It's That Time of Year

The Christmas Waltz song keeps running through my mind today...

Frosted window panes, candles gleaming inside
Painted candy canes on the tree
Santa's on his way, he's filled his sleigh with things
Things for you and for me

It's that time of year when the world falls in love
Ev'ry song you hear seems to say
"Merry Christmas, may your New Year dreams come true"
And this song of mine in three-quarter time
Wishes you and yours the same thing, too

Right.  The candles on our window sills just went off on their timers, as did the Christmas tree, and I'm eating a candy cane as I type. Check, check, and check! But, honestly people, the only way our window panes would be "frosty" today is if I went out and soaped them! I think we may have hit the mid 60's again today, after 72 earlier this week. I don't want to sound all Scroogy, but I hate December weather that feels more like May. Bah! Humbug. Still, I hope that Santa will come our way...even if he has to leave the furs in the North Pole and wear a pair of Bermuda shorts!

Maybe we should be singing my favorite song from The Muppets Christmas Carol...makes me laugh every year when I watch it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwahCM3mC9A. Put me in a better mood, just now.

OK! So, we are a week away from Christmas Day. How are things coming along? Well, I've most of my baking done, as you can see in these pictures of Hello Dollies and Delaware Butterballs; Banana-Cranberry muffins; and star-shaped Sugar Cookie cutouts:

 

 

 

Missy M made a batch of Nana's Nuts and Bolts (our name for Chex Mix) after Thanksgiving...which we consumed in record time. Maybe we can get her to make some more, please. Oh, and I pulled out Nana's recipe for Cheese Ball...simple but always tasty...and made both a cheese ball and a cheese log from the same batch. Must have the savories with the sweets!

We'll have M's Breakfast casserole on Christmas Day; and unless we are entirely too full (again this year), we'll roast a turkey breast with all the trimmings for dinner. Just need to make our traditional coconut cake for dessert...oh, and Monkey Bread for Christmas morning! I'll try to remember to take a picture of the finished product this year before we eat it.

I went to a wreath-making workshop a couple of weeks ago, and now my "masterpiece" adorns our front door. I'm really proud of this effort, because Missy M treated me to a similar workshop a few years ago in Louisville...and I was a complete klutz. This time, I had a better idea of what to do...and what I wanted the end product to look like. Plus, I wasn't afraid to use plenty of pins!

2015 Merry Christmas Wreath: I made it myself at Toms Creek Nursery!

We got the yard decorations out, the Sheepie tree up in the dining room window, and the aforementioned candles in the front bedroom windows:

We even got tickets to the NC Symphony's Holiday Pops, presented at High Point University. That always puts us in a festive spirit!

I've also got my annual newsletter typed, printed, and folded; and the cards are ready to be sealed and stamped (Mr. T's job this year) so we can make the mad dash to the P.O. tomorrow to barely meet the deadline. I do believe I have all my shopping done...and even more importantly, my purchased gifts are all wrapped and under the tree. I have one gift to finish knitting (so what else is new?), which should happen tonight. And then...I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the season, right? Well, it's a plan.

Why am I so far ahead of the game, you ask? Well, everything was accelerated because our Lunn Family Christmas get together was earlier than usual this year, meaning most of the shopping, wrapping, etc., had to be done by December 11. T&LaD drove down from KY, Missy M drove up from GA, and Mr. T. and I drove over from NC to meet up in Nashville last weekend. We had a wonderful time together! Breakfasts at the Bistro in the lobby of our Doubletree; dinner at Coco's Italian Market; and dessert and gift exchange at J&J's house. Superb!!

And we even got to attend "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" at the Opry, with Stewart cousin Scott starring as Old Max (the Grinch's dog...all grown up and doing the narrating for the stage play). He has a fabulous singing voice, which he got to showcase on the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch." What a great performance! His dad, cousin Mark, even joined us for breakfast, making it an all-around family weekend. Check out the interview and pictures of SS in character here: http://www.broadwayworld.com/nashville/article/BWW-Interview-Bringing-THE-GRINCH-To-Life-At-The-Grand-Ole-Opry-House-20151130

Missy M will be taking some vaca days next week, so she'll head her Mini up I-85 on Sunday to join us for the Holidays. Her dogs, Ella Rae and Dixie, have been with us since she was here for Thanksgiving (they stayed with us due to her travel schedule in early December). Mr. T., who is still catching up on work after being out for 8 weeks, isn't planning on taking any days off, but neither is he planning on leaving town for business either. It should be a joyful and peaceful approach to the Season.

I do need to head to the grocery store for this n' that, but we aren't making ourselves crazy with last minute preparations this year. It has been so hectic for the past few months (all year, really) that we are relishing a more laid-back approach.

Fingers crossed that we achieve it. Toes, too! After all, it IS that time of year. Right?

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Here are a few photos from the past weekend. And don't forget to check out my final post for the year plus pictures, over on our gardening blog. Click here to go there!

Terry joins us for breakfast at the Bistro

Dessert and gift exchange at Jack and Julie's house

Cousins Mark and Scott Stewart with Patricia

Leaving the show...heading to dinner at Coco's Italian Market



Thomas, Julie, and Jack showing off the Christmas Cracker prizes: xylophones and crowns

A Carolinian on The Carolinian

[Updated on Saturday, May 4, 2013]

I'm onboard, on time, and online. All aboard The (northbound) Carolinian! It's 8:20 a.m., and I'm headed from HPNC to Raleigh for a day of fun (my personal definition): NC Symphony concert lecture and matinee performance, followed by a late lunch at fav bu*ku, with about an hour left to see some more of the NC History Museum (which I am seeing one exhibit space at a time...:-). There's all the free WiFi I can use on The Carolinian (although not on all lines, I understand), so I'm going to sit back, relax, listen to some tunes or a book; read, blog or knit as the mood strikes; and enjoy my Fun Friday. Loving that I don't have to drive there...or find a place to park...or drive back home. Ahhhhhh...

Yes, I'd love another Diet Pepsi, thank you!

I learned my lesson in this same journey last May: do NOT go coach. It's May. Early May. I live in a college town, on the train route with a bazillion other college towns. What happens in early May, in college towns, that usually includes trains? Yeah, yeah, it's National Train Day, but that isn't until next week. No, I'm talking about end of the semester...when college students find their way back home in the least expensive manner possible. Those without cars...or friends with cars...or funds to fly...ride the rails, usually in coach. So, today...I'm riding Business Class. Costs more, yes (about $8 more, each way), but well worth it this time of the year. And, as the pleasant attendant just brought me a pillow (!) and a Diet Pepsi (not a Coke product mentioned, thank goodness...we are in Carolina, birthplace of Pepsi, after all...:-)...over ice...to my seat...I think I may be addicted. She even offered me a free USA Today, but I told her I brought my own...on my iPad.

Heheheheh. We pulled into Burlington, and a gaggle of little school children are lined up on the platform to board. Looks a field trip to me! Let me take a sip of my DPepsi, and raise my glass in a silent toast: to Business Class! Thank goodness.

Actually, I'm glad to see little kids still get an early introduction to trains. That's how it started with me. I think I've told you about my kindergarten trip from Covington to Atoka, TN. That would be 55 years ago, probably this month, come to think of it. And I've loved trains ever since. That love was probably reinforced by living in a town that was on the Illinois Central line, and hearing about "waiting for the Mail Sack" from my Daddy.

No, not the Pony Express...I'm not THAT old...:-). But, the train brought the mail to Henning, and the delivery method (once there were no longer passenger train-stops in town) was this long metal hook on a longer arm that snatched the bag off the train as it sped past one end of town. I well remember one time when the exchange didn't go quite as planned, the hook caught the bag wrong, the bag ripped, and the mail got "delivered" willy-nilly at the drop spot. What a mess!

The other reinforcement came almost in my DNA. Daddy used to say "the Lunns were all train people," and that was true for a couple of generations after the Civil War. He even lived with his Uncle Herndon Lunn, who was a conductor on the IC based in East St. Louis, for a brief period after my grandfather Sidney Lunn, Sr. (who was a street car...not train...conductor in Nashville) died in the '20's. What Daddy remembered about that time with Uncle Herndon and Aunt Bessie (who was also Daddy's mother, Lillie Pearl's sister...so their son, Percy, was Daddy's double-first cousin...how's that for genealogy-on-the-go?!) was the free train rides...and eating well in the dining car. (Daddy ALWAYS remembered the food on any trip he ever took...for his whole life...:-)

All Aboard #80 in Durham!

Coming into Durham. Time for a break. It's a beaUtiful day, and I want to enjoy the passing scenery for a bit. See you later.

Back again...much later. Something happened with Blogger...wouldn't let me Save my update(s) for some reason. Mr. T is right: technology WILL bite you in the butt every time...:-)

Anyway...I'll switch to past tense now, since its Saturday morning when I'm finishing this post.

I had a fantastic time! It was cool and overcast for most of the day, but that was OK by me...made walking around Raleigh easier than if it had been hot and muggy. I carried my teeny-tiny purse-sized umbrella just in case, but I didn't need it.

The concert? Well. Let me say that the NC Symphony did their usual flawless (to this tin ear, at least) job. However...whoever is doing the programming selections needs his/her head examined. They played, as the final piece, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, subtitled Pathétique, a French word that suggests passionate or emotional suffering. Tchaikovsky himself wanted to call it "Tragic," and it has been suggested that it is "symphony as suicide note," since the composer died (of cholera) nine days after its premiere. Whatever. The fourth and final movement are so dirge-like that one cannot help but feel depressed. Is that any way to end a concert...or a season? Puh-lease. See what you think: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._6_(Tchaikovsky)

Feeling the weight of nineteenth century Russia on my shoulders, I welcomed the walk in the fresh air to my favorite downtown Raleigh restaurant, bu*ku (subtitled: Global Street Food...:-). And that glass of German Riesling went a long way to easing any remaining angst. By the time my Asian Pear Salad with grilled Pacific-coast salmon and an order of German pretzel knots and spicy mustard arrived, I was in a good mood again. As I finished up with the Flight of Crème Brûlées (3 tiny filled egg-cups...one, chocolate; one vanilla; and one, ginger-vanilla...surrounded with piles of fresh fruit), I was positively giddy.

bu*ku...a picture IS worth a thousand words!

Time to walk off all that yummyness! I had an hour and fifty minutes before my train, and the NC History Museum was calling to me. As I entered the Capitol grounds (short-cut!), I realized where every middle-schooler in central NC was: end-of-school field trip to Raleigh! Lord have mercy.

I managed to bob and weave my way through the packs of pre-teens milling in front of the Museum and make my way inside. I had wanted to go through a special exhibit called Art in Clay, but one look at the line for tickets nixed that idea. I took a pass on that until school is out. Here's more info for you, though: http://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/art_in_clay/index.html

Instead, I headed into The Story of North Carolina. I got from The Stone Age to the beginning of The Civil War years. Not bad for an afternoon, eh? I'll know where to pick up next time. You can read more about it here: http://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org/wgo/press_09262011a.html

Midway through the movie on the decision about secession, I realized I'd overstayed my welcome. Yikes! Needed to haul buns to make it back to the station to catch my train...which wasn't going to wait for me, right?

Only...when I got to the station, with several whole minutes to spare, I found that ol' No.79 was running behind...45 minutes more or less. And, that tardiness caused problems on down the line, making us nearly two hours late pulling into High Point. We sat on the sidetrack for more than 30 minutes outside of Burlington, waiting for two freight trains to pass. Passenger yields to freight...law of rail transportation. You can't go by train unless you are wiling to be flexible! Amtrak should use Gumby as their mascot.

No matter. I had my WiFi, my iPad, my knitting, and my tunes. Books, movies, and magazines at my fingertips. The attendant kept bringing me cups of ice and cans of Diet Pepsi. She even started handing out the New York Times...a paper I haven't read (except online) in years. I wasn't paying for that convenient (free) parking space at the HPNC station, so what's a couple hours extra? Mr. T had made it home, the dogs were well-fed, watered, and in good hands. I was still full from my lovely, late lunch, so hunger wasn't an issue (although there is a Snack Car on The Carolinian). I got up periodically and walked back and forth through 3 cars to keep from getting to seat-bound.

Still I was happy to hop off at High Point! Lillie Pearl PTC was waiting in her parking space, right where I'd left her this morning. And hearth and home were just a short drive away. Another Fun Friday came to a close.

Let me leave you with a couple of pictures I took...the first in the morning as I walked past the Convention Center; the second as I hustled my bustle to catch my train home. Notice anything different?

Yep. Sir Walter Raleigh got yarn-bombed yesterday! Heheheh!

Perfect!

Are We Having Fun Yet?

I don't know about you, but I'm always thankful when I start a new month off right. Makes me feel like the next four weeks or so are headed in the right direction, don't you know?

Of course, it's good to close a month on a good note, too. April has certainly lived up to the reputation of being the Month of Showers.  And thankfully, we are now getting our share of flowers all around Casa 3917.





Dutch Iris in the Back Yard

Ducky and the Iris in the Way Back














Azaleas at the Piano Bar Deck

Betty Jean's iris in the Way Back

As you can see from a couple of those shots, the iris we received several years ago from my late cousins, Betty Jean and Wendell Gore, are making their annual appearance. We've moved these iris...or, at least offspring of the originals...from house to house, state to state, and we now have a lovely stand of them in the Rondell (Center "Circle" of the Way Back). Some yellow ones I added two years ago as a contrast color, will be making an appearance in a day or two. I so love it when they begin to open! Reminds of two wonderful people who enriched my life.  Remember...Betty Jean was my Lunn cousin who taught me to knit, 51 years ago...a priceless gift.

So, goodbye April.  Let's get the month of May rolling!

EMG mentor and friend, JA picked me up this morning, and off to the west side of Winston we went. We were registered for a Photography in the Garden class at Tanglewood. Since we have plans to add a similar offering to our Speakers Bureau lineup, we both had a particular interest in the subject.

Good class...learned some good tips...got some ideas about how to design "our" version and got to meet some Forsyth County Master Gardeners...and what a treat to see the Tanglewood grounds again! Used to take Missy M to the stables there to ride horses, and always love the lights at Christmas. After the class, we strolled through the gardens, enjoying the evidence of Spring all around us...despite how chilly the temps were.

Then we had a lovely lunch highlighted with great conversation at New Town Bistro. Ever had fried green tomatoes on a grilled pimento cheese sandwich? OK, that's a tad odd, but tasty...just the same! And no doubt, Master Gardening stuff forms the foundation of the many threads of our chatting, but JA and I share many things in common...and have enough differences to make things interesting...and I think we could find something to say about almost any subject.

Home again, home again to find that Abbie must have had strong feelings about my absence 'cause she ripped the backside of her little bed to shreds. To absolute shreds! It's not like she doesn't have a bazillion or so toys to occupy her time and boundless energy. Sigh. Training class, you say? Yeah...I think it's time. Oh well...

Not only did I have a super day, but I also heard from Missy M that she had a fun one, too. It's Derby Week in Louisville, and today was the day that sponsors and their employees got invited to Churchill Downs. What fun! She called to say she left the track a winner...a good $2.00 ahead of what she went in with. Woo hoo! Better than I usually do with the horses...

On to Mr. T. He's been in the-backside-of-nowhere-Illinois this week, and he called to say he's probably flying home a day early tomorrow. Yea! Music to my ears. He has been doing his best to protect his left knee from further damage. Although he hasn't received an official diagnosis yet, he did have a conversation with the tech who did his MRI last Friday...and confirmed a torn medial meniscus. So, he knows at least part of what his problem is. While there could be more going on in there, we know that arthroscopic surgery is in his future. Doctor appointment next week...stay tuned.

Meanwhile, tomorrow I'll finish up working on an upcoming MG presentation I'm doing on roses. Then, Friday I'll board an eastbound train and head to Raleigh for one of my fun days at the NC Symphony and then the NC History Museum.

And then Saturday night, we'll enjoy a fun night with the Greensboro Symphony playing John Williams favorites. They say we will be joined by members of the Fighting 501st Legion and the Rebel Legion, both international Star Wars Costuming Groups, appearing as characters of the Star Wars saga. Sounds exciting!

Perfect end to a fine week.

So to answer my own question about fun...except for the whole Mr. Ts knee thing...yes, yes we are!

Abbie enjoys a yoghurt (cup)...yummy!