Circle of Friends on the mountain.

I've been baking a bit and yesterday I tried a recipe for Chocolate Zucchini Bread.  The recipe called for cocoa powder and chocolate chips.  I am only moderately happy with it since even after baking it 15 minutes longer than it called for, the bread is kind of sticky in the center.  It definitely is a chocolate sugar rush to eat a slice and it tastes similar to a sticky chocolate cake.


I'm only going to give the recipe three stars.

Next was making a wreath for my cowgirl friend, Julie.  Every year I make her a wreath and she displays it in her barn because that's where she spends all of her spare time - with her horses.  The wreath lasts until springtime and Julie always saves the decorations so that I can use some of them again.  

This year's version is on a grapevine wreath frame.  We do have enough grapevines that I could actually make a grapevine frame, but I have never tried it.  It seems to me it would be difficult.

Wreath-making is so fun and it's a challenge to come up with a new design each year.  Plus, the greens are so fragrant.

The cowgirl hat and boot ornaments have been re-used several times over.  The dried baby's breath is from a bouquet I received earlier in the year from my friends Ann and Neil.  This is what I call a special "circle of friends" wreath.

This morning I baked some chocolate oatmeal cookies.  They were from a mix given to my by another dear friend, Linda.  The cookie mix is gluten-free.  My kind of cookie and the plan is to share them as well.

It is definitely a friend's day on this mountain.

Merry, merry, merry.

My doctor's appointment is today.  Will I get my "get out of jail free" card?  

Photo from 2017, but it looks close to the same this morning.

Is it really five days until Christmas?