Downtown the night before Christmas Eve.

(Suddenly remembered I forgot to pay the city bill - rats! Add $10 to an already outrageous bill!!)

 Three (count 'em) nativity snow globes, all gifts.

 Laura & Kate - baked craisin oatmeal for brunch.

 Bad lighting; good people:
@ dining table:  Velvet, Grace, Don, Lois, Eldon, Janeil.

(Carl stole my spot @ the desk.  Bless 'im.)

 View from the street on Big Plantation Ave.

 Spiral ham and scalloped potatoes, green beans in butter and red wine vinegar,

pumpkin and pecan pies.

(After a big spread of hors d'oeuvres.)

Uncle Seth & Raygen.

 One of Raygen's favorites.

(And I can still hear in my head,

her Mom at the same age slamming the door again and again.)

 Another of Raygen's favorites.

("What's this," she'd ask Dad, over and over, then run back to the easel,

excitedly proclaiming it's name as she posted it.)
Other cute quotes in cheerful tones:  "Hey, guys!"  "I'm here!"

 Hayden describing his gift for Mom which he picked out by himself,
earrings and necklace.

(Johnny's maternal grandparents in the background.)

 Johnny's gift to Jewel - a fancy running watch.
(She gave him an Amazon certificate to get a better deal
on the the frames he wants for eye glasses.)

 Johnny & Seth's favorite team (grandparent's stomping grounds).

 My gifts - peppermint tin with p. Kisses from my VTer.

An amaryllis from the Londons.
A flower pot from Jewel & Johnny:
"Grandma's Garden of Love" on one side,
"HaydenRaygenHazelLucy" on the other.
An Olive Garden gift certificate from Grant & Ruth & girls.
Slippers from Jewel & Johnny.
A soft cheese knife from Janeil.
Whisper Hill lavender candle, soap and aloe
& goat's milk bath salts from Velvet & Carl.
A clever cap/scarf from Robin, Johnny's mom.

Oh, and one more thing - some serious bling
Hayden picked out just for me.

Perfect fit!

 Can't see a lick of the mountains, but Utah Lake looks frozenly inviting.
And for what Utah lacks in snow, it makes up for in sunsets:

 Tonight, SW from Pleasant Grove Drive @ State Street.

Tonight, Timp, from 1100 N.

Tonight, SW from our old driveway (Penrod end).

A Fishing Expedition

Two trees at work ... zero at home.

Wrapping paper Ruth oughta use.

(@ one of several work parties.)

Three pictures of late, heading out to work.

Two shots, nearing home from work.

 

(Dec. full moon w/tree branches.)

 (Nov. full moon with vapor trail along Timp's mountain ridge.)

I'm a Mac kinda person.  Meaning, I prefer "fishing" to the olden days of memorized WordPerfect or WordStar rules.  Of late my blogging has a glitch I can't fix by fishing so this is a "test."  About halfway through all I've posted, I added another contributor.  It just didn't like my .edu so I added a .gmail and it's much more friendly about letting me into the inner workings.  So now I have new problems I can't fish fix, I'm going back to see if it helps.  The problem is takes weeks to reflect the fact that I've put up something new for my three viewers.  I'm also testing email notification.  Which I would really rather undo because I tend to change what I put up so I could drive you rather crazy.  (Fingers crossed!)

[Yay!!!  It worked!!!  So I've undone my email notifications, you lucky people.]

The view from my office window.

It's been a good day. Got up early to take a neighbor to the temple. Went to work and spent a few hours getting more ready for a state audit that starts Tuesday. Joined a bunch of coworkers at the Provo Parade of Lights. I've never been to it before (it's third year). There were a whole bunch of skinny Santas that ran the route first. Right behind us was a bagpipe band. The people lining the streets remembered that we were handing out fresh fruit again - oranges, tangerines, pears, red and green apples. And lots of light sticks. We have a new warehouseman who outfitted the truck to the hilt - lights, music, courtesy of an inverter. He did such a pro job we wished we could ride around the neighborhoods after! Thinking back to Daddy's outdoor Christmas decor/music, he would have approved.
Actually, it's been a good week. A little too hectic at work for my liking but imagine this! The sacrament meeting music for December, beyond the sacrament hymn, is 100% Christmas music! I'm in a state of shock. What a difference a changing of the guard can make! We have a new move-in who is a whiz at piano and organ and she's my special number for next Sunday - O, Holy Night (Sally DeFord). The choir will sing early morning Christmas day, the Primary, and a month ago I suggested four of our YW/YM for a number and they ran with it (they all sing in the high school choir). Enjoyed the last piece of homemade whole wheat bread - toasted, buttered, honeyed - given to me by my home teacher's wife. Also enjoyed the last garden tomato in a BLT, and it was delicious, believe it or not! Got all the yard gear into the new shed for the winter. The expensive tarp I bought in the spring from Northern Tools for the woodpile, proclaimed hardy enough for any hard winter, died an early ignominious demise so I used Daddy's 30-something-year-old Visqueen. Everyone should have a role of Visqueen.

Actually, it's been a good month. Having the Scarboroughs for Thanksgiving week was a pleasure. First time I've used the china since the Carl/Velvet Grant/Ruth and fam days. Their Dad would have been proud that we continue his tradition of twice-baked potatoes, though Jewel's gourmet version is vastly different. Who knew! a shell salt rub, several cheeses and bacon would make such a difference! Jewel's praline yams has also become standard fare.

Hayden slept in the little bedroom upstairs and Raygen in the bedroom downstairs. She actually willingly went down there without complaint for her naps though the rest of us remained upstairs, and when it was past time to wake up, Johnny would go to get her, finding her conversing from the crib with the array of dolls and stuffed animals, and she'd say, "No Daddy, go Daddy." At least, that's who we assume she was talking to...

Before the blessing of these visitors' arrival, I went to the ward R.S. activity for couples and actually enjoyed it. Sat with the Bastians and the Penrods. Jessie and I sang soprano and Sister Bastian and another older sister sang alto, Families Can Be Together Forever. I told them we ought to wink while we sang, "While I am in my early years...." I normally don't go to such unless I have an assignment. Hence the assignment, I'm sure. It was really fun to sing with Jessie. And link arms for a steadier trip from the table to the mike and back. (I had heard that her leukemia was a misdiagnosis. We always compare notes as to our blood doctor visits. This conversation she verified that yes, that's what she has.) She told people at the party that "we grew up together."