We’re lucky here in Arizona that the winters are mild. We went out shopping on two consecutive days when I took the above photos at the end of our road before turning onto the pavement. Both pictures are of a little hill across our roadway where desert vegetation grows; in the top instance, the weather is sort of rainy and drizzly and in the bottom, the weather is sunny with some beautiful puffy clouds floating about.

The day and night temperatures on both days were similar, with the highs in the upper 60s and the lows in the mid-40s Fahrenheit. We thank the almighty for our home and environment. Click on either image to enlarge.

Wishing you a very happy and prosperous New Year in 2022! We don’t have a lot of news to report for the past year and, at our ages, that’s a good thing, I expect. In the coming year, we are hoping to resume some travel in the big RV which has been sitting for way too long. Meanwhile, we’re biding our time until the traveling weather gets here, hopefully sooner than later.

Image: Red Amaryllis Flowers – Click to enlarge

Christmas week is here and we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. —Luke 2:4-5

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. —Luke 2:6-7

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” —Luke 2:10-12

May the Joy of Christmas be in your hearts in this Holy Time.

These two were married on December 17th of 1938 and were together for most of their years until Dad passed in June of 1982. Dad’s absence, like many young men in the early 1940’s, was due to being called away to serve in World War II. They were together for over 43 years and now are in God’s care together again.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” —Psalm 100:4-5

Well, here we are once again entering the Holiday season with the first big eating day upon us. Verna and I will be celebrating with a fairly standard Thanksgiving Dinner consisting of (subject to last-minute changes): Smoked Turkey Breast with Cranberry Sauce, Collard Greens, Andouille and Cornbread Stuffing, and Mashed Fauxtatoes.

The Fauxtatoes are actually Mashed Cauliflower and the Cornbread, similarly, is a Keto Diet friendly mix of low carb items. The Cranberry Sauce is sugar free (mostly) and the gravy is made with almond flour and low carb ingredients. All of this while keeping an eye on the sodium content. Nonetheless, our experience is that Thanksgiving Dinner will be just as delicious as anybody could want.

We hope that you all will have a very Happy Thanksgiving Day! Now, excuse me – I have to get the turkey breast ready for the smoker.

A lovely pair of “sun dogs” appeared over the western horizon this afternoon a little after five P.M. The combination of high clouds and frozen water crystals made for a brilliant display of colors in the sky.

No special camera settings were needed – just a little help from the patio post to block out the sun. Click on either image to view in the vernabob.com image viewer.

We attended the starting ceremonies of the Annual Wickenburg Bluegrass Festival today. We stayed for the first performing group (shown above), The Sonoran Dogs Bluegrass Band. They were very good, playing and singing. The combo included Bass Fiddle, Mandolin, Guitar and Banjo.

When The Sonoran Dogs finished their set, we went to the vendor area above the stadium and got a couple of souvenirs before heading home. It was a nice outing and we enjoyed some spectacular Arizona Weather with clear skies and 85° spring-like temperature in the middle of November.

The Festival continues for the rest of the weekend, but we were satisfied with our short visit this afternoon.