DIGGING OUT... FROM THE HOLIDAYS

 Today is January 3, 2018

The church's Christmas cantata (for 

     which BE played the piano) is done,

the New Year's service is past;

The kids and grandkids have all 

      headed home...

The ham and posole and all the dips

      are gone, as well as the Fritos...

We are down to the last

      of the turkey sandwiches...

and

Peace and quietness and hopefully

      goodwill...rest upon the Land.

Even the weather has been rather

     mild....and moderate here 

on The Mesa, in the shadow 

     of The Watermelons...

My new Christmas gift---a weather 

     station/wind gauge finally

hit a blustery "7 MPH" yesterday and we

      two gathered around to watch it -

in very rare---STILL  times---a little wind...

     Ah, a magnificent "seven!"

The lady across the street, with 

      her treasured little boy

still has his Santa in their front yard;

The neighbor down the street about

     six houses, for the tenth year

has a fake--- dead hombre hanging 

      from the eave of his house, 

ostensibly electrocuted while hanging

     the Christmas lights, his ladder

being knocked over and all....

More than one car has parked in front

     of that house, debating some 

possible mouth to mouth for the 

    departed handyman...one supposes

At home we have cooked up all our

    cookie dough and made Trail

Mix, baked with real butter and garlic.

There are always late cards to be sent 

     or delivered, as well a a gift or two,

and

Some Christmas dishes have been 

     already stored...but BE says

we will keep out her favored Christmas

     coffee cups until later...

and

I said: "Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's?"

There seems to be a never-ending list

     of stuff to be done 

early on the coming year...the pine tree

     needs trimming, the lawn needs its

winter watering, it's time to change

    the furnace filter...and then there

are the doctors we've got to support,

    you know...

Check this, we went home from our

      honeymoon one day early

to our little rented apartment, back 

     in the hometown...

because 

We just couldn't wait to try out our

     new pots and pans, and those

marvelous "Tickled Pink" dishes...

After sixty-one years of "housekeeping"

     one might say, we have had plenty

of it...and you know: it has been grand!

So in this cold (but not windy) New Year

    of 2018, I reckon we'll keep on 

watching our new "streaming" thing

    on TV....build a good fire, sit under

our favorite quilts...

and BE wants to try out that new 

     Potato Soup recipe I copied

off Facebook....and have some cocoa

     in our beloved Christmas cups.

------------

MIL

3 JANUARY 2018