Merry Christmas--and Peace to All of Us

Our idea of a wonderful holiday sure has changed over the years. These days we do very little shopping, and wrapping, baking, and making lists. We can't afford the dollars or the calories, and even more important, there's just noplace to put all that stuff we used to accumulate. Somehow though, as we buy and do less, we feel richer and fuller in our hearts than in the past when we were rushing from place to place. The fact that we have more time to idle around, and play with our beloved granddaughter has a lot to do with it, and life just gets better all the time. Our best wish for anyone reading this would be to find the contentment we're finding with our lives now. Here are pictures showing the highlights of our week so far.
Jim and Anna had a great time making snow angels outside, and built this Frosty to stand guard in the back yard for a while. His carrot nose was missing first thing in the morning, and he was sort of on a tilt, so we thought maybe a deer raided him overnight, but we found he had just slightly melted, and his nose was on the ground at his feet. The woodstove waits with warmth when they come inside, and provides a cozy place to soak up the heat and enjoy hot chocolate after a brisk time in the cold. The birds are really active on the feeders. We have at least 4 pairs of cardinals, and juncos, titmice, Carolina Chickadees, Gold Finches, Purple Finches, and one small downy woodpecker. They sure do love the black oil sunflower and thistle seeds we put out for them.

In the background, just to the right of the stump, you can see the beehive, where our tiny honeymakers are cozy and warm inside, insulated by their blanket of snow.

What an unlikely color on a drab day! Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal stand out like neon lights among the soft colors of a snowey day. Just gorgeous. Life is very good to us these days.

Jim and I wish all our friends a Merry and Peaceful Holiday Season. Love to you all.