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Sarah, Daisy and I, together with the Ostroys, spent New Year’s Eve at the Lawson/Kaimal house. Sadly, Jen remained in bed with the flu.

Here are the young people: Sophie, Sarah, Lucy, Anna, and Tobias (Anna’s boyfriend).

We had a rather subdued Christmas this year. We arrived Christmas Eve, scrambled to find one of the few remaining trees (a $20 clearance special from Lowe’s in Kingston), and decorated it before sundown. We were joined by Erica and Geoff, and then by Lew and Lewis, fresh from confiding Rinda to the care of Maplewood at Weston, a senior living facility. Because Chanukah coincided with Christmas this year, we had latkes for Christmas dinner.

We clustered nine around the table for Thanksgiving this year, with Sarah absent (she celebrated in Strasbourg). We had all the traditional favorites, although we experimented with new recipes for turkey, gravy, and stuffing. We also had some splendid new additions, such as a sour cherry pie contributed by Geoff. Jen made an exceptionally delicious hickory nut pie, although we sorely missed the nut cracking skills of Sarah and her nimble, Montessori-trained fingers. Here are portraits of those in attendance.

Lew

Rinda

Geoff

Erica

Julie

Stacey

Lewis

Jen

Daisy has been enjoying the clement fall weather, asking to be let outside at least every twenty minutes or so.

She is ever vigilant.

Those close to me know I am in a years-long battle with invasive vines. Here’s a particularly gratifying before-and-after image of a monster I cut a couple of weeks ago.

This weekend, Jen was in France visiting Sarah while I attended my 40th high school reunion. While we were gone, this bear brazenly sauntered across the back yard.

Tonight the Northern Lights were visible all around our house.

The dahlias are coming in fast and furious in the late-season race against first frost. Jen filled her trug with beautiful flowers to bring back to New York.

The barn swallows have returned south for the winter. This means that we can close the barn doors and keep out the ever increasing flock of pigeons who are laser focused on befouling the barn. They await the spring, when they can resume operations.

Summer may be ending, but the dahlias are plentiful.