Under the Fruit Trees: December 2013

A Beautiful White Christmas

This year, Michigan was both blessed and cursed with a beautiful white Christmas. Blessed by the awe inspiring landscapes covered in ice and snow, but cursed do to the number of power outages that raged through the state.

My husband and I were lucky enough to only go without power for a few hours. He spent Christmas Eve digging us out, but secretly I think enjoyed every minute of it!

The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous! This is why I love living in the Midwest. You cannot beat the peaceful surroundings and I will admit that I love SNOW!

The ice that morning clung to the trees and created a sparkling effect like know other. While it was beautiful, our hearts went out to all those without power and to all of the workers who spent countless hours over the holidays restoring power!

My puppy appreciated having her heat as she is not exactly a winter dog! She definitely enjoys the view from inside and is looking forward to spring already:)

My Pledge to Thanksgiving

As time passes quickly, yet another Thanksgiving has come and went. I must admit, that next to Halloween, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. There is just something about the crisp cool Midwest air, the smell of turkey and football on the TV. However this year felt different. It was almost as if we have forgotten about the entire holiday. It all began the evening of Halloween. I stopped to pick up some candy for the trick-or-treaters and much to my dismay, the Christmas decorations were being hung before I could finish my hot cider. This my friends, is a problem that seems to be growing worse! Now stores are opening on Thanksgiving day to buy the oh so important TV or iPad. But what about my stuffing? What about my mashed potatoes? What about the one holiday just about food and family? To be honest, I am always sad after Thanksgiving. The holiday marks the end of Fall and so by skipping it entirely, I feel cheated. So this is my pledge to Thanksgiving.....

I will not take down my corn stalks or pumpkins until after Thanksgiving.

I will only drink pumpkin spice lattes, no peppermint mocha for me Starbucks!

I will not buy a single Christmas present or even think about the concept of shopping on Black Friday, let alone on Thanksgiving.

I will wear my brown boots, scarf and sweaters, before I have to pull out my winter coat and mittens.

I will be grateful for the sunrise on a cool Thanksgiving morning, that just happened to bring snow this year.

I will eat my omelet and drink my bloody mary for breakfast, thanks to my gracious neighbors, the Parkers.

I will cheer on the Packer's even though my brother-in-law was happily rubbing the Lion's success in my face. (It started out as rather intense game...)