As I write this it is Christmas Eve day. Pam and I are at home relaxing, although Pam is going to bake a rhubarb pie later today. Yesterday she made a batch of oatmeal-raisin cookies using a new recipe and adding less sugar than specified. The cookies turned out great, possible the best batch ever. After all, it would not be Christmas without fresh baked goodies! (Even with no sugar/medical issues, always moderation…)
Christmas will be quite low-key this year for us. We have no travel plans and what little shopping needing to be done has been done. There are the after-holiday sales, to see what we might want to add to our outdoor decorations for next year, but if we don’t go out it would not be a big loss. (Pam checks a few on-line vendors for sales now through January.) Mostly the season is a break from work, something we both need.
The main news about this Christmas is lack of snow in the high desert. We had around 1/2 inch this past Thursday morning but it has since mostly melted, giving us a snow-less Christmas for the first time in awhile. This helps with commuting and fewer icy sidewalks, but it doesn’t make the time seem very Christmas-y. Still, I enjoy coming home to our holiday lights (on timers) that we put up after Thanksgiving and not having to worry about sliding around on slick patches.
Some of my vacation time has been spent in finishing the re-coding of my web pages. All should now have the ’rounded corner’ navigation links at the top and bottom of each page and updated links that will allow the pages to load faster. Content has not changed much although there are a few new pages concerning the OC-3; these can be found on my OC-3 Repairs page and our 2017 Christmas E-card has been added to my E-cards page. During the process I re-coded pages going back to my UW-Whitewater days (which ended in 2001!) and had a chuckle looking at those early attempts to create web pages. Times and techniques have changed a lot since then.
My next post will probably be my “year in review” for my last post of 2017. Until then, Pam and I hope everyone who reads this has an enjoyable Christmas. I’ll close this post with a few around-the-house photos.
Our holiday welcome figures
Bare yard this Christmas, no snow.
Christmas tree detail
That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!
Pam’s Two Cents Worth:
Fields and I are having a “conversation” regarding what is a gift and what is a purchase. Buying oil and filter for a vehicle around Christmas does not make that a gift for Himself, just as buying a rug cleaning appliance around Christmas does not make that a gift for me. (I do believe this whole “need vs. want” dichotomy was muddied by “gifts” of socks and underwear during Midwest childhood Christmases past.)
In any case, we are of an age where items we need are purchased as required (and in Fields’ case — this year in particular — buying what he wants from on-line auctions).
Happy Trails.
Update: Surprise!
A fast moving storm that was supposed to affect only higher elevations dropped several inches of snow on our place giving us a white Christmas after all!
White Christmas Day, 2017, something of a surprise.
Happy Holidays–thanks for the Card…Frigid in Wi!!
TODAY
DEC 25
Partly Cloudy
-2°-13°
0% WNW 14 mph 57%
TUE
DEC 26
Partly Cloudy
-4°-15°
0% WNW 9 mph 69%
WED
DEC 27
Sunny
1°-11°
10% W 3 mph 70%
Surprise! Winter storm gave us a white Christmas after all.
We are warmer than normal; temps for the next week have higher in the low to mid 40s and overnight in the low 20s.
Your temps are one of the reasons we left Wisconsin, don’t miss those conditions at all. We do sometimes get below zero but has not happened yet this year.
Merry Christmas!
Houses for more then half the price here in Wi though!!!!! 😉
CO = higher price plus interest, WI = lower price plus interest plus higher property tax. We pay $300-$400 per year, not per month. You have to look at the total cost of living and not just the purchase price.
Gift — by definition, either nothing or everything you “give” yourself is a gift, as you can’t ask for re-payment from yourself…
“Needs” vs “Wants” — an internal dichotomy, not really applicable to gifts. As an example, a beggar receives food without the donor asking for re-payment — a gift, both a “want” & “need”… If only a “want” is defined as a gift, then we’re missing a word in the English language to define a similar receiving of a need…
An early sub-zero stretch locally, with barely an inch of snow on the ground. Colder & wetter “north”…
With the Fed government reducing school funding and the State (WI) reducing property taxes, funding the public school system should be “interesting”…
$300,000 @3.71+ @2257.00 per/monthx 15 yrs= $406,000
$150,000 @ 3.71 = 1,128 per/monthx 15yrs. =203,000
The difference is $13,500.00 per yr..
My property tax is around 2,000 on 150,000 home value
$2,000 0$400.00= $1600.00
$1,600.00 is a far stretch from $13,500
Craig – You and Dianne have a lovely home on the lake, you were thrifty in building it yourself, and you should enjoy it and be proud of it. (!)
There are many factors being considered regarding our retirement house hunt. Property taxes and purchase price are only two of them, and the list is long — square footage, outbuildings, acreage, mountain view, local politics, state politics, distance to services, comfort level with neighborhood (no more junky neighbors), etc. etc.
Consider that Jerry and I have now lived in the West between one third and one half of our lives. We identify with the West, not the Midwest. Psychologically, to us, moving to the Midwest is moving “back” and not forward. It doesn’t really matter if housing prices are more economical someplace you don’t want to be.
Living near relatives is on that list too, and depending on which side of the family we are talking about, “relatives” falls on both the good side and the bad side of the list. (!)
Your Sister
Jerry said-Cold weather was reason moved out of WI.
I commented that prices for houses are half what they are in Colorado
He commented about high Property taxes.
I came back with house payments versus property tax..
No way telling you to move back—-Colorado is a beautiful State–Best we’ve been too…Out of our price range, plus kids are near to us..Sometimes I come across as trying to pick a fight..not so here..Just throwing back things as positive/negative—-
Your life—enjoy it–see ya next Fall!!(We’ll keep coming back!!!!)