Christmas tree update

Okay, the tree is up in the living room. It fits in the space perfectly. At ten feet, it is just the right height for our high ceiling. BUT the picture does not really show up the huge gaping holes in the bottom section.

Some grafting is called for... developing story....stay tuned.

Testing the new camera

I have been practicing with my new camera this morning - taking pictures in the snow. Mostly I have been learning to transfer the pictures to the computer and do editing. (I'm new at this digital camera stuff.)

Here are some of my pictures:

Scenes from the Pecos Mountains

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of Pecos have some pretty spectacular scenery. Here are some pictures we took on Friday when we were up in the mountains to get our Christmas tree:

Our Christmas tree

For a $10.00 fee, you can buy a permit from the U.S. Forest Service to cut a Christmas tree in certain designated areas of the Santa Fe National Forest.

So...we decided that would be something different to do for our first Christmas here in Santa Fe.

We drove yesterday up into the mountains north of Pecos. This is an area of spectacular scenery and they have miles and miles of the forest land available for tree cutting.

Trouble is, finding a good tree is a challenge...we found it an almost impossible challenge. We must have looked around at hundreds of trees, tramping around in the snow (and some mud) to find something acceptable. We looked at blue spruce and Ponderosa pines. The trees were definitely not the perfectly shaped full trees that you find in town at the tree lots and stores.

So .. we realized that in order to cut a tree up in the mountains, we were going to have to settle for something other than our usual tree and get creative. In fact that was John's word when I tried to wimp out: "This tree will be a challenge and we will need to be creative."

So we found what we decided was the best of the bunch that we looked at, and we cut it down and brought it home. It's a blue spruce, and there were lots of really good branches at the bottom of the tree that John was able to cut off to use to make a wreath or two. In fact, the wreaths might be better looking than that tree will.

It was very cold up in the mountains - there are some places that little sun gets to, and quite a bit of snow still on the ground from the last snowfall a week ago. We brought lots of winter gear to put on to stay warm, but didn't need as much as we thought we would. And John remembered to bring a thermos of hot chocolate, which was a great idea when we got cold.

So...we now face the creative challenge -- how to make this scrawny tree look good!

New Mexican Bizcochitos

Bizcochitos have been the traditional Christmas cookie of New Mexico for many years.

I decided to add them to my holiday baking this year.

This recipe is very easy and the cookies are delicious.

(And this picture is the first one I have posted that I have taken with my new digital camera which I just got earlier this week.)

BIZCOCHITOS

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. anise seeds
3 Tbsp. sweet wine
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1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon


1. Mix butter and sugar until creamy.
2. Add egg and beat until very fluffy.
3. Mix flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture.
4. Stir in wine and anise seed.
5. Roll dough out on floured board to 1/4" thickness, and cut into squares or fancy shapes.
6. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon and sprinkle on top of each cookie.
7. Bake at 350º for 15-20 minues or until light brown.

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Freezes well.

Makes 4 dozen.

Easy and good.

Recipe from Simply Simpatico Cookbook, Albuquerque Junior League, 1981.

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O heavenly bodies!

This week the moon and two of the planets aligned. The moon, Jupiter and Venus met in a rare conjuction.

The sky was clear here in Eldorado the night of December 1st, and we got a stunning view of the alignment in the southern sky.

The next time the three will be as close and visible as this week will be Nov. 18, 2052, according to Jack Horkheimer, director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium.

(Be sure to click on the pictures for a better view.)

First snow at Towanda's

Our first snow here in Eldorado occurred on Thanksgiving Day. It didn't last very long, but it was beautiful for a short while. And we are ready for MORE!