The
circuit minister attended the church service today. The little church was
packed, as is often the case for holiday services. The minister read the
Christmas story from Luke, then advised one and all to cherish Christmas all
through the year through service to those in need. It was sacrament Sunday,
too. Ina made the juice and Bertha brought the bread. “It seems strange to
think I’m one of the old ones that does such things,” wrote Bertha.
The
minister and family were invited to dine at Bertha’s house since Ina was busy
preparing for Ethel and Ernest’s arrival. It was mid-afternoon and evening fast
falling when they heard the approach of a car. Sadie was first to jump up and
run to the window, with Shirley and Ina close behind, and then they were all three outside in a rush. Sadie's joy at being reunited with her parents knew no bounds. She had so much to tell them, but the adults insisted that she wait until later. Sometimes
it’s so hard to be a child, but fortunately, Ethel soon found a quiet time to chat with her daughter.
Soon it was dinnertime, and as they ate, Ernest and Ethel described their new home. Then, as they finished their apple pie, Ernest said, “Well,
Dad, what are you thinking
about getting the Christmas tree? Should we go tomorrow?”
“Yes,
I think mid-morning when all the chores are finished would be a good time to go,”
answered Jack with solemnity, but he winked at Sadie. “No use to put it off.
Besides it could snow again.” Of course, Jack had marked a nice tree last summer,
so it was simply a matter of getting it. And it was always a table tree.
In
the evening, Ethel and Sadie sat before the blazing fire – well, really it was
a cheery little fire in the grate – and Sadie showed Ethel the cookbook and
told her as much as she could remember about Thomas Nast. And she told her all
about the Christmas program and recited her poems. The others chatted quietly at
the dining room table, occasionally listening to Sadie’s conversation.
You
might think that Sadie would go to bed and the adults would visit some more,
but everyone was tired, and by 8:00 they were all getting ready for bed. Visions of sugarplums danced in Sadie's head, but even the adults were looking forward to the Christmas doings.
Mike and I came to the farmhouse this morning, and I'm heartened to know that Ina’s tree and decorations aren’t up yet because in real time, mine aren’t either. There just weren't enough hours in the day. The decorating will have to wait until tomorrow – just like Ina.
Followers
of the saga of Blaze the Horse will be interested to know that he’s still here.
It was clear he has been here fairly recently, but we didn't see him today. The plan was that
the sheriff would take Blaze to auction, but then he discovered that the brand
inspector has to list the horse for two weeks before he can be sold. And that’s
a little strange since the brand inspector notified the sheriff in the first
place. KW
2 comments:
The saga of Blaze, the horse is strange. It seems the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. I hope Blaze doesn't cause any damage while he is there. It seems nobody is taking any interest in doing something, except you, and you are the ones taking the punishment of him being there. I hope there are actions forthcoming in 2020. At some point you could ask the Sheriff for permission to put him down and out of his certain misery.
Hi Chuck!
The sheriff is involved, is jumping through hoops, and will take care of Blaze eventually. Things have slipped between the cracks, but they're working on it and following procedure. Sometimes I feel that between the rodents and the deer, the horse is the least of our problems.
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