Christmas in the Air . . . .

Bit by bit it is becoming Christmas around here.  Since these were taken we now have snow on the ground and likely to stay there for the future due to some very cold weather. headed out way.  With the days so very long right now- sunrise 7;35 AM and sunset 4:35 pm  it is nice to have extra light from a variety of Christmas lights. 

Away but not forgotten . . . . .

Yes, yes, yes,  I know it has been eons since I have typed here and shared the daily happenings of Chestnut Hill.   Life continues to be busy and full with the 3 kids,  3 cats and Edna the yellow lab.  It has been a lovely fall, long, full of sunshine and nice days but we have clearly shifted to a winter pattern just in time for Christmas.   The ground is covered with about 5 inches of snow and more is on the way.   We are to get some bone chilling cold later this week- single digits in the overnight and early mornings and only in the teens by day.   The frogs have all dug in, in the pond and interestingly when we get en exceptionally warm day one or 2 will actually surface for the day and then as it gets cold they once again disappear.  A large snail has joined the pond and I will post that later- some people get hand cream from a sister- I got a big Snail.  :) 

Christmas Light Parade

Village Hall 

The four corners - only stop light for miles. 

 Two mounted patrols - picture did not come out so good. 

Here come Santa Claus

Ski Hill depicted with snowmaking from nearby Fire Company

Cougar Tech 2228 Robot

I liked the way this not so good picture  has cool wheels

Small towns do lots of very cool things and they are incubators for " community" in a world that tries to fragment folks as much as possible.  Every  December for an hour on a Saturday night you will find the community unplugged and watching anxiously on the sides of Main Street for the arrival Of Santa Claus.  In addition to area Fire Companies that will often come 60 miles to participate there is the school district Transportation dept. A few restaurants and our very own Cougar Tech 2228 Robotics team will be found to march down the street.  This year there were 2 bands and it was a balmy 21 feels like 18 out.   Tonight they even had the Falls tinted Red and Green,

 Cheers!  

Happy Holidays from  Honeoye Falls., NY  USA    

Taughannock Falls Trumansburg NY

See the people, where they should not be . . . .On the ledge . . . .at the very top 215 feet vertical fall

Taughancock  Falls

 Martha and Erik

Native Bee Balm

Goosefoot Maple seed chains

  So once a summer my husbands family converges on a State Park in the Southern Tier - often at the base of Cayuga Lake or Seneca Lake.  We like Cayuga Lake even if it is farther because they have Purity Ice Cream in Ithaca and we like to go there for an Ice Cream afterward,  For me this year it was Chocolate Covered Strawberry Ice Cream and I have yummy pictures but they are on my phone and not available right now to my blog . . .  We have been attending this reunion for 28 years and it is interesting to see those that were young back in the day now have young of their own and so the circle continues.  Where will your summer travels take you?

Summer Fun

Breakfast in teh garden

swinging on a hot summer afternoon or clear starry night

Summer afternoon - two of the best words in the English language

 Family of Yellow shafted Northren Flickers in the tree hole

Broad bean Harvester- 6 of them rolling by

new Adirondack chairs for by the pond and painted  green!

Edna taking it all in before she takes a nap.

In the Garden February 2016

It appears that it is yet another Gray day here in Western New York.  THe days the sun actually shines and shows itself are few and far between.  Never the less nature and we people carry onward. This week we had some very mild days of 50/60 degrees F and now we are back to freezing temps and ice on the pond and in the bird bathes. They say next week that winter will return with sub zero wind chills and lake affect snow . . . . all this spring like weather has just been a tease.

Fridays Fun Food

 Bacon Delights

So these were a new discovery for us this Christmas.  Every  Christmas Eve 24th we have a gathering of family and friends late afternoon before church full of appetizers, light foods , warm candle light  and lots of love.   These are very simple to make and can be done way ahead frozen then reheated and serve.  My boys particularly thought they were the bomb as they like to say but then again any thing is better with bacon. 

So you need Club Crackers or something similar- they are a light butter cracker.  

Grated Parmesan Cheese  3/4 cup

Bacon  - any type will work, about 1 pound makes one sleeve of crackers

Brown Sugar  3/4 cup

Baking sheet, (Parchment, foil or silipat mat will make cleanup easier), Cooking rack

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F
2. Set up your baking sheet with cooling rack and surface to collect grease.
3. get all your crackers out
4. Cut your Bacon in 1/2 so the strips are short
5. Having grated cheese in shallow dish with a small teaspoon is handy
6. Same for Brown sugar
7. Grab a cracker and put either brown sugar or cheese on it, then wrap if with the slice of bacon and place it on your cooling rack.
8. Repeat until all are done.
9. Put in the 250 degree oven for 2 hours.
10.  I then froze them in double plastic bags to use whenever I want or need to.

Yes that is a long time but with the bacon cooking slowly all the ingredients in the middle  does not cook out.  the bacon shrinks around the cracker.  It works out really well.

*** Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond has  this in her  cook book Pioneer Woman cooks for the Holidays. 

January Winter

January is such a silent month.  Quite often the earth is blanketed in snow.  This always sets us for a  a cushion of calm.  The hustle and bustle of the Holidays is over and with snow and cold it is the perfect month to snuggle inside.  Yet with any opportunity I can get, I love to venture outside.  There is beauty to behold in the stillness, the barren.  Lots of tracks from those that carry on day to day.  One day I went for a walk on a trail I go on often but it was early in the morning about 15 degree F and the only others that had been out were the Coyotes.  It was fascinating following their tracks and imagining what they were up to . So stay in or go out but enjoy January- it is a fleeting.

Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house . . . .

Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse . . .  Cat . . . 

I would like to say with 3 cats in the house- only 2 shown here that we are mouse free but living in a 200 year old house there will always be mice, they have lived here far longer than we but amazingly we are in our 28th year in this house- how did that happen. 

Oren always loves to hang out and sleep here every Christmas season

Maggie finds all kinds of fun unique places to catch a nap.