Monthly Archives: December 2022

The Magic of Christmas

Thoughts On Life, , , , ,
Christmas scene

I love Christmas time! As wonderful as the present is, it’s nice to revel in some nostalgia and revisit old traditions. I think Christmas reawakens a little bit of the child in all of us. I remember Christmas’ past and experiences I shared with my mother who is long gone. I so enjoy getting out the Christmas decorations. They bring back so many memories.

The photo above is a time capsule of sorts. The Santas were given to me by many people and as I set them out, I have fond thoughts of each person who gave them to me. Several are from Lucinda, one of my group of college pals who met at Kent State University, Tuscarawas Campus in the early 1980’s. There were four of us girls who hung together over the years. We got together every year with families in tow, for a Christmas party up until a few years ago when two of the original four were no longer with us. Another of those Santas is from Tina who is one of the friends who has passed. There is a Santa and tree that is actually a salt and pepper shaker set. Those are from my stepfather Sam, who passed in 1995. The Mongolian Santa and the Nordic Santa are from my sister-in-law Annie. I am no longer married to her brother and don’t see her as often as I once did, but still consider her to be a great friend and all-around wonderful person. The little Noah’s Ark tree is from my husband’s family, and I find it to be adorable.

By the way, the painting on the wall was done by my husband. He made the frame too. Is he a talented guy, or what?

Christmas scene

This scene above resides on one of the two mantels in our house. Again, the Santas and the snow globe are from my friends Lucinda and Tina. Tina gave me the one holding all the puppies. She said it reminded her of me. Yes, my friends knew me well! I found the bells in my parents’ basement when we were cleaning out their house. I took them home because I loved them. The copy of the Currier and Ives print in the back is from Mumsey’s house. She was my first grandmother-in-law and I remember her fondly every time I look at this picture. This picture is in my office the rest of the year. I have always liked Currier and Ives (and winter), so I never put it away. The Santa holding the puppies is out in my office the rest of the year too. Just because it makes me happy.

Mr. Potato Head!

And speaking of Christmas memories, I used to ask for a Mr. Potato Head, but I never got one. I think my mom just forgot about it. Well, my nieces got a Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and what fun I had! The creation above is mine. This is what happens when you let a scientist play with toys. You end up with something weird and non-traditional looking, just because.

My friends, I wish each of you the magic of Christmas, whether it comes from fond memories or new experiences. I hope you are blessed with both with holiday season.

Books I Read in November 2022

Books & Reading, , , , ,
library book

November was a fun month! We had family from out of state visiting in the area for the Thanksgiving holiday. There were lots of visits to catch up and learn what is going on in each other’s lives. At our house, what is going on almost always involves dogs, cats, or gardens! That’s ok, most everyone in our extended family has dogs or cats, or at least has had them at some point. We also enjoyed lots of good food. My daughter hosted Thanksgiving for the first time. She and her boyfriend are both excellent cooks, so everyone was happy. Even the kids enjoyed homemade mac and cheese. With all these preparations and goings on, I still managed to make an acceptable dent in my reading stack.

  1. Forks Over Knives, the Cookbook-Del Sroufe (Non-fiction)

The Knives Over Forks movement started with a documentary pointing out the benefits of a whole food, plant-based diet (WFPB).  The documented results are amazing. As far as the cookbook goes, once you understand the basics, I think it is pretty easy to come up with recipes on your own. This book is a good place to start.

2. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe-Jenny Baylis

Elinor Noel owns a secondhand bookshop in London. She is from a small village where she attended school at Robinwood castle on scholarship. The old gang spends a week there before the wedding of one of them. Elinor reconnects with an old nemesis and even develops a romance with said nemesis. Of course, something goes wrong, and misunderstandings must be worked out. I only recently discovered this author, and her books immediately go on my “to read” list!

3. Boards & Spreads-Yasmin Fahr (Cookbook)

There are some recipes in this book, but it is mostly about assembling charcuterie boards. Most of them are things I make anyway, served on boards. Still, the book is worth looking at for the beautiful pictures alone.

4. Eat Like You Give a Fork-Marryat Ibrahim (Cookbook)

Contains new concepts of eating for your health. Even though the diet is not vegetarian, it is too restrictive for me. It also incorporates a lot of not so common foods. You would have to be very disciplined to make this diet work.

5. To All the Dogs I’ve Loved Before-Lizzie Shane

Elinor Rodrigues’ dog is an escape artist. She’s a quick-witted Australian Shepherd that can work levers and knobs. She also moves chairs to help her reach windows as an escape route. The chief of police, who is also Elinor’s ex-fiancé, chases the dog around town and returns her many times. Elinor and Levi, the police chief have been best friends most of their lives. Now, Elinor is just so mad at him. Can they move past it? An enjoyable read

6. Bloomsbury Girls-Natalie Jenner

Evie Stone, whom we met in The Jane Austen Society, is discharged from her position at Cambridge College. She takes a job at the Bloomsbury Bookshop in London. There she meets coworkers Vivien and Grace, as well as an Indian gentleman, Ash Ramaswamy, who also works there. The women struggle to be respected, as does Ash, being in a foreign land. They become friends and work together, with support from unexpected places, to take control of their lives.

7. Peg and Rose Solve a Murder-Laurien Berenson

This is a new spin on the Melanie Travis mysteries. The main characters in this book are Melanie’s Aunts Peg and Rose. They have a history of getting along like oil and water. Still, the ladies manage to team up to join a bridge club and solve a murder. They may also be on the way to forming a friendship. I look forward to reading more installments in this branch of the mystery series.

Magazines: Cottages & Bungalows (2), Country Living

It’s hard for me to pick a standout from this month’s list. If you want to stretch your mind a little, I recommend Bloomsbury Girls. It concerns racism and the repression of women while still being fun. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe and To All the Dogs I’ve Loved Before are both fun romance novels although the former, also addresses racism. I think you would be happy with any of these fiction choices for a nice relaxing time. Then again, maybe you want to pick a Christmas themed novel since the month is upon us. If you have a good one, let me know about it!

Hiking with 5 Dogs

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, , ,
Hiking scenery
Zekie enjoys the hike.

I’ve been enjoying hiking again now that fall is here. I even hiked when my husband and daughter went on vacation, and I was hiking with the dogs by myself. The photos in this post are from hikes I took back in October while my family was away. That’s why there are still leaves on the trees in these pictures. The leaves here in Ohio have been down for a while now.

At the water's edge.
At the water’s edge.

I was quite proud of myself on these hikes. I took all five dogs by myself! I had to choose carefully where I was going to go each time so there would be enough room for that many dogs. I tried to pick trails that were very wide and little used. I also have coupler that allowed me to hook Zekie and Claire to one leash. This helped immensely. When Claire stopped to sniff something, Zekie pulled her along. This kept each dog in their allotted position and helped to limit tangled leads.

Shelties
Zekie and Claire on their coupler and leash.

Each of my dogs knows where I expect them to walk. Baxter, Shelby, and Claire always walk to my right with Shelby sometimes behind me if she is tired or the trail is narrow. Cassius and Zekie always walk on my left-hand side. I am not usually alone to walk all five at once, but with some minor modifications and communications, we figured it out.

Any time I walk dogs on my own, usually three of them, and they get out of their assigned position, I correct them and send them back to the expected spot. This saves on rearranging leashed on normal walks and was a great help when I took on five dogs!

Cherry Blossom Trail at West Brach State Park

I even tried a new trail that I had never been on before. That wasn’t in my plans, but when I got to the trail I intended to walk, someone was unloading a horse from a trailer, getting ready to go for a ride. I didn’t want to deal with all the dogs AND a horse and rider. I don’t think the rider wanted that either. So, we drove a little farther and went on a nearby trail called the Wild Black Cherry Loop at West Branch State Park. It was a very nice trail. There was woods and shoreline both to be enjoyed. There was a bit more up and down hills than I preferred when handling extra dogs, but we made it work.

West Branch State Park
View of the water at West Branch State Park.

The water views were beautiful. I can’t believe we never went on this trail before. It wasn’t very long at just a little over a mile, but we saw different types of terrain and woods and water views. There is another trail that splits off called the Club Moss Trail. It is less than a mile and if I hiked both of them, it would end up being about the distance we like to hike. So, that is an adventure for another day.

Hiking dogs
Baxter and Cassius

I stopped a few times for a photo op and Baxter and Cassius wanted to know what was up. There is no way I can walk five dogs and take pictures. I am good at multitasking, but not when traveling over tree roots and up and down hills.

West Branch
Evening view.

It’s turned out to be a good thing that it was a short walk. We went later than usual, and the sun started to go down about three quarters of the way through. This provided some lovely scenery, and I knew we weren’t far from the parking lot. The lateness did keep us moving at a good clip. Since we had never been on this trail before, I was relying on the trail blazes to chart our course. At certain points on the trail, I had to stop and look for blazes because I couldn’t tell which direction the trail took. This was of little concern to me because I knew we were less than a quarter mile from the car at any point since the trail was a loop. If it came to it, I could use the compass on my phone and find the campground road by walking due north. I did always manage to find that blue blaze and continue on.

Water view
View near sunset.

The angle of the sun as it began to set, gave the leaves a beautiful glow. I would highly recommend this trail. I think it does get a lot of use since it is within walking distance from the campground. Still, we only saw three people while we were there and two of them were hiking together.

We keep track and we managed to get in 22 hikes in each October and November. I am guessing we will not do as well in December. There are likely to be days when it is too cold or wet to walk. We are good to go down to about 15-20 degrees. Below that, you will find us at home with a cup of tea and a good book.