The Week In Between

Does anyone else find this week in between Christmas and New Years is kind of strange feeling? I don’t know why I’ve always felt that way. A bit of sadness that all of the festivities of Christmas are over, yet anticipating the new beginnings of another year.

OK, the first thing I have to do is apologize for the photo below. My elbow is in the way and I couldn’t back up far enough across the hall to get everything in the picture and it’s crooked to boot! But this is the doorway to our apartment all decorated for Christmas! People love to decorate their doors here and one of my favorite things do do is walk up and down the halls looking at all of the pretty things hanging on the doors.

Here is Miss Piper wearing her current “Wonderful Wallaby” sweater that I made her for Christmas. She had picked out the color of yarn which is a dark hunter green a couple of months ago and I think she had forgotten about it, so she was pretty excited when she saw it in the box. It has a hood and a pocket on the front. She’s also wearing her new ring that she’s been saving her money for from Hobby Lobby and the Black Hills gold necklace that Papa and I gave her for Christmas. We bought it when we were in the Black Hills last summer. We also bought her three books from her favorite author while we were in London last spring. There was a book fair along the South Bank of the Thames river. I was so excited to find the books that I knew she would love.

And Mandy’s “Portage” sweater is what I was working on when the knitting cable broke. She had requested another sweater in this pattern in gray. She already has one in a marled blue yarn color. This sweater is actually her birthday present, but I knew she could use it now so I gave it to her a little early on Christmas. I have a brown sweater in the same pattern and I’m very tempted to make myself another one. I’ve been wearing mine as a winter coat, even in those -45F windchill‘s last week. They are amazingly warm. I love the big pockets on them too. 

And these two. They have been together every day since last Wednesday for at least a few hours each day. They are going to be totally lost without each other when that stops. They are the cutest puppies and we love them both so much. All you have to do is mention the other one’s name and whichever dog you’re with goes absolutely crazy. Running to the door and looking for them. I have never seen two dogs love each other so much. This is how they sleep. Basically on top of each other.  Zoey’s head was laying on top of Lizzie‘s just before I took this picture. But I must have disturbed them when I reached for the camera, because they both turned around and looked at me. Such sweeties and they add so much love to ours lives.💜

This morning we had to be at the church by 9:30 to start setting up for a funeral dinner at 12:00. It was so sad. It was a lady that Dennis grown up with in the church. She was two years older than him. Basically she went to take a bath two days before Christmas and her family never heard the water shut off in. When her husband went to check on her, she had passed away in the bathtub. Apparently it was a heart attack. She was a very healthy person with no known issues. I guess that’s a good way to go though. No long and lingering illness. The service was very well attended, full of love and memories and we were able to see some of her family that moved away years ago like we did, that we haven’t seen in a long time. Dennis and I’ve been enlisted along with another couple, to take care of all of the luncheons after funerals. I know I’m getting old because it was always the old, retired people in charge of those luncheons. Ha! Now I am one.

Tomorrow I’m going to take down the Christmas decorations and for the first time since we’ve lived in this apartment, put the regular decorations out. When we moved in, it was fall, so I had the Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations out. Then it was Christmas. It will be nice to find a place for all of the regular things.

Take care and have a safe and happy New Year.

Blessings and love,

Betsy