Over the Backyard Fence

"In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful,

but the gratefulness that makes us happy." (Albert Clarke)

It's hard to believe how fast this week after Christmas sped by. Soon it will be the new year, and then we'll take the Christmas down and put away the indoor decorations. We'll leave the outdoor lights up for a few more weeks, in keeping with the Denver tradition of keeping the lights up through the National Western Stock Show.

But, first a look back on this last Friday's Fave Five of 2022.

Snowy Holidays ~ It's been so nice having lots of snow for the holidays this year. It started before Christmas, and we got another big dump of it the day before yesterday. It made for some treacherous walking today, but I always love seeing this little tree that is decorated in a park near our house. It looked especially pretty this morning with the sun glistening in the snow around it, and the ornaments shining brightly.

Good neighbors ~ We're so fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful neighbors. We've lived in neighborhoods before where we were blessed with friendly neighbors, but here we've all really 'clicked.' When it snows, everyone is out shoveling together, sharing the job of clearing sidewalks for those who aren't able to, or in this case with 11" of snow, those with snowblowers help those with just shovels. (Just to be clear, when I say 'we' are shoveling, I mean Dan. But, I do greet him with a nice hot cup of coffee afterward. Does that count?) At Christmas, tins of tamales and homemade chili, smoked cheeses, rum cake, and fudge, are shared between houses.

A new book ~ I always love receiving a book for Christmas. I'm enjoying this one by Joanna Gaines, The Stories We Tell. She shares her life story, encouraging the reader to explore their own. I'm always curious about people's stories, and how they arrive at places in life. The author has a lovely, conversational tone in her writing. It's also a refreshing example that stories don't have to be dysfunctional to be interesting and book-worthy. 

As we wrap up 2022, I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!🎉 Thank you for stopping by my backyard fence!

Karen

Happy Friday, everyone.

 It's been one of those weeks where it seems so many people I know are struggling. In fact, the world seems to be struggling a lot these days, isn't it? I'm finding joy in the smaller moments, so I'll share some with you now for Friday's Fave Five. 

A Christmas Concert ~ My nephew is a senior in high school this year, so each of the concerts he plays in are bittersweet, knowing it's a 'last.' Dan and I attended Tommy's winter concert this week and as always thoroughly enjoyed the music. The highlight was a compilation of Beatles songs, and Tommy's trumpet solo for Hey Jude! He nailed it!

A new book ~ I follow a group on FB called American Historical Novels. It's fun to see what new books are coming out and read about the authors. This week, there was a zoom meeting with Mariah Fredericks, author of The Lindbergh Nanny. It was so interesting to listen in on the discussion of how she researched the book and her writing process. And I was thrilled to learn the next day that I won an autographed copy of the book! 

It's been a fairly quiet week spent mostly at home, which is just how I like it these days. So, my list for Friday's Fave Five is quite simple this week. I'll get right to it.

An Advent Study ~ I'm doing an online study for Advent entitled "Be A Light." It includes daily scripture readings; a poem, photo or artwork to contemplate; and a journaling suggestion. It's a lovely way to start the day, and often in those serendipitous moments I find the subject often addresses something that has been on my heart.

A recipe shared ~ Last week, Susanne shared this link for broccoli-cheddar soup. I made the recipe on Tuesday, when we woke up to several inches of snow and bitter cold that lasted much of the day. It is so simple, and so delicious. We had ours with slices of warm, buttered bread.  I noticed another blogging friend, Deb, made the recipe this week, too! There are so many things I love about the blogging community, and sharing recipes (and books!) is one of them.

Birds at the feeder ~ The bird feeder in our backyard is a busy place. Some of our newer visitors are dark-eyed juncos. They are sparrow-sized birds, and while they can vary in color, the are often gray on the upper body with what looks to be an even darker hood over the head and shoulders, and a white underside. They flit about on the ground under the feeder in small groups of about a half dozen or more. 

Winter nights ~ Late in the evening, I often step outside with Lilly while she inspects the backyard one last time before settling in for the night. In robe and slippers, I breathe in the cold air and look at the night sky, sometimes clear with stars shining bright, and other times heavy and silver gray, reflecting the city lights.

A good read ~ This will be at the top of my list of favorite books this year. Once Upon A Wardrobe by Patti Callahan is the story of a young girl named Megs who sets out to meet C.S. Lewis so as to find the answer to her little brother's questions: Where did Narnia come from? Is it real? In her conversations with the author, much is revealed about the idea of "story" and what it means to us, why we yearn for them and what we hope they'll tell us. 

Happy Friday, everyone.

Karen

Yesterday, Dan and I went out for our traditional breakfast and first excursion for Christmas shopping. The snow falling outside made it festive as we sipped coffee and I shared my lists with him. Afterward, we shopped for some of the items and put a big dent in that list. I'll order the rest and pick up a few odds and ends. I'm thankful that we enjoy sharing in the Christmas shopping together and that we are blessed with a big family to love.

And so it begins . . . The 22-pound turkey sits in the refrigerator to defrost. I've made up my menu for Thanksgiving dinner and picked up some of the groceries that can be purchased ahead of time. There will be 10 of us around the table this year and the menu is much the same as in years past. We all love turkey, and we all love leftovers, so Thanksgiving is a popular holiday around here. Is it redundant to say I'm thankful for a day that is all about being thankful?

A quiet week. . . A common refrain among retirees is, "I don't know where the time goes!" It's so true, and while our trips of late explain some of it, even when we're home the time just seems to fly. The past week I've been intentional about scheduling very little, and it has given me the unstructured time at home that I used to long for when I was working or had a houseful of children. I'm thankful for a week where I could leisurely declutter, attend to paperwork, and generally organize.

A book awaits . . . at the library. When an email comes up in my feed that the book I requested has come in, my heart skips a little beat! A new book to read and a trip to the library. Two of my favorite things.

A FB market find . . . Speaking of books, I'm always in need of just a little more space for my growing collection. Yes, I use the library a lot, and, yes, I'm trying to cut back on the number of books I purchase. But, bottom line, I love owning my favorite reads and having some titles available when the mood strikes to flip through the pages and look something up. I found a wonderful little bookcase that fits perfectly in a corner of my sitting room. It's real wood, well made, and the conversation I had with the couple that sold it made it such a nice experience. 

I'd say it's been a good week. Happy Friday, everyone!

Karen

I can't believe we are already well into the first week of November. And it's Friday! so here are some favorite moments from the past week.

I found my glasses! I can't be grateful enough for this one. I searched high and low, and then by chance I decided to tidy up the cushions on the porch swing and there they were! I never would have thought to look there. 🎉

Surprise trick-r-treaters. We always have a good number come to our house, which makes me happy, as there seem to be fewer who participate in this tradition each year. There are other 'safer' options, which I understand. We had a nice surprise when the doorbell rang and I opened it to see Luke's high school buddy Andy and his wife and two children. I hadn't seen them since they had their new baby! Andy spent so many hours at our house and I feel like he's one of my own. He calls me his 'second Mom' which of course I love. It was nice to see them all doing so well 🎃

A cozy evening. We had our first snow yesterday! Several inches and it was falling fast and hard when we drove to my Dad's for our weekly pizza night. When we arrived, Carol had the fireplace going and candles lit. It was so warm and cozy. 🍷🍷

After weeks of procrastinating, I finally signed up for an appointment for my Covid booster and flu shot, last week. My appointment was yesterday. I'm thankful that such things are available, and thankful for the staff at the pharmacy who are so overwhelmed these days, but still managed to get me through efficiently and with a kind and cheerful attitude.

We're having lots of fun with Brooklynn and Bentley this week, as they are staying with us while their dad is on a much deserved vacation, an annual trip with his dad and brother. They arrived Wednesday evening and will stay until Tuesday! They are good kids, and this old grandma is already happy for a weekend break after two days of school.

Our sweet Lilly had her annual checkup this week. The practice we take her to is so patient with her -- she's a nervous Nelly. A father/son practice, they've taken good care of her over the years. She's 14 now and doing quite well. Her hearing is somewhat diminished (so is mine) and she has become quite farsighted with age (so have I). But, overall she's great.

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field.

It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of garden plants.(Matt. 13:31-32)

This week, I'm learning about how small gestures and moments can grow into more significant things.  Here are some examples that make up my favorites this Friday.

I've been watching the squirrels outside my window, collecting acorns for winter. They race from my neighbor's yard carrying one acorn at a time, across my front yard, and onto the next neighbor's house, where they store their treasures for the winter. Of course I'm reminded of the great oaks that grow from these little acorns, and I'm entertained by the furry little creatures. Especially the one that just can't help himself when he stops to munch on an acorn along the way.

A hug from a loved one spreads warmth and washes away a feeling of melancholy that has been lingering of late. Such a small gesture makes my day.

A tiny droplet of water on an aspen leaf shimmers and glistens in the sunlight, spreading radiance. And, suddenly, the entire forest seems all aglow.

You never know what small gesture might bloom into something lovely. How a small hope or dream can become something bigger. There is much potential in small ideas, moments, choices, to create something significant.

Happy Friday, everyone. And Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends! 🦃

Susanne at Living to Tell the Story is our hostess for Friday's Fave Five. Today marks the 700th!! Friday that she has been doing this. I haven't counted my FFF posts, and I'm not sure how many I've done, but I'm SO grateful to Susanne for encouraging us each and every week to look for the blessings, big and small, in my life. It has truly made a difference! It has certainly caused a change in mindset for me, and I find myself looking at life a little differently. I catch myself being aware of the blessings throughout the week, and making notes on my calendar to add them to FFF. I highly recommend it! even if you don't blog or don't choose to do FFF with us. It has opened my heart to the good things in life, and I find the scales tilted more toward blessings than things to complain about;)

So, on to this week's FFF ~

Bird banding ~ This was a highlight of the week, for sure. Last Saturday, our bird club went to a bird banding station at one of our state parks. Bird banding is used to study birds in the wild. For several weeks in the fall, the station is set up with 'mist nets' that gently catch birds as they migrate through. The birds are tagged, weighed, evaluated, and a small feather is taken for DNA testing. It was so magical to see these little guys up close! And then, to have one place in the open palms of my hands, to let him go back to the wild. I've included photos throughout this post. I'm grateful for all God's creatures, great and small.

Happy Friday, everyone.

Sounds . . . Rain on the roof of the camper at night sounded like pebbles softly falling and clattering about; the sound of chickadees chirping as they flit about while we hiked; the campfire crackling and hissing.

Taste . . .Toasted marshmallows with bites of really good salted caramel chocolate; wine with afternoon cheese and crackers

Touch . . .Softness of a down-filled comforter; warm flannel shirts and wool socks

Smell . . . Coffee brewing first thing in the morning, the rich fragrance filling our little camper and warming me up with its scent and the heat from the stove; the smell of pine trees on a hike through Brown's Canyon National Monument.

I'm running a day late for Friday's Fave Five, but it's been a busy week. Lots of good things to choose from for my favorites.

A holiday family get-together ~ On Monday, Labor Day here in the U.S., we went to my dad's for a barbeque of brats, hotdogs, potato salad and beans, and some yummy desserts. Oh, and my SIL's artichoke dip. Always a family favorite 😋 I'm grateful for time with family, the amazing workers in our great country, and AC 😥 It was a toasty 97 degrees that day.

A hike ~ On Thursday, I went for a hike with a local birding group. The highlight for me was seeing two new birds for my life list -- a western bluebird and a green-tailed towhee. I didn't have much luck getting my own photos, so these are from The Cornell Lab website.

Green-tailed Towhee (photo Cornell Lab)

We also saw lots of wildflowers that day, and happened upon a local naturalist photographing prairie grasses. He gave us a quick 10-minute lesson on the tallgrass prairie. Who knew that grass could be so interesting?! It was truly fascinating.

Feeling happy this morning to be settling into my favorite time of year. September is my favorite month for so many reasons, including that it leads to October, then November, and days filled with autumn.

I'm joining Friday Fave Five, sharing moments that sparked joy in my week.

Yellow adirondack chairs ~ I met a friend this week at a favorite coffee shop. What makes it a favorite other than great coffee, marvelous muffins and pastries? A large, tree shaded patio with bright yellow adirondack chairs. I felt lighthearted sitting in those cheerful, comfortable chairs that brought back memories of days on the beach.

Stars and stripes ~ On a hike this week, Dan and I passed a meadow filled with rolls of hay, all neatly wrapped and resting in the sun. The covers bore patterns of stars and stripes, a nod to Labor Day, the final holiday weekend of summer.

Empty space on my calendar ~ There's more of it these days, but I still have to be intentional sometimes about making sure I don't overcommit. Unexpected free time is always a treat.

Date with my granddaughter ~ I'm doing a little sewing lesson with Brooklynn, and on Tuesday we went to choose fabric. Sooo many choices and it got a little hairy at times (no, silk metallic lame would not be a good choice for jammies). When she finally chose a nice soft flannel, with a print of kitties and ice cream tossed about, we took the bolt to the cutting table. Imagine her dismay when she discovered we only got to take a piece of it home. Not the entire bolt! 

Second blooms ~ Many of the rosebushes are going through their second or third blooming now. One of my favorites is this peach colored floribunda. Just when I think it is finished for the summer, it comes to life again, bringing us more joy.