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| The purple ash passes |
The thermometer didn’t quite register freezing Friday morning, but I saw frost on the rooftops. It was 35 as Bess and I took our morning walk at 8:00. I wore my winter coat for the first time, but it wasn’t the first time that I’ve worn my gloves. We haven’t had a fire in the little stove yet, but we’ve talked about it. We’ve turned the furnace on a couple of times. Our space heaters are in place.
What about the farm, you ask. Well, we aren’t worried about anything there – yet. We were going to go on Thursday, but Mike’s appointment at the pain clinic was moved up three weeks to that afternoon, a significant improvement in timing. And then, son Clint asked Mike to accompany him to Tri-Cities on Friday to pick up a used motorcycle, an opportunity too good to pass up. Saturday, Mike has football games to record and watch, and then there’s a chance of rain. And that’s the way it goes. Wait and see.
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| The red maple begins to turn |
But as it gets colder – and it is getting colder – winterization of the farmhouse is on our minds. Overnight freezing is definitely happening at the farm now. It’s only a matter of time until that first cold snap is upon us. We keep a watchful eye on the forecast. Besides winterizing, Mike, wants to bring the 4-wheeler and the lawnmower back to town, and as for me, I don’t want much – just the sewing machine, the Christmas tree, Christmas ornaments, and six or seven projects in progress.
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| The "burning bush" begins to "burn." |
You see, this past week I decided to put my desire for a farmhouse Christmas aside and pursue “Plan B” in earnest. I suggested to daughter Hallie, my logistics go-to person, that we rent an Airbnb here in the Valley for our holiday get-together. She was on it! It would have been better to have arranged this earlier, but it’s okay. She rented a house for Dec. 24-27. She says we can decorate quickly, so we’ll “haul out the holly,” drape a few red and green afghans over the furniture, put some stuffed toys in strategic places, set up a pre-lit tree, and hang a wreath on the door. What more could we want? What, indeed? We’ll be together. KW
What a great idea! You'll have more room, someone else will vacuum, etc., when it's all over, and if you've forgotten anything it will be easy to retrieve it. Win, win, win!!
ReplyDeleteHallie says it works on so many levels. My thinking was that she and Nick would have a real bed, space for Silas, and privacy, but she immediately saw a neutral place for gathering, no one has to host, and someone else cleans. Interestingly, I shared this unfoldment with my friend in Utah, and she said her family has also rented an Airbnb for Christmas. If we like it -- and I can't imagine we won't -- we should rent for Christmas 2025 as soon as we can.
ReplyDeleteI think it will be a nice arrangement. I'm glad that we found a place so close to you.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Hallie. It's just at the bottom of the hill, as it were, probably 1.5 mile from us. I don't expect to walk it, though.
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