Back in the Saddle

Happy New Year! Be sure to eat lots of black-eyed peas!

But first, a bit about Christmas and birthday. Last week's blog post came out on Christmas Day. I was very busy trying to catch up from being disabled, so I shared our holiday letter with a summary of big events from 2023. Most of the past two weeks have been filled with family fun, with the arrival of our younger son's family (Peter, Alexa, Soren and Johan), followed by our daughter's family (Karen, David, Daphne and Zachary) the next day. It also included some vet visits for Sandy's ear infection (now cleared up) and some physical therapy visits for me, which had been set up for each week for eight weeks. 

One of the first things we did as an enlarged family was to take a hike at Good Dog Trail.

It was a nice hike and a good day for it, as the weather was sunny. It was cold, but we all wore gloves or mittens, and it wasn't raining.

The kids made several trips to the playground near us, sometimes with all of the adults and the dogs.

On Christmas Eve, we checked on Santa's progress with the help of NORAD. 

The kids enjoyed a couple of movies in front of the fire.

Later, Charlie, Karen and Daphne went to the later church service. I was singing with the choir, having been picked up by a fellow choir member early.

Christmas morning was bedlam.

We all got presents for the kids, but for the adults we did a variation of the Secret Santa idea. We got the name of one adult to buy a present for. This worked out well for me, because I didn't know what my share of the medical bills from my accident would be until right before Christmas. (Fortunately, our insurance covered most of the cost.) I'm enjoying what my "Secret Santa" gave me.

We did manage to get some order, making this photo possible. The four grandkids are roughly four years apart, from oldest to youngest. (From left, Daphne, Zachary, Soren and Johan.)

I had lots of help in the kitchen. In fact, Other family members did most of the cooking, and I was the help from time to time. I did make Pulla (Finnish Cardamom Braid) twice, and I helped Karen make the crust for the Lohipiirakka (salmon pie) for Christmas Eve, although we followed Alexa's recommendation of using a casserole dish and putting the crust only on top, so we would have enough to feed 13 people. 

Charlie's brother, Jim, and our niece Amanda and her husband, Loren, joined us for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They didn't stay in the house with us, but had rooms in nearby hotels. (Loren took this photo.)

I have lots of photos of the family playing games, but the real hit was a game we used to play for many years and hadn't for a while: "Screw Your Neighbor." It's the funniest game I've ever played. (I tried to find a link to the game, but the game that came up has different rules from the game we play.)

We took the dogs for a few walks along the Larkspur Trail while family was here.

The day after Christmas is my birthday. This is what I grew up with:

As an adult, I have taken things into my own hands. Whenever we have family in town on my birthday, I insist on being taken out to breakfast. This year we went to the Black Bear Diner.

The kids enjoyed ordering their own choices for breakfast. Jim joined us and then headed back to Florence, where he lives.

Later that day, I opened my presents. The Barbie movie was a last-minute addition. We watched the DVD, but it was difficult for me to understand the dialog because of the loud music and people in the room talking, so I got the link to the digital version, and now I can watch it again as my ears improve and find out what everyone was laughing about.

This is a kit for the Milk Thistle Shawl by Nat Raedwulf, a present from Alexa and Peter.

Jim found me this ornament that depicts Sandy. It's too beautiful to put on the tree and only see it at Christmas, so I have hung it in the kitchen window.

I also received another Harry Potter book in German to go along with the one my Secret Santa got me for Christmas. I'm reading the first one now. It has been a long time since I read it in English, so it's like a new story, although I'm now very familiar with the characters and see them in my mind as depicted in the movies. Charlie honored me with a donation to Kids In Need of Desks to cover high-school tuition for a girl in Malawi and a desk for a school in that country, which made me very happy, and my own Ancestry DNA kit. (We'll find out now whether I'm really related to my brother or not.)

The next day, the kids went to the Trampoline Zone. I had to take Sandy to the vet, where his ears were pronounced clear of infection. I did get to see the photos, though. It looked like the kids really got a workout, and so did the trampolines.

The dogs took advantage of the time the kids were in bed. They really had a good time playing with the kids outdoors and in. 

Sandy is happy to have his beanbag chair back.

I found out before Christmas that I was getting a gift from a special friend. This doll arrived the last night the kids were here. Daphne was enchanted with her. She is a Götz Little Kidz Springtime, but she tells me her name is Pamina and to call her Pam. I had to be careful removing the headgear, as it was sewn on in three places with very tiny stitches. Reading glasses, my snips and good light, and it was off. She will appear in some future stories in The Doll's Storybook.

The only knitting I got done before Christmas was the pair of socks to go along with the Ravenclaw uniform Daphne wanted. We bought the sweater, tie and scarf as a set. I made the blouse and skirt, and found a pair of shoes that would go with the outfit and would fit over the socks. Here's Veronika modeling the outfit. I'll still need to make the cloak.

I had one more appointment with physical therapy after the kids left. We reevaluated my balance, which was found to be actually better than normal for people 65+, even the vestibular balance, which I had flunked when I was first tested. With still four sessions I had been approved for, we decided I could "graduate." I've been doing the exercises I was given, but I think also, my inner ears are healing. I will keep doing the exercises, though. My hearing has improved as well, although it still isn't up to the level it was before my accident, and I can still feel some pressure, and my ears keep popping. I also have very little sense of smell and my brain has substituted a smell like overly ironed starched linen, possibly a smell from my childhood. I'm hoping my ability to smell will return. I have an appointment with the neurosurgeon on Friday.

Last night we had leftover turkey and faux (for me) turkey, stuffing and mushroom gravy along with freshly baked/roasted sweet potatoes and zucchini and salad. The sparkling wine was nice, too.

I went to bed after the ball went down in New York. (Dogs don't sleep late.)

Happy New Year!

I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry or Spoutible if you need information.

If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah or Classic Tales Retold, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still the Kultainen käki cardigan (now on the yoke) the EmPower People Kerchief (hibernating) and the Happier Days Shawl, the Mystery KAL for the Rose City Yarn Crawl 2024, waiting for the rest of Clue #1 in January.

What's on my loom: Folded up and waiting.

What's on my sewing machine: Its cover, but new quilts coming.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In The Cooking Lesson, a reedited story from 2019, Jolena explains the most important things about learning to cook: safety and nutrition.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to The English Air by D. E. Stevenson. I'm using my hearing aids as ear buds. I didn't listen at all during the time family members were here, but I'm listening again, and I can now understand every word. I have my hearing aids turned all the way down and had to turn down the volume in the app. It's clear my ears are getting better.

What's in my wine glass: 7 Sicilians Terre Siciliane Rosso 2021 from Italy. Although I can't testify to the bouquet (since my sense of smell is impaired) I found it to be very nice.

What's my tip of the week: Does a pie actually need two crusts? Save effort and calories by putting only a top crust on.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes. 

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook is available from the BookBabyBookshop and other booksellers worldwide. Poems included are Valentine's Day, Keeping Pets, Back to School, Victor the Vulture, The Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are also still available from booksellers. The link for Book Baby is here. The three stories in Emil are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The three stories in Mariah are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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