Christmas 2016

 

There's nothing like a real Christmas tree.  We cut this one from our field and dragged it home on snowshoes.

Siniristi lippumme....

This Christmas we had all four of our granddaughters with us.

 

Mom and Dad, why are you so tired?

Our traditional Christmas eve meal.  Kinkkua, rosolia, riisiporkkanalaatikkoa, suolakalaa, jne.

Christmas morning.

Grandma making rice pudding

Sampo is eager to open the presents.

Mik is still trying to wake up.

This was the most enjoyable Christmas morning I have ever had.  These little girls were  the biggest reason.

Nice hat!

What's in the package?

I think we all relived our early childhood through these darlings.

Christmas morning would not be complete without riisipuuroa ja sekähedelmäsoppaa - rice pudding with fruit soup.

Mmmm....grandma's pudding is good!

Look, the sun is about to rise!

After a  long stretch of clouds and snow, even a  glimpse of the sun is gold.

Look who's standing!

Magic carpet ride!

Go faster auntie!

Wow!

Naptime.

Mixing the pulla dough.

Look what I caught!

Kneading the dough.

Tastes good, grandma!

Rolling the dough.

Another sunrise.

Just above the clouds.

Yes, sunshine is good.

Sleeping beauty on her lambskin.

Look at all those chompers!

Potato!

Potatoes!

Lake effect snow, a daily occurrence.

10 degrees on one side of the glass, 65 on the other.

I periodically have to shovel out the bed of my truck.

I cut another spruce and set it up just outside our kitchen window so that we could have an outside Christmas tree as well.

It's hard not to take pictures of sunrises when you see them through your kitchen window.  Each one is unique.

More lake effect snow.  This year we got about 175 inches in 6 weeks.

Push-the-cat-around-the-room game.

Life is tough, isn't it?

Late November

With a layer of snow on the ground it was time to burn the brushpile.

The ice on the pond wasn't strong enough to skate on.  I walked out on it, heard a loud crack, and walked back to shore.

This year I wanted to use my brown ram Ragnar to breed the ewes, so I needed to isolate my other ram, Gunnar.  I covered his pen with burlap so that he would not be able to see Ragnar sporting with the harem.



The cattle panels take quite a beating, but this year Gunnar did not break out.

Ragnar had the ewes to himself for 16 days before I let Gunnar free again.  As you can see in the picture, rams like to rub their horns against saplings like bucks do in the fall.



Fire fascinates us.  Nothing draws a crowd like a burning building.

It both is beautiful and frightening.



And powerful.  A good servant, but a bad master.

Thanksgiving 2016

First snow

The pilgrims arrived.



Carving the turkey.



with stuffing.

Sweet potatoes.

Mashed potatoes.



Cranberry sauce made from wild cranberries is sooooo much better that what comes in a can.

Pumpkin pies from our own pumpkins.

Le plate



This was the first Thanksgiving ever that we celebrated alone as a couple.  You would think it would feel lonely, but it really didn't.  It was relaxed and peaceful.  Besides, most of the gang would be here for Christmas.



In some ways it was like going 40 years back in time when I first sat across a table from this girl.  There was a candle burning on the table on that evening too.



Of course, we weren't completely alone.

November

The cold November Moon.

Morning mist

Grandma's story time

Time for a walk...

and a good nap in the fresh air.