The sun is up on this eve of Christmas, 2017. 8:15 a.m. It's a cozy 20 degrees (70F) as I sit in my housecoat sipping camp coffee, admiring the view out my window.
On the other side of the glass, an arm's reach from my perch, the chickadees are feeding merrily. Temperature minus 30 (-21F).
I must be on ol' Santa's good boy list to be so blessed.

View at dusk, from the front window at camp. Our first night out for seven weeks, and a wonderful, peaceful evening it is.
The waxing crescent moon, leading to the New Year's day full monty, shines beautifully on the landscape and a Canadian National train passing on the far shore, enroute to the east coast.
Birch and pine, blazing in the fireplace, warm us on this gorgeous evening in the forest.

Woo hoo. First look at camp since open water in early November.
Got a fire going inside right away so will have good heat in a couple hours.
If anybody is out and around I would welcome a hand extricating my snow machine from deep snow on my trail about 300 yards from camp.

Yesterday afternoon a small group of friends came to sit around the fire pit on my deck and enjoy each other's companionship, as well as cigars and "hot chocolate".
 
Among the finest moments was when I brought out a small plate of my home smoked, maple syrup glazed whitefish to pass around. It was a real hit! Matter of fact, when the afternoon was over one of the guys took home a few left-over pieces, still raving about the wonder of smoked whitefish.
 
This morning I post the following message:
 
Good morning, guys.
Nice afternoon by the fire yesterday. Glad everybody was here.
This morning I'm feeling a bit sheepish. As I reached into the refrigerator for some bacon, I noticed my little baggie of smoked whitefish (here's what it looks like) snuggled right up against the slab of pig in the meat drawer.
Curiously, my little baggie of smoked chicken breast jerky is missing.

We are sure enjoying our new fire pit/grill. It'll go to camp (when ice conditions allow us to get there in two or three weeks) and be a cherished addition to the Palace. For now, we're testing it out on the deck at home.
Today I ground equal amounts of blade steaks and chicken thighs (including skin) for barbequed burgers. They grilled up beautifully, and the texture was exquisite, but taste was pretty bland. Next time I think I'll try sirloin and add the old standbys parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (and a bit of finely chopped onion).
Any suggestions for spices in this concoction? It's a new experience for me. Lots of promise, but needs a boost.