It's beginning to look a bit like Christmas

My house is still decked for Thanksgiving (until Friday), but I've started putting up a few Christmas decorations. I love the Holiday Season and can't wait to get all the red and green and silver and gold stuff on the walls, the windows, the floor, and in a few weeks, on the tree. Anyway, I had all these empty pots out on my deck. And they looked so sad and lonely that I decided to stick some evergreen cuttings (from my own tree) and some poinsettias (from Michael's Crafts) in them. We've had some cold weather and the soil in the pots was pretty much frozen. You should have seen me out there with a metal rod, poking holes in the soil so that I could insert the stems of the decorations. Pretty silly, but hey - whatever works!

I have been trying to upload some photos here, but not having much luck. I just got some kind of error message that makes me think I have to try again, but I'll wait a bit and see. After three tries....

HIP, HIP HOORAY! I won! Third try was the charm. The first two photos show the fake poinsettias on my deck. The third photo is of the corner of the dining area. The red scooter I just recently found at an antique store on my way back from a family visit. I had a similar scooter as a child, so I just couldn't resist. It was cheap, too! The poinsettia is real. The bust in the Santa hat is 'June' whom I think I have mentioned before. June was the model in a sculptor class I took last year.

Today I'm trying to get a head start on Thanksgiving dinner. I'll be baking pies - apple and pumpkin - this afternoon (if I ever stop blogging) and making cranberry relish that is always better the second day. I make an uncooked version with a couple of apples,chopped, a can of crushed pineapple (no sugar added), a package of sugar-free orange jello, and a bag of cranberries, chopped. The jello and pineapple provide the sweetening, so no sugar is needed.

This afternoon, my sink is filled with cold water and a frozen turkey, which I hope is thawing. It's been in the fridge for a couple of days, but still felt pretty solid this AM. The only problem is that I can't use my sink because - duh - the turkey is in it!

As you saw, I did finally get those photos up. I was about to give up. Because my Internet access is dial-up, loading photos is VERY SLOOOOW, even when it works properly. The only advantage to having a dial-up connection is that it ties up my phone lines so I get fewer calls from Verizon trying to sell me a combination package of Internet service, telephone, and television. I keep telling them that I don't want it, but they don't listen! Today, I told the caller that I wasn't interested in buying any package deals and she kept right on talking. Are telemarketers trained to ignore what the customer says? Needless-to-say, I hung up on her.

I just found out today that one of my nieces is reading my blog and has set up a blog of her own. What fun! Diane lives in Wisconsin, works in an environmental job and has a few horses to care for and enjoy. I mentioned her sister, Terry, in an earlier blog, I think. I don't visit them very often, but I always return refreshed. It's beautiful up there where they live. Very rural with many lakes, waterfalls, trees and fields. The night sky is magnificent, with no city or airport lights interfering with viewing the stars and planets. I don't think I would be comfortable living out in the country, as they both do, but sometimes when the traffic here is bad, I do wonder about moving. Unfortunately, in Wisconsin, one experiences real winter, not this pale imitation we have here. I guess I'm too spoiled by years in Maryland to enjoy several months of ice and snow.

Time to work on pies. Soon the house will smell wonderful. I doubt I'll be able to wait until tomorrow to sample.