Dear Mom, I wanted you to have just one more Christmas, you loved this time of year, I wanted to talk to you just one more time, but that was not meant to be. This blog was always for you with your hearing loss making it difficult to talk on the phone, this way you could see all that was going on. I am really going to miss you. Until we see each other again. I'm so sorry.
I was hesitating to start posting my Christmas posts with my mother ill in the hospital, but we have high hopes that she will be home in time to celebrate Christmas. While resting at home, I hope to have lots of posts for her to catch up on and get in the Christmas spirit! Today I made multiple trips to the post office with all my gifts to friends across the country and Bob's book sales. Seems everything is arriving on time, unlike last year where nothing made it by Christmas. Before Thanksgiving I went shopping, and from the looks of it, the papers and cards were the leftovers after the sales from last year. I was so happy I always have a lot of wrapping paper on hand. As you will see, I decided to have a "theme" for gifts for my nephews, brother and wives, so the woodsy paper with bears were a fit. All were wrapped and mailed a week ago and are now delivered and waiting for Christmas day to be opened. With my resident bear visiting daily and sending videos to my family who are city dwellers and freaked out at the sight of a bear, what better theme to have for Christmas gifts! Asheville is "Beer City" and this was the perfect sweatshirt for Dave. Having a theme is not an easy task, though, especially when some sizes are very large and hard to find. I thought Asheville would be loaded with bear items, but not so much. Maybe because all the merchandise is floating in containers out on the ocean? Who's to say. I know my car part has been out there for over four months now. Found some really cute things for the girls in Hendersonville. I believe a yeti qualifies as a bear. I did happen to buy some interesting gifts bags last year. I didn't have anyone special in mind for these, but decided to give my mom and aunt a good laugh. Hey, they have glitter!! Beaming a Christmas tree up is better than the vagrants burning them down!! A sneak peek at the tree. Mom, your wrappings of silver and red fit with my theme!
The week before Thanksgiving there was a sale that we went to, and I wanted to post because the scenery was so pretty. Just a few miles from where we live in Gilette Woods where we almost bought the log house until we found out about asbestos. I just happened to be on a deposition of an expert in asbestos and he told me all that would have to be done to make the house safe, so we passed on that wonderful house. The views from the house were so pretty. Inside was pretty, too. Looking out from the dining room window. In a bedroom was a tiny "wall" fireplace. I have never seen one like this before. A floor lamp that was for sale that I really liked. First place I go to is the garage, sheds, basements where you find the best items! This crewel work is one example. Plus, John is always outside doing the pricing, and he is so much more reasonable than Randy! The garages are where I find my tools and bird feeders. These were feeders from Wild Birds Unlimited, really well made resin feeders, and with the bear always stealing them when I forget to take them in at night, I can't afford to replace them unless I get them on estate sales. I affixed the suet feeder on the top of the tree where I would put my homemade suet logs saving me a lot of work making those logs and the pileated woodpeckers and crows took time to get used to it being there, but are now eating from it. Just some of the things I found in the garage. The crewel is a keeper, but the rest I've already listed on Ebay & Etsy. A couple posts ago I mentioned Storm, a chow on a chain in Nebraska that I was working on for over a month with a group of girls. FINALLY! I got Storm from Lincoln, NE to Denver, CO and was able to get my first Pilots & Paws flight from CO to AZ and he is now in his new home with two other chows and doing great! I think he enjoyed the view! Glad this one is over, but now onto many more. It's that time of year with the holidays, a rush to get dogs out and on the road because of weather. Last weekend a team of volunteer drivers got Taz from KY to MI to his potential adopter Alyssa who is in the photo with him. The girls were still on the road after midnight, it was a very long day. He reminds me of Timber. This is Simon in NC. He's been in the shelter since Nov. 9 and I could not get a chow rescue to pull him and there were no adopters. I knew he was a mix, thought maybe husky, but it was akita and I finally found an akita rescue that would take him. So today we are working on getting him to VA to Rakki Inu Akita Rescue. He is full blooded Japanese Long Haired Akita, no chow in him.
Turkey Tail Fungi in my flower bed Peak leaf color Ginko Leaves I always go Christmas shopping right before Thanksgiving. In Hendersonville, the ginko leaves covered the sidewalks. I accomplished my goal and have all my gifts so I can avoid the crowds. Started the Christmas tree getting it put together and the lights on, and it is now completed. The red maple outside the window matches the red balls I now have hanging on the tree. Despite hard winds, the leaves are still intact. Lots of red going on! Even though it was just me and Bob for Thanksgiving dinner, I brought out some harvest gold dishes. These goblets I found and was going to sell, but I like them so much I'm keeping them. Very heavy, thick amber glass. Great for the dessert I had planned. Found a stack of these pottery plates "Franciscan" in the garage when we bought the house. Your basic Thanksgiving dinner, nothing fancy. Bob surprised me with my favorite wine Amarone from TJs. Pumpkin flan with whipped cream and Kaluha. We put on a fire and streamed the new Beatles documentary that came out that day. Went to our local theatre on the weekend to see the last of the Daniel Craig Bonds. Will miss him, he was my favorite Bond. Next is the French Dispatch which I've been waiting for. Wes Anderson is my favorite director. Love our small, local theatre. Update on Timber & Geisha: Getting along splendidly!! They now look for rabbits together. Great end to the weekend, a colorful sunset . . . . . . and an even better night sky!
