Feliz navidad y próspero año nuevo 2023 y 2024!

(Click on images to enlarge).

Christmas is over and we are close to entering a new year. Where we live near Grecia, the current temperature at 10:54 am (December 28) is 76F/24C, breezy, a bit hazy and there is a lovely sweet scent in the air from something blooming. 

The hot, arid weather at this time of year encourages many plants to bloom. Our avocado tree has many flowers on it as does the lime tree. The avocado did not bloom last year so I’m looking forward to our own fruits from this tree (yes, the avocado is technically a fruit).

One of my orchids is blooming - the epidenacium stanfordia:

We solved one mystery recently. We have been hearing the sounds of something on our metal roof at night and in the early morning. Metal roofs make loud noises!

Well, it turns out it wasn’t Santa and his reindeer but two young neighbour dogs. Our house is on a slope and they can easily leap from the lawn of the neighbours behind us and onto the roof. 

For Christmas eve dinner, we ordered from Pizza House as usual:

Recently, we had breakfast at Donde Mae, a small restaurant in Grecia that makes the best Denver omelettes and fresh fruit smoothies. While waiting for our orders, I made a short video of the activities on the street outside.