The year started out dry again.  The winter was very mild, but insisted on persisting so we had a very chilly spring with some record setting late freezes.  I was constantly going out to cover the garden.  Poor geese -- they arrived with mating on their minds and looked high and low for Redbud Island - which of course was long gone and nowhere to be found.  As spring unraveled we noticed we'd lost millions of trees to the inhumane weather of the last few years and we'd be making Paul Bunyan in a big way.

The drought broke in May and we finally started catching up rain wise.  In fact, one of our usual music festivals was flooded out.  We had, for us, a mild summer - only a few hundred degree days.  But did the garden prosper?  Noooooooooo.  New pests and plagues arrived to take the place of the infernal heat.  You can't win.  [That's actually one of the laws of thermodynamics.]  We had a mild pleasant long lasting fall so we were picking produce (from the survivors) well into November.  Now winter's here, we've had our first cold snap, and we're trying to stay warm and cozy with lots of Christmas spirits!

To our long distance friends,  we can offer a few opportunities to sample the local color.  You might have heard of the Pioneer Woman (of food channel fame).  She's our neighbor here in the Osage.  On a clear day, from the rooftop, with a good scope, we can see her spread.  She constantly shows scenes of the prairie, and making trips into downtown Pawhuska.  We've also had a couple movies shot in the area recently.  The first is "To The Wonder" which I've heard is definitely not worth seeing unless you're really into slow movies with scant dialog and lots of scenery.  The second is "August:  Osage County" which we're looking forward to.  The main house in the movie came in the mail early in the 20th Century and is located about 10 miles north of us.   Also of possible historical interest:  Ever heard of the song "Ida Red?"  It's about a real woman who lived in Pawhuska and is the namesake of one of our chickens (vide infra).

We're trying to slowly catch up with technology.  I installed a couple of modern radios in our vehicles.  What are the most feared words in the English language?  Universal fit.  Translation -- fits everything universally not at all.  We got a couple of tablets to use as e-music books.  It's been interesting.  Who knows, one of these days we may even get smart phones.

We hope you all are doing well.  We wish you Merry Christmas, a joyous Holiday Season, and all the best for the coming year.