away after the first of the year. I finally have some spirit, but I still don’t know what Mountaingdad is getting for Christmas this year.

December 17, 2014
Chores

After a weekend away, it was back to work. Bed and bath linens needed changing and laundering. Clothes from our trip also needed laundering. The house was in need of a serious vacuuming to rid it of a thick layer of dog hair and that also necessitated dusting. We definitely need to get our fall HVAC servicing so we have a new filter. They unfortunately aren’t ones we can go buy locally and the accumulating dust tells me it is time for a change. The kitchen was given a thorough cleaning and reorganization of a couple of drawers and cabinets. The laundry room where my outdoor boots are stored and where we feed the dogs was scrubbed. One of the closets and bedrooms being readied for daughter and grands is done. There are still some items in the other closet that I need to relocate and after Son #1 and family are here for Christmas, we will move the dresser from that room and eventually get twin beds so that the grands can share the room at least until they are comfortable living here.

We didn’t leave the house today except to let the chickens out this morning and lock them up this evening.

I finally got our Christmas cards addressed and signed, they will be mailed off tomorrow.

There has been no knitting or spinning today at all. I finished the body of my sweater in the car on the way to Norfolk on Thursday and started on the sleeves, two at a time only to discover after about 3 inches that I had picked up the wrong needle size. That was ripped out and begun again once we were at my Dad’s house and between my knitting there and on the way home, I have about 8 inches of both sleeves done and most of the decreases. If I can get the last few inches knocked out in the next couple of days, I will have another hand knit sweater to keep me warm this winter. I do need to go out and find a large button for the single button neckline and while looking, see if I can find some new buttons for my winter coat. While in Virginia Beach, DIL asked me if I could repair a pair of baby mitts that I had made when the 3 year old was an infant. For some reason, one of them unraveled about an inch and the I cord holding them together had frayed and nearly come apart. As I had my needles with me, I reknit the end of the unraveled mitt, cut and spliced the I cord and handed them back to her. She thinks they got in the laundry with a load of clothes and said she would hand wash them if they have any more kids that will wear them.

Instead of crafting, I’m off to a clean bed in a clean house, with my book.

December 15, 2014
Holiday Thankfulness

We have just returned to our mountain farm from a few days with family elsewhere. We were fortunate enough to have a neighbor farm sit for us so we didn’t have to board the dogs, find someone to deal with the outdoor animals and worry about the house in our absence. This is the first time we have done it this way and it was such a relief to not have to worry about it all.

Our adventure took us away from here on Thursday morning to the coastal area of Virginia, though I have to admit, we never even drove down to the beach. I don’t miss it at all now that we are in the mountains. We spent 3 nights with my 91 year old Dad and my step-mom in their home in Norfolk, enjoying some quiet visiting time, a decorated house, and great meals. Saturday we spent all day with Son#2, our youngest and his family. Mountaingdad took grandson to see a previewing of Night in the Museum 3 on tickets that Son #2 and DIL had won on a radio contest. While they were off riding the light rail into Norfolk from the city line and in their movie, Son #2 gave me my first cheese making lesson. With his help and guidance, I successfully made my first pound of mozzarella cheese.

We used the cheese as a caprese salad as part of our lunch and it was delicious. We will see if I can make it again by myself at home. I am excited to have taken this step in being able to prepare another food we eat and will be able make it with local milk. If I master this one, I may move on to other cheeses.

Once grandson and Mountaingdad returned and we had lunch together, we celebrated our Christmas with their family. As they had made most of our gifts and as I had made some of theirs we opened each other’s gifts. Grandson immediately put on his Steelers hooded sweatshirt and wore it all day. We, as a family, walked over to their neighborhood park for him to launch his foam tipped rocket with the rubber band launcher then all met with Mountaingdad’s sister and her friend, plus my Dad and step-mom at a restaurant for a big family dinner together. After dinner, Son#2’s family with us went to a Winter Wonderland and Christmas decorated petting zoo to see the lights, the animated displays and the animals; goats, chickens, ducks, alpacas, llamas, a pot bellied pig and ponies.

Unfortunately, Santa had already left, but as we wandered out from our walking tour, we stopped by one of the many fire rings that they had set up for making S’mores and enjoyed the warmth on a chilly night.

This morning, after attending the lessons and carols Christmas service at the church I attended as a child and in which both we and our son were married, we returned across the state to our own bed in the mountains.

It was a wonderful way to spend a long weekend, having quality time with my Dad and with our youngest son and his family, spending time with the grandchildren that we see too infrequently. Now that our daughter is coming to live here and we know that our neighbor will farm sit if we all go away, perhaps we will be able to reestablish more contact with those grandchildren too.

Lovin’ life.

December 14, 2014
Hurray, Schedule Met

Sweater # 3, the largest of the three, finished last night.

Sweater #2, for his little sister.

Sweater #1, for one of their cousins.

Her brother prefers sweatshirts, so he gets a Steeler’s T-shirt and Sweatshirt. His other grandparents are Steeler’s fans so also is he. The eldest grand wears sweaters, but insisted that he didn’t need one this year. Perhaps that is for the best as making another even larger might have me knitting on Christmas eve. It wouldn’t be the first Christmas eve that I was frantically trying to finish a gift. I remember an afghan, a smocked nightgown, and a set of cross stitched placemats with matching napkins. There is a long tradition of me biting off more than I could chew while raising a family and working full time, but somehow it always got done. I don’t remember ever having to wrap a not quite finished gift with the promise to get it finished. But now I’m retired and seem to have even less time.

The doll quilts and pillows. These for the same two little girls mentioned above.

The Florida family’s gifts will be mailed off today for them to open on Christmas day, then pack for their move to Virginia. Generally, we leave here on Christmas day and drive to visit them for a week at Christmas. Next year, we will get to witness the Christmas morning excitement, hopefully with them and our Northern Virginia family who generally spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with us before driving to visit her family on the coast.

The only other request is for mittens, but they weren’t asked for to be delivered by Christmas and will be made to match/coordinate with Sweater #2 for the granddaughter who will be moving here the week after Christmas. She is Florida born and raised and may find Virginia winter a bit chilly for a while. Her mittens will be my flight and drive back project, as she won’t need them until she gets here. I couldn’t get them done in time to mail today anyway.

Today she would need them. It is mountain snow flurrying with strong gusty winds that penetrate all my layers except when I am wrapped in a fleece and my barn coat. Today I needed my long johns under my jeans, but didn’t think it would be that cold.

For now, I will return to my sweater, the body is nearly done except for the bottom ribbing and knitting and adding the sleeves. That will be my project for the next few days and perhaps I will have it ready to wear by Christmas. It is after all a lovely shade of green.

There are two more hand knit gifts this year, but the recipients often read my blog, so they shall remain . . .?

December 10, 2014