Month: December 2004


  • House in the KingWilliam District in San Antonio
    Photo and enhancement by Chris Duffy


    I do believe I could get used to this . . . not working, I mean. I've been off work since noon last Wednesday and I must say, it's wonderful.  We've had a lot of company though, so it's not like we're doing absolutely nothing. Our son's family came up for several days and left yesterday around noon and my husband's brother and his family are coming up here tomorrow.  They'll be staying at our house, but willl be spending some of their time at their son's house. Their daughter-in-law donated one of her kidneys to her mother a couple days before Christmas and both are recuperating at their son's house.  There are lots of aunts, uncles and cousins doing the cooking and cleaning for them. . . oh yes, and the baby sitting too.  Millie has two little kids.  One is 8 and one is 2, so I'm sure that between cooking, cleaning and baby sitting the family will have their hands full. 

  • WE GOT SNOW YESTERDAY !!!



    The front of our house


    It started snowing around 10:30 yesterday morning and continued off and on until the evening.  We got 2 inches of the "white stuff", and I do so wish it would stay cold long enough so the snow would last until my grand daughter gets here on Sunday.  I think she'd get a kick out of it.  But alas, it's warming up, even as we speak, and the sun is doing it's best to obliterate any signs snow.



    One corner of our back yard


    This is the little park-like seating area hubby created this past summer with it's fluffy white coating.  As soon as those ferns thaw, they're going to look pretty sad, but we'll enjoy the snow until it's all gone. 



    And finally, here's a close up of one of the patio chairs leaning up against the patio table. 


    I liked how the snow was delicately stacked up on the metal scroll work on the chair. 


     


     


     


    Quote of the day:  "Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words". George Elliot


  • A Christmas gift from a neighbor


    Well, I'm happy to report that I survived the week end.  And I was so busy at the Friday evening and Saturday evening parties, that I didn't even consume that many calories, and that is a plus.  Somehow we still managed to make the 8AM Sunday morning worship service (although I will admit that I yawned a couple times during the sermon).


    My neighbor across the alley is originally from Peru and recently spent a few weeks there visiting her family. She was back in time to make our Christmas party this week end and gave me this tiny little nativity scene.  I think it's made of soapstone. 


    Anyway, I guess she noticed last year that I'm a nativity collector.  I have nativities of various sizes; one takes up the entire coffee table and my smallest is about the size of a walnut.


    Here's a close up of the detail work.  I can't imaging carving something that tiny.  I can't tell if it's carved as one piece or if the separate pieces were carved and then glued in to place.  I THINK it's the former, but can't be sure.  Anyway, I love it.


  • Enchanted Rock State Natural Area in the hill country of Texas


    One party down and one to go.  Last night's neighborhood party went well, although we had a preponderance of desserts.  It was pot luck and I was only supposed to fix one thing and furnish the drinks, but just to be safe I fixed four things: brisket, scalloped potatoes, jello salad and cream cheese covered with chipotle sauce, and BOY, is it a good thing I did.  Two people brought shrimp, one brought tamalies and one brought a marvelous bean dish . . . and all the rest brought desserts.  We had 25 people.  I guess everyone had a good time, though, because although the party was supposedly over at 10:00 the last 8 people didn't leave until after 11:30. 


    Tonight we have 54 RSVP'd, but since it's come and go so we should be able to handle that. We are ahead of schedule and so I'm taking a moment to relax and blog my blog.


  • Scenery at Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas          Photo/enhancement by Chris Duffy


    I have no idea what kind of plant this is, but I thought it looked sort of Christmasy with the red and green.  Those are not berries, but sort of fuzzy balls.  They're kind of pretty aren't they!


    The groceries are all purchased for both parties and believe it or not the table is already set for Friday evening's party.  That's the neighborhood Christmas party, and we've been told to expect somewhere around 30 people.  Everyone will be bringing some sort of Christmas dish - be it hors d'oeuvres, chip and dip, salad or dessert.  We're providing the meat, the punch and a jello salad.  I think it will be a great way to meet some of our neighbors who we've not gotten to know yet.  We've lived here over two years now but still only know about 9 or 10 couples that live around us.  This will be good.


    Then Saturday night is the one I'm more nervous about.  It's our annual Duffy Christmas party.  Last year we had over 60 people and keeping up with replenishing the food trays, the drinks, answering the door bell and still trying to mingle and chit chat with everyone is not as easy as it sounds . . . especially when you consider that I'm not exactly "adept" at social chit chatting.  It has gotten somewhat easier as the years go by though, because I now recognize most of Mike's business acquaintences and can recall their names much easier than in the past.  Wish me luck.


  • Bougainvillea at Wild Seed Farm outside Fredericksberg, TX


    Two more parties and two more concerts and then . . . LET CHRISTMAS COME !!!  Like it would actually not come if I didn't say, "Let Christmas come".  I only have one more gift to purchase and that will be easy.  I have a neighborhood party next Friday evening and then our own annual party next Saturday evening.  Would you believe I have 50 people coming next Saturday and other than Brisket, I haven't a clue what the menu will be yet.  I REALLY have to work on that and soon.  The party next Friday night is not a problem, because it's a carry in . . . sort of pot luck.  We don't know if we'll have all desserts or all chips and dips or anywhere in between.  We also don't have any idea how many people will show up.  Our entire sub-division is invited, but the lady who sets these up says that there are usually no more than 30 to 35 people.  I hope she's right. 


    Then we have a concert this Sunday evening and then one again on next Sunday evening.  All in all, I think I'm ahead of where I was last year at this time though, so not to worry.


    I just may be a little laxed about blogging in the next week or so. 














  •  


    Well, Candy Days have come and gone, and we had a lot of fun and ended up making somewhere around 70 pounds of candy, which we divided between the four of us . . . my mother, my sister Alice, my daughter in law Jackie and myself.  This was the first time for Jackie so she didn't really realize just how much candy she'd be taking home.  She didn't bring enough tins to hold all her candy and had to use a couple shoe boxes to pack up the rest of hers.  It was a good time for my sister and mother to get to know Jackie a lot better since they've both only met her once. . . and for Jackie to get to know them too.



    Here Jackie is dipping peanut butter bon bons and mom is molding chocolate covered cherries. Both jobs are very time consuming.

    And here, Jackie and I are making several recipes of Microwave Toffee . . . YUM!!



    Jackie is laying out the strips of candied orange rind in this picture. Of all the candies we make, I think this one is the most labor intensive. You peel the oranges in strips, then boil them three times, then boil them in sugar water till the water almost disappears and spread them out on cake racks to cool and dry. Then the next day you dip them in dark chocolate. If you like orange candies they are wonderful !!  Jackie was a real trooper and was a tremendous help. Did I mention that she likes to clean up the kitchen too?  Yes, you read that correctly . . . she LIKES to clean up the kitchen.


    And finally, here is my sister Alice mixing up the orange cream fondant.  It's really sticky business and that's why we wear the rubber gloves.


  • Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve in Austin, TX          Photo/Enhancement by Chris Duffy


    A woman goes to the post office to buy stamps for her Christmas cards. She says to the clerk, "May I have 50 Christmas stamps?" The clerk asks, "What denomination?"  The woman says, "O my goodness. Has it come to this? Give me 6 Catholic, 12 Methodist, and 32 Baptist."


  • Side yard in Eureka Springs, AR                     Photo by Chris Duffy


    It's December 1st already.  Where HAS this year gone?  Seems like we just put away the Christmas decorations from last year and here it is . . . time to decorate again.  This is also my older brother's birthday.  We don't keep in touch very much, due to several things.  He lives in Illinois where as I live in Texas, and he doesn't enjoy using the computer for emails, IM's or blogging on Xanga (although we are working on him on that last one), and lastly because he was several years older than me and I was never in the same school at the same time with him since grade school, and sp we were never all that close.  Also, I was the compliant child (anyway, back then I was compliant) whereas he was not. He seemed to always be stretching the envelope and testing the limits when he was younger.  I'm not saying that he was wrong, it's just that I remember so many times wishing that he'd just quit rocking the boat.  I never liked any kind of discention (still don't) and that's what he produced . . buckets of it.  Oh well, that was then and this is now.  


     
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BROTHER.