A few thoughts on Christmas 2025

I've been pondering what, if anything, needs to be recorded about Christmas 2025. Many things have been laid on my heart this season, and I hardly know where to begin. There is a wisdom that says look to the big things first, and the small things will fill in around them. I think that is true.

This was my second Christmas without Ron. I could argue it was really my third because in 2023, he was sicker than I knew, and he wasn't talking. He was here, but he slept most of the time. I worried, but without his cooperation, there wasn't a lot I could do. 

So, Christmas alone. Yes. Ron's sister had me up to her house twice, but Christmas Day was spent alone. On Christmas Eve, my cousin and I walked the dogs in the morning, and that was the only person I talked to all day. Christmas morning brought a flurry of texts, but I spoke to no one. There is a peace, and a reckoning, to silence and solitude. I sat with my thoughts and they were good company. 

I thought about making a Christmas Day video, but shelved the idea. I'll get around to making one shortly, after dinner at the cousin's house. Today is when all the grandkids can come. Their respective father's get them on Christmas Day, and we don't make a fuss about it and make the kids feel guilty. Their grandparents are smarter than that. In a few short years, the grandkids will be able to decide for themselves where they want to be for Christmas. We shall see. 

I stopped decorating for Christmas a decade ago, when adding a tree to our smaller space would have gotten in the way of Ron's wheelchair. This year, I almost missed having one. I debated getting one until I saw the price tags. Nooooooooo. The little ceramic tree that came from my grandmother will suffice. I did, however, do a small craft project to hang some of my fancier balls in the front window. It was enough to satisfy the urge to decorate. The bow window has four glass panels, and I didn't realize my project would look like a cross once hung. I think I'll modify it next year. 

Ron was a great gift-giver. Over the years, he gave me three sets of pearls. The first set was a choker with stud earrings. I loved it - a lot. But this year, I gave the set to his daughter. She cried. I felt a few pangs parting with the pearls, but she needed something of value from her father, and that was the best I had to give her. It's not like she needs a set of Snap-On wrenches, so it was the pearls. 

The only close female cousin I grew up with called me yesterday to tell me she's going to be a grandmother again. Totally unexpected, unplanned, but everyone is happy about it. I'm given to understand her son is going for the snip-snip early in 2026. At least they know how it happened! 

It may have been Christmas Day, but gardening fever is beginning. I measured the outside dimensions of my garden space and trolled the Internet for the type of fencing I want for my corner. I checked out websites for seeds, and I suspect the good stuff won't come online until after the Christmas sales. I looked at elevated beds and decided I don't need something off the A-list. How many more years will I be gardening? I don't know, so a product that will last eight to ten years is sufficient. This year coming, 2026, needs to be the year I go ahead and purchase everything I want so I will have a few years to enjoy having my garden space "perfect for me."

Deuce officially turns ten in January 2026. I've resisted visiting Labrador websites. Do I really want to get a puppy in 2026? Do I want to get another dog at all? I always thought Deuce would be my last dog and Ron and I would have more freedom to be away from home for longer periods of time. That certainly did not work out as planned. As I get older, I worry who will care for Deuce if something happens to me. It'll be worse with the next dog. It's sobering to consider. 

This Christmas has driven home just how many ways my life has changed. It's not better, it's not much worse, but it is different. Change comes to us all, and it is often an uncomfortable bedfellow. Not even hope, peace, love, and joy can alter the progression of time. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, Christmas 2025, black Labrador Retriever, family, aging, life changes, holiday recollections, rural living, country lifestyle, 

Little bit of this, little bit of that

Some days, most days, life is full of little moments. You do a bit of this and then a bit of that, and before you know it, the morning has slid into the afternoon. My life is really like that. 

A few days ago the morning was full of little things. I made a cup of coffee and sat down to go through the canning books to select a few soup recipes to make for this winter. I had a batch of yogurt in the Instant Pot that needed to be finished, and a pack of bacon to fry. In the garden, I wanted to make a last harvest of the basil and get it on the dehydrator. And I needed to vacuum the rug because Deuce - well, Deuce was being Deuce. 

I took video clips of the morning, which is more time consuming than you'd think. I spent the afternoon putting the clips together and getting the video posted.

When I was finished, evening had arrived and another day was gone. And isn't that just life? A little bit of this and a little bit of that which forms to make a whole day. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, canning, Instant Pot, bacon, basil herbs, gardening, rural living, YouTube, video, daily life, black Labrador Retriever

How busy is too busy?

 

To say that's it's been a busy stretch would be an understatement. It's that time of year when you look around and see a few things that need done before the really cold weather creeps up on you. So I got busy, did the work, and I videoed a lot of it. 

There was cleaning up the wood yard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOMDflULKhs&t=8s 

I harvested the basil and made pesto. It's not really a cooking vid, just the way I do it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k922IppD3FE&t=17s

One day, I took some time to do the little bit of fall decorating I do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC2V-dpXLVU

But the really BIG THING that happened was the tree trimmers finally arrived to take down the mostly dead oak tree. I've been sorting and organizing the logs so that when the wood dries out enough to split, it will be an easier job. That video isn't out yet, but it's coming soon. 

On top of all that at the home front, I've been out to dinner with friends, dined with family, and enjoyed the weekly Trivia Nite at a local "tavern" with a cousin. The game takes place in the ballroom so you know it's not a real tavern. I canned a batch of green peppers, chicken breast, and white bean and sausage soup.

This week, I put on my author hat and started to add my backlist to Audible. You can read about that over at Between the Keys. If you already have some of my titles, you can add the audiobook for $1.99. It's going to cost me a small fortune to get the audiobooks into my personal library, but it'll be worth it. 

It seems like I have something to do every day, and by the end of the day, I'm bushed. Heck, I went to bed with the chickens last night and slept for nine hours! 

In reality, I think it's good to be busy. Having nothing to do would make life pretty boring. Those days are just around the corner. Winter will arrive and my days will shrink to the computer, the TV, and the woodstove. 

Until then, I'll count my busy blessings.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, YouTube, autumn, gardening, woodstove, firewood, tree trimming, cooking, basil, Black Labrador Retriever, family, trivia, winter, audio books

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 day of rest?

Several years ago, when I retired, the Lord of the Manor and I decided we'd try to practice a true day of rest. Now that I'm here alone, I'm finding it difficult to achieve. Deuce is great company but he's not a conversationalist. Lounging on the patio is much easier with someone to talk with. 

In theory, our day of rest included only the most necessary of "work." Someone had to prepare meals and feed the dog. I watered the garden and gathered anything that needed to be harvested, but I didn't pull weeds or apply fertilizers. We tried to make Sunday our day to take a drive, watch a movie, or just hang out together. 

I'm still adjusting to being without Ron's physical presence. My day of rest is plagued by boredom. That's BOREDOM in capital letters. I've watched some television (not my fave thing to do), did some reading out in the garden, played Frisbee with Deuce, and now I'm blogging. I wanted to take Deuce for a long walk but I did not like the looks of the radar map and sure enough, we've had a couple of rain showers. 

This is something I need to work out for myself. Boredom at this level is not very restful. It's restlessness in an extreme. I should try to write. I've been doing better with that this week, but writing is a type of work. I do get paid for the completed book. Do I want to be that strict with myself? Probably not. 

I think my day of rest, and now solitude, needs to be reimagined. What is restful to me? Walking the dog - most certainly. Playing in my garden - very much so. What about visiting one of the cousins each week? That's a possibility as long as I don't intrude on their time with grandkids. 

Hopefully, I'll come up with a few good options before next Sunday and my next "day of rest" makes me feel a touch crazy.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, day of rest, country lifestyle, rural living, black Labrador Retriever, fighting boredom, a writer's life, gardening, reading, loss of spouse, restlessness

Where did they come from?

We've certainly had some nice, sunny days this February. And the countdown to spring stands at twenty-seven days! Deuce and I took full advantage of the sunshine and fifty-degree temps this afternoon. I "worked" and the dog wandered about the yard.

I don't worry about him when we're outside. He's eight, and disappearing off the property is something he's yet to do. Even when we walk down the lane and Cousin Dave is outside, Deuce will look at me and wait for me to tell him it's okay before he trots down to meet his favorite cousin. 

So I worked at various things. One of my woodpiles was hastily stacked and I've hated looking at it all winter. The cousin insisted I put skids (pallets) down, which did not work. For one thing, critters took up residence in the dry space the pallets provided. Not good, not good. The second thing was the skids themselves. They were old and they collapsed under the weight of the firewood. Oops. Sorry, not sorry Mr. Possum. Your squatter rights have been rescinded! 

Anyway, I restacked the firewood the way my grandfather used to do it. I used two trees as end supports and stacked as high as my head. Then I moved to the other side of one of the trees and stacked to the next tree. It not only looks good, but it created a little windbreak for when we split firewood for the 2025-26 season. My woodyard will be nice and tidy for the summer. 

But that's not why I'm writing about today. Before I started stacking, Deuce and I took a stroll around the manor. I spotted crocus blooming in a spot where I've never planted crocus bulbs. I can only assume the wind played a big part in it. 

Spring will be here in the blink of an eye. It'll be time to switch to full gardening mode. I'm grateful for these sunny days that give me the opportunity to get so many things off my to-do list before the summer heat hits and I melt. Melting is just not pretty.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor/The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, crocus, spring, seasons change, firewood, yard work, rural living, country lifestyle, a writer's life, black Labrador Retriever, gardening

The task of the day just got expensive

Being retired, most days I set one task for myself inside the house and one task outside the house. It varies if one task, such as splitting firewood, is on the agenda. Nothing else gets done on those days when a big project takes over. Today I planned to use the leaf blower on a few areas and de-dog the bedroom. 

De-dog the bedroom? Yep. Move every piece of furniture and vacuum beneath them, use the Swiffer to wipe down the walls, take the throw rugs outside for a good shake before vacuuming them, clean the HEPA air filter, and use the steam cleaner on the floor. 

It almost went as planned. 

Everything is done except under the bed. Why is that? The vacuum cleaner quit working, that's why. 

We tried to remember just when we got that vacuum, but I think it's at minimum ten years old. It's a Dyson DC35 and it has been used hard. It's rare for us not to vacuum an area every day. If you've ever had a Labrador Retriever, you know how they shed. It's a year-round proposition with those dogs. We don't have dust bunnies, we have black fur bunnies. 

We're going to get another Dyson based on the service we've gotten out of the DC35. We just need to wade through all the horseshit on Amazon to figure out which one is best for us. I've typed in "Dyson cordless vacuum" in the Amazon search box and I get every other brand out there, too. NOT what I wanted and a waste of my time. 

We'll get it figured out, and we may just take a cruise into town and buy it. We're not happy with the Amazon delivery drivers. They drive on the grass. I do not like this. 

De-dogging the bedroom was a good idea. I just wish it hadn't cost me a couple of hundred bucks. 

The Lady of The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, Dyson vac, black Labrador Retriever, dog fur, clean house, rural living, country lifestyle, a writer's life, search box 

Monterey Pass road trip

The Lord of the Manor is a Civil War buff. It could be a little boy's fascination with toy soldiers or it could be that we live within easy driving distance of both Antietam and Gettysburg. Our area is steeped in Civil War history. The movie Gods and Generals had scenes filmed in a town and on a farm we are familiar with. He has studied the history of the conflict in and around our area which means I've learned a bit along the way. We were both surprised when he stumbled across a video about the Monterey Pass, or Monterey Gap.

The fight at Monterey Pass began on the evening of July 4, 1863, as a Confederate wagon train retreated from Gettysburg. Why had we never heard of this engagement? Heck, we'd never even heard of Monterey and we've both lived here all our lives. A road trip was in order. 

It's often said the joy is in the journey. Well, if Himself had used the GPS on his phone, we'd have gotten there quicker. He said, "turn right." She said, "I think we should go left."  So we went right just to shut the man up. It was the WRONG WAY. 

But I will admit the Victorian houses in what I now know is called Monterey were gorgeous. And I got to see them twice! Once going the wrong way and then again on the way back. 

The visitor's center at the park was closed. It's only open on the weekends according to the sign on the door. The trail to the overlook wasn't something Himself could risk doing. If his powerchair batteries gave out, he'd be stuck in the wilderness. Perhaps, if he wants to go back, we could call ahead and see if a ranger or volunteer can take us up in some sort of vehicle. 

It was a nice drive on a lovely day, but there really are spots where one does not want to run off the road. It was easy to picture troops pushing wagons over the edges to fall into the deep ravines to keep them from falling into Union hands.

We enjoyed getting out even though we both felt guilty about leaving Deuce home alone. He likes to ride but we didn't know if he'd be allowed in the visitor's center, and we didn't know where we might stop on the way home, so the dog couldn't go. We're careful where we take him for his own good. 

We didn't take enough road trips during this summer now ending. Now that cooler weather is here, we hope to remedy that. And next time, the man will program in addresses so the GPS can agree with me on which way to turn. 

The Lady of The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, Battle of Monterey Pass, Civil War, day trips, rural living, country lifestyle, black Labrador Retriever, a writer's life

Gardening 2023 - more progress

This week should bring more progress with the garden prep. Today is the day, once the sun comes up, that I will begin to "harden off" the begonias. I have four mother plants and two trays of young cuttings, and they will all spend a couple of hours on the sunroom porch this afternoon. The plan is to set them out each day this week and then move them to the greenhouse next weekend. I will keep a close eye on the weather forecast for our nighttime lows to make sure that can happen. The greenhouse isn't heated so I'll drape an extra sheet over them at night if necessary.

Getting the begonias moved out is really a necessity. I need the shelf space to get a few more seeds started. Yesterday, I transplanted the Beefsteak tomato seedlings into cups, keeping only the larger seedlings with true tomato leaves showing, which means I only kept half of what sprouted. It was painful to discard twelve little plants and keep only twelve. I'd love to grow them all, but this is not a big tomato year for me. If I change my mind and want to can more sauce, I'll go to the local farm markets and purchase tomatoes.   

One project that kept me garden prepping over these last few rainy days was finalizing the planting chart for the Greenstalk. I used the trusty old MS Publisher program to keep it neat and tidy. With the begonias moved to the greenhouse, I can start the seeds for a few things that will go in the Greenstalk such as the calendula. 

Getting the Greenstalk situated for the year was interesting. My garden spot is on a slight slope. Hell, everything here is on a slope! The Greenstalk needed to be level and none of the available bases for it would accomplish that, so I needed to get creative. An old galvanized washtub provided the solution. I put a couple shovelfuls of the clean crush run we keep on hand for the lane in the washtub and worked the bottom row of the Greenstalk until it set level in the gravel. I used a level to check it, too. I think that was a great way to use what I already had on hand to get the job done. 

Dawn is finally happening, and it's time to take Deuce for his second trip outside. I may go wander around my garden spot and build visions of how it may look in a few short weeks while he does what he needs to do. It's a fine warm dawning, so yeah. That's my plan.

The Lady of The Hideaway

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, gardening, begonias, black Labrador Retriever, rural living, country lifestyle, MS Publisher, garden diagrams, Greenstalk, repurposing, a writer's life, contemporary romance author

Simple things

As I begin this blog entry, it's about five-thirty in the morning. Deuce and I have been outside so he could sneak off into the dark woods and do whatever he needed to do.  I could hear the leaves crunching under his paws as he searched for his spot. It was that quiet. Orion hung above me to the south, an early morning companion to warn me of the approaching winter. In the coming months, he'll be with me overhead late at night, telling me that spring is coming. He has always attracted my attention. 

Deuce doesn't linger in the early morning. He likes his creature comforts in much the same way his puppy parents do. He rejoined the lord of the manor in the bedroom while I brewed a cup of coffee and landed at my computer. 

I think there are many things that can be said of these still moments before daybreak. I appreciate my place in creation as I look into the moonlit woods. I am the tender of this place in this time. What it will become after I'm dust, I don't know. I ponder such things just before daybreak. 

Standing at the window in my office, I watched as the driveway lights popped on, one after another in sequence as something approached, finally coming near enough for me to see the young buck. He's headed for the other side of the hill, into the thickets, to rest for a while. We know he and his harem hide out there and so we have no plans to go into that section of the manor and clean out the underbrush. He may rest there undisturbed for as long as he's with us in this life. 

Daybreak is slow, and yet it happens almost in the blink of an eye. One moment the trees are a blackness against the stars, and the next the stars are gone and the trees have individual silhouettes. Shades of gray give way to silver, which in turn gives way to blue hues and eventually, for today, rays of sunshine. 

Watching the woods wake is one of the many simple country pleasures in my life. I wouldn't trade it for love or money.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, simple country pleasures, daybreak, country living, rural lifestyle, Orion, changing seasons, quiet, black Labrador Retriever

The leaves will always win

Autumn is a beautiful time of the year. Like a lot of people, I can say it's my favorite season, but I think each one has something to recommend it. Autumn has beautiful leaves - until they turn brown and hit the ground. Then they become our Nemesis.

Holly Tree Manor is a three-acre estate. Two of those acres are still wooded, so we have leaves. Lots and lots of leaves. We don't rake as a general rule. We use a mower and chop them up so the leaves can decompose and feed the grass. But there are a few places around the house and the shed where we use a blower in an attempt to keep things tidy. 

I'm attempting to learn how to make a cohesive video. This is important given my partner's health. There may come a day when he can no longer live at home. I fear he will need more care than I can provide. If that day comes, videos will become an important way for him to connect with my day-to-day life and see how things are at home. 

I'm not very good at setting up a camera angle, but I'll get there. It helps that Deuce is the star of the show. The original video of leaf blowing is up at Youtube. The edited version is below. I think a good tripod would be helpful and I think I'll ask Santa to order one for me. 

Did Himself get a laugh out of my war on the leaves? Not really. He's fought the fight himself in years past. He knows we wage skirmishes, never expecting to win a battle, much less the war.

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

 

Hosting a Cousin's Lunch

This past Saturday, we hosted a Cousin's Lunch. It's not as grand as it may (or may not) sound, but these small get-togethers are a high point for me. Several years ago, pre-pandemic, me and my two surviving first cousins decided we didn't sit down at the table together enough, the way we did when we were younger, and we wanted to remedy that. We decided to meet for lunch every quarter. The Covid-19 pandemic derailed us, but we hope that's a thing of the past. 

I decided to invite them to an afternoon on our patio so we could enjoy each other's company and the glorious autumn weather. The patio is screened so insects are not a problem. Our new countertop provided the perfect staging area for the food and left us plenty of room at the table. The lunch fare was pure picnic with hamburgers, potato and macaroni salads, Cole slaw, baked beans, apple cider, apple cake, and some chips and dips. We are blessed with abundance and we all ate too much. 

Maybe it's a sign of being older, but I didn't stress about hosting my cousins. We did a cursory "house cleaning" and let it go at that. The house is always clean enough to be safe and dirty enough to keep our immune systems paying attention. Deuce was a perfect gentleman pup, and I do mean PERFECT.  The one cousin-in-law has been less than enthusiastic about dogs (I think she's a bit afraid of them) and even she had not one snark over his presence. Lunch lasted late into the afternoon as we were all reluctant to part company again.  Next fall, I hope we can do it again. 

And maybe next fall, if we're able to gather, I'll reach out to a girl who is a second cousin to me and D, but not R. They know each other, that's not the 'issue.' We started the cousin's lunch for the first cousins, but now that we're getting older, maybe it's time to include L. I'd certainly like that. She and I were very close growing up. 

It's bittersweet to reflect back with memories of our youth. We've all lost parents, and R has lost his brother, too. My mother has Alzheimer's Disease and is lost to me and the world. Time was our Christmas happened on Christmas Eve at D's house when his mother hosted all of us for dinner and gift exchange. We became teenagers in the 1970's and we hung out together. Life got busy for us but now I'm the last one still working, something that I'm trying to remedy. 

Our memories are a big part of who we are, and I'm so grateful to be making new ones with my cousins. Time has become precious, and spending more time with the people who have been most important to me for all of my life is a high priority. 

I'm reminded of some very special words from artist Neil Young: 
We've been through some things together

With trunks of memories still to come
We found things to do in stormy weather
Long may you run, long may you run
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining
In the sun long may you run.

Long may you run. 

Long may we run. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)