Monday, December 24, 2007

The Day Before Christmas


My birthday was the 21st and I went out to dinner with my family and that is where I think I caught this awful head cold. I spent the better part of the dinner wiping Xman's runny nose. In spite of this, he was on his best behavior and the dinner went very nicely and my fish dish was excellent. We ordered a chocolate waffle for dessert and almost couldn't finish it.

Last night the geese held one of their all night parties...due to the warm weather being brought up from the South I am guessing. They laughed and chatted and sang (honking with Christmas joy) until about 3:00. I got up to see what had silenced them and the moon was at its brightest and most lovely, casting strong shadows throughout the forest. It was almost as if daylight had begun!

I drifted back to sleep and in the early morning I set up one of my birthday gifts (a tripod) and went out on the deck and caught this photo of the late revelers heading out in an ever so dignified swim to the main part of the river just as the sun was peeking over the branches of the naked trees.

I am off now to finish the sticky buns for Christmas breakfast. We will have only my son this day as daughter is off to the in-laws for the holidays. My husband and I will be most mellow, but I am afraid that son will be bored to tears without his niece and nephew as buffers in the conversation. It will probably be like a Ben Stiller movie and I do hate those.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday and that your expectations are so small that they all come true.

9 comments:

  1. or even better - what if the expectations are big ones and still come true! ;-)

    what i actually want for christmas is to be over this upper respiratory infection and to breathe like a normal person again! i will wish that for us both!

    happiest holiday wishes to all of your family, tabor. post some pics of the little ones when you have a chance. i imagine xman will be having a blast with his santa loot!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tabor, the photo is lovely and I can really appreciate your description of the geese honking and 'laughing' ... it's such fun to lay in bed and listen to them chatter, isn't it?
    Happy, happy belated birthday! May your holiday be sweet and cheerful - even if it does play out like a Stiller scene (admittedly, I love him and his corny scenes).

    All warm wishes for a healthy(er) and peace-filled new year!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What WH said, Tabor! And I wish you and your family a magical Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy (belated) Birthday and Merry Christmas Tabor!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:48 PM

    That was quite a Christmas moon! Hope you're enjoying the holidays and the geese have all gone to sleep.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sky, I hope your high expectations were filled and don't you hate winter colds?
    WH and Kenju I do thank you for the lovely thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous7:54 AM

    I like your advice re. expectations. It fits retirement age, I think. (I try to keep hopes high, expectations low.) Anyway, I hope your cold has receded and that you had wonderful holidays. Our daughter's b'day is the 21st too. I couldn't leave a comment, but loved your post "The Turn" on your other blog. We're noticing it here too, the precious stretching of light at both ends of day. ML of Full Fath.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's cute: "expectations so small that they all come true." I can live with that. Thanks, Big Ernie.

    ReplyDelete
  9. A cold? Yuck! I loved that last line and I think this year I got very close. No kid drama...woohoo!

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY and have a great New Year! XXOO

    ReplyDelete

Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.