Life On Regal-Hill by Gail Hillriegel

For a number of years we have not had a pet in the house. In fact we haven’t had a dog in the house since we had to have our dog, Ebony, put to sleep. He loved the farm and especially George. I didn’t realize how nice a dog he was until he was gone, even though I had to clean up cow manure and dirt off the couch or chairs after he had been in the house.

by Gail Hillriegel
Well, we just finished the last birthday before Christmas here at Regal-Hill. Yes, George just had his birthday. Allegra made his cake, an orange-raisin kind that his mother used to make. Then I just made an ordinary uncooked white frosting for it.

Well, it’s time to begin planning your Christmas dinner unless you have been invited to someone else’s home. Here at Regal-Hill we will either be here or across the road. If it is icy we will be here since I don’t go outside when it’s slippery. Either way we all share the work of preparing Christmas dinner. This makes it much easier for all the cooks who include Allegra, her mother and myself.

We continue to get ready for Christmas here at Regal-Hill. Some Christmas breads and cookies have been made and hopefully more of both will be made before Christmas. It just came to me that I hadn’t made plans to make pineapple-filled cookies that I have made every year in the past, and everyone here loves.

Now that the decorating is done here at Regal-Hill, it is time to write out the Christmas cards. In the past it has been a big job as I sent 60 plus cards. According to the 2009 Christmas Shopper, the start of sending Christmas cards began in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. It seems he was inspired by examples of Valentine’s Day cards that had been popular in England.