Christmas Tree November 24, 2018 @goldenoakfarm
On Monday while my husband labored taking the engine out of the truck so he could replace the hydraulic clutch, I did laundry and put the small lights on the big Christmas tree. It was, of course, raining all day.
On Tuesday my husband got the clutch in and the engine back into the truck. I spent the early morning and most of midday wrapping the 25 tiny presents for my sister’s Advent Box.
They can’t be longer than 1½” on a side, so they will fit in the little drawers. The one with the Santa cat is cat treats for her cats.
I teach people how to read their soil tests, if they are from Logan Labs, using Steve Solomon’s worksheets. I had someone e-mail and ask if I’d do it on Tuesday morning.
Her soil, over in Africa on the other side of the Connecticut River, has a high calcium/magnesium content, known as Excess Cations. I have Acid Soil but I’ve had a few people with the Excess Cations, so I decided I’d best learn to do that worksheet.
I offered her hot cocoa or tea, and she chose hot cocoa, that’s what we had.
When we had finished I went up and finished the Advent wrapping and packed it and mailed it off. My helper friend was coming in the late afternoon and I had a few things for us to do.
But when he arrived it turned out he’d come across a whole case of Vermont Cranberries and so we spent the first hour processing them to freeze. They had started to go bad and had been left on a loading dock overnight and had gotten nipped.
But in the end he got 2 lbs (in the bags) and I got 7 quart containers @ 12 oz and the bowl was the bad ones for the layers. I can see a lot of Wild Blueberry/Cranberry Chutney in my future…
Today my husband had a few things to do under the truck and it would be done. But a hose fitting started leaking and he had to order a new hose. So the truck repair goes into another day.
We got another load of gravel for the driveway, to start filling the huge puddles to the barn. My husband will spread it tomorrow morning, and then a second load will come.
For nearly 15 years I’ve been slowly collecting enough bubble light strings to do the whole tree. This year I finally had enough to go top to bottom, 13 strings. This is what I did most of the day.
Tomorrow I hope to get the garlands and ornaments on and be finished with decorating. He hopes to finish that truck before the next snowstorm….
Never a dull moment…
You definitely keep yourself busy with a variety of tasks, the advent treats is a fun idea!
I cannot imagine putting up a tree early. I was brought up with the tradition that "Santa" put the tree up on Christmas Eve when we were in bed, and I have somewhat stuck to that tradition, only putting it up a few days earlier than Christmas and it comes down very quickly thereafter... I think that is what Boxing Day is for, lol.
Oh, I was raised where the tree went up Christmas Eve too. With 6 kids it would not have survived longer. :))
But I have created my own traditions over the decades and I so enjoy the lights on the trees at night. :))
Busy busy busy!!! Keep up the good work!