Second Spring.

For the past few days, the weather has been warm and spring-like..... so much so that the roses between the cottage and the barn are in bloom again. My husband waters those roses regularly, so I'm sure that helps, along with this balmy weather. I'm hoping the weather stays relatively warm this winter.... I know we'll have a couple of short cold snaps (we've had two already) but I hope we don't get slaughtered with a deep freeze again, as we did last winter and the one before. Is that too much to ask?

Pumpkin-Kitty hasn't been on our porch for days now, and I'm guessing that Gatsby is keeping him away. I still go out there and call out Kitty/Kitty/Kitty from time to time, but the only meows I hear in return are those from our own three cats right here. No little meows coming from the barn. Just as well..... we don't need a fourth cat....... I'm just hoping that Pumpkin-Kitty has found his way back to JS's porch where there is a bag of cat food waiting for him. Cats.... stray cats... there will always be strays up here.

I firmly believe that the best time to mail Christmas gifts is the first couple of weeks in November. I've started to mail out packages to my cousins, and within two or three days, those boxes were at their door-steps. Even the books that I sent via Media Mail, which usually takes 8 to 10 days-- they were delivered in less than 3 days. Early November must be a slow time for the post offices because anything that I've mailed was given 'priority' status and delivered quickly. Three cheers for the post office!

I've finished decorating for Christmas.... the silver aluminum tree was the last thing I put up this week, and now it's all done. Everything except the 'real' tree, which we don't get till the day after Thanksgiving. Into the dining room that will go... in this house, that just seems to be the best place for the live tree..... plus we can see the tree from the glass doors between the dining room and the breakfast room.

After the success of the Halloween party, we're planning a Christmas party. I'm glad we finally got back into the party-mode here. We had so many parties and dinner parties in our old house and this big old house was just screaming out for the same.

Nothing much going on this week.... no wildlife adventures that have me pointing a gun and closing my eyes.... no horrible mishaps with the plumbing.... everything is quiet on the Hill Country front here.