December 5 – A plate of cookies from my sister. It is difficult to find cookies more delicious than those that come from the cookie bake by Nancy and their girls: Karen, Melissa, Amy and Chelsey. I think the granddaughters help as well.

December 5 – Heze and Kayla thought about our birds when they went to a pet store while visiting us (from Tennessee). The weekend he proposed to her. Birthday Supper with Heze and Kayla. She said, “Yes.” – My Journey – by Doris High

December 7 – Mark and Diane. Diane and Hannah visited our area (from Maine) the same weekend Heze and Kayla were here – to celebrate their family Christmas – and brought these yummy-looking canned goods for us.

Diane has connected with an off-grid-online group who talk about unusual things that can be canned (since freezers are not available off-grid). Diane, being the creative person she is took up the challenge and canned hundreds of jars of unique items. (By-the-way, they don’t live off-grid. She just enjoyed the challenge.) 🙂

Taco meat, chili con carne, cream cheese (plain & pumpkin), pumpkin bread, brown bread, cranberry sauce, barbecue beans, stuffed pepper soup, chicken corn chowder, barbecue, cheeseburger soup, tomato soup, sweet potatoes and pecans in maple syrup.

She also added these items to their gift. A Vermont book and map because she knows we are hoping to do a road trip to Vermont – maybe in 2021. I look forward to doing the word search and reading Gracelaced by Ruth Chou Simons. I love her beautiful books and method of writing. The gripper (picker-upper) is probably because we are getting old. 🙂 And she found this book by my grandpa “A Time To Every Purpose.” She knows I have a shelf where I store these for future generations. (By-the-way, thank you to the person who put one of Grandpa’s books in our church mailbox on Sunday.)

Jordan stopped in on December 9 to bring us a meal – Shepherd’s Pie and Apple Pie – knowing we were quarantining due to having had contact with someone who tested positive for COVID. We came through okay.

We had just eaten supper so enjoyed some delicious apple pie while we visited.

I baked his gift of Shepherd’s Pie the next time I needed a meal.

It was a delicious mix of hamburger, vegetables, mashed potatoes and cheese.

On December 10, Sherry Groff and Allison Kampen delivered these items – to thank me for work I had done for our church’s fruit basket and grocery box packing.

Because restaurants were being shut down in the next few days, I thought it would be good to use Zig’s gift card to purchase a mince pie, soup, and cookies.

I also got a container of wild rice and chicken soup.

December 10 – Cerwin came home from picking up milk, blood, and forage samples for DHIA with these gifts from the company.

Yesterday, December 21 – this beautiful arrangement arrived from Josh, Emily and Tucker.

Thank you, everyone!

It was good to look through this file of photos which I began in early December. With COVID, social distancing, face masks and quarantining I sometimes feel like I have leprosy.

We are beyond blessed by having each of you in our lives.