The Carolers

Dear James and Meagan,

Here are the Carolers. We thought the children needed to get some fresh air.

Feathers or freeze?

I found this limb in our yard and wonder what it is. I spotted another as well. It reminds me of the time we had frozen rain in our trees. We had to knock it off as branches couldn't take all the weight.

Julie/Judy....The perfect houseguest.

Joe just returned from airport My sister Judy is on her way back to Studio City, Ca.
She helped me do our Christmas cards. So people, don't expect the perfect handwriting next year,
It will be back to my scribble.
Judy came to attend our brothers memorial mass. It still hasn't sunk in that he is gone
However, I do appreciate seeing many family members.

Favorite Ranger Talk

                                   The sweet teddy bear skull!

                     Beneath the fur of the teddy bear!

The Day of Blessings

Funeral mass for Corky was today. It was well attended. It is always sad to lose a loved one.
The only positive is visiting with Julie/Judy. She is the perfect house guest and I will miss her.

Here are a few photos we took  this afternoon.

Christmas Helpers

Thanks to James and Meagan we have the lights in the field. This involves pounding in stakes and
attaching 198 ft. of lights. This is not only decorative but it saves cars from getting stuck in the very wet field.  It also saves the field from massive ruts.

If that wasn't enough, James also cleaned off the roof and blew the soggy leaves and fir needles off the driveway.
Still more. Meagan championed the challenge of figuring out how to put the tree together.
We all helped put on the branches (mostly James and Meagan) Then lights and garlands on the tree.
Now all I have to do is  finish it off with the  (many, many)  ornaments.

I also put the pizzas in the oven. Wow!  I also had to buy them at the store! Double wow!

Frost can be beautiful!

Memorable Visit with my brother Corky

Sitting in his office, faithful dog by his side
Talked about family, how he wished  to see the pond, the baseball field,
or just take a walk

On a branch nearby, an eagle keeping watch
Or was it Tony?

A hug  he gave me, as I started to leave , nearly broke my bones

No camera, but the picture will stay in my memory.

Duck Hunting with Corky and Joe

Joe  Mackenzie thought of a couple hunting stories you may enjoy.

Moses Lake:  Corky spotted a duck then realized he was out of ammo. He  shouted at Joe to take a shot.  It was pretty far away but Joe  took a shot and the duck came down. Corky ran over, picked it up and ran all the way back to the tent. He happily threw it down.
The duck flew away.

The next story is on San Juan Island during December. After a long day of hunting, Corky suggested they get a Christmas tree while they were there. Joe got out his pocket knife and stated cutting the tree.  He heard a shot. Corky came over and said, "Why don't you do it the easy way." He shot down the tree.

I'm so glad Joe has turned to shooting  pictures!

Remind me that we downsized our freezer!

While going through recipes in hopes of getting rid of a few, I  found the Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Joe is working hard on the Motorhome and I thought a cookie would be good for a break.  I didn't notice that the recipe makes 7 dozen cookies.
So I have to do some shifting in our new freezer to make room.
On the plus side, the cookies are extraordinary. Not Gluten Free, nut free, lactose intolerant free, just plain delicious.

Rest in Peace Corky

My brother John (Corky) Torlai  passed away this morning about 11:45 a.m.

He was one of a kind. His energy knew know boundaries. I remember when we were children, he would feed the horses, milk the goats and still have time to chase us around the house. Teasing was his specialty.
He loved children. Our Aunt Kay & Uncle Pete lived  up the road from us. Each morning Corky would walk to their home to see Aunt Katy give him his bath.
When our brother Joe was born it was a time of joy for all of us.
I am posting one of my favorite photos of the two brothers.

Elizabeth and her birthday.

  Liz, get out of the kitchen, John is the host.

                         John       Hosting is a lot of work!

                                                Joe

                                          Liz  and her mom (me)

                         The only one who wore formal attire.

                                    Zoe   Co_host

  James and Zoe

                            Ditto

                                James and Meagan

                                Catherin, Meagan and Liz

                                                 Mike

                            John and Kristen

                                  Joe

                                 The Gluten free cake. It was good!

                    James complained that I took photos for my blog so I took extra of him.

                           Zoe and her friend, Angelo

It's beginning to look a lot like Advent!

Searching for color.

I wandered around the yard and found some remaining color.

A Taste of Honey. Thanks Colette

My dear sweet niece sent me a jar of the family honey including a package of corn muffin mix, How sweet it is.

Colette left it at the farm. This was interesting as each time I visit Springbrook  Farms I am amazed.

Thanks to Colette I was able to have a nice visit with my brother Corky.

Random shots of Joe and family.

                              Before the food.

                           There it is.

   This should be the first photo.  Favorite spot of all the family.

   Joe  was eating, so unable to smile.  The gluten free cake made by Kristen was a big hit.  I made carrot cake and brought out the last of the plum upside down cake I made for St. James.  Many plates traveled out of MacKenzie Acres. We had another table in the other room. May need two in there for Christmas.
John MacKenzie  made ribs which were a big hit with meat eaters. I made crab quiche, and veggie quiche, both appreciated. Lots of veggies. Meagan made a great veggie dish. I quickly grabbed some of the red peppers for  the soup I made the next day.If Joe knew what was in the soup he would have refrained from enjoying its deliciousness. e.g. I added the left over guacamole dip, veggies, salad mixture including kale. I also had beets I was going to toss in the compost but instead, into the Cuisinart.  Delicious!
Liz made a great salad. My oven roasted asparagus were a hit. James made his delicious stuffed peppers. Yum. Also delicious deviled eggs from Kristen

We are keeping the table up until Christmas. It was the idea of Joe and will drive me a little crazy until Christmas when I will be glad that it is ready for action.
I found some rib bones on the deck complete with a fork and plate. Other than that, pretty neat. Deb was a big help with dishes. All were wonderful.

I almost forgot. I made French bread. We also had tray of organic cheese and some nasty but delicious Italian meat.  Moderation is the key. Card table in corner was filled with gluten free snacks including popcorn.
P.S. I don't care if anyone reads this, I just want to remember what I served. Also had delicious eggplant dip which I would've added to soup but Liz loved it and it traveled to West Seattle.
Forgot to mention pasta salad and marinated vegetables. ( probably didn't need) Also had big bowl of black seedless grapes. (big hit)  I forgot to put out the Satsuma oranges. 

Rosy the Hummingbird

Mike took these. We're still getting the hang of the new camera.