A few of you were curious about the puzzle Don gave me. Here it is:
All of the wooden pieces are supposed to fit together.
I thought I had a way in, but it didn’t work. NO hints, thank you. I don’t like help with my puzzles, jigsaw or wooden. I have never asked for help and I don’t like ‘assistants.’ Thankfully, Don has no interest in puzzles, so I am happily on my own. The puzzle is actually quite beautiful and I’m keeping it on the coffee table so I can play with it when the mood strikes.
Don did good, didn’t he?
We are taking it easy today. We took down the tree on Monday, which – to be frank – requires more work from me than Don. Many trips to the shed, lugging Christmas bins back to the house. Then, removing the ornaments, most of which are vintage and precious, and carefully wrapping each one in paper. All that involves a lot of bending over so my back was complaining a bit. After an hour or so with the ornaments, I removed most of the lights until I needed Don’s help. Then, I got down on the floor and loosened the screws on the stand and Don pulled out the tree. It was so dry that we wrapped the bottom of the tree in an old sheet so it wouldn’t drop needles on all the furniture as Don walked it through the living room and kitchen.
Since we have woods and a bit of acreage, Don finds a place to leave the tree, so it will provide cover for critters throughout the winter.
Then trips back to the shed with the bins and the clean up in the house. (I love the way we have the shed organized now – it’s a pleasure to use it as everything has its place and it’s pretty darned spacious.)
All in all, it took about three hours, but everything is back in place now.
I now realize I have probably bored the heck out of you, as everyone who decorates for Christmas goes through this particular exercise. There are no gems of wisdom here!
Today is a day for reading. I’m in the middle of Bad Actors by Mick Herron. Brilliant, as always. Then I have to start Michael Connelly’s newest, Desert Star. And I have the diaries of Alan Rickman, also. All three books are due next week. Gulp. So, instead of letting myself get distracted by other things, I’m determined to read, read, read.
This particular apple pie may be Don’s best so far. Oh my goodness!
It’s slowly getting warmer each day. We’ll have a high in the forties by the end of the week.
Stay safe.
Happy Tuesday.
True… whether early of late, most of us have had to dismantle a Christmas tree in our time. But it’s fun to read your comments! Good to know that you’re returning it to nature. Imagine all the bugs that will love it!
My compliments on your reorganized shed. Do you miss the stuff you had to throw out when you stopped renting the storage box?
Not at all! Funny how we had all that stuff and never think of it now.
Stay safe, Petra.
That is a beautiful puzzle—looks pretty challenging, too! Be sure to let us see it when you work it out.
We’ll leave our tree up for a while, waiting for me to be tired of it. But there’s no hurry as it is only bamboo, shells, and crocheted snowflakes this year.
Happy reading day!
Thank you, Shanna. Are you wearing your new jewelry?
Stay safe.
I am!
xo
no live-cut Christmas tree here to remove, but i still enjoyed your description of the process … for several reasons. been there, done that. i like hearing from family members and friends about their days (and sometimes a person just needs to get words/feelings out). also, you have a great way with words. :)
very nice of you and don to put that tree out back where it will help lots of creatures.
hope your back feels better soon!
and what a great puzzle! hopefully i will be able to find that puzzle for my bird-loving family to put together (i can see framing it, too). that close-up photo you showed us will help. thank you! :)
glad you have interesting books and time to read them (though the clock sure ticks fast on library deadlines, doesn’t it?!?). i received two books for Christmas. as someone trying to write children’s books, i got another “vanderbeekers” book (which i requested … a very sweet series of middle-grade books about a family in nyc … i have the first four already … also prefer to buy/receive most books in paperback). also received “the storied life of a. j. fikry” (described as a poignant, sometimes funny and ultimately optimistic book about a bookseller facing hardships … and i think it is being made into a movie). looking forward to reading and enjoying them.
to add to the holiday movie lists and talk … members of my family and i watched “it’s a wonderful life” on Christmas night … one of my favorite traditions and probably my very favorite movie.
the three little greats are mending. medical care and ongoing medicine have reduced the fever, started to treat the pink-eye(s) and help ease the pain and itchiness of stitches on that split lip … all of which is helping the adults to feel better, too. and new toys are helpful distractions until that lost little metal toy car can be found.
hope you, don and everyone else are having a good, easy start to your days and things stay that way. stay safe!
kathy
Glad the children are beginning to feel better.
We watched ‘Wonderful Life’ on Christmas Eve. We never tire of it.
Stay safe, Kathy.
I like your wooden bird puzzle…it has a simple look at first glance, but I’m sure that’s very deceptive! Have fun! Today is going to be a good day to read…lots of steady rain in the Bay Area! Enjoy your books…
I am, Barrie. And I renewed one that I thought I’d have to read in record time, so that’s good. I have a little breathing room.
Stay safe.
Love your puzzle. One of my favorite things is for the grands to help me work puzzles or help when we play our million games. I remember having my own children help me. You are so good at working puzzles. I have no advice anyway. Have a good day
Thanks, so much, Brenda.
Stay safe.
P S. You NEVER ever are boring.
xo
We put our real tree out in the garden to give protection and shelter to the birds, too. I have a friend who’s been known to drag her neighbours’ trees home for her garden when they have been discarded curbside. Your day sounds very relaxing. We had our Christmas yesterday so I’m basking in the glow of knowing there are leftovers for dinner tonight. Good luck with your puzzle. It’s beautiful and challenging. Hugs, Elaine
Nothing better than knowing leftovers are on hand! I love leftovers.
Stay safe, Elaine.
It’s a gorgeous puzzle and looks to be a challenge — which isn’t all bad! I love these in-between days!
Oh, so do I!
Stay safe, Jeanie.
Claudia, you are never boring. I liked hearing about your process of Christmas ‘tear down’ and I have shed-envy that you’re so organized, but I remember in other years when you would talk about it NOT being so organized inside that little shed/storage area. It always feels good to be organized; ’tis my aim in life!
Our weather here in SoCal is crazy in another way in that we were at least mid-80s temps on Christmas Day just three days ago, and now we’re like thirty degrees difference, overcast and coolish, no sun and with a good amount of rain yesterday/Tues and overnight (pretty drippy out there right now at 5am PST). Apparently today/Weds is the only remaining ‘clear’ day before we even get more rain, so this is wonderful news for parched us (and it’s so gratifying to see the near foothills greening up when we’ve been such a desolate ‘moonscape’ for too long).
I had a call from a friend yesterday who thanked me for her new Horowitz books (I give books a lot at Christmas; is a kinda go-to thing for me); I gave you total credit. She said to me, also, that if it wasn’t for me, she would never have discovered Louise Penny who is now her favorite author (she’s on a booklist at the library so that she doesn’t miss anything new from Louise Penny; and, this was new to me, the library also gives her an option to purchase the books thru them). Anyway, I again gave you total credit! Oh, and Spoiler Alert came up on my satellite dish as now available to watch. I don’t stream (I know, I’m a dinosaur), so this is how I watch movies. It’s $20 to rent right now, so I’ll let the price ratchet down (which will happen; happens with all of the newer movies) and watch it in a couple of weeks (but at least I’ve got it recorded now; it’s on my playlist, ready to roll). When it popped up as new and available, I said, “Hey, I know that movie!” Looking so forward to watching it.
By the way, I think it’s nice you have further use for your ‘live’ tree, out in the woods for the critters. I guess our City maybe just chips them or something; I hope they don’t get thrown in the landfill. I like your ‘out in the country’ idea better.
I’m so glad you’re going to get rain, am very happy your friend loves Louise Penny and Horowitz. And yay for Spoiler Alert! We’re going to purchase it through Amazon Prime this week so I have it on hand. I barely registered my scene when I saw it in at the premiere and I need to really take it in. Besides, it’s a beautiful movie and I’m so proud of Ben’s dialect. And, of course, I’m really proud of Jim.
Most cities that collect trees turn them into mulch, which is good recycling.
Stay safe, Vicki.