The snow started falling November 8th. It was a real delight to watch the first flakes of the season gently tumbling down. That first dusting of snow was increased by a couple of inches more and lasted a full week. Then the snow melted, and we had a few weeks of above usual temperatures, which were followed by almost a solid week of rain. Then, within the shifting hours of daylight into afternoon, the rain turned to snow, and we are now once again, covered in a couple inches of dry sparkling snow.

The Christmas cookies have been baked, packaged and sent on to their way. The #JouluPuu gifts (more on JouluPuu HERE) have been purchased, wrapped & dropped off, and I’m feeling pretty confident we’ll be searching for our holiday tree soon.

Somewhere between the snow and raindrops falling, we managed to get the plants outside ready for winter. We bundled up a few items as we usually do with winter fleece in the hope it will make a difference. Forecasters are saying we might have a warmer than usual winter, but who knows what to expect anymore!  Without significant snowfall, plants won’t have the additional insulation which the snow creates around each plant, tree or shrub. We *can* count on there *almost always* being a period of extreme, harsh, chilly wind and that’s where the fleece wrappings are meant to make the difference.

Also in the garden: I typically order my next season roses in November for shipment the following April. This year I ventured from the usual shopping source (#DavidAustin) and sought out roses from a German grower, Rosen Von Shulttheis.. They have been in the rose business for 150 years, so I think they might know a thing or two about it!  After searching their inventory, I selected six new varieties to add to our collection. After what seemed like a long time, I was notified that the roses were on the way! Despite requesting the roses be sent the following spring, I was in full panic mode wondering how I was going to successfully plant roses this late in the season. Luckily, the roses arrived A-okay during the week we were between snow and massive rain and all were planted in their new spots in a garden space we’d set aside earlier this year.  Whew! Good planning saved the day in this situation! I’ve added the new roses to the What’s Growing at Vanha Talo Suomi page and the Rose Collection page

We purchased a wildlife cam the other day to capture images of the critters who are frequenting the yard. Unfortunately, the #BlackFriday sale was very popular with everyone else too, and we were only able to snatch up one camera. The camera we purchased is motion sensor activated, but doesn’t have a very wide angle – so far all we’ve captured on it is Pekka installing the camera! 🙂  Maybe we’ll pick up an additional couple cameras since the wildlife tracks already evident throughout the yard suggest a rather large critter is traversing the garden, along with the squirrels & rabbits. More on that in a later post, once we can capture and download images!

Greta has the right idea most of the time and prefers to take lounging to extremes.

We’ve done our marketing for the week, and I’m now sitting down to conclude this post with a warm glöggi in my hand.  Looks like we’re coming full-circle as many of this post’s topics have been previously mentioned.

For those of you who’ve been following along, we would like to extend our gratitude & thanks. We are eternally grateful for the wonderful comments and enthusiasm you’ve showered upon us through the years. This year has been no different and it’s been one helluva of a great year. It’s getting harder & harder to believe how fast the time is flying by. One month blurs into the next and before you know it, we’ve ticked through another whole year.

It is our wish that you find yourself happy, safe and in good spirits at this time of year – finding the balance between work, family, social engagements and other responsibilities can wear you out! Take care of yourself and best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a bright and meaningful new year.

Here’s to you! Thank you and may the best of the holiday season fill you with joy & laughter.

Love,

Kate & Pekka @VanhaTaloSuomi ❤