December's Accomplishments

With only 4 days gone, this month has been busy and is picking up speed. On Tuesday evening we enjoyed our Christmas party at our photography club at SIU. It was a delicious meal, beautiful setting, and very interesting speaker. The speaker had made a recent trip to South Africa and showed photos of all the terrain, wildlife, and beautiful birds. It was fun to get to take the trip from the comfort of our ballroom and feel like we had shared the experience. At the meeting we received our calendars and mystery tour pictures back with awards. I was surprised and delighted to find I had tied for first place on the calendars we made. I am attaching the December picture from my calendar entry. The photo of the cardinal in the snow was taken on a honeysuckle vine outside my kitchen window. The real photo of me taking the picture, up in the kitchen sink, thankfully was never taken.
Today was my paint classf, and I finished my painting of the Maine Waterfront, which I have been working on since April. I jokingly tell the other ladies that my goal is to paint 2 inches per class, and sometimes that isn't easy with my favorite brush--the liner! I will also try to attach a picture of my painting, if my patience endures with our slow dial-up connection. Leon was excited to see the picture and immediately claimed it as "his" Christmas present. I have a real fondness for the picture, as we just visited Maine in October, and saw lots of lobster traps, like the ones in the picture.
I am looking forward to hearing my granddaughter, Hannah, sing in with the choir from her school tomorrow. She is such a blessing and I know the program will be a special treat, and a treasured part of our Christmas memories. It seems each month offers many avenues to enjoy the journey, and December is no exception.