Four more buildings were added to our Christmas village on Wednesday. As Sargie says, if the community keeps growing, we'll have to add a leaf or two to the dining room table next year.

December 15, 2016 - Thursday

-12 degrees/clear/windy

Pentoga Road

I am up early this morning, excited that Mom will be arriving today for her annual Christmas visit. It wouldn't seem like Christmas without Mom here to celebrate with us. Her recliner is ready alongside the wood stove as is the bulldog, who is anxious to keep her feet warm. There's plenty of snow and cold, something Mom likes at Christmas as long as she (her words) "can sit inside where it's cozy and warm and look out." Yep, it's definitely Christmastime on Pentoga Road.

It is bitterly cold this morning. It's not the temperature that makes it so miserable, but rather the twenty to thirty mph wind that's howling out of the northwest. 

This darn global warming is about to freeze us to death.

We live in a 97 year old house that, no matter how much insulation is stuffed into the nooks and crannies, still leaks cold air when the wind howls. Growing used to it over the years doesn't mean it's still not miserable. Even the new door I installed last fall is leaking air. When it warms up a bit, I need to move the striker plate back a quarter of an inch so the door rests more tightly against the jam.

Wednesday began in the shop. With the thermometer registering well below zero, I sprinted out and turned on the heat, then returned to the house and sipped coffee for another half an hour. Thankfully, unlike the house, the shop is so well insulated that it quickly warms to a comfortable working temperature. 

Even the new window is highly energy efficient. It was -4 outside, but a comfortable 65 degrees in the shop.

The first order of the morning was to clean up the mess I'd made while working on the base for the musical snowman. There were wood chips and sawdust everywhere, plus if you remember, I'd made a wrong cut and had walked out without putting anything away. 

The shop was ready within twenty minutes Wednesday morning to begin again.

Three more snowmen ornaments were turned.

I'm sanding this snowman before separating it from the original block of wood.

I've discovered that with each snowman I turn, I'm finding it more and more comfortable to deviate from a general pattern. Add to that Sargie's painting of faces and expressions and hopefully, each ornament will have it's own distinct personality.

Sunday afternoon was spent with Sargie cleaning the house. Cleaning was the easy part. It was moving the furniture out from the walls, in the same fashion that we do while spring cleaning, that took the time and effort. After several hours of swiping and sweeping to the sounds of Christmas, our little home was pronounced clean.

Reunited once again, Brutus seemed highly offended when he was forced to vacate his usual place in front of the wood stove while we cleaned.

It was later in the afternoon before I got the day's supply of firewood carried in. We headed to town right after.

Our local hardware store had four miniature buildings, all displays, on clearance for $8 and $10 each. They normally sell for between $26 and $39. Sargie and I agreed, she'd buy two and I'd do the same.

Another quick stop was made before we grabbed a couple of Cokes and Sargie drove us back home.

She spent time last evening reconstructing the Christmas village with its newest additions. 

My great Aunt Ila painted the original figurines and buildings then gave them to Mom before she passed away. When Mom moved from Florida to Indiana, she gave the village to Sargie and me. It's now become a very central part of our home during the Christmas season.

Meanwhile...

Okay, so Mom is to arrive today on the noon flight in Iron Mountain. We'll need to leave early enough to do some grocery shopping, plus we want to be at the airport well before she arrives. 

Let's see:

Mom's chair is ready.... check

The wood stove is hot.... check

There's enough peanut butter along with jars of pickles (the makings of her favorite sandwich)... check

There's plenty of snow and cold so she feels as though it's Christmas.... check

Brutus is eager to lie on her feet, keeping each tootsie toasty warm.... check

Yup, we're all ready for Mom. Let the holiday begin!

It time to take a shower, wake Sargie, and get this day started.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...