2021 was an amazing year! Helen and I crisscrossed the country, took in amazing sights, spent time with our family, and made some great friends along the way. We’re so blessed and eternally grateful that we have the opportunity to experience the staggering beauty of our country one mile at a time. We share some of that journey in the gallery below. Thanks to all who traveled with us. Please join us again in the New Year–we leave on January 12.
(Click on any image to enlarge or begin the slideshow.)
Two events signal Christmas week for me. I love them both, and this was that week. Christmas week is a whirlwind of activity for everyone, but there are times that allow us to sit back, take a deep breath, and count our blessings. The events I’ll share with you below will enable me to do that.
For many years, our church has adopted families in the Rose’s Creek community in the Appalachian region of Eastern Tennessee, just below the border with Kentucky. Coal mining once supported the people of Rose’s Creek, but when coal stopped coming out of the mines, prosperity disappeared with it. The families endure hard times with strong backs and a stiff upper lip, but there is little in reserve for significant Christmas gifts. We try to fill in.
Rose’s Creek Community Center
Last Sunday, we met after church to load our congregation’s gifts donated by families. We filled nine cars and my truck with wrapped gifts based on a list for each family sent to us by a coordinator with the Community Center. Mark, one of our ministers, led us in prayer before we departed for the one-and-a-half-hour drive to Claiborne County, Tennessee. We follow a narrow road into a hollow unchanged since the last coal rolled out of the mines.
The Community Center Director greeted us and led us to the large room where we assembled the gifts for each adopted family. With plenty of help, the unloading took maybe twenty minutes at most. When we completed the delivery, the director shared some cookies and snapped a group picture with my camera. Everyone wished her a Merry Christmas and left quietly. I always leave wishing we could do more.
The second item on our agenda for this week is the annual Meat Loaf dinner Helen and I host for our friends—Helen’s gal-pals and their husbands. I introduced the group to everyone a few weeks ago when we spent a weekend in the mountains.
We have observed this event for ten years now. When we got together to eat meatloaf for the first time, I doubt that I would ever consider it to become tradition, but I do make a mean meatloaf, and I love these folks enough to take great care in the preparation of the featured entrée. I also make sure that there is enough gravy to smother everything if it turns out less than adequate.
Helen attacks Christmas decorating with a frenzy of activity, beginning with the tree. This year she used a bowl she made in her pottery class for a centerpiece on our coffee table, featuring a candle and some ornaments we found in a box in the attic. They belonged to Helen’s Mom. I thought it looked very nice and wanted to share it here.
I prepare meatloaf in two stages. Stage one is chopping and cooking the vegetables and then cooling in the refrigerator overnight. There is a lot of chopping involved, which takes about an hour. The next day I add the vegetables to a blend of ground chuck and pork sausage, spices, eggs, breadcrumbs, and heavy cream and mix by hand…the fun part. I shape it into a loaf and place it in the oven at 350 for about an hour and a half or when the meat thermometer tells me it is 160 degrees. Next, I take it out and bow for a couple of minutes.
Our group always has a White Elephant gift exchange, and this year we did more laughing than exchanging. Tom got the biggest laugh when he opened a stuffed “poop” emoji that walked when wound up and made impolite sounds. We’re still laughing over that one.
This year, Posey received a life-sized birthday card and Priscilla gave everyone a large Nutcracker tin filled with chocolate truffles. They were delicious. A few days before his big date, our ladies sang an early happy birthday song to Townsend. His actual birthday is on Christmas Eve. We lingered long at the table before posing for a group picture. Placed on top of our Christmas Tree is a Red Hat in memory of Bob and Ralph, two great guys we lost from our group all too soon.
The Group
Helen and I consider ourselves richly blessed. We count our blessings through our faith, our families, and the fun we’ve had with great friends sharing great food. We remain ever grateful for all the above. What else is there?
This post will be primarily picture-driven. With church projects and house projects, Helen has not slowed down for a minute, and I’ve been, well, supportive. The Christmas season is busy, and blogging time is hard to come by. Activity is good, however, and we both enjoy prepping our home for the holiday season and preparing to entertain friends and family.
Before I delve into a few preparations, I need to keep one promise from last week’s Easin’ Along. In that post, I mentioned that we attended one event that I would detail in this week’s post. I saved it because it is a great way to transition from Thanksgiving week to the sights and sounds of the Christmas season.
Galliard Center – Charleston, SC
Our youngest granddaughter, Cason, has been a member of the Dance Conservatory of Charleston for the last two years and worked hard preparing for this year’s performance of The Nutcracker. Helen and I attended a special performance for school children at Charleston’s Galliard Center on the Monday following Thanksgiving. The performance was outstanding, and without a doubt, Cason was the best of the Ribbon Candy ballerinas. She is on the far right of the picture below, taken with an iPhone without a flash…the best I could get away with. Another photo shows the young ballerina on her way to the performance.
NutcrackerBallerina in her Limo
Cason participated in a second performance that afternoon, so Helen and I took her sister, Bennett, to lunch at the Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar, our favorite Charleston restaurant. I ordered fresh Oysters on the Half Shell and an Oyster Shooter on the side. Bennett showed me what she thought about that delicacy.
Soon after that, it was time to return to Knoxville and dive into the active days ahead. As we waved goodbye to the Edisto Marsh and drove away from our campsite, we captured another sign of the season left by the campground host (picture at top). We think Elves and Flamingos make a great combination.
Edisto Marsh
Our children will not be coming to Knoxville for Christmas, which is why we make the most of Edisto week during Thanksgiving and will go to California for three months in mid-January to spend time camping close to our California kids. Nevertheless, we will host both my family and Helen’s family on two separate days around Christmas day and host our friends for our annual meatloaf party next week. That means we must get in gear and get the decorations up.
California Family
The outside decorations are in place. Our artificial tree (three pieces and pre-lit) is up but not decorated. Helen has the snow village in place but is still tweaking. I love our snow village now that it includes an RV Park. By now, it is evident that decorating is still a work in progress, but we’ll get there. I always bring out my old Lava Lamp and place it on the desk in my Man Cave. I like the red glow visible to those passing by in front of the house. The picture isn’t great, but you get the idea.
Our little community of Rocky hill has conducted a Christmas Parade for the last six years, and it gets better each year. We didn’t attend this year but could see the lights and hear the marching bands from our home…another example of the sights and sounds of the season.
Rocky Hill Parade
We did have Christmas cards printed and plan to address them early next week. You will have yours soon, but if it gets lost in the heavy Christmas mail, I have included a copy below.
Card – FrontCard – Rear
That’s about it for this week. It’s time to get back into the swing of things as there is still a lot left undone. Helen and I leave everyone with sincere best wishes for a great start to a wonderful Christmas season, overflowing with love, happiness, and great joy.
P.S. I want to recommend two recent posts by fellow bloggers. Donna (Retirement Reflections) posted a fun checklist for readers, asking about your Christmas traditions. The responses from her readers are a fun read.
Suzanne (Picture Retirement) gave us a very lovely illustration of the way she and her husband, Malcolm, decorate, celebrate, and entertain in their new home.
