December has been super chilly here in the Pacific Northwest, with frost sticking around in the garden for hours each morning. Some days the shady areas of Coppertop don’t even thaw, staying frosty until it’s pitch dark at 5:00 pm. Feels like winter!

The rains subsided since November which is a nice break. The drier weather has allowed me to tidy up borders, trading out my hooded rain jacket for a warm hat, and to complete all the dahlia digging and storage. I’ve been taking things slowly, listening to good tunes while I work (yay, Spotify!), not succumbing to any self-imposed pressure to rush through garden tasks. It actually took me until last week to empty all the huge greenhouse tomato pots. Those plants were long gone. The veggie garden has required my attention as well. Certain greens survived the November snow, and I toss the chickens overgrown cabbages and kale each day. Greens that aren’t past their prime make it to our dinner table.

We’re still in the process of adding compost, topsoil, and mulch to some areas. Hubby does the vast majority of that back-breaking work. I’m the director. 😉 This cute quail family keeps us company.

It’s taken us a while, but we’ve mostly completed the Christmas decorating, both indoors and out. Coppertop is feeling festive! We’re almost set for upcoming visitors and Christmas parties.