Sunshine is making it’s way …

The chairs are about to get some sun :)

Auggie’s grumpy look is perhaps explained by cold feet!

So, I picked him up and took our selfie :)

Emmett assisted in making sure our firewood stockpile was adequate for Christmas coziness!

The early evening walk…

And then … I received a phone call from my neighbor: was I home and would I accept a Christmas offering? I was and I would…

Fresh and steaming from the oven: Huckleberry muffins!!

I have the best neighbors :)

I had the first muffin, probably before my neighbor left my driveway. I shared a small bit with Emmett.

And then … Emmett sat below the counter top where the other muffins were cooling.

Conclusion: Emmett LOVES huckleberry muffins as do I. Thank you neighbor, Nancy!!!

We had Winter in October and November, then not so much in December.

But, yesterday, it got cold, snow and I think it might stay cold through at least Chrismas Day.

Not a lot of snow, but enough to be pretty for a short while.

And, an early Christmas present for Emmett … a new stuffed fren: Sebastian :)

A very Merry and Happy Christmas to all!!

***hopefully some fun posts on Christmas day, but just in case … All of us wish all of you a very good and safe holiday: Joyeux Noel!

I have some photos, but I have just watched the weekly recap of VendeeGlobe 2020 and nothing I have compares …

SO, even if you do not sail or know about sailing …

So much science, athleticism, technical knowledge, seamanship extraordinaire … I used to follow US sports, not for some years … and now, the idea of following “balls” and the absolutely childish behavior in US sport… Vendee Globe is above and beyond any sport that I have ever followed.

I have come to love all of the skippers and have also looked at their sponsors.  Many of the skippers are sponsored by charitable organizations (detail in future posts, hopefully!)

From somewhere in the video:

“Anyone who finishes the Vendee Globe returns a different person”

I will add … if you follow the Vendee Globe, you WILL return a different person. I am already … not quite half way through … a different person.

I hope a better person.

I hope a more civil, a more compassionate, a more respectful person.

Actually, Winter dark! The days are short.

Here, at 48N, sunset is 4:40 p.m. and with the sun angle very south, it is dusk shortly after 4:00 p.m. Sunrise is after 8:00 a.m. Short days

Two weeks until the Winter Solstice and we turn around to longer days.

Daytime has not been exceptionally bright the last few days. The cloud deck is low. Temperature is a constant 27F day and night. The humidity from the low cloud deck makes it feel colder than 27F.

BUT! Emmett and I have returned to walking on the State Land behind my property. Hunting season is over. The bears are hopefully denned up but at any rate, the vegetation has died and I can see over the terrain.

It is wonderful to add more variety to our outings.

We get longer walks and more stuff to sniff!

Winter light.

***EDIT Especially for Margaret … so sorry … I returned the drone. It just was not the right time for it. One day!

I am not there.

But, the leading peloton of Vendee Globe 2020 sailors are there.

And the Southern Ocean has not been kind to several of them.

To be fair, the Atlantic had it’s go at some of them also.

Sam (Samantha) Davies and Seb (Sebastian) Simone suffering what is likely race-ending damage when they were both racing VERY well and then encountered UFO (unidentified floating object).

Simone (ARKEA PAPREC) went to the search zone of PRB’s Kevin Escoffier. Escoffier spent 11 hours in a life raft after his boat literally broke in 2. 5 racers (including Simone in ARKEA PAPREC) were sent to the zone and Kevin was rescued.

And then… Heart breaking as ARKEA PAPREC subsequently suffered damage from an UFO! Shortly after, Sam Davies on Initiatives Coeur also struck an object.

Meanwhile, here in the U.S. it is embarrassingly childish behavior by grown up people: from the President to local persons.

I choose to take refuge in the courage, persistence, athleticism and strength of the Vendee Globe sailors: their teams, their sponsors, the organization and the ocean sailing community.

But.

I live in NW Montana. A place I chose. And I don’t have aspirations to be an ocean sailor, but I do appreciate … so very much … this time of being able to go around the world with the Vendee Globe sailors.

So, some scenes from home…

Lovely stuff: Auggie, Emmett and my home…

But, my thoughts and prayers are with the courageous sailors that are now in the Southern Ocean: sail fast, sail safe and thank you to all of them who have shared so much on social media. The opportunity to go around the world with the best sailors in the world is an incredible privilege.

Apparently, my new Thanksgiving tradition is to have my Thanksgiving dinner on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Yes, it is Friday as I write this. I roasted the turkey (breast) today and it is sliced, sitting in au jus in the refrigerator. The bones are also in the refrigerator … they will be used to make bone broth later…

Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve Day was full of electronic glitches … and then, when I came in with Emmett, from our before bedtime walk … water under the washer … gah! I mopped up the water and went to bed, hoping the problem would resolve itself.

Honestly! I have never known a “water leak” issue to resolve itself. I cannot believe I even had that thought.

Thursday morning: more water. I pulled out the washer and THANKFULLY, it was only an issue with the intake hose, which had burst. Easy fix. First, easy to shut off water to that hose, remove the hose and make plans to obtain a new hose on Friday (today). Which I did and have since installed, done a load of laundry and all is well: HURRAH!!!

Onward with Thanksgiving fun: Cranberry sauce, stuffing prep, pie crust…

The cranberry sauce!

While I was keeping an eye on the cranberry sauce, I worked on my afghan block. This was an especially fun block: 5 of 6 in my current order.

But, with the sauce and the block and after the relief that the plumbing issue was not a MAJOR plumbing issue… I ran out of steam for making “THE DINNER”.

I watched a lot of VendeeGlobe 2020 videos and some other sailing videos which I will share about in another post!

Wednesday’s electronic glitches were my Amazon Smart Plug/Alexa and new Bose noise cancelling headphone…

I don’t know if they were related, but I was not a fan of the headphone and so …

Return.

Meanwhile…

I keep laughing at Emmett peering around the corner to look for the squirrel… he waits and if it/one of them is there, he goes!!!

On our walk…

It was overcast, but gorgeous light!

So.

After returning the headphone, and after seeing a few videos from youTube people I follow:

I finally, after looking and watching and thinking and dreaming ….

ordered a drone:

That is not my hand … DJI image of DJI: Mini 2.

It should arrive 12/4 ish.

I have watched a number of “how to fly DJI Mini 2” videos. It might be 2021 before you see anything. We will see.

YIKES!!

As I write this, it is Friday, almost 3:00 p.m.

Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow: Saturday. My new Thanksgiving Tradition.