A Very Braggy Christmas.
All my late nights have meant that Jim has had to take up the slack in household chores. He has become quite the chef. Two weekends ago he made me chili from the Favre family recipe. Yum. A nice Cajun twist to it.
Christmas Eve did not begin with much promise. A weekend storm, featuring torrential rains, ice, and yes, snow, lingered over two days until 12:00 midnight before Christmas Eve. I worked until 10:00 am, and got into it with one of my last customers, who seemed to think that it was my mission to remove all the snow from his lawn. I returned home and took a nap for two hours before driving up north with Jim along black ice-lined Interstate 39. (First below, a pensive Mingo; second below, Mom, Mingo, and Jo Jo Santa)
Mom had a sumptuous spread of Christmas Eve snacks waiting for us. Sister Laurie and brother-in-law Mark had made the journey up north as well, despite Laurie having the flu. (I will get a flu shoot today!) After opening presents, Laurie and I turned in early, exhausted respectively from flu and fatigue. While we slept, Jim and Mark partook of some Christmas cheer, as brothers-in-law are wont to do.
After mass, Dad showed us his latest improvements to the garage. Bob and he had been working over the past summer and fall to side the garage with cedar planks, and the stain he ultimately chose was a beautiful, butter scotch brown. He also had electricians wire the garage recently, so let there be light. He still has work to do to finish insulating the premises. A new pellet stove and dry wall jack will help him accomplish the task. I'm glad to see that Dad is finally getting to finish some of the projects he has had in mind since his retirement. (First below, Dad stokes the pellet stove in his garage workshop; second below, the newly sided garage)
Jim, Mom, and I went for a walk in the pines after that, accompanied by Laurie and Mark's faithful beast, Mingo. Although we were mildly concerned about Mingo's hankering for deer poop, we enjoyed the jaunt down the trails. Dad keeps them clear with his Kubota tractor and its snow blower attachment. (Below, Dad with his pride and joy)
After the walk, we returned to the house to wait impatiently for Christmas lunch. Mark had prepared the holiday turkey with hazelnut and sage butter, and the aroma was enchanting. Mom's dressings were similarly scrumptous -- especially her baked yams. Judy Valaskey, Mark's mother, had prepared us a half-barrel sized care package of cookies, and I loved her cranberry relish, too. (First below, do you think this picture was staged?)
After lunch, it was naptime. We all stretched out on recliners, couches, and the living-room floor. That evening, after some chat time, we watched Will Ferrell in Elf. A great Christmas. Thanks to all involved for making it so special. (First below, Mom with her newest Christmas wreath; second below, John and Jim Santas)
Happy New Year!
posted by jkbinturkey at 9:50 AM
3 comments
However, I got more than my fill of Badger football games this last season – five total. The last game was the most entertaining. Courtesy of a last minute ticket from our friend Perron, I also had the pleasure of watching the Badgers defeat the hated rival Michigan Wolverines at Camp Randall. We whooped it up at our pre- and post-game tailgates, and Jim did not let the fact that he had lost a crown on one of his front teeth the day before get him down. (First below, the Buck's tailgate crew; second below, toothless Jim.)
The following weekend, while Jim was off to Minneapolis to watch the Badgers’ road victory over da’ Gophers, I met up with my sisters in Cross Plains. My step-niece Susan, who attends Mountain State University in Beckley West Virginia as a physician’s assistant major, had come to town with some friends for the weekend. Mikey and Emma, who had tagged along from Eau Claire with my older sister Lisa, have become board game addicts! We wiled away our time with board games such as Stratego and Tri-Bond.
That evening, we dined at Morels. What phenomenal food and atmosphere. Mark and Laurie are excellent hosts. We were so sad to hear about the loss of their beloved pup Roxy – our heart-felt condolences.
“Snowgate” actually began Thanksgiving Eve. My brother Bob and I had originally planned to go up north to celebrate the holiday with Mom and Dad in Rhinelander. However, snow was in the forecast for Wednesday night, so Bob and I had to stick around to see what precipitation materialized. As a result of the uncertainty, Lisa invited Mom and Dad to come to Eau Claire for Thanksgiving. (First below, brother-in-law Jon built this backyard playhouse for Mikey and Emma out of discarded power pole timbers -- lucky kids! Second below, Emma, is your hair in the cauliflower?)
The first snow of the season turned out to be too minor to be removed, so Bob and I were able to travel up north for the holiday. Lisa out did herself with the holiday spread. We all watched the Packer game together, dined, played some board games, and capped off the night with some tortuous karaoke singing. (First below, Coco rejoices in Dad's belly-scratching; second below, Bob croons.) 
Bob’s and my misery began Saturday evening with a nasty mix of snow, sleet, and rain. During the day on Saturday, Madison got four or five inches of snow. Around four o’clock everything turned over to sleet, and around midnight everything switched over to rain. The combination was hard on the equipment. Bob and I had trouble keeping up, and Bob’s new 1800$ snow blower lost an auger belt as it chewed up a newspaper. We were able to finish only 45 of 60 planned jobs that night.
Then, the weather turned frigid and all the undone driveways turned into an icy concrete. Break out the picks and shovels. What made the situation worse was that over the course of the next ten days we had three additional major snowfalls. Thank goodness we have finally caught up, and thank goodness we have no snow in the forecast for a while. My whole upper body aches.
Best wishes,
