Auld Lang Syne

Happy New Year!!

Welcome new readers and old!

I'm happy you stopped by.

There are so many hundreds of thousands of blogs

out there 

and

the fact that you stopped here,

means an 

awful lot to me.

This year 

will be prove to be

amazing in so many ways.

I can just feel it.

I believe we will see things we've never seen before,

do things we never dreamed of doing

and 

be ever so surprised

at the conclusion

of

“May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.” - Joey Adams

Peace and Love to All

‎"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." - Norman Vincent Peale

 Oh, the magic of Santa Claus and the North Pole... in the eyes of a three year old.

We, Darling Granddaughter, Oldest Son and Dear Daughter-in-law, Dear Daughter-in-law's Family and Hubby and I

went to the North Pole.

We rode on an old train that was built in 1923.

No, it wasn't this train.

But, it was this train--below.

Dear Daugher-in-law, Darling Granddaughter and Oldest Son

Wooden Soldier stood guard near the entrance.

Mr. Conductor took our tickets.

After traveling through time, indulging in a Snickerdoodle and sipping hot cocoa

 we arrived at the North Pole.

I do believe the beautiful and quite raucous 

singing of 

Christmas Carols

led Santa to our train car.

The Jolly Man had a beautiful Golden Bell for each Youngster...

Pink Christmas Tree and Holiday Village

There are certain perks to being grandparents.  We can bestow upon our Sweet Granddaughter the wishes she wishes for.  And the current wish was for a Pink Christmas Tree.  Isn't this,            Cotton-Candy-Sweet?                                             I think so.                                                        She has it in her bedroom and the glow of pink lulls her to sleep.

Victorian Village

I have a collection of Christmas Villages and so I look forward to setting up my little winter scene.

I love life in miniature.  Don't you?

I'll have more to post tomorrow--we are going for a ride

on the 

Polar Express!

Have a lovely day.

Christmas Elves and Nutcracker Suite

Lucinda, the Christmas Elf has been watching over Mi Casa.

She is getting a bit frantic over the fact that I haven't

done any Holiday Baking, yet.

I've reminded her

that I have, for the past week, 

been hobbling around with a still injured heel.

Waiting for 

The Dishwasher to be installed.

Wrapping specially chosen gifts

for loved ones

and

taking a cello lesson.

I'm afraid she just may

decide to do the baking herself.

I noticed earlier, The little Deutsch dancers were 

merrily

doing a polka

 while 

the woodcutters cut wood.

Hehe, that reminds me of the tongue twister:

How much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Meanwhile, winter has come to Arizona.  

The higher elevations were covered in a 

 blanket of snow.

 We, in the lower desert

enjoyed lots of rain

and the rare chance to see the snow-covered

mountains without any 

interference from the schmutzy air, we typically have.

I'm afraid my puppies did not like the deep puddles  

they had to wade through to do their.. ahem.. biz.

Miss Ivy in the rain.

The Puddles

Miss Madeline

My agenda from here on out 

is to

get organized for the coming 

days of

birthdays and

Christmas

and a trip.

More on that later...

Auf Weidersehn

"It came upon a midnight clear,

That glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth,

to touch their harps of gold:

'Peace on the earth, goodwill to men

From heavens all gracious King!'

The world in solemn stillness lay

To hear the angels sing."

~written by Edmund Hamilton Sears in 1849

Do you hear them singing?

I think I do... their voices are 

clear and ringing in

the cold winter night's air.

Did you know nearly every full moon brings 

crystal clear skies and

crisp, cold air?

I don't know if it's a scientific fact or not,

but merely an observation

by one who is

quite adversely affected 

by

lunar nights. 

I don't exactly go outside and howl, 

but

I am afraid I lie awake

for 

half the night

as the brilliantly lit 

moon

illuminates the night.

We are in for some

welcome weather

over the next couple days.

Abundant rain in the desert

and

oodles of snow

in the mountains.

I'll try to capture some

images 

to share.

Until next time....

P.S. Today would have been my grandma's 

108th birthday...

❤

It's Beginning to Look A Little Like.....

Christmas.

We even had cold enough temperatures

for snow flurries...if 

there was enough moisture in the

air.  

Alas, it is a dry cold.

❅

Darling Granddaughter decided the other night,

that candy canes ought not

to be 

hung on the Little Christmas Tree.

She took each Peppermint Candy

off

and held them all in a bouquet in

her 

bitty 

Almost Three Year Old Hand.

'Twas adorable.

The Little Tree, 

now right side up and sparkling with the playful ornaments from My Kids'

childhood collections.

Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Baba Chaghaloo, Saint Nicholas, St. Nick, Weihnactsmann,
Babbo Natale, Santa Claus

Santa is a bit like a sorcerer, don't you think?

I mean, he would have to be

of some magical essence

in 

order to

shower the children of the world

with 

toys of their wishes~all in one enchanted night.

But, I do have a question....

How is it, that with "the list"--you know the one--

Little Johnny Next Door, who was rather naughty

this year, received the new bike he wanted 

and

Little Katie, who was rather sweet this year, didn't receive

what

she asked for,

but found a box of marbles instead?

'tis somewhat like

certain

big banks...

Just something to ponder.....

I 

believe.

I believe in Peace and Joy.

❅

Today is December 1st.

I know I'm

struggling with the issues at hand and they 

consist of the world, seemingly at the brink of something

and 

on a more personal level

I am injured from

running yesterday morning

and

can't do much walking.

I want to put my all 

into

making the spirit of this Christmas

envelope each and every one of 

you.

My Special People.

Hubby strung up the Christmas lights and I am limping back and forth with the 

ornaments and decorations

for the currently unadorned tree, to make it all sparkly and festive.

I've been planning the menu for the Christmas Eve dinner.  

I plan to bake some special confections to delight the taste buds and if my injury allows,
I hope to 

make some lefsa this year.

If I can't do it,

I must place an order for this Norwegian treat, soon.

Haha...I made a big face-blushing, mistake.  I put the little Christmas tree together---upside down.  This little tree has been with us for quite some time and the layers of branches are numbered

 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.   

Well, 1. belongs at the top, but I put it at the bottom...and you can imagine how it looks, now.  

This makes me wish I had trudged out into the deep snow (if only we had snow--just once) to bring home a real Charlie Brown type tree, rather than the fake, always perfect (if put together properly) holiday tree.

Hubby is fixing it for me.

On a brighter note, we are getting clouds!

Lots of clouds and rain drops.

We could even have freezing temps by the weekend.

It's probably as close to a real winter, 

 we'll ever get.

A Holiday Mission

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic these days.  

This time of year tends to bring a longing for the idyllic Norman Rockwell feeling.  

 The Currier & Ives picture-perfect scenery.  

Who are Norman Rockwell and Currier & Ives, you ask? 

I suppose they could be branded as propaganda for living a life of bliss and utter idealism.  

Imagine, if you will, the family- mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, a passel of kids and perhaps the jovial uncle- all spiffed up in holiday attire, laughing and singing carols, while gathered around the dazzling Christmas tree, which is nearly lost in the abundance of neatly wrapped presents piled beneath it.  A peek outside, you might see snow sprinkled on the moon lit snow, like powdered sugar on grandma's homemade Aebelskivers. 

Of course, I haven't experienced a holiday quite like this in
a
very
long
time
and try as I might,
even when I lived in the snow covered mid-west,
I couldn't replicate this lovely scene.
Not quite.

As a child, My Mom would work hard to create a beautiful Christmas scene, complete with
the sweet aromas of sugar cookies and homemade lefsa
(I won't mention the nose-crinkling odor of lutefisk)
and
we kids would go to bed with visions of sugarplums, definitely doing a jig in our heads.

 And, I'm quite certain we heard sleigh bells up on the roof top-- at least twice.  

You see, I live in the desert now and
'tis challenging to feel
Bing Crosby's, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas,
or
Baby It's Cold Outside
(one of my personal favs),
because in the desert,
it is neither white nor cold outside. 

I do believe, 

I will make it my holiday mission, 

*

this 

year, to 

go out and 

recapture that

warm feeling of

f a m i l y and joy and

hope in all things, good.

B e c a u s e, to be t r u t h f u l,
We all need a bit of comfort and 

joy.

***
***
***

Oak Hill Cemetery

"There'll be two dates on your tombstone.  And all your friends will

read 'em.

But all that's gonna matter

is that

little 

dash between 'em."

I'm a bit late in the posting of my visit to the cemetery near our house in Minnesota. 
Youngest son and Hubby accompanied me on my adventure to Oak Hill Cemetery. 
I have a confession.
I love visiting cemeteries.
I don't know if you have ever had that feeling? 
I'm intrigued with the stories.  While they aren't exactly etched into the gravestones, they leave  a smidgeon of information for the visitor to create their own hypothesis.

It was a fair hike into the forest, before we came to the tiny, old graveyard.  

Lovely fall day, it was!

A very old head stone.  I can't quite recall, but I think it dated back to the 1800s.

Simply says

At Rest

Indeed.

  

I am sure I was being watched. 
I felt a cold breath on my neck and I quickly turned around. 
Nothing.  My imagination. 

Right?

The date on this headstone
is 

September 11, 1913

I
find dates
to be
very interesting.
Don't you?
For instance, did you know,
1913
was the very year
the world's
richest
bank(st)ers
 created the
Federal Reserve?
Just a handful of old men..err..rich old men
created this
private bank.
But, that's
another
conversation.

Carrie Krantz
Born 1885
Died 1909
Only twenty-four years old.
What story would you contrive?

What's that?
I am sure I felt something....
chilly....

Up there?

Time
to
go home.
Youngest son and Hubby
went on ahead
while I snapped photos
and untangled
myself
from the
long boney fingers
reaching up
through
the tall grasses.

But, before I go...
W h a t   i s   y o u r   d a s h?

Are the
few residents
at this
lonely old cemetery
 remembered?
 Are their stories ever told?

Flowers
at the sites
weren't
to be found.
Where are their families?

“In the space between yes and no, there's a lifetime. It's the difference between the path you walk and the one you leave behind; it's the gap between who you thought you could be and who you really are; its the legroom for the lies you'll tell yourself in the future.”~Jodi Picoult  A Change of Heart