2:22 p.m.

This little elf will soon hold a basketful of mandarin oranges. He is one of a number of characters who people my home at Christmas, thanks to my creative sewing friend Shelly. Everett pulled them all out of the old trunk after he decorated the tree, and took pictures of them for you:

~ reindeer made of wool socks ~

There are more ... oh, there's more! Once she made paper and fashioned Christmas tree ornaments with it; we hang those up every year. One year she made stuffed cloth wreaths. Once it was homemade candles; another time, homemade soaps.

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Wildlife seen recently:
-red fox Dad spotted while on our way to Saskatoon to catch his plane
- 10 white-tailed deer in the unharvested flax field northwest of the yard at dusk
- the redpolls have made an appearance at the window feeder