We had a week of very mild, springlike weather. All week it was almost shocking to step outside and smell spring. I read a detailed weather report that explained why this is happening – something about a system in the Atlantic Ocean that has pushed the Jet Stream north and held all the Arctic Air at the North Pole. To have temperatures in the 50's in December should be nothing to complain about. Then why do I feel like complaining? Why this winter discontent? I blame Irving Berlin. All my life I’ve been persuaded with lovely words and a haunting melody that I should dream of having a white Christmas. For the first twenty years of my life I had white Christmases. Then for the next twenty years while living in Southern California I dreamed longingly of white Christmases just like the ones I used to know. When we moved here we expected the tree tops to glisten during the most wonderful time of the year. In the last fifteen years, we’ve had more than one brown Christmas here and it looks like this will be another one.
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| My garden in mid-December! |
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| The bees are still flying around. |
As if that isn’t disappointment enough, the forecasters are telling us that sometime in January everything will change. Then, we’re told, we can expect the Jet Stream to shift and send polar air crashing down on us, to stay, no doubt, much longer than we’d like. There isn’t anything I can do about it, but even so, I feel a little cheated. It looks like winter, like bad company, will arrive late and then stay too long.
This warm weather can actually be detrimental to the garden and orchard. The fruit trees need a certain number of hours of freezing weather to set buds properly. If it stays warm too long and then freezes hard the buds can be damaged. It’s better for them to have consistent winter weather. Last year we had no fruit due to several hard freezes late in the spring. I read this morning that in Maplewood, New Jersey, there are fruit trees blooming. That’s not good. I hope we don’t lose next year’s crop too.
We do have some happy Christmas news. We were anticipating a rather lonely Christmas this year. The Shilligs are going away to be with children and grandchildren. None of our children were coming home. We thought it would just be the four of us. Then the Thayns announced that they are coming to spend Christmas with us! That will double the happiness at our house! Now there will be eight of us. And having Hazel and June here will make it even better. It’s been a long time since we had a three year old and a one year old in the house for Christmas.
Stacey’s brother Bill will arrive this Friday. He’s coming here on business (but that doesn’t mean there won’t also be much partying). Depending on how long the business takes, there’s a chance he might be here for Christmas too. So our house will be much merrier than we first thought.
On Friday we had our branch Christmas dinner. It was a very nice affair. Our senior missionary couple and the sister missionaries decorated the tables. Pres. Shillig prepared the main courses – chicken, rice pilaf, green beans, a salad, and rolls. The members brought desserts to share. It was all so delicious. We had about forty people there, which is a pretty good turnout for our tiny branch.
This warm weather can actually be detrimental to the garden and orchard. The fruit trees need a certain number of hours of freezing weather to set buds properly. If it stays warm too long and then freezes hard the buds can be damaged. It’s better for them to have consistent winter weather. Last year we had no fruit due to several hard freezes late in the spring. I read this morning that in Maplewood, New Jersey, there are fruit trees blooming. That’s not good. I hope we don’t lose next year’s crop too.
We do have some happy Christmas news. We were anticipating a rather lonely Christmas this year. The Shilligs are going away to be with children and grandchildren. None of our children were coming home. We thought it would just be the four of us. Then the Thayns announced that they are coming to spend Christmas with us! That will double the happiness at our house! Now there will be eight of us. And having Hazel and June here will make it even better. It’s been a long time since we had a three year old and a one year old in the house for Christmas.
Stacey’s brother Bill will arrive this Friday. He’s coming here on business (but that doesn’t mean there won’t also be much partying). Depending on how long the business takes, there’s a chance he might be here for Christmas too. So our house will be much merrier than we first thought.
On Friday we had our branch Christmas dinner. It was a very nice affair. Our senior missionary couple and the sister missionaries decorated the tables. Pres. Shillig prepared the main courses – chicken, rice pilaf, green beans, a salad, and rolls. The members brought desserts to share. It was all so delicious. We had about forty people there, which is a pretty good turnout for our tiny branch.
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| The dessert table. |
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| Our branch Christmas dinner. |
I’ve finished all my Christmas barn quilt orders now. A customer picked up four of them yesterday. Tomorrow we’ll mail the last one to a customer in Maine. Also on Saturday we installed one in Ulysses that our friends, the Olneys, ordered. I’m done painting for the time being and have tidied up my workroom for the holidays.
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| Stacey and Josiah hanging the Olney's barn quilt. |
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| The Olney's barn. |
This coming week we have some big events scheduled. The high school Christmas concert is on Thursday. After the concert we’ll head to Coudersport to the 10:30 showing of Star Wars: The Force Awakens – an event we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. Then Uncle Bill arrives on Friday and on Saturday we’ll get our Christmas tree.
It’s 60° right now. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be even warmer. We’re more than 30° above our normal temperature for this time of year. We didn’t bother to wear coats when we went to church today. It is overcast and misty. It feels and smells like April. As I look out the window, I see some leaves that have accumulated on the lawn. Normally they would be covered with snow by now and I wouldn’t know they are there, but since I can see them, they bother me. Tomorrow after school I’ll rake them up. I’ve never raked leaves in December before. Then I guess I’d better go inspect the orchard. I’d better not see any flowers.
It’s 60° right now. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be even warmer. We’re more than 30° above our normal temperature for this time of year. We didn’t bother to wear coats when we went to church today. It is overcast and misty. It feels and smells like April. As I look out the window, I see some leaves that have accumulated on the lawn. Normally they would be covered with snow by now and I wouldn’t know they are there, but since I can see them, they bother me. Tomorrow after school I’ll rake them up. I’ve never raked leaves in December before. Then I guess I’d better go inspect the orchard. I’d better not see any flowers.
