No Chestnuts, but an Open Fire

I dined on one of the traditional "lucky" New Year's Day foods at my daughter's home this evening: Hoppin' John, a combination of seasoned blackeyed peas and rice. My son-in-law, who is a pretty good cook (actually, he's a really good cook, but I don't want to inflate his ego too much), prepared the meal. In addition to the blackeyed peas and rice, he baked a delicious cornbread casserole, and dressed up a spiral-cut ham with a liberal application of maple-flavored Log Cabin Syrup. Yummy!!

The front section of their large home (living room, dining room, kitchen and den) is heated during the winter by a wood-burning stove. We had a lovely fire this evening to take off the chill, and I couldn't resist getting a few photos of the flickering flames.

I came back home warm and full of good food, an altogether satisfactory end to the first day of this new year.

New Year's Day Sky Watch - Faster than a Speeding Bullet

Not a cloud in the sky today, this first day of the new year. When I lifted my eyes to the heavens, about the only thing that caught my eye was an airplane's contrail as it approached a very pale crescent moon (you have to look closely to even see the moon; it's that little white speck almost dead center of the frame above and just ahead of and slightly below the leading edge [right] of the contrail.)

Seven seconds later, yes, just seven seconds (I am amazed at the information stored by my camera), the photo above shows the relative positions of both. The moon sliver is almost centered below the visible contrail. That plane was moving pretty fast.

Sky Watch was created by Dot and expanded upon by our retired friend Tom. This weekly theme post is brought to you by Klaus, Sandy, Fishing Guy, Ivar, Wren, and Louise. Visit the Sky Watch Friday home page anytime after 7:30 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time on Thursdays to see sky photos from around the world. You'll be glad you did.

Out and About

My younger sister, who lives in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas (about 70 miles southwest of here), was not able to join us for the family Christmas gathering. So, today I travelled to her home for lunch, a visit, and exchange of Christmas gifts.

We had a simple lunch (soup and sandwich) but an extra-special dessert, something I haven't had in a long, long time: homemade, vanilla custard-filled cream puffs! I had to get a photo, of course! Don't these look yummy? They definitely were delicious.

When we lived in New Mexico, our mother used to make custard-filled cream puffs quite often. I think she, herself, was fond of them, and they were one of our favorite treats. I can't remember that she made cream puffs after we moved to Arkansas, and I've missed them. I got all misty-eyed when these were brought to the table.

After lunch, I helped my sister create her own blog, Nutmeg. When she has a few posts up, I'll share the link so you can, if you're interested, see what she's doing.

It was an absolutely lovely day for my visit. Temperatures were in the mid-60's with a gentle breeze. To stretch our legs after the blog creation, we headed to nearby Cortez Lake (there are several lakes within the Village) to see if we might find some photo opportunities. We did.

At this particular site, there are a number of xeriscape areas . At one end of a now mostly barren bed, there is a large holly tree, glossy leaves shining in the sun and absolutely laden with berries. I don't believe I've ever before seen as many berries on a holly tree. I may use this image (or one of the several others I took) for some of my 2009 Christmas cards.

Among the dried plants close to the lake shore, I found one I've not seen before, and have no idea what it is. I found the curl of the dried stems very attractive.

Incorporated into the flower beds, and in groupings closer to the lake, there are a number of unusual rocks. I believe the one pictured below to be granite laced with quartz, a mineral which is plentiful in the Hot Springs area. (I'm open to correction from anyone more geologically knowledgeable.)

Cortez Lake stretches for some distance, with a number of beautiful homes built on its shores.


All in all, it was a wonderful day. I enjoyed visiting with my sister and her husband, and the time spent taking photographs at the lake. I got back home before dark, refreshed, relaxed and ready for the last day of the year.

Watching the Sky, but not Sky Watch Friday

When I arose this morning, the temperature was already at almost 70 degrees. Definitely not a good thing for December 27 in Arkansas! When I checked the weather report, it was as I suspected; we are under severe storm warnings. I stepped outside the front door a few minutes ago to see what, if anything, was going on in the heavens, and found only heavy gray clouds. They were being pushed by a strong southwesterly wind and really scudding across the sky. You'll have to imagine the movement, since while I have the capacity to make a short video on my camera, I don't have the know-how to get it into the blog (yet).

The storm warnings (actually tornado warnings) are to expire shortly. I'm hoping that they are not reissued. I don't wish for history to repeat itself; the Little Rock area was hit by a bad tornado during Christmas week a few years ago. That's not nice, Mother Nature!

Sky Watch - The Morning and the Evening

Christmas Day Morning

The skies were full of contrails; the ethereal reminders of aircraft coming and going. In my imagination, each plane was filled with happy travelers, making a last minute journey in hopes of being at home with their loved ones on Christmas Day.

Christmas Day Evening

Skies overcast with a tiny bit of the soon-to-be-setting sun coloring the undersides of the clouds with the barest hint of gold. A peaceful end to a special day.

Sky Watch was created by Dot and expanded upon by our retired friend Tom. This weekly theme post is brought to you by Klaus, Sandy, Fishing Guy, Ivar, Wren, and Louise. Visit the Sky Watch Friday home page anytime after 7:30 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time on Thursdays to see sky photos from around the world. You'll be glad you did.

The Wish is Old, But the Wish is True...

... a Merry Christmas, my friends, to you!

Oh, my Darlin' Clementines

I am extremely fond of Clementines and bought a box of them when I was at the grocery on Friday afternoon. I've eaten 5 or 6 already, directly from the box, but thought I'd put them in a bowl to place on the table. Whilst looking for a suitable container, I suddenly thought that they'd make a nice Christmas decoration if placed around a candle. So, that's what I did. I rounded up a few pieces of artificial greenery and pinecones (it's entirely too cold for me to go roaming around outside looking for real holly) and tucked them here and there. My heretofore decoration-barren home now has a decorative centerpiece. And... I can eat it! Well, at least the Clementines! No telling what this will look like by Christmas Day!

At Wikipedia (don't you love Wikipedia?) I found the following information: "Clementines, usually grown in Morocco and Spain, have been available in Europe for many years. A market for them in the United States was created recently, when the harsh 1997 winter in Florida devastated domestic orange production, increasing prices and decreasing availability. California clementines are available from mid-November through January; this availability has them referred to in some areas as "Christmas Oranges"."

My cats are very interested in this intrusion to their stomping grounds. I'll have to watch them when the candle is lit; they don't need frizzled whiskers.