We had a nice family get-together on Saturday, but son, David, and his family couldn’t come as they were sick. Too many previous Christmas parties, I think! However, Bill and his family came, bringing daughter, Randie too. We had a nice time, stuffing ourselves with all the goodies, opening presents and more visiting. I’d made a beef roast and turkey breast plus homegrown veggies, of course. The two Hopi Pale Grey squash “pumpkin” pies were a hit as usual. This year, I added chopped pecans to one and a nice meringue to both. Pretty good, I’ve got to admit!
Bill had brought his trailer up at Thanksgiving, hauling a garage door my sister, Deb and her husband, had replaced. David’s garage door was toast, and he could hardly open it without danger of falling apart. Bill left the trailer here though, as he’d hauled it with their Bronco and it got horrible mileage. For a Christmas present, he and Will loaded up my big 4-wheel drive golf cart, which had quit working, to take home and repair in his heated garage. What a great Christmas present!
Randie is staying for the week, so we’ll be able to visit and tackle several projects. We might even take on a puzzle. I haven’t done one for months, as I’ve just been too busy. Last winter I was healing up from my second knee replacement and didn’t feel up to sitting and working a puzzle.
As our new seed catalog is out, we’re getting nice seed orders every day. Randie volunteered to help pack seeds. How nice!
Last night, we watched, for the first time, the movie, Blood Stripe, that David and his pickup-truck were in. The film was shot locally and the producer caught David at McDonalds, asking him if they could rent his truck for the star to drive in the movie. They also used him as an extra in the movie. (He’s the “second” hunter, looking kind of evil in his beard and sunglasses.) It was fun, seeing him and lots of local locations in the movie. (It was shot just a couple houses down from our friends, Sherri and John’s place.)
Will’s busy today, working on the truck’s snowplow pump, as it quit working entirely. No up and down. No side to side. Today is cold, with a high of 6 degrees F, but the sun’s out. He took it off and is now working on it in the living room. Hopefully, he’ll discover the problem and fix it. I have total confidence in him. — Jackie
We are glad to be home for New Year’s Eve. I’m recovering from foot surgery but enjoyed the afternoon with my daughters to celebrate early, plus it’s one of their birthdays. Nice restaurant, eat, drink, be merry, and head home before evening; a wonderful way to end the year.
My prayers are for Guidance every day, for myself and everyone. My hope is that inner guidance could be listened to/followed and make the world a better place.
We do not have snow here in the Des Moines, Iowa area, but the blizzard a few days ago closed I-35 from Ames to the Minnesota border because 50 mph winds blew flurries around. Temps are headed to near 50 after this weekend.
Happy 2026 to you, Jackie and Will, and to all!
Happy 2026 to you folks too! Our weather’s been cold but not too snowy so we’re fine and feeling totally at peace, here in the middle of the woods. I pray for world peace every single day as well as help for the innocents everywhere.
Happy New Year Jackie to you and Will. I received your catalog a couple of days ago.
Each evening I look and read your descriptions of all the seeds…marking off seeds that I will be ordering. Really enjoy reading it.
Hope Will can get that pump working soon this winter has been a dumping a lot of snow.
Sue
He’s getting there. He found a replacement unit in Facebook Marketplace for a reasonable price and yesterday, we all went for a short road trip to pick it up. Today, we went and got replacement switches for it as ours is older and the new one is much newer. We’re not worrying about getting more snow as there’s always the tractors or bulldozer if it got real tough. Happy New Year!!
Merry Christmas! I hope the coming years is all you want it to be.
Happy New Year!! We’re so easy. All we want is peace and to let life be life. We’re past the “must have stuff” stage. Years past.
I love seeing the family photos! The menu sounds wonderful and Im sure everyone had a great visit. It is so nice when our kids from away get to spend time with us. I hope you and Randie get to make some fun memories together. Will sure seems to be the Jack of all trades. What a blessing to have someone who is able to fix and repair stuff. My windshield washer quit working and my sweet nephew took my van to his heated shop and repaired it for me. He wouldn’t accept money for working on it or for the part. I am so blessed. I have received my seed catalog and am enjoying looking through it and planning my garden. Prayers for a blessed week.
Yes, Will is certainly a Jack of all trades! He seems to be able to figure out most everything and get it to work. As we don’t have a heated garage or shop, it was a huge blessing when son, Bill, took our broken down golf cart/garden mobile home to fix this winter!! Thanks so much for your prayers!!
Break downs in winter are the worst! It’s good that Will, Bill, and you all can fix most things yourself. So glad to hear you’re getting a week with your daughter, and had a good and blessed get together. I like puzzles too, just am reeallly slow at it lol. Thanks for sharing the family picture! My seed order to you was mailed yesterday, looking forward to getting it and planning the garden. May all have a peaceful and Healthy and Happy New Year!
Randie and I have been having fun. We baked gluten-free cookies and a chocolate cake for fun and sure have had a lot of good visiting. I’m not a whirlwind puzzle solver, but just keep working on them. Sort of like life, huh? Happy New Year!!
Happy New Year! We’ll spend a quiet night at home 12/31 and pray for peace in the new year. We feel blessed by our “relative” isolation. May you have a blessed New Year.
So will we. We used to go out early (meaning home by 6:00 pm) for appetizers and an adult beverage. Between the temps, some snow expected, and the flu going around, staying home by the wood stove has its appeal. Better half has a good meal planned for us (I don’t know what but he’s a good cook).
We feel hugely blessed to live way out in the middle of the woods, far away from hustle, bustle and crime. We, too, will be staying home tonight and not greeting the new year. Just also praying for world peace. Happy New Year!!
How great to have all most of the
Family and the daughter! This was the first year ever that I have not been in Iowa and my kids out west. Since I moved here last July, now I get the youngest grands, age 5 and 6 every Thursday and what fun we have baking and doing crafts! Gid has been good to me! Happy New Year
Having family around is so nice!! You have a very Happy New Year!!