Day Three Hundred Forty Eight

Simply The Best

My dad made the best spaghetti sauce in the universe. He passed away ten years ago, but his sauce lives on in the recipe he left behind. I'm so thankful he wrote it down! I can always tell when I get it right, because the sauce is bright red and the whole house smells like garlic blending with all those hot red spices my dad loved to cook with. I made a pot this afternoon and froze it after it was done simmering for three hours. For some reason, freezing it only intensifies the flavors. It's becoming a tradition on Christmas Eve at my house to enjoy a spaghetti dinner before we open our gifts. So, thanks, Pop, for the gift of your divine sauce and the aromatic memories it conjures up.

Day Three Hundred Forty Seven

Good Cheer

Day Three Hundred Forty Six

'Curious Testament'
Ian Mabry's BFA Senior Exhibition in Clay
Appalachian Center for Craft
Smithville, Tennessee

My nephew Ian Mabry with one of his amazing clay sculptures. I've always known he is a talented artist from the time he was a little boy. He is an art major at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee, and will graduate December 19. He created these clay sculptures for his thesis. I can't begin to express how impressed I am by his talent and how proud I am of him and his accomplishments. I know he sold at least two of his pieces this evening at his exhibition. His work is on display until December 14 in Gallery One at the craft center. Congratulations, Ian!

Day Three Hundred Forty Five

Time To Cut The Tree

On our way out to the tree farm at lunch time today, I was taking pictures of the beautiful sky with my cell phone. This one was particularly neat with the reflections in the wind shield glass. That red thing looks like a space ship with flames shooting out of it.

Our little White Pine was patiently waiting for us to come and claim it. The folks at the tree farm will happily cut down your tree for you. Neil just borrows one of their saws and does it himself. Easy peasy, as they say.

The tree looks like it sprouted a head and legs, but it's just Neil getting ready to head to the check out point.

We've always found nice Christmas trees at this farm. They always smell so good.

Shake it! They put the tree on a little vibrator thingy and it shakes off all the dead needles and hopefully any critters hanging out inside there.

The tree is bagged in a net which will keep its branches secure until we're ready to bring it into the house for decorating. That process--and believe me, it is a process--will begin maybe tonight, but most likely tomorrow. Time's a wastin'! Christmas is two weeks from today.

Day Three Hundred Forty Four

Toasty

Smokin'! Our ugly old chimney works hard on December days when the temperature stays in the 30's--like today.

I'm so thankful for our wood stove which keeps us toasty in the winter. It can be a pain sometimes, but wood is a cheap and renewable source of fuel, and there's nothing like cozying up to the wood stove after you've been outside on a day like today.