Tantivy

On the second day of Christmas we went to see Sara and Greg. My daughter married a man who hunts and the decor of their house (she moved into his when they married) is not what I would ever have pictured for her. This bookcase shelf has a little of both of them - our trips to the beach, his trips to the field. Those are little skeletons and antlers. Actually the shells are skeletons also, so I guess that works out.  This is one of three mounted heads in the living/family room. There are also mounted deer skulls and a mounted pheasant. Sara says that no more heads will be mounted. I would have to agree that they have enough. The crèche is one that my parents had. My father made the stable and we painted the figures. I am not sure if there were any other figures or not. No wise men, but it is too early for them. (They come January 6 - the day of the Epiphany.) The children are our two grandchildren as bookends to Sara's stepson, Morgan. They get along well...

We get closer and closer to the day. The day of the birth of the child born to set the world free. My understanding of that freedom has grown over the years to understand that freedom isn't being able to just do what you want and nothing else and things finally begin to make more sense to me. There are some good sides to getting older. Thank goodness! The latest but not necessarily final work on the canvas. It is hanging in the house and I am beginning to like it, but I am still not ready to say that it is finished. Maybe. We will see. Stay tuned.  Meanwhile, shall we have a cuppa? I believe that my English friends would say, "Will I be Mother?" and pour out. We might have to make another pot to finish the thoughtful, giggly, long talk that would be such fun.  When we get tired of talking, there are always good books to read and share. This little guy will give you one or there are some upstairs and on the stair and in the bookcase and the library ...

Now that the leaves are down I can see the "skeletons" of the trees around here and they are interesting. Some of the trees are quite old and have been cut  over the years to avoid various things. This is my favorite, and next to it is one of the camellias that borders my drive but is in my neighbor's yard. What a perfect bloom. I had a nice trek around the area, looking and snapping pictures on my phone. When I got home I started putting out Christmas decorations. This angel is made of bronze wire screen. I have had her for ages (about 15 years or so) but she has been in storage for several of those years. This paper angel was made for Sara to give to me when Sara was in college. A friend's mother made it, I think. She, too, has been in storage and I am so glad to see her again. Below is a cute angel that I have no memory of buying but I love her expression. I couldn't get her to move up beside the other angel, but the tree pop...

Some how this sock gets left at my house every time all the kids come to visit. By now I know that it is Sara's, but how it gets in my room and gets left here is still a mystery. If she would leave two, I would just wear them, but there is always only one. The part for the washing machine is supposed to come today and I have told Dean that if it doesn't, I am going to the Home Depot and buying a new one. This is what I am reduced to wearing.  There is no going out of the house is this outfit, so I am painting. The problem is that I have read my books and need to go to the library. I can dress up to go, but that might be quite as much a shock as going like this. At least it is a rainy day so no one looks all that good. Will the part arrive? Another mystery. I listened to a podcast by Ricë Freeman-Zachery as she talked about finding inspiration. You can find Ricë at  voodoo notes.blogspot.com . She also writes in several Stampington magazines...

Are things slower or are they faster?  I don't seem to have many photos, but I am not sure why. I think that what I have been doing is just a little hum drum. I have drawn tentative plans for remodeling our kitchen, back porch, and office, turning them into one large room.  This room will be laundry room (no more going down those steep stairs carrying loads of dirty clothes or climbing back up with arms full of folded clean ones). * [see note about washing machine below] kitchen, mud room, office, with a pantry and lots of windows. I hope that we can work it out because I think it will be nice. As pictured on my sister's blog,  bijounotes.blogspot.com , we live under the flyway of the Sandhill Cranes who fly over on their way from Nebraska to Florida.  I have been to Nebraska in the winter and all I can say is "GO Cranes! No sense is freezing your tail feathers." The cranes make the most interesting sound, rather warbling, almost cooing. For several days they we...

Well, the washing machine has something caught in the pump and Dean messed up his foot and is waiting a day to go down to the basement to fix it so I found something else to do. I moved this book case from the wall on the right to under the window. The problem was that it didn't fit just right.  The mantelpiece stuck out over the window trim, so.... I took my trusty hammer and got my ladder and... took it down. Here the first pice has been removed. The mantel was oak and had been painted yellow, green and finally white. Thick paint popped off in places as I worked to remove it. There were lots of nails. Dean helped me lower it to the floor where it is resting until I can take it out to the street where I have taken boards from the basement ceiling. Under the oak was this mess. Dozens of nails, plaster and concrete plus not just a little coal dust. There was also an electrical outlet, just set into a rectangle cut out of the wood. There was no box at...