Playing Catchup!

 The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy and today I took a little time to go through some of my files to see what needs to be put away, discarded, revisited, or whatever. It's something I try to do from time to time, not just because we're starting a new year. During this process, I discovered there were some things saved on my computer that needed to be shared. 

First, I never posted the photo of our family Christmas Eve dinner at the Rabbit Hill Inn in Waterford. I'm pretty sure I mentioned how much fun it was and that we had a lovely meal - or perhaps I didn't. I'll try to be brief.

We ordered from the menu and the food was excellent. Our waitress was attentive and efficient - and very tolerant of our exuberance. Fortunately, we had an area mostly to ourselves so our noisy laughter didn't disturb anyone. There were other tables, but nobody seated there until just before we were ready to leave. They have several areas for dining and there was a room adjoining ours that had several tables filled, so they were busy.

I must say, the inn didn't look particularly festive, but perhaps there were more Christmas decorations in the bar - or other rooms where their inn guests are entertained and the area we were is is kept more for the public. The only staff we saw was our waitress. It was all good, and we agreed it was definitely easier for everyone than having to cook something, bring it to somebody's home and then that somebody having to clean up afterwards. None of us wanted to deal with that this year. In the photo, left to right, Bill, JoAnn, Tangeni, me, Bob, Theresa, Marie, Jamie, and Monika. As you can see, no decorations. There may have been a wreath on the window in back of Bob, but no centerpiece or other decorations in the room. It didn't matter - we had plenty of Christmas spirit and thoroughly enjoyed the evening catching up with everyone and recalling previous Christmas celebrations and family traditions that have changed over the years.

Here is something else I have neglected posting. It is from Marti Talbot and is a clipping from the Littleton Courier about a webinar that begins January 8th about Invasive Plants. It sounds like it will be touching on some of the issues we are experiencing at Joe's Pond. Thanks, Marti. 

I also found this photo from my friend, Mary Whitcomb. All the icy and snow we've had recently has stressed wildlife - it's pretty hard for them to drill through this kind of ice for berries or bugs, and Mary has numerous feeders out. This handsome fellow was taking a break from the feeder long enough for her to get this lovely picture. Thanks, Mary - this is Christmas-card worthy!

I think that is all of the loose ends - if you sent something to me and haven't seen it, let me know. My "filing system" isn't perfect, so probably tomorrow I'll find I've left out something. I really don't mean to bother you with a post nearlyevery day, but news does seem to happen in bunches, and very often I send off a post and then almost immediately have a message with something new come in. Even though most folks have left the pond, life is still happening all around us, far and near.

I hope everyone had a Happy and Safe New Year celebration, and my wish is for all of us to enjoy good health and good cheer in the New Year ahead. There seems to be a lot in the world that needs straightening out - let's hope some things get fixed in 2026!