Monday, Dec. 1, came and I woke up with my right leg twice the size of my left. I pulled my hamstring last week when I tried to get up on the porch of Miles and Melissa’s new house. I have to realize I’m getting older. I need to keep my legs up and rest.

On Tuesday, Dec. 2, I woke up with my right leg feeling somewhat better and the swelling had gone down. Rest can make a difference.

I spent all day making a big pot of turkey soup.

Marcia and Kyra came to eat the turkey soup with me for dinner.

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, Brandon had family court with Veronica to go over Wednesday night dinner visits and Brandon was interested in being able to get Samson and Nichole earlier than 8 p.m., so he could take them to “Christmas in the Barn.” The dinner visits were set at 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, and it looks like he can get them at 5 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Everything is working out.

Later, Brandon and I went to Cobleskill for the dinner visit. Nichole had quite a bit of homework but she got it done, and ate afterwards. It’s hard to eat if something needs to be done like homework.

On Thursday, Dec. 4, I cleaned my living room and now it’s waiting for the Christmas tree.

Party-time

At 6 p.m. I attended the 15th Annual Christmas Party of the Hilltown Fire Company Auxiliaries. The Berne Fire Company Auxiliary was the host this year, and served a delicious roast beef dinner.

They also had tossed salad, twice baked potatoes, green beans, and rolls, plus punch and coffee or tea.

East Berne provided appetizers and Knox brought tasty desserts. For entertainment we went around the room and told the most unusual Christmas gift we’d ever received.

On Friday, Dec. 5, I went to the chiropractor and then did my grocery shopping. I came home and relaxed reading the Enterprise.

A special visit

On Saturday, my sister, Pat Sykala, picked up Brandon, Jenn, and me and we drove to Starkville, which is seven miles west of Fort Plain, to visit our nephew and cousin, Mike Richardson, who has been ill for about a year now.

We first went to see our sister-in-law, Linda Richardson. Linda now has her daughter, Donna; husband, Christian; and children, Cameron and Carolyn; living with her. Also, Linda has her stepdaughter, Cheryl and her daughter, Hailey, living there. That was great. We saw many relatives at one house.

Then we went to see Mike and his girlfriend, Wendy.  My niece, Teri Barton who lives across the road, came over to visit.

Aunt Pat had this great idea to go to “Christmas at the Fort” in Fort Plain. We went there next and Teri and Wendy went in their car. On the way to the Fort, we stopped to see the house, Kyle Barton, Teri’s son, had just had a closing on.

The Fort was originally named Fort Rensselaer, after a general in the New York Militia and a Hudson Valley landowner, but was changed to Fort Plain.

The museum had a new exhibit, The Children’s Attic, a collection of toys from the Mohawk Valley between 1770 and 1920, from residents of the area.

The volunteers at the museum wore clothes from the American Revolution.

We came home in time to prepare dinner and Marcia and Kyra ate with us.

Winding down

On Sunday, Dec. 7, I went to church with Brandon and Jenn and then we went to a craft fair at the Nature Center.

Brandon, Miles and friend, Paul Ginter went deer hunting for the last afternoon of the regular season.

I prepared a venison steak dinner with potatoes, gravy, green beans, and pineapple upside down cake. The venison was from the nine-point buck Jenn Smith hit with her car. It was a wonderful treat.

Marcia and Kyra joined Brandon and I for dinner.

Spending time with family is my favorite past time.