Wrapping Up 2017

 

 Blowing out the Advent candles
on the First Day of Christmas

This little grandson is almost as angelic as he looks.

Joyce, our dear Hodgepodge anchor, the one who weekly gives us something to write about, is taking a wee, much-deserved break. I, on the other hand, who only seems to be able to write a blog post for Wednesdays these days anyway, decided to go ahead and put something in the Hodgepodge spot. How I'll come up with something without her clever prompts, I don't know. Just bear with me.

I've decided to post a few photos of our Christmas. Two of our sons and their sons were with us on Christmas Eve and returned for Christmas Day. We had our usual fare of New England clam chowder and popovers for dinner on Christmas Eve, followed by leftovers (of the same) on Christmas Day - along with some treats I'd made.

This is why we have a photo archives.

It has looked exactly like this, every Christmas Eve, for years!

I don't have a good photo of the popovers, but they were delicious, if I do say so myself. Actually, credit goes to Betty Crocker and her 1969 cookbook. They're incredibly easy to make, puff up nice and high in the hot oven, and everyone loves them (slathered with lots of heart-healthy butter, of course). :-) 

This is how Tommy & Smokey spent Christmas

Lazy, good-for-nothing, much-loved members of the family

Most of the family will be gathering here next weekend for New Year's, so I'll be sure to take some photos of 'the boys' playing board games at that time. I was so engrossed in watching 'The Muppets' Christmas Carol' (LOVE Rizzo the Rat - did you know he has 1,274 brothers and sisters?) and 'White Christmas' (LOVE Bing Crosby - did you notice that he has the bluest eyes!) with Oliver, that I completely forgot to take a photo of two of our sons at the kitchen table with board games surrounding them. I know, I'm a bad mom. But I do feed them pretty well.

He was a VERY good boy this year and a real charmer!

And in case I forget to mention it, the video last week and this are all the fault of Sandra (MadSnapper) who got me thinking about posting videos. Okay, I promise I won't post too many (very subjective, that). And I'm sure I'll catch one of the other grandkids or even the kittens next weekend. For now, here's the pre-reader, totally engrossed in ancient Egypt, or whatever it is he's telling Grandpa about from those pages!

It was -15 F this morning. Good thing we have a fire in the stove and are blessed with Cuddl Duds, polar fleece, and Christmas cookies.

 From the archives.

There's nothing sitting on the stove this morning

because I built a fire in it!

I don't know if I mentioned in an earlier post (probably not) that Mr. C. and I celebrated our...Forty Eighth wedding anniversary this month. I know. I know. It makes a shiver run up my spine. When I was younger, I couldn't even imagine people living as long as my parents had when they celebrated their twenty-fifth! 

 It scares me too, to see how young we were.

This was taken in early 1972
Scroll to the end to see Mr. C. today

And we're still married! Incredible, isn't it.

Only by the grace of God...
Really. 

And as it happened, we were on the way to Arizona on the actual date of our anniversary, so when we got back into MSP and had returned sweet Glenn to his home (and the rest of his waiting family) west of the Twin Cities, I suggested to Mr. C. that we make our usual stops to celebrate this momentous occasion:

 Brit's Pub, Minneapolis

for, of course

Fish & Chips

Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis

Basilica, interior

 Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul, Minnesota

Cathedral, interior

Coffee and dessert at Cafe Latte, St. Paul

This photo was taken last year, but the only change was that Mr. C.'s dessert was some sort of double chocolate flourless cake. Mine was the much healthier option, fruit tart. LOL No kidding, I have to restrain myself not to order two pieces. I've thought about making one of those, but I probably should only eat it once a year anyway...

So that, along with having a nice looong trip to Arizona with our son and his son (last week's Hodgepodge), takes us to this, the THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS. Let me know if your Three French Hens don't arrive. The USPS is notoriously unreliable this time of year.

 by Warren Kimble

via surroundyourself.com

Have a wonderful Wednesday. See you next week with the Hodgepodge, if not before.

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Mr. Naughty

Doesn't he just look the picture of trouble??!!

(You'll find Mrs. Nice pictured above - sprouting angelic wings)

I'm sure that humor has been one of the greatest assets God has given this marriage,

besides all those gifts from God that usually come to mind.

Hodgepodging A Thousand Words

 Although it's going to be in the 80s today,
it's starting to look very fallish out there.

 Join Joyce and the Gang
for

She writes the questions;

we write the answers.

Plug them into your own blog post

and join in!

 We've been seeing and hearing flocks of geese

and sandhill cranes in our neighborhood this week.

I love it!

And this early morning there was a doe and her fawn

under our apple tree.

1. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

I certainly always hoped so, when I was a kid and had to write a paper for English class.

But actually, yes, I do think so, especially for poor writers. :-)

 Something to ponder.

Something to praise God for.

And Grandpa got a giggle out of this three year old!

2. Have you ever driven any part of the Pacific Coast Highway? If so what was your favorite stop? If not, is this sort of trip on your bucket list?

Yes, many years ago. My favorite stop was the airport and returning home. Even back then, California seemed like a foreign country. If I had any aspirations of visiting before it breaks off into the ocean, I'd probably better do it sometime soon. But it's definitely not high on my bucket list. I'm more interested in traveling the eastern coast.

 Antique railroad freight wagon

Rice Lake, WI

3. How do the changing seasons affect you? As the seasons change do you find yourself looking more forward or backward? Which season-season transition bothers you most? Why do you suppose that is? 

I love having four distinct seasons here in Wisconsin. I love the change from summer to fall and the change from spring to summer. But fall to winter is depressing because winters are so very long up here, and winter to spring is still very cold, wet, and dreary. So let's go back to thinking about May, June, July, August, September, and October. They're beautiful here in Wisconsin. And we do need snowy December for Christmas.t

 Our Four Seasons

Can you see why I like fall and summer better?

4. It's your birthday and you get to pick the dinner menu. What are we having? Do you ever lie about your age?

I would choose fish and chips at The Cricketers pub in Canterbury. And no, there's little point in lying about my age. My hair and wrinkles tell it all. I doubt anyone would believe me if I said I was 29. or 39. or 49. or 59!!!  Yikes. I never dreamed I'd live to be so old. 

My daughters and their mother

5. What's a life lesson you've learned recently?

As God's image bearers on the earth, reflecting his image to the world, we can look at Jesus (not anyone else) to determine how we're doing as image bearers.

Philippians 2:6: 'who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.'

   

As God's image bearer, does my life have the remotest resemblance to Jesus' life?

What do we most want our children and grandchildren to learn about God? If we are God's image bearers, what of his character are we reflecting to them? Are we reflecting a true image as Jesus did, or a distorted image? And because of it, how will they perceive God? So back to your first question, 'Is a picture worth a thousand words?' I'd say that in the case of parenting and grandparenting, it most definitely is. And I pray to be aware of it every day.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

We're so grateful that Hurricane Irma wasn't as devastating as initially predicted. That doesn't mean, of course, that we'll stop praying for those who lost so much and are left homeless and/or without electricity and with such a huge mess to clean up in Florida, or those who were and are affected by the storm and its aftermath as it moved farther north.

And a little more random:

 Tommy & Smokey, of course.

 ***

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Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Hodgepodging Neverland

Photos from our walk along Fifth Avenue

on Monday evening

Join Joyce and the Gang

for

 

She writes the questions;

we write the answers.

Plug them into your own blog post

and join in!

1. What color is prominent in your home?  Light brown or dark brown, depending upon how much gets dragged in on everyone's shoes. Are you glad about that or wishing you could cover it up or remove it? I can remove it, but it's a neverending job.

2. What's something you'll NEVER do again?

I will never again wallpaper a wall, unless I can't get this miserable wallpaper off. Then it will be my only option. Why is it that when you carefully follow instructions before applying wallpaper SO THAT it can be removed later, a mere 28 years on, it just won't come off!

3. Tell us a couple of ways you fit the stereotypes associated with your gender, and a couple of ways you don't.

a. I just can't believe the disrespect shown by the younger generation (I kinda think every generation thinks that, don't they.) b. I think that all the years and life experience ought to count for something besides getting one step closer to the nursing home.

a. I take responsibility for my own health and don't want to run to the doctor to give me a pill to fix whatever - well, except for putting in a hip implant, although I might just as well have done the first one myself. Thank goodness for the cream of the crop specialists at Mayo Clinic in Rochester who can fix almost anything.  b. I try to keep up with technology in communication, but I don't tweet and I don't do Facebook. Hmmm. Maybe I need to reconsider my answer.

4. May is Motorcycle Awareness Month. Have you ever owned a motorcycle? I think I might have, years ago. Ever ridden a motorcycle? Yes, in the Bolivian jungles. If the opportunity presented itself would you hop on a motorcycle and go for a ride? Maybe, wearing full armor and driving on a road with no traffic, except perhaps for an Amish horse and buggy. I've often thought it would be fun to take scooters through the Driftless Area of Wisconsin (SW). It's gorgeous there - I'd want to drive something slow and quiet - but I'd only do this in the summertime, not on those scary, icy, winding roads in the winter!

5. If someone wanted to understand you, what should they read, watch, and listen to?

Read N.T. Wright, C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton (and as far as I know, they're not lone gunmen assassins*, but I can't prove it). Watch British mysteries, documentaries, and historical dramas. Listen to classical music, Michael Medved, and Laura Ingraham.

Why is it so hard to remember a name like bellflower?

Bell - Flower. How hard is that??

And I think this is creeping bellflower - along Fifth Avenue.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

From IMDB.com*  (Remember Conspiracy Theory? One of my all-time favorite movies)

Jerry: David Berkowitz, Ted Bundy, Richard Speck...

Alice: What about them?

Jerry: Serial killers. Serial killers only have two names. You ever notice that? But lone gunmen assassins, they always have three names. John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Mark David Chapman...

Alice: John Hinckley. He shot Reagan. He only has two names.

Jerry: Yeah, but he only just shot Reagan. Reagan didn't die. If Reagan had died, I'm pretty sure we probably would all know what John Hinckley's middle name was.

We missed this little guy when the family got together last weekend.

His daddy sent me the photo. But we'll get to see him next Sunday.

***

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Texas, Wisconsin, and a Sweet Grandkid

Hi everyone! It's good to be back in blogland. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, or Resurrection Sunday. As you may know, we spent a week with our daughter and son-in-law in Texas, which was wonderful! 

Happy News:

The most wonderful thing about it is that they announced that they're moving back to Wisconsin - and not a moment too soon! I never thought it would happen. We're thrilled!  It will be a four hour drive to Green Bay, but that's a lot better than a 20 hour drive to Texas.

Just so you know, the photos in the collage above are:

Top Row, left to right:
Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth, where we attended the symphony on Friday night.
Sundance Square, Fort Worth, our son-in-law and daughter (looking cute)
Denton County Court House interior doors

Bottom Row, left to right:
Denton County Court House, stairs (just gorgeous!)
Denton County Court House with signs and bank clock
Sixth Floor Museum (JFK assassination) Dealey Plaza, Dallas, TX (fascinating)

I did take an excessive amount a few other photos while there, which you might have seen on Instagram (@cranberrymorning)

Sign in a restaurant wall, Denton plaza

I've never eaten chicken fried steak in my life, so I really wouldn't know, but I thought it was a cute sign.

***

Sad News:

While in Texas, we got a phone call from our son, telling us that our good friend and cousin, Eric, had died totally unexpectedly, of a massive heart attack. We communicated with people back in Eric's home town, wrote an obituary, flew home on Saturday, and on Sunday drove to SW Wisconsin to attend Eric's funeral and attend to his affairs, which took most of the rest of the week and will be an ongoing process for quite some time. 

Lesson? Be sure to make a will.

Holsteins Nr. Westby, WI

Eric and Mr. C.

Yes, he was threatening me with the garden hose.

 

Sunset photo taken south of Westby, WI

March 24 

AND...

Last, but not least...

I had to include this photo of sweet little Oliver, playing peekaboo behind his bedroom curtains when we were at their place for Easter dinner after church.

So now you know what I've been up to for the past couple weeks.  What's been happening there?

Linked to Mosaic Monday

***

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Have a wonderful Monday!

Good Fences, Wisconsin Barns, and The Littlest Voter

Baby Oliver

Stuffing the Ballot Box

(just kidding)

Before I get started with the fences, I wanted to share this photo our daughter-in-law sent after they'd voted yesterday.

Rice Lake, WI

Just down the road from New Hope Lutheran

New Hope Blog Post

Dallas, WI

Between Bloomer and Colfax

***

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Although I usually forget to do it, there is a chance that this post will be linked to one or more of these great linky parties:  Amaze Me Monday and Inspiration Monday and Mosaic Monday and The Barn Collective and    Treasure Box Tuesday and Vintage Bliss Tuesday and KatheWithAnE and Rubbish Tuesday and Our World Tuesday and Tuesdays at our Home and Tuesday with a Twist and  Knick of Time Tuesday (vintage)  and   Tweak it Tuesday and Vintage Inspiration Wednesday and Ivy and Elephants Wednesday and Adorned From Above  and Artsy Corner Thursday and  All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and Good Fences on Thursdays and  Time Travel Thursday and Freedom Fridays and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Saturday's Critters