I like #194

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!  I hope those who celebrate Christmas had a nice holiday.  I am lucky enough to be with my parents, but we were small again (just the three of us).  Safer that way, but so sad to be without the extended family, especially my sisters family and the kids.  We did lots of zooming and zoom games, so that helped a little but of course is just not the same.

Yet here in New Mexico there's been lots of goodness.  My mom and I have been doing lots of sewing and knitting, and dyeing.  And my dad has been joining us for lots of hiking with the dogs (except the two days he was trying to fix the septic tank).  And in the last couple of days I've been helping my mom with the deep cleaning (tops of shelves and things like that).

I hope to get posts up in the next couple of weeks about all the projects we've been working on, but for now, just some things I liked this week!

Here hiking in the mountains by my parents' house.  I love this little canyon.

And I got to go see my grandmother yesterday.  Not really see her, but at least sit outside her window and talk to her on the phone where I could see her.  After that Mom and I hiked down in the desert.  Just gorgeous.  I really got a kick out of the tire wall holding up the old arroyo.  There's a new concrete arroyo now, but the tires were an integral structural part of the old arroyo.  It's very very dry here but during monsoon season flash floods can be very dangerous and the arroyos help. 

I also got a kick out of this decorated creosote bush on the walking path.  In person it just glowed as the ornaments caught the light.  

Of course we've done lots of tasty baking, including pizelle (one of my Christmas favorites) and we made my sister's favorite cinnamon rolls.  They are really delicious, like a cinnabon, and we use the recipe found here.

We've been playing lots of family games,  my Dad doesn't really like board games, but we forced him to play one anyway.  He's really a card game person, but with only three of us we can't play bridge (our usual).  But after one board game we got him to play Mah Jong with us every night so that was good.

Dad is building a ham radio antenna; at night we hear lots of static and wooo-weeee-eeeeeeee as he tries to tune in.  

Of course the dogs love it here.  They try to "help" with yoga every morning which is very annoying.

Spooky still has no respect for others' personal space, but my parents' dog Jordy is very patient with him.

And he loves my dad's suspenders, Blue and Bentley sit pretty calmly on the sofa while Spooky chases my dad around trying to grab hold of the clattering suspenders.

Sending good wishes to you all for the New Year!  And be sure to click over to Lee Anna's for more things to like!