My Christmas Tree Connection

Sweet Christmas Tree,

Thank you for your beauty and your tallness
Thank you for your greenness, for your health, for your freshness & longevity
Thank you for your patience and understanding and your stately manner




Thank you for being part of my family, if only for awhile
Thank you for the lovely scent that filled my home with wishes & dreams
Thank you for each twinkle, sparkle and especially thank you for your great magic

You filled my heart with love
You helped my little girl to dream and to feel the memories of the warm safe love of my Mom and my childhood home

That more than anything is what I dream of each Christmas and hope to recreate in my own warm and safe home

So now, with gentle hands, flowing but deliberate movements, and many tears in my eyes, I remove your beautiful baubles, your seasonal jewels each one having special meaning to me and a history all its own

I untangle the warm glowing, twinkling lights from your still supple branches
I keep them lit as long as possible to light our way

Lastly I reach up to your highest branch and take down my special sparkly star that you wore so proudly

Thank you for being my friend and for your sweet service this year to make my heart brighter and my home more loving and warm

You will live outside now, on my porch, in the crisp cold air, as did your many sisters that came before you

You will be free and unadorned accept for the winter sunshine, rain, snow and the occasional wild bird that visits us

When you tell me that it is your time to go, weeks or even months from now, I will gently lay you down out by the woodshed to rest and perhaps dream

Dream of the forest from which you came.

Thank you my precious Christmas tree. You brought me happiness and magic. It saddens me to have you leave my home.

I will always love you.

♥♥♥

Ok, so now the whole world knows that I am an overly sentimental and soft hearted little girl who loves the magic of Christmas and misses her Mom dearly every day and feels a connection to her through my Christmas tree.

Oh well.

© Copyright 2009 Mountain Harvest Basket

Menopause for Chickens? I think not!

Surprise Egg!

Just when I was saying it was kind of boring and ho-hum around here this past week, I go out to close up my hen house tonight in the cold and quiet, nothing unusual except that I notice how beautiful everything seems when illuminated by the almost full moon shining overhead.

I peek inside the hen house to check on my two old girls, Red & Lucy, they look fine. They have food and water and stare up at me from the straw covered floor contentedly, and then just as I was starting to close the door, I spied it! Sitting pretty as can be in the top nest box, was this beautiful, if a little enlongated, light brown egg! I haven't had an egg from my hens for over a year now. I've even stopped looking for them in the nests. That's why I almost missed this one.

I carefully lifted it out of the nest knowing that sometimes a first-laid egg can be soft or malformed. It was perfect. Hard shell. Looked normal. Slightly elongated as they usually are when a hen starts laying again after a long vacation. I guess the egg ducts need some time to adjust to the size of the eggs traveling through them, and the first egg gets a little squished on its way out.

I carried it carefully inside, cleaned it up and took its picture to share with you here in my blog. It weighs exactly 2 ounces for those of you who care about such things. I weighed it just for you.

I think it is beautiful.

And all I can really say is....Wow! One of my hens is almost 9 years old and the other almost 8, as of this coming Spring. I am not sure which hen laid this egg, but either way, it's a pretty big deal for hens that I thought were menopausal. I guess they are not. You go, girls!

They must have heard (from a passing deer?) that things were financially tight around here lately so they decided that they needed to start contributing to the household food supply. We will see if they keep it up or not. They may be just teasing me a bit.

A middle of winter egg from an 8 year old hen! Wow!

Not so ho-hum around Mountain Harvest Basket anymore.



© Copyright 2009 Mountain Harvest Basket

Ho Hum Week

There just hasn't been anything interesting enough going on around here to inspire me to write a new blog post. I guess I am tired and occupied with recovering from all the activity and stress of the holidays. Lots of people, lots of entertaining, lots of big meals, lots of sweets, not enough rest or exercise or peace & quiet. Sounds like I am getting old...

Anyway, my Christmas tree is still up in my living room:



I love how beautiful it looks (this picture does not do it justice) all sparkly & colorful with all of the many special ornaments collected over the years. Each has a story that is meaningful to me.

While I did take down and pack away the rest of the Christmas decorations on New Year's day, I left my beautiful tree up for awhile longer. It's always the last thing I take down each Christmas season. Partly because it is a lot of work to gather and pack each ornament away, but mostly because it is so beautiful and makes me think of being a little girl again, so happy that it is Christmas. It is magical to me.

So my tree is still up in my living room, but will only be there for another few days, as I must take it down and vacuum all of the pine needles up to ready my home for the new year ahead. Sort of sad though. I really love my special tree.

This week has been a little boring. Mostly full of chores. I have done a lot of laundry:


I did many, many loads of laundry. So much accumulated over the holidays with the extra cloth napkins, tablecloths, towels and sheets. Not to mention more changes of outfits for different occasions and weather. I still have several loads of massage therapy sheets to launder for my business to get back into full swing as the new year starts. Oh joy, more laundry to do...

I spent some time bringing up loads of firewood, pine and oak, from my woodshed to my front porch:

Kindling too. I strained my back, stupidly (I know better than that) , by bending over at the waist to pick up a heavy stack of wood, instead of bending at my knees. My low back and right hip are still sore from doing that a couple of days ago. The massage I received today helped quite a bit, but mostly it will just have to heal on it's own. I know better than to do something so dumb like that, but I just wasn't paying attention. *sigh*

One bright note that happened this week was my receiving these pretty flowers from Hardware Bob:



They really brightened my day and my home. It's been so dreary and grey around here with the cold, wet weather. The colorful flowers are very pleasing. They have a lovely scent that I appreciate every time I walk by. We also went out to a fancy dinner at a nice restaurant last Friday night. Had the whole place to ourselves! Very quiet and relaxing, if a bit too expensive. I like being pampered now and then. Makes me feel good.

Well, back to work for me. Must get the place ready for my massage clients tomorrow. Clean this, organize that...it never ends.

See, I told you there wasn't much to write about this week.

© Copyright 2009 Mountain Harvest Basket

Christmas Week 2008

It's been a really busy, fulfilling, happy and sometimes stressful Christmas week around here. So busy and rushed that I have fallen behind in my blog writing. I still don't have a lot of words to post right now, so I will share some of our Christmas experiences through the following photos. These only show a small portion of our Christmas holidays, but it does give you the highlights.

I also plan to share our Winter Solstice celebration with you too, but I will write about that some other time. First my Christmas week 2008, which was enjoyed in my favorite way, right here in my warm home in our beautiful and peaceful mountains, with my closest family and friends and my beloved pets all around me.


Cards from friends and family


Our Stockings hung with care ~ on the stereo cabinet, I have no mantle


Kitties and Chickens Stockings too...


Pinecone Decorations inspected & approved by Jessie


Cranberry Bread baked for gift baskets and snacking


Packages wrapped beautifully ~ Jack does great ribbon work. Bob does great bows.




And placed beneath the Christmas tree...


And quality inspected by Jessie


Christmas Morning ~ my Jessie is my Baby, and sooo cute...


Christmas Goodies ~ all homemade & delicious!


Dinner Table Setting ~ nothing very fancy, just colorful


Christmas Dinner ~ Beef Tri-Tip Roast, Green Salad, Roasted Potatoes, Fresh Cranberry Sauce


And homemade Cherry Pie with ice cream for dessert


Boys play with their trains

All is calm and all is bright...

We did have a White Christmas after all. Snow fell late on Christmas Eve and during Christmas Day to leave us with just a couple of inches on the ground and on our cars. Most of it melted away the next day, but it was beautiful to watch the fluffy flakes fall on Christmas. So peaceful. I love watching Mother Nature's artistry. Today was sunny, crisp and cold. We gathered together again last night to feast on leftovers, eat cookies and fudge, drink hot toddies and play with our new toys. We have all had colds these past few days (The hot toddies were medicinal) and have been doing our best to keep our energy up and remain in good spirits for each other. It's been a little stressful at times, but we are a close family and work everything out eventually.

This was another good Christmas around here, and it's really not over yet. Later today, Jack's son arrives to visit & celebrate with us for a few days, and we will be visiting Bob's daughter and son-in-law tonight too. All in all, a busy and full week for us here at Mountain Harvest Basket.

© Copyright 2008 Mountain Harvest Basket

Still Cold Here

Yard Art Hen & Chick in the Snow~ where are the other 3 chicks?

It is still very cold here today. Much snow is still on the ground, at least in the shady places. No new snow for a few days, but very cold temps have kept the snow around and made the roads and driveways icy.

It's been so cold in fact, that I moved my remaining two old hens into my living room a couple of nights ago.

Hens in the House

I think they were getting a little frostbite happening on their combs and wattles. I brought them inside to warm them up and to observe them. They seemed fine the next day, so I moved them back outside after adding more straw to their nest boxes and replacing their light bulb (used for warmth) with a higher wattage one.

I heard a strange sound a few nights ago, and wondered if it was a bobcat or coyote. Then I found these tracks on the snow.

Animal Tracks

They look more like dog tracks than a bobcat or even coyote. I did also see a stray dog running around by my driveway that same day.

I have been staying mostly inside and keeping warm with my electric heaters or with a fire in my woodstove. Of course, these beautiful red roses helped to keep my heart warm.

Thank you for my roses, Bob.

With the cold weather, and me being more housebound, I've been baking more often this week too. I find that using the oven to bake something really helps to heat the cold house and also makes some delicious food too. I love that it serves two useful purposes at the same time.


More Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread ~ this time with whole wheat flour added

I also baked a nice apricot crisp last night. No photos. No crisp left either. Between me and the guys, it is long gone already!

Happy Winter to you! Winter Solstice is tomorrow. Celebrate by lighting a candle and thanking our Universe for the light, the warmth of the sun, and the seasons.

I am thankful for all of you.



© Copyright 2008 Mountain Harvest Basket

Let it Snow!

It started last night...around 7pm

and snow fell off and on, mostly on, all through the night. So far, it has accumulated to about 6 inches deep at my 3000 ft elevation. This is what it looked like around my place this morning:


Porch Railing doubles as "Snow Measurement Device"


Frosted California Redbud Tree


I probably won't be driving anywhere today...


Or sunbathing in my lounge chair either...Bbbrrrrr...


Not much sun present today to melt the snow off of the solar pathway lights


Oh well, it needed refilling anyway...

Won't be gardening today...too cold for that

Might watch some TV...this dish works even with the snow on it

Of course, I won't be doing much of anything if the electricity goes out as it frequently does this time of year. So I wanted to get this quick blog post up so that my faithful readers will know what's going on here in my world and know that I am still alive and kicking even if I haven't been posting much lately.

Almost time for Winter Solstice, but not quite.

Is it snowing where you are?

Bon Hiver & Happy Winter (a bit early) to you all!

© Copyright 2008 Mountain Harvest Basket

Winter Green & Cornbread

Green Pumpkin & Parsley

It has been warm for several days and then cold at night, and now it is finally getting colder during the day and very cold at night. My porch thermometer reads 44 degrees F as I type this.

I plucked this last sweet little pie pumpkin from my garden about a week ago. I kept waiting for it to turn orange first, but I couldn't let it sit out there in the cold weather any longer. I brought it inside in the hopes that it would ripen indoors. It is doing just that, although very slowly. There are some flecks of orange on it and I placed him with his orange colored sisters hoping their ripeness would "rub off" a little on his green little self. There below is my whole pumpkin family for this season.


Small, sweet & tender pie pumpkins


So with the weather getting much colder now, I figured I'd better harvest the last little green bell pepper from my garden. I had left the plant in the ground due to the extended warm weather and because it had a pepper growing on it. It was fairly protected in my raised bed garden, blocked from cold north winds by the back wall of my house. The nights have been getting far too cold for a hot summer crop like bell peppers! Reports of temps in the 30's made me concerned that this little green pepper gem would shrivel up and be culinarily useless, so today I plucked it right off the plant and brought it inside with a brief stop on my porch for a photo op with her neighboring parsley plant.


Green Bell Pepper & Parsley Harvest

My parsley plants are still growing strong, and I bet if I protect them with a cold frame for the winter, they will last right through until spring and keep on producing for me. I use parsley in so many things, not just as a pretty garnish. I like to put a healthy handful in my green salads and I love to cook with it. It is very nutritious.

To change the subject slightly from green garden things to warm food for cold days, take a look at the nice cornbread I baked in my cast iron skillet a couple of weeks ago. I had never used this skillet for baking before, and I am very pleased with the results. The cornbread was delicious!


Delicious hot homemade cornbread

I just had to show it to you. Now I made myself hungry. I guess I should go make myself dinner now. No cornbread in the house though. Guess I'll make a sandwich...

© Copyright 2008 Mountain Harvest Basket