Thursday, December 25, 2014

Christmas Day in pictures

Finally, the great Midwestern sky...


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Casting blue streaks over the farmette...


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I'm on my way to my daughter's place for the family Christmas gathering. Both girls are here with their husbands. Their father is here as well. Predictably, everyone wants to see the nursery...

Right now, this one is the family littlest one, but not for long...


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Presents! Let's get to them! Islay scarves anyone?


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Ocean author with the littlest one...


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Food prep time. Check the recipe!


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Quick! We need garlic!


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Seven of us at the table...


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Could not ask for more perfect daughters...


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...ever.

And to all a good night.

Christmas Day

This morning, if I were to pick a song that would be most fitting to the occasion, I would, perhaps pick this one -- A Christmas Wish, sung by Kermit the Frog:







Remarkable that I should be here, scribbling away (yes, scribbling! typing quickly is a form of scribbling!) even as the breakfast dishes are still dripping water after their quick wash. And here's a small bonus (or burden, depending on how you look at it) -- this isn't my main post. I should be good for the usual evening one that summarizes what happened in this rather quiet corner of the planet. But I did think that it would be rather unfriendly of me to write then "Merry Christmas" (for those who observe the holiday) when most people are actually long done with the celebration and are in fact looking to move on. I know some people -- me, for example -- who stop listening to holiday music the minute the last wisp of desert is licked off the Christmas dinner plate. So what good is it to turn to blogs and learn that someone at that point sends you their best wishes for a Merry Christmas?

I only have a minute though. The northerners are nearly here and, too, I made a deal with Ed -- he'll let me trim his beard if I first do yoga and so I must do some modicum of poses to satisfy my part of the bargain.

The morning has been a wonderful blur of beauty. Perhaps you don't see it. Nothing stands out. There was a morning visit with the cheepers...


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(the girls all left gifts for us today and yes, Scotch consistently lays the largest egg...)


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And there was breakfast. Oh! But let me pause a little here, because breakfast was in fact different. Not elaborately so, but I did take out my creamy white place mats and I pretended we had good table manners and put out napkins as well (the sleeve wont do for Christmas!). And our store had this week a wonderful, wonderful brioche which is so very perfect for French toast that I made some and we both had it for breakfast -- accompanied by the yummy honey rhubarb that I cooked up this past spring when our rhubarb was exploding.


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So we're off to a good start.

But the real beauty to the morning came a few minutes later when there was a real break in the clouds and I jumped up with my camera to catch it before it slipped away and I would have no proof of its appearance. Here it is:


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Yes, a wisp of sunshine!

That's enough! I need no other present from this day.

Well fine, I'll take that family gathering at my daughter's house. Oh, but let me not jump ahead. I really did just want to wish you a delightfully merry Christmas! I hope it rocks to the rhythm of your soul!


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