Wednesday, December 30, 2020

2020 Christmas Spirit Report

 

  Sewing
Our Christmas
Cookie Recipes
Sharing 
Baby Report
Tortured
Small Town Spirit
Christmas Closings
Bakery Gossip

        The 2020 plandemic Christmas Spirit I can see was as expected. I tried to keep the Christmas Spirit going the best I could for those around me but not sure how good a job I did. I hope I gave the people I know and love at least a few minutes of a uplifting Christmas Spirit today. I did torture a cousin with my sleigh song. She was having a formal Christmas dinner for her parents, son and doctor daughter. Her parents are considered old now days. Her dad has Alzheimers but mom is fine. Their doctor daughter ate her dinner on a enclosed patio so not to bring home cooties to her grandparents. It sounded sad when she told me how grandpa with alzheiners put his hand up against the window with granddaughter like you see on TV. I am glad they made the day special with the formal dinner and family spending time together.  

Sewing ...    It's funny. Hubby is a neat freak. He has learned to tolerate my messes but only so much for so long. LOL Poor man. He looked around the house today and said for nothing going on with company or dinners the house is one H!!@# of a mess! It was and still is somewhat. I still have a sewing machine out and all the mess that goes with it on the big dining room table. I am still in the process of making some JD Christmas stockings! With a new little girl and Nikki's foster little boy they hope they get to adopt and the son in law I never got a good decent stocking for over the mantle I have some catch up work to be done. I really have one for son in law but I prefer a nicer one for him .We will see how it goes. There is a learning curve to putting a stocking together when you want a design on both sides and not just one. I'm getting there. Not only that I have discovered my eye sight has decided to act like a older lady. I have to get a !@# magnifying glass to thread the !!@# needle! When the !!@# did that happen?! As you can see I was ever so frustrated.  LOL

Our Christmas
.... Has been delayed. Daughter in Ark doesn't know when they will get to get here. With the 7 acre 12' deep pond they are building they can't afford to take off a day and come visit when your paying rent on huge Caterpillar dozers and giant excavators you operate with a IPad. I told them the tree will be up and waiting on them, Hubby made sure to yell across the room to the speaker phone NOT TILL EASTER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT!  LOL I told her I just need a few days notice so I can cook something good. We will take Christmas to Nikki when she feels like it in a day or two.

Cookie Recipes
    I had been baking cookies I believe all day Friday. I have decided I don't like to bake cookies. Not unless they are fabulous and people drool over them they are just not worth the time and energy and mess. I made 5" sugar cookies with sugar glaze and sprinkles ( a little soft and chewy) , Cherry Italian cookies ( pink and with tiny bits of maraschino cherries and pink cherry frosting on top) they were small and puffy soft ones. Next time they need chopped nuts for better flavor, I made strawberry thumbprint cookies (good), hot chocolate cookies. I pulled out some Blueberry lemon zucchini bread from the freezer, and some chocolate chip zucchini bread (that was good almost like a fudge bread) I discovered these breads do freeze well and taste good when thawed. I have to learn how to freeze cookie dough or cookies if I want to accomplish much. I want them to be fresh tasting and feeling out of the oven not like some leftovers just out of the freezer. I prefer to make pretty pies, cakes and candies.

Sharing  
  I sent some to Nikki with her husband when he stopped in to check the birds, change clothes and head back up to the hospital Thursday. He said they hadn't had any decent food since they were up there. I bagged up 2 samplers to share with Nikki's Grandma and single Aunt for Christmas and delivered them Christmas day.

Baby Report
.... Nikki said she was so incredibly tired afterwards. You can imagine. I told them to get her back home real quick and I would buy her some BBQ Ribs! Those are her favorites. I told her hubby he has to tell me in time though so I can find a place open. Nikki and baby got to come home on Christmas afternoon. What a Christmas present for all. No BBQ places were open but I will see what I can do this Saturday about that. Got to get her iron built up good and some energy for a mommy of 2 little ones now.

Tortured
...... I called up relatives and sang my version of 
Jingle Bells  Many had not heard it and I made sure to remind daughter the boys need to know this version. Some folks it gave a good laugh to.
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the fields we go,
Laughing all the way
Hit a bump, killed a skunk,
Smelled it all the way....
Oh what fun it is to ride in a
One horse open sleigh!

Small Town Spirit
I can see right now Santa must be really sad..... I drove though town on the way back from my deliveries this Christmas day. This elf and her sleigh had a hard time handling any more rub board dirt roads! I went the long way around because the dirt road going home this way was not as rough and it was going out the other. Sonic was closed which was expected. Only thing open was a quicky mart for gas and snacks. The city park was lit up really nice and pretty as usual. It makes you feel good to see it it's so pretty. Looking around at the houses beside the road and off into the neighborhoods was sooo disappointing. Usually you see Christmas lights up all over the place lit up. This year you didn't see a fourth of them if that much. How sad. It is like one friend I talked to I imagine. They were not doing any outside or inside decorating since his wife just recovered from covid and the rest of the extended family were recovering also. He said nobody was coming over so why do it. I did see a few places that looked like they had family over for the holidays but not many. I know we missed our yearly family gathering this year for the 30 - 40 people we usually see. I am sure it is that way all over the nation. For one reason or another folks just didn't want to, feel like it or maybe couldn't afford it.
  So if this is Small Town America I am sure there is the same version of this throughout the nation some places I am sure worse than others. I don't know how much of it is caused from depressing news channels that do their best to keep people trapped and scared feeling or politics or maybe where they live is a hot spot for political issues that make it hard to live in their area.
   I have run into 3 or 4 folks the last few weeks that "were" from California. Each one in just casual how are you? Oh just moved here? Where from? Conversation they all said "I escaped California it just isn't safe" that was their exact words each time. We have to keep plugging folks. Spring is just a few months away get your heirloom seeds so you can save seeds for next year early. There is high demand for garden seeds and we are going to need garden food more than ever. Please plant about 3 times more than you need. Share with family and neighbors in your area. Happy tummy's make for happier families!

Christmas Closings
..
    I was surprised somewhat when I heard of the store closings. Walmart was open only until 5pm Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas. Used to they were opened late and busy all day and night. I swear even open a few hours on Christmas. I picked up groceries on Christmas eve and instead of the allotted time they had it ready almost 5 hours early! I wasn't complaining but makes you wonder. Either folks don't have enough money to keep the stores open or online sales have put a dent in the box stores also. Amazon is for sure handy. Dollar general had better hours ! Speaking of which I stopped in there for some things I forgot at walmart and their shelves were picked clean in many areas of the baking products. They said they had the inventory in the back but not enough help to put it out. I guess it was going out that fast or Corp wasn't about to pay for extra help.

Bakery Gossip
... Like many small towns the bakery is a gathering place for men of all ages to come in sit eat and drink some coffee with a good dose of gossip. I learned that 3 or 4 of the town movers and shakers had passed away. I decided to pick up the town paper and get caught up.  Things are going to change for sure when the folks that kind of rule start dying off. All were cases of covid. Many ages 65, 70 , 85+ some I know had health issues. I went online and read what folks had to say about them and was surprised about some. It was interesting. They made a big footprint in the area I hope there are folks to step in and take their place to continue the good things.
 

Love
Ranchmama
( Ready for a better 2021 ya'll )

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