A Perfect Day Gardening

 Although we had a chilly (for central Florida) start to the day on Friday, it warmed up and we enjoyed a beautiful sunny day.  I did a little work in the garden. 

It's a bit of a challenge trying not to grip anything with my right hand!  I did manage to transplant three walking Iris. I planted them in a shady area of the garden last year, then we had trees removed and the area became too sunny for the Iris. They were quite unhappy.

The Mister, after having dug up an area for the Iris, planted a Leyland cypress we had purchased quite some time ago.  I added a few baubles for the season.

As I puttered around the yard I came across some prettiness I had to share:

Gerbera Daisy

Tractor Seat Plant

Azalea

Our first Camellia bloom of the season

All of the blooms were on plants we planted over the past year.

Holiday Preparations

 I have slowly been preparing for Christmas. 

Very slowly!

I did climb up to the attic to hand down some bins and boxes of Christmas doo-dads to the Mister, who stood below waiting to grab things. I always find it fun to rediscover Christmas! This year I'm finding that I'm missing things. Hmmm, did we give it away? Throw it away? Bring it here, but it is still hiding in a box somewhere?

I have jettisoned many Christmas items from the past, and occasionally I do miss them, but we just didn't/don't have the space. 

I did find our fake tree, and found a corner where it will work. I have more ornaments to add. Frequently I grab one and hang it as I go by the tree. I want to get tinsel. It can make a huge mess, but I love the way it sparkles. Do you fondly recall tinsel of old...like the leaded tinsel that we carefully saved each year?! (Or wadded up into balls to toss at siblings!)

Our stockings are hung....

we don't have a fireplace.

For now they are on this display cabinet.

Later I may put them under the TV, and access one of the online fireplace displays,

complete with cracking log sounds!

I threw this hanging together once we moved up here. 

I quilted it on my embroidery machine.

I'm glad I have a long arm quilting machine 

because using the embroidery machine for this purpose is a PITA!

Here and there I have a few other seasonal items I've hung onto.

We put up some lights outside, and I have a few wreaths to hang on the front and side doors.

I'm sure we will put up a few more Christmas items before the day.

But, the big deal is that we decided to continue our long-standing tradition of having our neighbors and friends come to our home for breakfast on Christmas morning.  

I sent out invitations earlier this week. 

(If y'all are in the area, come on by!)

It started over 30 years ago. Both sets of parents were living within 15 miles of us. My mother and father always celebrated on Christmas Eve. My in-laws always celebrated with a huge Christmas dinner. What was I to do?  Why, of course, the only meal left: Christmas breakfast! 

Then one year a friend and her family had no one visiting. So we invited them to our breakfast. The next year we expanded, and invited a few more friends without family. and our family for breakfast.  Following that, we invited our neighbors, friends, and family. 

We have only briefly met folks in our neighborhood. We decided to continue our tradition, and perhaps get to know our neighbors a bit better. We could have 4 extra folks in, or we could have 24...either way, it will be fun to have folks here to celebrate the day. 

Do you have special holiday traditions?

Do you host a special meal over the holidays?

What is your favorite dish?

Saddle Up Your Horses...What Horse??!!

The Mister and I attended the Pine Ridge Equestrian Association Christmas party last night. 

They had a DJ and a barbecue dinner. Additionally, there was a silent auction as a fund raiser for two local horse rescue organizations.

Showing some Christmas spirit:

My favorite thing at the party was watching Smores and Butterscotch (Hasbro 'ponies' from 2006) react to the music. They were a hoot to watch. 

The Mister and Dan chat at the table to the left. Dan happened to have a Nichols School cap on.  My dad went to Nichols.  It turns out that Dan's dad was also a student there, and our fathers probably were in the same class! It is such a small world!

The silent auction had over 100 items - most were horse-related, and were donated by members. Some items were new, others were well loved. 

The saddle on the bottom of the rack, covered by the other, was a Passier saddle from Germany.  I used to have a Passier saddle. Out of nostalgia I kept looking at that saddle. I don't have a horse.  But no one has bid on it. Even if I had a horse I probably wouldn't ride it.  But it is only $3.00. I'll put a bid on it and then someone will overbid me. The saddle is in great condition..it is an all-purpose saddle, so it would even be good for trail riding...if I had a horse...and if I chose to ride.  

I now own a saddle!

What will happen next??

Eep Jeep!

We have a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe hybrid.  Other than our first mishap with the vehicle, it has performed admirably. Well, OK, there was the one time when the engine battery died... but truly, the car has been great. Some weeks the engine rarely runs on gas as we are just toodling along on electric. A few times the engine has insisted on running on gas, even though the battery is fully charged. It seems that the car keeps track of its gasoline consumption, and if gas isn't used for a while,  it will insist that the motor use gas so the fuel does not become stale!

We received a recall notice:

1. Battery Fire Risk (NHTSA Recall 24V-720, expanded 2025):

   • Models Affected: 2022-2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe. 
   Problem: Battery cells can have separator damage, leading to fire risk while parked or driving. 
   Action: Park outside, away from structures, and do not plug in to charge until fixed. 

Well, cr%p...so we now have a Jeep that, until a fix is found, can't be used as a hybrid. Additionally, we need to park away from any structures or other vehicles....and our new garage is almost finished. Such irony.

Then, we hear about an additional recall:

2. Engine Fire/Failure Risk (2024-2025 Models):

• Models Affected: Specific 2023-2025 Grand Cherokee 4xe. 
• Problem: Sand from manufacturing left in the engine can cause catastrophic failure, loss of power, or fire. 
• Warning Signs: Engine knocking, warning lights. 

Oh, wonderful, our car can catch fire if it is standing somewhere outside, or it can catch on fire while we are driving it. Not sure I am a fan of either option!

The kicker??? Jeep does not have a fix for either problem yet. 

The Mister had a wee chat with a representative from Jeep/Chrysler today. He was put on hold several times while the rep researched the information and/or chatted with a supervisor. It seems that we may be able to rent a car and be reimbursed when/if a fix is found for our vehicle and it can be repaired. 

Swell!

Plants of a Different Kind

When the Mister and I ventured forth to Grumbles House we picked up a few plants. (Of course we did!) The Mister selected a few succulents and some carnivorous plants, he's always found them fascinating. 

I liked this gnarly-leafed succulent and planted it in my 'succulent rock'.

Then we noticed a few Pointsettias that are quite different from the usual grocery/hardware store variety.

One has much smaller flowers bracts. It is a Princettia.

and the other is the Christmas mouse (perhaps the one that wasn't stirring on Christmas Eve?!) It is actually the Mouse Ear Poinsettia. 

I needed some sort of sun-loving plant to replace those we lost in the garden when we had trees removed, and suddenly the area was too bright and hot for them.  As we wandered through the plants we came across the Chinese Hat plant; "Holmskioldia". We now have two of these ornamental perennials...which could grow rather large if not kept pruned a bit!

I think the Chinese hats are cute as can be, and they bring a spot of color to that part of my garden.

Pretty Bows

I bought some red flocked ribbon to make bows for outside decorations.  I wanted the bows to be consistent in size. Being somewhat handicapped by the brace, and an admonition from my Doc not to pinch anything between my thumb and forefinger, I wasn't sure how best to make the bows. 

I remembered seeing a video years ago about using a fork to make tiny bows. I ventured out to the barn to get a large fork...

I propped the fork up, and followed the tutorial I found online. 

I was able to make 19 bows out of the 75' roll of ribbon. I might get more ribbon and adorn the front fence!

Candles, Carols and Carriages

We went on a jaunt to Floral City Friday evening, to attend the opening event of their "Heritage Days" festival. They call the evening opening, "Candles, Carols and Carriages". It is an apt description.

The Main Street is shut down. Luminaires outline the street, almost as far as you can see. A carriage takes visitors on a ride through town. Different civic organizations offer food, sweets, drinks, carols, music, and children's performances.

We visited the event partly because we wanted to hear the mountain dulcimer players.  The NaturemCoast Dulcimer Players practice nearby weekly. We haven't touched our dulcimers in a year or so...being rather busy with other things, but we both had itchy fingers listening to the group play, and want to get back into it. After the holidays we will join their weekly jam sessions. 

The historic Duval-Metz house is built in 1863, considered to be the oldest remaining and continuously occupied home in Citrus County, is decorated and open for tours.

The Heritage Museum is also open. 

My favorite display were some antique toys on a low table, inviting children to put away electronic toys, and enjoy playthings of days gone by. Ummmm, those were toys I enjoyed playing with as a kid!

...just goes to show that I, by virtue of my DOB, have acquired antique status as well!