Month: November 2008

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Decorating for Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of year.  I always get the Christmas spirit before I even get up from the Thanksgiving dinner table.  We put an artificial tree in every room of the house except for the bathrooms and the kitchen of course.  We do decorate a live tree in the gazebo part of the front porch.  It’s where the wind and blowing snow don’t usually get to it because of the other out buildings around it.

We keep plenty of firewood since there’s a fireplace in every bedroom and if there’s not a fireplace, I have installed a wood burning stove so everyone can have a fire to cuddle up beside to watch the snow fall outside.  The trees in the bedrooms are decorated to match the room.

There’s an antique room with only old type ornaments from the period of the furniture.  Then there’s the woodsman room that has a deer head over the mantle and the furnishing is a rustic type.  That tree is decorated with ornaments that reflect the outdoors or animals.  Then there’s the romantic ‘honeymoon’ type room.  All the ornaments are pastel colors to match the room with lots of lace and flowers.  It’s so very beautiful.  The other rooms trees are decorated like those too, to match the room.

The tree that is in the main sitting room is decorated with hand made decorations from either locals and from the many children that have gone through here at Christmas time.  It’s my favorite tree.  This year that tree is especially special to me since my sweet Little Joe has made some ornaments with me to put on the tree.  It’s going to be a wonderful Christmas season.  Now it’s time to go shopping for the gifts!!!!

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Here’s wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving

This is going to be one of the best Thanksgivings we have ever celebrated here.  With Celeste and Little Joe now new members of our family, we have a great deal to be thankful for.  They have brought so much joy into our lives the we are truly blessed.

Blessings come in all shapes and sizes.  I find a new blessing every single day and more than one in most.  We are open for business and have a full house but we also adopt a few local families for Thanksgiving Dinner too.  We’re having turkey of course, deer roast, and all the extras that everyone has.  Desert is of course pumpkin pie, coconut cake, carrot cake, and banana pudding.

I hope and pray that each of you has a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving too.

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Here comes the snow!!

It’s already starting to get cold enough for the ski slopes to make snow and we have gotten natural snow for three days in a row now.  The natural snow hasn’t added up to many inches but the temperature is low enough that what fell has stayed.

Thanks to the snow, we are booked solid this weekend.  People love it when it snows and the mountains is where they want to be.  Once the ski slopes are all up and running, I tend to be one more busy lady.  Oh I’m not complaining at all because this summer has been a bit skimpy to say the least.  Now that gas prices are coming down, people are venturing out a little more but still not like before.

If we have a winter that is just close to usual, then the year won’t end in the red.  If not, somethings gotta give before long.  Luckily I have several hunters that donate deer to us during hunting season so that really helps with the food costs.  People look forward to my deer roast and deer stew every winter.  I just hope it’s enough to pull them back in this winter.

One good thing, I do have a couple reservations for the week of Christmas already.  I was afraid my usual Christmas patrons wouldn’t show this year but they’ll be here as they have for the past 4 years.  They’re more like family now than just people that come here to stay.   That’s what I have tried to build here, a family atmosphere and I must not have done too bad of a job.

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Michael Vick and Pit Bulls

Now there’s a name that invokes a gamut of emotions.  When he was the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, he was both admired and idolized by people everywhere.  When he was found guilty of dog fighting, he was despised by more.  What a shame that a young man with such promise would succumb to such a savage thing as dog fighting.

My brother raises Pit Bull Dogs.  He is one of the top breeders around.  He once told someone that was offering to pay him $1,500 for a puppy that let something about ‘fighting’ slip out that he would rather take that puppy out back and put a bullet in his head than sell him to someone that was going to fight him.  The man left angrily with $1,500 cash in his hand spouting some rather unpleasant words as he left.  About 2 hours later, someone else came with cash for the same puppy.  My brother sold him to that person and was afraid that all the gentleman did was give the money to someone else to buy the puppy for him.  Because of things like that, he’s getting out of breeding.

These are not vicious dogs unless made to the that way.  Bubba, his pet and best buddy, will more likely lick you to death than ever hurt anyone.  China, she will bite if you provoke her but a child can take food out of her mouth and she’ll let them.  China even nursed Shih-Tzu puppies while the Shih-Tzu mother was sick.  That’s a real mean dog huh?  Now my mothers Pit, Sheba, she will tear you apart if you get too close to my Mother and she doesn’t now you.  That’s what her job is, to protect my 70 year old mother and she does a great job of it.

Just don’t blame the breed for things like what Michael Vick did.  Not all Pit Bulls are mean.  Some are more like lick dogs and lap dogs.  It’s all in the breeding and the way they are raised.  They deserve respect as a breed, not fear necessarily.  Even Michael Vick’s dogs are now gentle from what I understand.

Oh, this is Bubba.  He’s a blue Pit that weighs in at about 75 pounds.  Ain’t he cute!!!!

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Celeste is free from her father

Since Celeste is 17 years old, she does not have to return to her parents as long as someone, me in other words, is appointed her legal guardian until she turned 18.  Well I gladly accepted that responsibility.  Since I have taken a restraining order out against her father, he can no longer come within 50 feet of my home and establishment.  Celeste also took one out and now he can’t come within 50 feet of her anywhere she goes.

It’s a shame that such a beautiful and bright young woman should have to make such hard decisions about her own father but Celeste knows that she in turn must protect herself and her son.  The law is on her side in all of this mess.  Her hopes and dreams to be her own person, go to college and support herself and her son are what keep her going.

Life is hard at times and tough decisions are all a part of growing up.  A 17 year old shouldn’t have to make such hard decisions but she has and has done it without malice or hatred in her heart.  She will go far in life with her gentle and loving heart.  I only can hope and pray she doesn’t develop a hard heart because of all of this.  I honestly don’t think she will because we will surround her with love and respect here.  I am so very proud of her.

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Election Day

I don’t care who you are going to vote for, just make sure you do go out and vote.  This election is going to be a history making election either way.  I have always felt that if you don’t vote, you have no right to complain about the shape our country is in because you didn’t even care enough to vote to try and help it be better.  Well every voice needs to be heard this year for sure.  Please, get out and vote.  I’ll be there.