I kept my holiday preparations simple this year but at least I now have all my boxes ticked off.
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| I bought a pre-made pine wreath and embellished it with a bow, Magnolia leaves and berries from the garden, and a couple of ornaments, an angel and a climbing elf |
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| Christmas gifts have been delivered or are in transit and the tree has been decorated. Pipig likes the tree, although she still spends most of her time on her heating pad in my office. |
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| Pipig's still eating well but last week's x-ray wasn't entirely clear so we have another appointment next week to determine whether more antibiotics are required |
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| There are a few other ornaments scattered about the living room and front entry, some of which are shown here |
I also got my wish: a wet Christmas.
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| All 3 of my rain collection tanks are either full or very close to it, giving me a total of 475 gallons of rainwater. Meanwhile, even heavier rain is expected through Friday morning. |
I hope all your holiday wishes come true!
All material © 2012-2023 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Your loveliest ornament is Pipig, and the best gift is the water in the bins!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
Chavli
Oh, and I love your wreath! I've used this creative method of adding adornments to a base pine wreath in the past: it works so well.
DeletePipig used to love curling up under the tree (even without a cushy bed) but now the comfort of a heating pad seems more important to her ;)
DeleteThere are some pines growing here but they're relatively uncommon. Christmas isn't Christmas without the scent of pine so I feel compelled to indulge in a wreath and a natural tree every year, and occasionally a garland. Like you, I always feel that the pine boughs are just a starting point.
Everything looks wonderful especially the additions to the wreath. Glad you got rain. We are supposed to get it and it will be a perfect Christmas present here as well. Hope you get positive news on your kitty.
ReplyDeleteThe storms seem to have passed along to the east, Linda. We got just over 1.5 inches of rain in total here. Not spectacular but enough to fill my collection tanks - and we didn't experience flooding or slides either. In contrast, parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties had a LOT of problems where the rain came down too hard and fast.
DeleteYay for Christmas rain! Your decorations are lovely, and Pipig looks so cozy by the tree. Merry Christmas Kris!
ReplyDeleteThanks Loree! Best wishes to you and your family too!
DeleteI've been in LA for this recent rain, and other than you, I seemed to be the only one excited about it! So fantastic to hear it, see it. Love to Pipig -- what a merry, wet Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI'd begun to despair about getting any real rain here, Denise. Fall was so very dry. I follow Weather West dot com and Daniel Swain felt that we were going to get a boost from El Nino late this month or early January and fortunately he was right. There's a decent chance of more in the near term, a few days before January 1st and he's still suggesting a "pretty decent tilt in the odds toward wetter than average conditions" in January through March. We can only hope. If you're still in the vicinity, enjoy this afternoon's sun and the clear air!
DeleteAll beautiful decorations, and Pigpig looks contented, too. We will have a rainy Christmas, as well. No snow here, and not much in the forecast. We'll be in the 50s for the next couple of days: Thanks, El Nino and climate change. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteI've heard that snow is light or missing entirely in many parts of the country, Beth. The rain is most gone here, although we picked up a trace of precipitation this morning courtesy of the marine layer. There's a nominal chance of a little more just before New Year's Day.
DeleteI love how Pipig has her nose buried in the warm bed. What a beautiful floor to ceiling window, to stare out at your beautiful garden. That's a good amount of rain in a short time, good job on getting those bins out there. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeletePipig used to love that bed but she only parks there occasionally now. At the moment, she's insisting on lap time, which makes typing somewhat difficult.
DeleteI want to be Pipig. Her cat bed has the best view!!!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to the three of you!
Thanks Gerhard. Best wishes to you, Stella and your family as well!
DeleteLovely decorations. I recognize Magnolia grandiflora leaves in the wreath.
ReplyDeleteBesides rocks or several cubic yards of mulch, what better present for a SoCal gardener than rain? Let's hope Santa has arranged to indulge us with much more over the next few months.
--hb
DeleteThe rainstorm blew some of the Magnolia leaves right out of the wreath but there are always plenty more to cram back in among the pine boughs ;) It looks like we might get some rain out of a storm late in the coming week but the current projection for my area is a sorry tenth of an inch; however, it should benefit the northern and central parts of the state. I'm hoping for some good-sized rocks for Christmas but the packages under the tree make that prospect look questionable.
DeleteChristmas wishes can come true. Thank-you Santa! I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season. Your embellished wreath is lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks Eliane. I hope you get some much-needed rain as well. My best wishes to you and your family.
DeleteRain for Christmas - how wonderful! Good to see Pipig sleeping comfortably.
ReplyDeleteShe loves her heating pad, Diana!
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