Is This Really Winter?

Bah humbug, this is one of those posts that published before anything was ready...

What I wanted to share is this is one of those days that makes me wonder if it's really winter...mild (48 right now), breezy, not a cloud in the sky.

The sound of the creek from the deck compelled me to take a walk down below, take a look-see and listen up close...

...I love the sound of the fresh running water, and the look of the glistening sun...

...it was so beautiful I decided to video the splendor so you might enjoy it too (you may need to click on the link at the top of the email to see the video)...

Tomorrow I head out early on my road trip to spend Christmas with Liam...excitement doesn't describe how I feel...

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Harvesting Green Bean Seeds

It was a great feeling to be "working the garden" again so to speak, even though the garden itself is "resting" for the winter.  At the end of October we hung the green bean vines in the basement so the bean pods could dry.  Today we shelled the dried pods to save the seeds for our 2014 Spring garden. 

Some of the pods dried beautifully (note the one on the right), some shriveled up into nothingness (on the left)...

...and some got eaten by the mice (much to our surprise but we shouldn't have been surprised because the little scavengers will eat anything and everything available during the winter)...

It was easy to pull the dried beans from the stalks, and though the leaves look somewhat fresh, they were dry and crispy (just what we wanted)...

...we collected 3 separate baskets of pods...Striker, Pole and Bush beans...

...and carefully removed the seeds from the pods.

...and put them in a bowl, culling out any bad looking seeds...

...and stored them in clean, labeled glass jars with a small envelope of instant dry milk (a recommendation we read about but had not added those envelopes yet) which is supposed to soak up any moisture in the bottles.

Until spring, rest well bean seeds!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

'Lil Snow...

...better than no snow!  I was giggling this morning when I realized we had snow on our ramp railing, which caused me to look up and see teeny tiny snowflakes falling ...

 ...it didn't amount to much, nor did it last for long, but I was tickled by the very thin layer that coated our deck.

I've been repeating my mantra every chance I get...

...and enjoying my snowflake lights that Johny hung for me.

Thinking positive...I'm dreaming of a white Christmas (even though I'll be in FL with Liam and the girls)...one can always hope!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Ice Crystals for Santa

 We've yet to get any snow at our place, but we do have ice crystals forming everywhere...

...and a little needle ice...

 ...and large frost crystals...it's quite beautiful, but makes me long even more for a blanket of snow...

The good news is it hasn't stopped Santa from coming to town...our friend Ronnie Dean is here visiting his mom and dad (Ron and Bertie).  He's donning his Santa suit and hat to talk with all the boys and girls at the Teen Challenge of the Smokies thrift store.  Here he is with Norma, the store manager, taking the opportunity to tell Santa what a good girl she's been!

Not only does Santa listen to your Christmas list wishes, but he serenades with his gentle voice and acoustic guitar...

Even the babies loved sitting on Santa's lap!

Sooooo...I better watch out, I better not cry, I better not pout, even if there's no snow fallin' from the sky, Santa Claus is coming to town!



Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

My Songbird

I love Christmas music...I've told you before I start listening on the drive to my family's Thanksgiving gathering and play until the day after Christmas or even New Year's Day...my absolute favorite CD is by my daughter Erin...

 ...she recorded it with the help of her friend Carlos when they were in high school and gave it as a gift to everyone in 2001...

...I wish I could figure out how to put it onto my computer and then upload it for you to hear, because she sings like a songbird.  I get choked up every time I listen to it...she makes every song sound that much better!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Cracked Windshield

My windshield cracked on my drive to Florida last week...I have no idea when it happened, but I was at one of the rest areas along the road when I noticed it.  Not a big crack, but a crack (you can see it in the middle of the photo). 

I'm glad it wasn't a big crack, because I went through a touchless car wash and was getting pounded by the water when all of a sudden I remembered the crack and all I could think to myself was "I hope this thing doesn't implode"...it didn't!

I called our insurance carrier and they arranged to have Safelite Auto Glass come repair it.  This is the technician Rob working on the new windshield...

...and beginning to take the cracked windshield out...what a process!

We discovered a mouse nest inside the the plastic cover that surrounds the windshield near the engine...

...these critters will call anyplace home!

Rob was a friendly guy and we chatted while he worked...

...now that is a look of concentration!

It was a little "painful" to watch...sometimes the sound of the tools separating the glass from the glue reminded me of the same feeling I have at the dentist...

Before I knew it, the cracked glass was removed...

...and Rob was preparing the edge for the new primer and glue...

He used this dandy 1-tek contraption to move the new glass into position to ensure a good fit...

...placed the glue on the prepared surface...

...and made sure there would be no miniscule bubbles that would cause leaks...

On went the new windshield...

...and voila, my shiny new windshield!  Thanks Rob, great job!

I've never had a cracked windshield before, have you?

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise