A Quiet Holiday

We spent the last couple of days of my daughter's visit enjoying the area on walks, watching favorite shows, and me getting to spoil her with Mom attentions. All too soon it was time to drop her at the airport where she had an uneventful trip back to LA.

A colorful sunset looking southwest toward the Catskill Mts.

I met my friends Dale and Janice for breakfast on the 24th because our monthly dinner had to be postponed to January and that is just too long to wait between friends. It is always so good to see them and in this case wish them a Merry Christmas. Later that day, as I was baking cookies and apple crisp, Dale texted that she had come down with the flu and cancelled her Christmas plans. I had the flu vaccine and felt fine, so I just continued on with my plans.

The day before Christmas we had some precipitation, but it was graupel - neither snow nor sleet, but something in between - like little snow pellets.

The apple crisp was successful and delicious.

Christmas day was delightful and I enjoyed the drive through all the pretty New England villages with their stone walls, colonial homes, and so many old, steepled churches. 
I spent Christmas and the day after with my sister's family in Connecticut. It was a lovely, low key Christmas with a walk and a dinner with all three of her kids and a couple of other strays. 

The day after, before I left for home to get ahead of an impending storm, Theresa and I took a nice hike in the woods.

The frosty Bullet Hill Brook was just icing up.

You could almost see the ice forming on the edge as we watched.

                                                                    Back home again!
The garden in winter and my freshly plowed driveway. If it's going to be this cold,
there should be a pretty layer of snow on the ground.

The snow is back! We got another 6 inches overnight, which is the perfect amount for my small snowblower to handle. It even managed to knock down the heavy road pile so my mail can be delivered.  That was a brilliant purchase last year. 
A group is going cross country skiing this afternoon, but I'm going to stick closer to home and put my house back together after guests and travel left it in a bit of a state. I am also just peopled out and need some down time to recharge. There is a hike tomorrow in any case.





Comments

  1. MargaretDecember 28, 2025 at 5:29 PM

    Your holiday sounds like an ideal mix of family, friends and activities. I LOVE APPLE CRISP! Your topping looks yummy. I'm sorry that your daughter got the flu; you're feeling fine? I got all my vaccinations and hope to avoid the worst of the winter ills. Snow is pretty as long as it doesn't stick around too long. ;) It never does around here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MaureenDecember 28, 2025 at 9:22 PM

    My friend Dale got the flu, not my daughter. I'm happy to have escaped it!

    ReplyDelete

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