Christmas Eve morning.

Woke up to a rainy cloudy drippy day here...... and I'm not complaining about the rain. Whatever rain we have now will not only fill up the ponds that have been empty since the summer's drought, but the rain will bring the wildflowers next Spring. And this past Spring's lack of bluebonnets and paintbrushes and wild daisies was enough to have anyone wishing and hoping for raindrops falling from the sky.

When I went outside to take care of the chickens this morning, I saw that we'd had visitors during the night. There are a few huge piles of cow poop out there in the yard-- and right close to the house and the cottage. I'm guessing that the roaming cows that we saw on our walk yesterday morning found their way up our hill at some point and were grazing on our property before wandering off elsewhere. There's no mistaking a pile of cow poop...... I saw the first one from the porch before I even stepped out into the yard. I'm just amazed that the cows were that close to the house and we didn't see or hear them. Don't cows sleep at night? Maybe they were out there early this morning, before we got up.

This is the second day in a row that I haven't let the chickens out into the yard. With the wet and cloudy weather we've had for the past two days, I don't think they've minded being kept inside the coop and the little fenced-in yard just outside the coop. I don't trust the hawks in weather like this...... we lost too many chickens to the hawks from the first group of hens that we had, and most of the attacks were on cloudy drippy days. And the other day, I thought we lost Scarlett. I was on the phone talking to my cousin L and as she was telling me about her lack of Christmas spirit this year (because of a bad back) I was walking around the property looking for Scarlett. Around and around the house and cottage and barn I went, looking underneath bushes and plants while saying Mmmm-hmmm and Oh my! to my cousin every few seconds.

After the second walk around the house and the cottage, I had resigned myself to the fact that Scarlett was gone.... and I silently cursed the hawks for (once again) taking the best of the best hens. Back to the coop I went, still Mmmm-hmmm-ing to my cousin, and there was Scarlett, standing by the gate of the coop. As I went got up close to her, she plopped herself down by my feet and I scooped her up in my arms and carried her Royal Henness into the coop. I named that hen well..... she has a mind of her own, and she's always the last one into that coop.


Lots of last-minute things to do today...... getting things ready for tonight's dinner (just the two of us)..... and then my to-do list for tomorrow's Christmas Dinner with friends. Tonight we will open up the gifts in our Treasure Boxes..... there are a dozen gifts for each of us, from my cousin F....... she played Treasure Box Santa in a big way this year. I put in one Treasure Box gift for my husband, and I'm guessing he has one for me also. I made my cousin F a Treasure Box this year, the first for her...... and this Christmas Eve is our second Treasure Box year. My friend V has been Treasure Boxing for decades now.... I will have to remember to ask V if she started that tradition on her own for her kids and husband, or if she and her husband had Treasure Boxes when they were kids also. V starts making her Treasure Box announcements right after Thanksgiving: "Don't forget the Treasure Boxes! Don't forget the Treasure Boxes!"

Christmas Eve morning...... and lots to do. Jingle bells........