Wine, women and song.. while waiting for the Wild...

Not wishing for this kind of scenery.Being snug at 'home' at the Ranch, while the temperatures drop into the 20's, its easy to write about the three things that make LIFE happy per Strauss:

wine: lovely red from the oldest winery in Texas, Sister Creek vineyards, est. 1988 and housed in a 1885 built Cotton Gin, right in the middle of Sisterdale, it's a Cabernet Sauvignon-Bordeaux Blend Reserve, smooth, oh so smooth...real "romantic sipping'' before the fireplace kinda wine.

women: Marion Koogler McNay's Museum has added a new exhibit:Theater art showing among others the paintings of Natalia Gontcharova (Russian 1888-1962) - a series showing costumes and designs for the Opera 'The Snow Maiden' and other pieces by women artists. Plus many mock ups of stage settings...very interesting to any stage struck art lover!

song: Christmas songs abound, some commercial as in the stores,some religious as in the mission churches.

And that brings me to the Missions, specifically San Francisco de Espada, the smallest church with a still inhabited cloister. The friars are Franciscans and one of them, Brother Jerome, sure has a wonderful green thumb.. the walkway and colonnade teem with green and flowering plants, such a cheerful sight on the misty, dreary Tuesday, it was, we headed there for some contemplation on the season and prayers (for some Aeros wins in the next weeks to get the guyz reved up for the rest of the hockey season) .

And the most amazing thing is, to us, that the farm attached to this mission and watered by an age old acequia, still is productive. The little church is still used for services, and not only for tourists thrills. Pics to follow when I get my scrubbed and updated BIG computer back and can download some photos from the little camera.

Earlier I made friends with Hassani, Duke and Hodge..
Hassani a nosey, black and white African porcupine who expressed his love by licking my hand, which did not even feed him, ;-) (just wish, it were....;-)
Duke, a 3 foot bull python, all dressed to kill, in his new smooth, soft skin who loved warmth and snuggled up, very closely, but at only 3 ft..hey, he's harmless still.
And Hodge, a cute little she-hedgehog sticking her nose just about 'everywhere'. Funny thing, none of the male guests at the Ranch'gathering wanted to hold these critters. Some female guests had no problem with petting Hassani! A real Christmas treat, what?
Absent the other animals usually found around the crib, but much more exotic....so cute.

Almost time for a Wild win or not, on versus.
Hopefully the addition of The Streak, Nathan Smith, called up on the revolving door policy, will help.
Better Half has settled in with a glass of Wild, make that WINE, ready to cheer or jeer, as the case may be. Gonna shut down and have some lovely red, myself.