A visit to Santa...

We got this video from D, D &Q a couple of weeks ago.  Thought you might like to see it.

 There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child. (Erma Bombeck)

Hooah

This was a one-dog night...

Just a note to my friends who are either in North Carolina or Florida, I just want you all to know that we have not had a single day since late in November here on McCartyville Road where the temperature has gotten even UP to freezing (or close to it for that matter). 

So it was not too surprising one night when, just as Pam and I went to bed, our dog (Bailey) -- who normally sleeps down at the foot of the bed -- must have had enough of the cold and decided to head up to the supposedly warmer climes at the head of the bed.  The only trouble was, that's where we were.  Well, it all worked out OK -- my snoring didn't keep her awake, and hers didn't keep Pam or me awake.  Even thou we have a king bed, it was still a bit crowded, and, as you can see from the "morning after" picture, she was quite happy being right there.

Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.
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Thanksgiving 2010...

This year's Thanksgiving was held at Luke and Linda's house.  Linda is my younger sister (I am one of those terrible middle children).  Her husband Luke had some heart surgery earlier this fall and is now up and around.  He had had a heart problem and surgery a while ago, and had some stents.  He was recovering and played golf quite a bit this year, but must have needed some roto-rooter work. 

Anyway, they hosted the get together and we had quite a group.  My brother, Walt (older) and his wife, Carol, and their two girls (Jessica and Meredith -- both grown and living in the Columbus area) were there, as were Pam and I.  Later that afternoon, Linda's son and his wife and their two children stopped over.  That pretty much put all the remaining members of the family (except for Doug, Danika and Quinn) in one place at one time.  Glad the terrorists didn't decide to nuke the place. Whewwww!!

 

We got to talk about lots of things, watch some football, and just enjoy each others' company.  All of us live in the same state, only about an hour apart, but sometimes it seems like days.  We don't get together often enough -- holidays, an occasional golf date, a medical emergency -- not nearly enough as we are all getting older.  I think this is something I will work on this year...it's now "on the list."

On Thanksgiving Day, all over America, families sit down to dinner at the same moment - halftime. 

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Christmas Elf in the kitchen...

Every year about this time, Pam and I start making goodies for all the neighbors, and all the people who help us out in various ways throughout the year -- the mail lady, the trash pick-up guy, my barber, Pam's hair dresser, etc.  This year I thought I would take some pictures and let you see the biggest elf you've ever seen making these tasty treats.

We buy long pretzel rods, big blocks of chocolate and as many containers of sprinkles as we can find.  The most difficult part of the preparation is finding the sprinkles.  They are getting harder to find each year.  We may have to find a commercial vendor somewhere, because if we don't get them by Thanksgiving they are all gone from the local stores.

 Another tough part is getting everything else cleaned up so we have the room to spread out all the pretzels while they cool.  We usually make about 360 or so; it takes about 4 hours.  The clean-up is a chore -- we (I) tend to get a few sprinkles on the floor and they get all over the place. 

All in all, it's kinda fun even if it is hard on the back and legs -- all that standing, and is a mess to clean up.  Everyone says they can't wait to get them.  Oh, yeah, not all of the pretzels are in good condition in the plastic barrels.  Some of them are broken, and we've learned to take these small pieces and do them anyway -- they look like little "turkey legs" or "boneless buffalo wings."  We fill a barrel with them and sit them on the counter for snacking.

Wouldn't it be neat if we could also put the Christmas "spirit" in jars only not open them all right now...but open a new jar each month.

Hooah

A Norman Rockwell kind of scene...

Just outside Troy, Ohio, on Route 25-A, there is an old covered wooden bridge.  It crosses the Miami River and has been there for quite a while, thru storms, floods, and even time.  It is not the main crossing there as the county built a by-pass so the main road and traffic would not destroy the bridge.

I have driven over it a number of times, usually during the winter because it's kind of cool driving up into it, and as you are going thru you can look out thru the windows over the river.  Then you go out the other end and back into the snow which is usually drifted up in front of the drive and you have to put the truck in 4-wheel drive so you don't get hung up.

I remember one winter evening in particular when Pam, Doug and I went driving in a pretty good snow storm and came to the bridge.  I just had to go through it.  The one end was pretty clear, so in we went.  Then as we were just about to get to the other end, I noticed the snow was drifted up to about two feet or so.  I was in the Blazer, so "Huuuugggghhhhh (I think that is how Tim the Tool Man does it) -- bring it on.  The only thing I didn't know was that the 2 foot drift was about 2 - 3 feet for the next couple hundred yards.  Oh, well, just keep driving.  Sure would have been a long walk, but I'm not going to back out the way I came in!!  So when I hit the drift and kept going, the front of the truck actually lifted off the ground for a bit.  I was much younger then.

One other thing that is cool about that area is the river itself.  It is pretty shallow, and the bottom is rocky and the current is pretty good -- great for fly fishing.  I have been there a couple of times -- haven't caught much, but it was pretty cool working that fly rod, wading up and down the river.

The historic marker tells the story of the bridge and if you like history, it's pretty interesting. You can click on the picture and it will open in a larger frame, which will make it easier to read.  Also, note that the bridge is named for the feed/grain elevator in the background -- the Eldean Elevator.

To sit and poke at a wood fire on a cold winter night, or watch  geese fly over a snow covered field is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the world.

Hooah

Cool rainbow...

For the period from August thru November, we received very little rain here.  There was some, just enough to get the crops finished up, and enough to keep the grass growing, but not enough to keep the pond full-up.  We had enough to have fun while Hank, Doy, Mike, Janet, Sarah and Ben were here, and when Doug, Danika, and Quinn were here in October.  I'll have a blog about their visit later.

Anyway, we had a REAL BIG rain storm in November, and the pond filled up with only one day's rain.  I think the way the pond is graded and the way the surrounding land is graded, and the way the drain is set helps the water levels stay pretty consistent.  We usually don't have any problems with pond scum either.  I treated it with copper sulfate the first two years ('96 and '97) and haven't had to do anything with it since.  'Course, the two BIG white emurs have something to do with it too.  The fish population consists of bass, crappies, bluegills, and catfish. We also have frogs, especially in the spring.  That's unusual because there are lots of ponds that don't have frogs.  The science teacher told me it was because of the amount of chemicals being used in fields and the run-off.  That was the problem for Grand Lake St. Mary's. 

Well, back to the rainbow -- the rain just stopped and the sun came out, bringing this very colorful rainbow which appeared to land IN THE POND!!!  I couldn't get a picture of the pond end (couldn't find the camera), but I did get the other end.  I didn't see a pot of gold lying around anywhere, but then maybe the pond itself is the pot of gold.  Hmmmmmmmmm.

A rainbow! A rainbow!  The smile of God is here.

Hooah

Beautiful Fall day in Athens...

Last Saturday (actually this was in October, but it's been in "draft" mode for a while), Pam and I made our annual drive through the hills of Southeast Ohio enroute to the Homecoming football game at Ohio University. It was a beautiful day, with multi-colored trees showing off mother nature's fall finest.

That is such a nice drive, especially since they have the Lancaster by-pass done. The road travels through some of the finest non-East Coast fall scenery there is in this part of the country. If you have ever been there, you know there is only one part yet to be done -- the Nelsonville by-pass. But there is hope -- it looks like they have made progress on that section and maybe in a few years it, too, will be completed. I only hope I still have my driving license and am still young enough to go and see it.

Anyway, it was a beautiful afternoon. The Bobcats took care of business by taking the University of Akron out behind the woodshed for a whoopin'. One of the other reasons we really like going back to Athens is to see the band -- especially when the alumni band is there. There are probably 260-275 band members there, including recent grads and some who have been coming back since the 1960s. Their sound really blasts off the hills in that natural valley and it brings back some really great memories.

I took a clip of the Band playing after the game, but I think it is too big to load because it won't come up.  Maybe if I figure it out, I'll add it later or make a link to it.

Of course, after the post-game show was over, there was the mandatory hike uptown to the college bookstore to look at shirts and hats and such. I think it's in the alumni by-laws somewhere that you have to do this, especially if you have a two-year-old grandson!!! Can't wait to send him some new OU stuff.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. (Albert Camus)

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