Firewood, firewood, and more firewood!

This time of year is all about firewood. Heck, this entire year has been about firewood! It seems like all I've really accomplished this year is trimming trees, setting the logs aside for firewood, and burning the resulting brush. 

It started in May with a maple tree uprooting along the south stone fence. I got that cleaned up just in time for me and the cousin to rent a lift and top a few maples that were close to the house. Yeah, that happened in July and it was hot, hot, hot work. But we got it done. 

After all that, it was time to call in the professionals to take down a huge oak that was ninety-percent dead. I made a video on that. Actually, I made a lot of videos this past summer. You can check them out on YouTube on the Holly Tree Manor channel. 

I haven't had a lot of time left over to blog about anything, even the writing. I'd like to say I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but not yet. There is still a large pile of maple logs to cut into round, and even more oak logs. The cousin and I will have firewood for the next several years with just what is already on the ground. The thing is, it's doubtful Mother Nature will let the winter pass without gifting us more. 

I get tired just thinking about it.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, firewood, log splitter, John Deere 1023, rural living, country lifestyle, KC Kendricks, romance fiction, Between the Keys, Deuce's Day

Quick Garden Tour, Cleanup, and a New Greenstalk

The 2025 gardening season is winding down. Was it a huge success? Not really. The extreme heat took a toll on a lot of things, but the Bell peppers thrived. The Roma tomatoes did okay, too, even flowering after ninety-degree days. I even avoided the blossom end rot this year. 

I've harvested basil to make and freeze Pesto, canned tomatoes, and made two batches of stevia. I've dehydrated lemon balm and echinacea, and even dried some patchouli. And I've added another Greenstalk for strawberries. 

Along the way this summer, I've been making videos! I love having a video record of what's been going on here at Holly Tree Manor. 

So check out my YouTube channel, Holly Tree Manor with KC Kendricks to SEE what's been going on. And if you would, please like and subscribe to help the channel grow. I want to be an old, old woman with a bunch of videos to prove to old, old men that yes, I did indeed know how to operate a John Deere tractor. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor

Holly Tree Manor, KC Kendricks, YouTube, gardening, John Deere 1023, Greenstalk, container gardening, rural living, country lifestyle, a writer's life, woven weed cloth

Tree topping in Triple H weather - not advised

I've been a bit MIA lately, and that's because I've been working with the cousin in Triple H weather. That's hazy, hot, and humid in case you don't live in the Mid-Atlantic region and don't know. I can only work for a couple of hours at a time when I'm on my own. If I get heat stroke, I'll lie there and be dead before someone misses me. We don't want that to happen! 

My property is a three-acre lot and two of those acres are wooded. That's fine. I like trees. The only thing that beats shade in the summer is central air in the house. But I digress...

Back in 1981 the trees were not this big. They grew, and some of them became uncomfortable neighbors. Cousin Dave and I rented a "cherry picker" lift and topped out six of them. I'm in the midst of cleaning up the brush so we can cut firewood rounds. It's going to take many, many, many days to get it all finished, but in the end, our firewood rounds stockpile will be in good shape. 

Deuce has a bit to say about the lift we rented. He was not impressed. https://deucesday.blogspot.com/2025/07/whats-this-thing.html

Years ago, I began to post short videos so my husband could see what was happening around the manor in places he could no longer physically get to. There were also dog vids, and vids of walks and such, all posted in the hope he'd feel included. 

After he passed, I pondered whether or not to start a more intense video project, and to that end I've been recording my activities on the manor. My YouTube channel is called The Hideaway Between the Keys, and as with all things, Google knows where to find me. I think YouTube has changed up some things and it's now youtube.com/@KCKendricks. I think. I'm still figuring a lot of "stuff" out. 

I'll have upcoming videos of the tree trimming and cleanup, as well as some general gardening and general manor activity vids. It really is my life unscripted. 

But back to the Triple H weather, I'm pretty much done for the day with outside work. I grabbed the chainsaw around 7:15 AM and worked clearing the brush from the top of one of the downed maples until the sunshine stole the shade from me. I'll go at it again tomorrow morning. Once I have the smaller, lighter brush removed, the cousin will return with his big saw and finish the heavier work. Sooner of later, it'll all get done and I'm fine with that. My plan is to get to the end goal without giving myself a heat stroke. 

Good plan!

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, KC Kendricks, YouTube, country lifestyle, rural living, tree trimming, firewood, weather, heat stroke, Milwaukee chainsaw, John Deere 1023

The 10-day forecast is ugly

It's like living in a tomb. 

It's not unusual for the weather in June to turn hot after the summer solstice. Of course, it's not usually THIS hot, but old Sol is doing some crazy things at the moment. Solar cycle 25 and all that. And it's not crap - it's science. 

Deuce and I walked down the creek earlier this morning. It was already 85F at nine o'clock, but I worry about my best boy so I wanted to help him cool down. The creek is spring-fed and the water is cold, and he enjoys getting his paws wet. He's getting older and that little excursion apparently required him to come home and take a nap. 

There's a short video of him walking in the creek below. 

Why do I say it's like living in a tomb? Over the course of the last several years I upgraded all the curtains/drapes to blackouts. I got them from Amazon and they not only keep out the light, but they really help keep the interior of the house cooler (and warmer on cold winter nights). I've been outside with Deuce after dark and if the curtains are closed, no light shows at the windows. They work.

My cousin and I had planned to work outside this week, but that's off the table. With age comes smarts and we're smart enough to know to avoid the heat when possible. It's indoor pursuits for both of us for at least the next ten days. 

Our grandmother had a saying: "This, too, shall pass."  And so it shall.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, KC Kendricks, rural living, heat wave, tree trimming, country lifestyle, black Labrador Retriever

A most unusual visitor

Living on the side of a mountain means I share my space with a host of critters. There are deer, foxes, rabbits, raccoons, skunks, possums, turkey, numerous birds including hawks and owls, the occasional coyote, snakes, turtles, frogs, toads, and salamanders. And yes, there are fish and such in the creek. But this morning there was a first - a SNAPPING turtle in the yard. Box turtles are the norm.

Being that there is a creek nearby, seeing the occasional snapper isn't too rare. Seeing one strolling (?) through my yard is something else. 

It came across the front yard, through the west forty (where the wood yard is) and down over the hill. I think it was lost. The creek is in the exact opposite direction. 

Speaking of directions, I tried to tell it to turn around and go back, but it didn't listen to me. It must be a male. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, snapping turtles, rural living, country lifestyle, a writer's life, wildlife, KC Kendricks, unusual sightings, reptiles

The Old Spring

I grew up in my maternal grandparent's house. My parents lived with them until I was eight, and then they bought their own house about a mile away. I don't know why because I swear all we did was sleep there. Weekends were spent at the grandparent's place. After school, I rode my bike to my grandparent's house. When we cousins wanted to "camp out," it was in our grandparent's meadow. That's where the action was. 

Growing up, I didn't think it was odd that my grandparent's water came from a spring. I just know that a lot of family members would bring a jug and take some spring water home with them to make iced tea, my mother included. These days, heaven only knows what has leached into the water, and we don't drink it. There are houses above it now. Back then, there was only forest. 

The picture is the inside of the spring. My grandfather walled it up, dug out the bottom for a reservoir, and eventually installed a reinforced concrete roof. This is how the spring looks today. 

I'm very glad that the cousin who got the homeplace didn't fill in the spring. Pop's roof is still intact and the water still flows into the spring branch and down to the creek. We don't use it any longer, but it's there if my cousin wants to water his grass. 

I suppose it's rather unremarkable, but it's a memory from my youth. I thought I'd share.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, rural living, country lifestyle, KC Kendricks, grandparents, old ways, spring water, changing times, safe drinking water

Sometimes cheap ideas look good - new decor items

Have you ever gotten a notion to do something you would have done over thirty years ago? Yeah, me, too. 

I'm not complaining, but living with a man is living with compromises. Take my kitchen, for example. The Lord of the Manor had differing opinions on what should be displayed on the island. He wanted a knife block so he could grab a knife when he needed one. Same for the Kitchen Aid mixer. It had to sit on the island, not in a cabinet. I wanted the island to have a cleaner appearance, but it wasn't a battle I chose to fight. 

Now, sadly, with his passing, I can please myself. I think one simple décor element is all the island needs. It's less to move when I need the entire work surface. 

I was at the Dollar Tree and saw small metal planters that look like little buckets. I wasn't sure what I'd do with them, but I got three. Fast forward to the approaching summer, and my desire to have something different than silk florals in a vase. I saw a package of succulents and the light bulb went on. 

Sometimes decorating on the cheap really works. These will be fine until it's time to celebrate autumn. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, decorating, country lifestyle, rural living, Dollar Tree finds, KC Kendricks, a writer's life, simple things, choose your battles, granite countertops, succulents 

Cherokee wax beans and strawberries

This is the first year I've planted Cherokee wax beans. Wax beans are basically a yellow green bean. I always liked to switch it up on my late husband, and he didn't mind at all.  

The seeds have finally sprouted, and just that fast some critter has had a nibble. This will not do. Earlier this morning I put a row cover over the raised bed in the hope it will do the job and discourage whomever visited from a repeat. I won't get enough of a harvest to can beans, but I do want enough for several meals when they're fresh. 

Of course, my Henry 001 is also "discouragement." I just hate to bury the bodies. 

In better news, the strawberries I planted in the Greenstalk are doing fantastic! I hope to get a large enough harvest to enjoy some fresh and to share with my cousins. I also need to look for a muffin recipe that uses almond flour so I can make a batch of strawberry muffins. I think I can modify the recipe I love by simply adding a third egg. It's worth a try.

There's quite a few days to go before I harvest anything but lettuce. I have four plants of a variety that is Butter [something] and it's pretty good. My trip around the garden this morning showed it's time to harvest some, so it looks like a salad will be on the menu today. I've nibbled at the Swiss Chard and it's too bad none of that is ready to add to the salad. 

I'm excited about the strawberries, though. This is as close to actually successfully growing them as I've gotten. My grandfather had a huge patch, but I'll never match him. But I can see myself expanding to the older Greenstalk that is beside the patio, or even purchasing a third one. We'll have to see how it goes. 

That sums gardening up in one sentence: we'll have to see how it goes.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, KC Kendricks, gardening, strawberries, Greenstalk, animal control, rural living, country lifestyle, home food preservation, Swiss Chard, butter lettuce

Good start - Genovese Basil

I love pesto, and have made small batches over the years. My late husband didn't care for it at all, so it had limited exposure to the dinner table. Now that I'm on my own, I'm growing more basil. 

The first seeds have sprouted and are doing quite well. It's going to hurt my heart when it's time to thin them as I move them to larger cups to continue growing. 

I have a second tray of the Dark Opal basil and it too is doing well, but is a good week behind the Genovese. I staggered sowing the seeds intentionally, and have one more seed packet to sow. I hope to have a lot of basil growing in my garden this summer. 

The weather has been a mixed bag so far in March. Of course it has! It's March! But I was able to get the new Greenstalk filled with potting soil and cultivate the two end raised beds.

I left leaves on the raised beds over the winter so I could cultivate them in. They'll slowly decompose and feed the soil. Then I sprinkled bone meal, blood meal, garden lime, and a general pellet fertilizer on top and used the cultivator to mix that in. That should give me a good starting medium for tomatoes, basil, and other herbs. 

And that's about all the weather allowed me to accomplish. I didn't get the leaves raked off strawberry bed, but that's next. March is a fickle month. We had a stretch of sunny days with temperatures in the low to mid sixties (Fahrenheit) and then the weather quickly reverted back to chilly and damp. 

No matter. Every thing done is one thing done, eh? 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, gardening, Greenstalk, soil, Genovese Basil, rural living, country lifestyle, weather watching, raised beds, garden planning, herbs, KC Kendricks

Sprouts!! Lookee lookee!

 It's official! My 2025 garden is growing. Seeds have sprouted! 

It's not much at the moment. Two green cabbage varieties and one red, plus one of the basil seed packets. It's a lot more cabbage than I'll need, but I can give some away when the time comes. My cousin next door likes cabbage and Cole slaw so there we go. 

As for the basil, this is just a start. I love pesto so the plan is to make a BUNCH of it this year and freeze it. I used the last of what I made in 2024 months ago, so I need to be on it this season. 

I'm ready to begin work in my garden but the weather is not helping. It's chilly and windy outside - not the weather I want to work in outside. But it has not stopped me from planning my garden and making a "plan of attack" to ready the raised beds, refresh the grow buckets, and set the second Greenstalk in its 2025 location. I also have a new greenhouse to set up and I need to move the old greenhouse frame to a location where I can zip tie shade cloth to in later in the year when the plants need a break from the solar maximum. 

Today is the day we set our clocks ahead before we go to bed, and I'm looking forward to longer daylight in the evenings. That will help me get things done. There's more on that over a Between the Keys. 

Things to do, things to do, but I think the only thing I'll really accomplish on this windy afternoon is some writing. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, gardening, rural living, cabbage, basil, greenhouse, country lifestyle, garden planning, organization, a writer's life, KC Kendricks

What should I plan in 2025?

Do you make New Year's resolutions? I don't, but I do make plans. The problem with those plans is one I bet a lot of people have - the new plan looks a lot like the old plan. 

I'm planning the 2025 garden. I plan to grow some of the same old things: tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, cabbage, and green beans. And this year, I'm concentrating on herbs. I've made a few herbal tinctures, but it's become clear I like tea much better, lemon balm tea especially. Herbal teas can have medicinal properties if you research and use them properly. And then there's good old-fashioned Basil. I love, love, love pesto and I didn't harvest nearly enough basil to keep me in pesto until the next harvest. 

And that's when the PLAN came to a screeching stop. What, beyond my garden, do I have planned for 2025? 

The truth is, not much. 

Maybe making a hard and fast plan isn't a good idea at this time in my life. Maybe I need to take baby steps toward those things I want to accomplish. That may mean painting one room in the house instead of four rooms. I need to keep my plans to where I know I can accomplish the goal. 

I think that's what works for a lot of people. Setting small goals that can be met keeps a person positive. They used to say you shouldn't try to climb a mountain in one day. Another bit of wisdom is to break down a big job into its smaller parts and take it one thing at a time. 

That's sensible for me. My 2025 plan is to plan to keep it simple, take it slow, and not bite off more than I can chew. It will be interesting to see just how far I can get with that philosophy. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, planning 2025, New Year's resolutions, gardening, life ideals, rural living, setting goals, a writer's life, KC Kendricks, preparedness

New Year's Eve

 

Five years at Holly Tree Manor

Today marks the fifth anniversary of Holly Tree Manor. So much has happened in those years. The big life changing events that happened in those years are that I retired and my beloved Ron passed. I have more questions than ever about my life and the choices I've made. 

I'm not alone in wondering where I'd be today if I'd made different choices. What if I hadn't retired? Would I be happier at work than here alone all day? I don't think so. I was able to be with Ron and my only worry was Deuce. Thankfully, my closest cousin lives next door and was able to visit Deuce during the times I was at the hospital with Ron. 

Ron's passing aside, the last five years have been good ones. I started working when I was just sixteen years old. I wanted to save up to buy my own car, which I did even though it was against my parent's wishes. My mother always tried to hold me back. My father was more aware but he didn't know what to do with a teenage daughter. Dad was the one who said I could buy my first car - a 1969 Camaro. 

I worked all those years so I could have my own money, buy my own things, and save for the day when I could step into all I ever wanted to be - The Lady of the Manor. Truly, it was my fondest dream, and here I am. The reality looks a bit different than the dream since Ron passed, but he knew this was my dream. 

Yesterday, we marked the winter solstice. Starting today, we begin to have more daylight minutes every day until we reach the summer solstice. It's a cold (29F), clear and sunny day here. There is little work that needs to be done outside in the cold. I've completed a few indoor chores, perused a few seed sellers like Burpees and Totally Tomatoes, and now I'm blogging. Later this afternoon, I need to decide on my canning/preserving projects for the year, which will influence what I plant in the 2025 garden. 

My computer room/sunroom is flooded with sunlight. Outside the windows, the trees stand as watchful sentinels. My world is at peace. 

Thanks for coming along for the last five years. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

_*_*_

On a side note, I've got a new book out called Once in October. Click on the link to the book page located at my writing blog, Between the Keys. You will probably get a message that the link takes you off this blog. If that worries you, copy and paste in:

https://kckendricks.blogspot.com/p/once-in-october-by-kc-kendricks.html

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, rural living, country lifestyle, fifth anniversary, a writer's life, winter solstice, 1969 Camaro, KC Kendricks, blogging, women's work, loss of spouse, dreams

Cook once, eat fifteen times

Yesterday I finally did something I've wanted to do for two years - I made and processed Beef Stew.  Fifteen pints, to be exact. That's fifteen evenings the daily dilemma of what to fix myself for supper is solved. 

Cooking for one is a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. It's a lot of aggravation to prepare an entire meal when I know I'll be eating the same thing, or elements of the same things, for the next three days. I've already discovered that's a recipe for wasting food. 

When I lived alone over thirty years ago, my mother and grandmother pretty much kept me fed. Back before the cellphone days, I'd come home from work and find notes in my mailbox instructing me to go to one of their houses and what was on the menu. With my grandmother next door and my mother only a mile away, it was good to have options. Ah, the good old days! 

This Beef Stew recipe is from the Ball Book, as are many of the foods I home process. When I'm ready to enjoy a jar, I'll make a bit of thickening from flour when I heat it up. Adding flour to a jar before canning is a no-no due to concerns about reaching proper heat levels inside the jar during processing. We do want to be safe. 

In the overall scheme of things, this is a small accomplishment but I feel good about it. Every little thing is a step toward what will be my normal life without Ron. Typing that sentence felt odd, but it's a truthful sentiment. Who knew Beef Stew could make a life feel like it was moving forward again? 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, Beef Stew, home canning, country lifestyle, rural living, Ball Book of Canning, life after death, a writer's life, KC Kendricks, m/m romance, grandmothers

Another day of snowy weather followed by sunshine

Yesterday was one of those days that we didn't bother to dress in street clothes. Yes, the Lord and Lady of Manor spent the day in flannels and slippers. I think it did us a world of good to take a day off from everything, or almost everything. He watched an old movie and I "worked" on the computer. When the snow stopped, I ventured out and took a measurement.  So add this to what we got a few days ago, and it's eight inches for the week. That's pretty good for us. 

Today dawned bright and clear! Lots of sunshine and only a few fluffy clouds. I hopped on the John Deere 1023 and ran the snow pusher in and out the lane a few times, cleaned off and started the vehicles, took Deuce on a walk-about, and shoveled the sunroom porch for His Majesty Loki. The cat wants out, but let his furry little paws touch the snow? No. 

Deuce is a different matter. He wanted to go romp so off we went. I even managed to get a video of our short stroll and get it uploaded. The link to it is below. 

A couple of snow days a year are good for my soul. I always resented having to drive to the day job when it snowed. The last ten years I worked, I didn't. I worked from home. Some change in the world is good. 

Snow falling is beautiful and peaceful. In the woods, everything stops to watch, eve the squirrels. I stepped out onto the patio (it's covered and screened) for a few moments just to listen the quiet, and to reflect on how very blessed I am to live on the mountain. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, black Labs, snow, snow days, rural living, country lifestyle, snowfall, a writer's life, Deuce's Day, KC Kendricks, YouTube video of black Lab, John Deere 1023

Cabbage finished for 2023

The Beefsteak tomatoes weren't actually. They were a mystery variety of cherry tomatoes. 

The Straight Eight cucumbers didn't produce well despite being worked hard by some very dedicated little bumblebees. 

The Great Stuff peppers have been slow to get going, but there are peppers growing. 

Sugar Baby watermelon? There is ONE growing. 

Cantaloupe? Nary a one, again, not the fault of the dedicated bumblebees.

Butternut squash? Growing, baby. Looking good. 

Cabbage? Holy crap! My garden spot can grow some cabbage!!!

It's a good thing we like cabbage. The last batch of cabbage came out of the freeze drier this morning, and I'm glad to be done. The weather tomorrow looks to be cooler, so tomorrow I'll clean out the cabbage patch and turn over the soil.

Another lesson learned this year is to better stagger planting the cabbage. We had too many heads mature at the same time this year. We can only consume so much Cole Slaw before we begin to let it go to waste, which is not why I garden. 

I've learned a lot about cabbage this summer. Now I need to apply that to next year, when the time comes.

The Lady of The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, gardening, Harvest Right freeze dryer, home food preservation, rural living, country lifestyle, cabbage, a writer's life, KC Kendricks 

Just roll with it

This was to be the year I made and canned ketchup. It was not to be. I planted tomatoes that should have grown to the size of my fist, Beefsteaks, for slicing and canning. Canning them is fine, but it does require a longer simmer time to remove excess water. No biggie. It was not to be. The seed pack said Beefsteak but the seeds said, "we're cherry tomatoes!" 

Drop back two and punt. 

I've been harvesting the little 'maters and popping them in the freezer until I had enough to do something with. After a Saturday afternoon trip to the canning jar pantry, I decided I'd better make more pizza sauce. 

A few days ago I pulled the bags of frozen tomatoes out, plopped them in a large, deep pot, and cooked them down. Once they'd all gone to mush, I ran the mix through a food mill, put the sauce back into the pot, and let it simmer for several hours until it had reduced and thickened. From there, I made pizza sauce according to the recipe in the Ball Book. I ended up with seventeen jars (and seventeen seals) or enough for about the next year and a half. 

The tomatoes are still producing, and I'll have enough for another batch of pizza sauce. It wasn't the plan for 2023 but in the long run, it works just fine. I'll just have to make more pizzas. 

Sometimes you have to go with the flow.

The Lady of The Hideaway

KC Kendricks, The Hideaway, pizza sauce, tomatoes, gardening, home canning, rural living, country lifestyle, a writer's life, plans change

The Dawn of New Days

My permanent office complete
with "staff" members

Today was to be my last day in the office at the day job. It turns out that yesterday was the day. I managed to walk out with no fanfare at all, which is what I wanted. A big scene would not have pleased me. That's not who I am. 

I'm finally retired. It seems like this has been a long time coming. Yesterday, I wrote a bit about this over at my writer's blog, Between the Keys.  This morning, it seems rather anti-climatic. Go figure that one out because I don't think I can. 

Home has always been where I'm happiest. I enjoy my country manor, all tucked away from the eyes of passerbys. Of course, Google Earth knows where I am, but it doesn't often take my picture. We're very private except to the eyes of the next-door neighbors who are all family.

I thought I'd have a sense of elation this morning, but that's not the case. It's Friday, and it's a day like any other day. It's rainy, so Deuce and I didn't go far. He doesn't like rain. He'll roll in the creek but if it's raining? He turns into a couch puppy. 

What to do on this first day? Items on my spreadsheet await, but I think that today I'll be better served with reflective pursuits, like this blog and planning the June menu. I still have a "reception" to get through so maybe being retired will feel differently after that. Maybe it will feel more final. 

And maybe it doesn't feel final because my employer offered me a consultant deal for the next year. I have a contract to be a resource for my protégé until she's completed the yearly cycle. I don't expect to hear from her very often. She's a smart cookie and will figure things out by looking at what I've done in past years. 

Yes, this new dawn definitely calls for reflection - of where I've been, where I'm at, and where I want to go. The first two are easy, but the last calls for thought. Do I today want to go to the same places I imagined I did a year ago? Do some things no longer matter? Are there new ideas to examine? Yes, there are. 

I'll take the time today, because when tomorrow comes, I want to begin my new era with an open heart. The past, the present, and the future deserve no less.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

The Hideaway, simple country pleasures, seasons, country living, Holly Tree Manor, Between the Keys, retirement, KC Kendricks, a writer's life,

Christmas Eve 2021

Author note: I posted this at Between the Keys and thought I would also share it here. - KC

Christmas Eve was magical when I was a girl. Aunts, uncles, cousins - we all gathered at Aunt Jane's house for dinner, which was her gift to us. In time that ended, and so it seemed so did my love of Christmas. It's never been the same for me without that gathering. 

The bells pictured are a handmade gift from my Aunt Jane, given to me for my first Christmas in the house I built in 1983. I still live in that house and Aunt Jane's bells are a truly treasured keepsake. 

One of my favorite passages about Christmas Eve comes from Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It seems fitting to share it this year as, yes, the time draws near. 

KC/Rayne

Christmas Bells

The time draws near the birth of Christ:
The moon is hid; the night is still;
The Christmas bells from hill to hill
Answer each other in the mist.

Four voices of four hamlets round,
From far and near, on mead and moor,
Swell out and fail, as if a door
Were shut between me and the sound:

Each voice four changes on the wind,
That now dilate, and now decrease,
Peace and goodwill, goodwill and peace,
Peace and goodwill, to all mankind.

This year I slept and woke with pain,
I almost wish’d no more to wake,
And that my hold on life would break
Before I heard those bells again:

But they my troubled spirit rule,
For they controll’d me when a boy;
They bring me sorrow touch’d with joy,
The merry merry bells of Yule.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)

A creature of habits

I've had the same desktop photo on my computer since 2015. It happens to be the very first photoshop project I did. I like it. The colors, with their autumn-ish hues, please me. I doubt that I intended to keep this photo up for six years, but here we are. 

What struck me as I powered up the unit this morning is that I'm still using that same coffee mug, too. 

I suppose continuity is a good thing. Or should I simply admit I'm a creature of many habits?

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)