Cookies and birches

Two great Christmas traditions in Northern New Hampshire:  Decorated cookies and shining young birch groves

Last sunrise of autumn

The sun rose through the eastern line of trees and over the Kilkenny range this morning.  Tomorrow morning's sunrise will be in winter.  This panoramic shows the sun at its most southerly in our morning sky.  The timeless and incessant rotation of the earth starts bringing our favorite yellow orb back to the north for the next six months.  Then, in the third week of June next year, we'll have almost 8 hours more daylight compared to today.  The sun will be rising that day much further to the left in this photo, and three hours earlier!

Great suppah

The menu for tonight's suppah included two homemade items:  venison beer chili (the main ingredient made possible by a hunting neighbor) and cocoa pumpernickel bread.

Holiday baking

The second thaw of the season is happening this weekend.  Lots of rain and wind today, with temps not getting below freezing again until later tomorrow.  It's a good day for some baking! Pictured below are chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, and candied fruit peel.