Drip, drip

I noticed a couple weeks ago that I was getting a drip under my kitchen sink. I didn't think much about it because I've always had a problem with the hose from the sprayer. Each time I used it, a few drops of water would travel down the hose from above. I kept a pan underneath, and it was dry most of the time. But this was different. I hadn't used the sprayer in a while. And the drip was getting worse. I finally decided to do something after one load in my dishwasher produced an inch of water in the pan.

My investigation did not take long. I merely touched the drain pipe, and it crumbled like wet tissue paper.

Metal drain pipes disintegrate over time, from the inside out. Pinholes develop and the pipe starts leaking like a sieve.

My biggest challenge was removing it. There wasn't much metal left to grab onto. The only part that hadn't disintegrated was located inside the bigger pipe (downstream, so to speak). As you can see, it wasn't much fun getting it out.

All fixed!

Sugar plums and figgy pudding

I wouldn't have the first clue how to make sugar plums or figgy pudding. So...

For Christmas dessert, I made myself a pumpkin pie. Mmmm!

It was only by sheer will that I didn't eat the whole thing. At least not yet.

Hams

My nephews have had lots of experience posing for Sarah's camera. They're such little hams!

Family Christmas

Our family Christmas was held at my brother's house on Sunday. It also happened to be his birthday.

Their basement is now finished. It's really bright and cheerful down there. And the floor made a great surface for the boys' new Matchbox cars.

Linc got a drum set.

Nash got Legos.

Very young children often find the cardboard box more entertaining than the toy it held. My nephews are well past that age now. So this contraption is both a cardboard box and a toy. (It's technically Linc's house, but I think the boys will have a lot of fun in it together.)

There's always one who ruins the picture... Hey, birthday boy! Straighten up back there!

That's better.

Merry Christmas!

*****

Packers 13-1. Sniffle.

Cookies!

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is decorating cookies with my mother.

This year, we did one batch of white and one batch of gingerbread. That's a lot of cookies! Each cookie is unique. (Okay, so after nearly three decades of decorating cookies together, we get a few duplicates. So what?)

The cookies have to dry, sometimes overnight, before they can be stacked in containers.

Naturally, there are a few that turn out (unexpectedly) great. Which is your favorite?
(Unlike most years, Ma and I both agreed that the Santa was the gold medalist.)

Did I mention we also made chocolate chip cookies and spritz?

Bon apetit!

Deer season

I headed north last weekend for my annual fall ritual. It's Deer Season once again.

Everyone gathered at Dan & Deb's cabin on Friday night. Katie wouldn't arrive until after midnight, but her son Mason had plenty of aunts and uncles and cousins to keep him entertained. He's such a happy little guy. I'm sure that DJ feeding him beer helped to keep him jolly. (Just kidding, Katie!)

The opening morning hunt is a wonderful tradition, and this was Trevor's first. He sat in Norm's stand.

I spent the morning in the Breakfast stand. Sadly, I didn't see any deer.

In the afternoon, I took off on a solo hike through the woods. There were deer signs everywhere. For the uninitiated, this photo ain't no Easter basket. That's moss covered with a few kernels of deer scat.

There are some very cool mushrooms growing out there.

I headed for the ground blind along the fence line. It had seen better days. The logs that had been concealing the chairs had collapsed upon them. I took it upon myself to make a few repairs.

How do you like my handiwork? Most of the logs were rotted through and couldn't be reused, so mostly I dragged new ones from nearby fallen trees.

It had started to snow by this point. The forest got very quiet and peaceful. I saw two deer. (Unfortunately, they were just passing through, and I wasn't quick enough to get my camera out before they were gone.) Overall, it was an awesome afternoon.

After dark we headed for Dan & Deb's cabin again. We celebrated an early Thanksgiving. None of the guys got any deer, so we were sans tenderloins for our feast. Still, we had a great meal of baked ham, cabbage rolls, cheese pirogis, root vegetables, and chicken soup. Yum!
The loft offered a great view of the dining room.

Those who didn't fit in the dining room were hanging out in the living room.

Troy brought a friend along this year. Her name is Christina. We've often said if you can manage to spend the night at the Farm, you pass the family's inspection. Well, Christina did it with flying colors. That's her playing with Mason and chatting with Troy.

Ma and booze? Nuh uh.

Well, we weren't very successful at killing deer this year, but we always have a good time. And great food!

See you all next year!

Pick a peck

These photos were taken last weekend. Sorry it took so long to upload them.

I had an above average year for bell peppers. I picked all of these last Saturday. I managed to pick several green peppers earlier in the season, too.

My front yard is a carpet of orange leaves. This photo doesn't do the color justice. It catches my eye every time I walk past a front window. And I love rounding the corner in my car and spotting my yard down the block. Spectacular!

These leaves typically drop just before Halloween. (My other huge locust is hanging on to its leaves for now.) Could an earlier leaf-drop be a sign that the front tree is distressed? I worry that the multiple excavations in my front yard have destroyed too many of its roots. I sure hope not! I love my huge locust tree. Actually, I love all four of my huge trees.

***

My garden is pretty much done for the year. I had an average year for cucumbers, a good year for lettuce, and a lousy year for snap peas. The wildflowers took a long time to develop, but they turned out okay. I'll use a different seed mix and start earlier next year.