It's a clear, crisp and cold day at the farmette. Had to wear extra woolies to do my outdoor duties this morning. Even the birds looked like they were shivering as I filled the feeder.
Yesterday was our big Christmas bash. My sister hosted more than a dozen of us at her 50-acre property in Feversham, about forty minutes from the farmette. As usual, it was a fantastically festive dinner with lots of jollies and catching up and teasing and fun. In the afternoon, most of us trooped out to the bush where there's a really good hill for tobogganing. Unfortunately, both Sandy's and my phones died in the cold, so we didn't get any pics.
Watching the little ones and even the twenty-and-thirty-somethings go barreling down a snow-covered incline is really entertaining. Especially when Marlie, the golden retriever, felt it was her duty to accompany every trip with lots of barking and frolicking. Doing it myself - at fifty-something - was, shall we say, interesting. But I did it - two runs with no close encounters of the tree kind. Pretty exhilarating, all in all. No wonder my butt felt a little worse for wear getting out of bed this morning!
My niece Melissa was in a really festive mood. She even dressed her whole family in 'ugly' Christmas sweaters! This is her and her son Hudson. She's a sweetheart, and she's a beauty. Can't believe she's a grown woman with a great husband, two kids and a thriving career.
I used to roll my eyes when my mom said things like, "time goes by so quickly." But now, I appreciate that it really, really does. As a result, I insist on squeezing as much life and love into every minute as I can.
That's why days like yesterday are so precious. Like a big warm gift, we need to wrap them up and hug them close. While not everyone was able to attend, they were all there in our hearts, too.
All in all, it was a big, happy success, thanks to Sandy and her family's generous hosting skills and everyone else pitching in. Even the dogs Marlie (left) and Maya (right) thought so. Until next week.