We've had a lovely hawk visit us for the last several months. I'm especially grateful for his (her?) consumption of mice, voles and rabbits. A week ago we had below zero temps and the hawk is not as present. Now we have a rabbit that is enjoying our back yard, at least until Gretchen comes out.
Rusty has spent lots of time in the shop working on my Christmas presents. He emulates his Uncle Jeff with the naked-apron look.
Each year the Nebraska State Capital has an artist produce a Christmas ornament that replicates a particular element of the building. I've been collecting them for several years and requested that Rusty build a display rack specifically for these ornaments.
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| A beautiful Christmas present for me! |
On a clear night in early December, with a giant full moon, we drove into the country and dined at Prairie Plate with friends. It is a farm-to-table restaurant with limited seating and wonderful food.
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| Susan, Rusty, Di, Kerry, Deb, Clayton |
On a very cold, snowy, and icy night, we ventured out to celebrate with the Just Cruisin' Bike group.
Two of our lady riders are wearing slings because of shoulder injuries from the bike. Thank goodness I'm not one of them!
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| lots of good eats! |
Mom gave us a gift card to Rudy's, which is a remarkable, local kitchen store in Twin Falls. I've long wanted to try making paella, so we bought the basic necessities. Paella is a Spanish dish involving seafood and saffron rice. It requires and exceptionally large pan for the many ingredients.
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| The process begins with lots of chopping of fresh ingredients. |
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| Chicken thighs are marinated in seasoning and then carefully browned. |
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| Onions, garlic, red bell peppers and parsley get sautéed, |
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| Valencia rice is added. |
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Then lots of chicken broth, saffron and a little tomato.
Then shrimp, clams and muscles are tucked down deep. |
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| The final step includes beans, peas and artichoke hearts. |
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| Prosciutto and melon appetizers. |
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| Lou and Karl |
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| Karen and David |
Nearly everyone had second helpings, so it must have been good. Thanks, Mom!
Chris started our annual Christmas tea 26 years ago. As always, she is a lovely and gracious host, and this year was no exception despite her stressful life. We were sorry to not have our dear friend Kathie join us and are hoping for better days for her in the near future.
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| Fashionable in our hats, Di, Linda, Lorraine and Jan |
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| In blue and wearing her fascinator, our lovely host Chris! |
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| Examining the beautiful table. Scones, tea, finger-sandwiches, cookies, etc. |
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| Time out for a small oops! |
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| This year's book was a Caldecott winner, Beekle. |
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| We all enjoy taking turns reading pages from the book aloud. |
I know how lucky I am to have such dear, lifelong friends. As we grow older and several of us have big issues to deal with, it's especially nice to find warmth in the hearts of dear friends!
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| Rusty and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the White family on Christmas Eve. |
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| table is set... |
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| food is ready... |
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| tree is trimmed...presents wrapped...fire built... |
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| Michelle, Anna, Celeste |
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| Xavier and Celeste |
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| Dragon and Unicorn |
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| Presents for all! |
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| Celeste gets busy with her new toys. |
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| Jeff catches a few zzzzzzz. |
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| Gretchen and Anna share a kiss. |
Clayton and Susan Streich hosted Christmas dinner for those of us whose kids have flown the coop.
It was a lovely turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. We enjoyed playing a challenging board game called NAQ.
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| Marni, Jeff and Susan |
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| Rusty and Clayton |
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| Our Just Sayin' Team Leader, Shari. |
Last year one of my goals was to ride over 1000 miles on my bike. I easily exceeded that with over 3500 miles for 2016--and no broken bones! We'll see what happens in 2017.
