Tis the season

We've had two lovely days this week. Mostly sunny and not dreadfully cold. Tuesday I went walking around Lake Elkhorn. There was only one other car in the parking lot. However, there were a few other hardy souls on the trail. No wildlife, except for ducks and Canada geese. I think the herons and egrets have flown south for the winter. Smart birds. Turtles must be hibernating in the mud. Frankly, I'd rather fly south.

I've been busy, although I can't see that I got much done. Among other things, I've been going to rehearsals for the MAD holiday chorus. I've decided to sing a solo in the show. This is not really a big deal, as anyone who wants to sing may do it. Mine will be "Silver Bells". Now all I have to do is memorize the words. I know most of it, but I've never sung the verse before. It's the chorus that most of us know. Good thing that I have a few weeks to get it down.

Yesterday, I did a bit more decorating. Put lights on a holly bush out front and inside along the top of my kitchen cupboards. The stores are putting Christmas decorations on sale already. I bought a few unbreakable plastic balls that were really cheap and hung them from the bare branches of my flowering plum tree out front. Thought about lightson that tree, but decided - not this year. I used the rest of the used multi-colored lights to outline the upstairs windows. They look good, but they are held in place by little rubber suction cups that keep falling off. Everytime I think I've solved the problem, I look up and find another drooping strand of lights. Perhaps this time they will stay up. Patty said to wet the cups before I stick them on the windows. I should go check on them now..... They are still up! Maybe I've won that battle.

I worked in the church library today. I'm part of a group of women who come in on Wednesdays to shelve books, change books displays and process new books. I usually work on the computer, as we are slowly computerizing the card catalog. Probably won't be done in my lifetime! Today I had more fun, as we got out many Christmas books to put on display and put up prints of famous Christmas paintings. I even borrowed a long-handled duster from the custodian and dusted the tops of the bookcases. Talk about dirt! I doubt if they've been cleaned in the 7 years I've been working in the library. The library looks pretty good now. Too bad more people don't use it. We have an extensive collection, not limited to books on religion, but very few people come in and take books out. Sunday School teachers use it, anyway.

A few minutes ago, I finished writing my annual Christmas letter. It's too long - three sheets this year. I try to keep it to two, but that's hard for me. I'm not one who has trouble filling a page, as you have probably noticed! :) I'll either cut it back to two pages or fill the back of page three with photos. I think I did that last year, so maybe that's the way to go. I hope by this weekend to get the letter done and cards addressed and ready to mail. But I have to bake Christmas cookies before Sunday, so probably the cards will have to wait. Kate just puts her Christmas letter on her blog, which works fine, as her friends are all comfortable with computers. However many of my friends are not really in the computer age, so that isn't an option for me. I could certainly put my letter up here, but I'd still have to mail out at least 25 copies to all my computer-phobic friends and relatives.