Holiday is upon us

Early morning light

 Walking around my neighborhood in the early light, I am seeing more and more really delightful decorations. Although you can't see the top of that inflatable helicopter (with a single blade that moves slowly), I stop each day to enjoy the happy decor. I did walk by in the afternoon one day and saw that the helicopter was deflated when all the lights are off. I almost didn't recognize the home, it looked so forlorn and unadorned. Fortunately, our long nights mean that most of the time the lights are on.

A vegetable Santa

I saw this wonderful edible Santa on our local gardening web page, and I was enchanted with it, even though I couldn't find anybody I could attribute it to. I used it anyway. Don't you just love those eyebrows? And his blueberry eyes, too. Someone had a lot of fun creating this guy.

Lake Padden, smooth as glass

Last Saturday, it was just my friend Chris and I who went twice around Lake Padden. We thought about going on the trails behind the lake, but neither of us is very familiar with them, so we decided we'd take our chances with the probability of encountering lots of other walkers. There were indeed plenty of them before we were done, but happily, EVERY ONE of them was masked. As we have entered a more strict lockdown, I guess people are abiding by the rules better than before. 

Chris recently bought herself a foldable kayak, and she realized that as smooth as this water was, she could easily navigate on the lake when it looks like this. We saw several kayakers, but they were moving too fast for me to catch them. No matter, I truly enjoyed the serene untouched water and reflections in this picture. I'm sure the day is not far off when Chris will launch her new kayak into this scene.

A friend gifted me with Jacquie Lawson's Advent calendar to be enjoyed every day from the first of the month through Christmas. I am taking great pleasure in it, and every day I must search the scenery to find a hidden gnome, which when I click on it, disappears and shows up in the virtual living room. There are also a dog and two kittens who are in different places every time I visit. And something new is added every day. It's a lovely and much appreciated gift.

And today, we in the US have received our first doses of the new vaccine to help us get the coronavirus under control. That is an especially welcome gift, since three hundred thousand Americans have already died from it. I am hopeful, today, for a brighter future.

:-)