For those of you who get the post via email who might be wondering why there are two posts titled Day Two Hundred Eighty-Five? Well, I mistakenly wrote the wrong number on yesterday’s post. Reader Petra kindly pointed that out to me. Unfortunately I was sitting in the car waiting for Don to come out of his eye doctor appointment at the time and had no way of correcting it until I got home – which I did, but it was too late to change the email version of the post. A big thank you to Petra! We’re back on track.
The morning sun was hitting the paperwhites with a sort of spotlight this morning. I took a series of photos and every one of them has this orb of light that you can see on the right. Magical!
We’re pooped. Don’s appointment with the eye specialist is always stressful…no one wants a shot in the eye. The side effects vary every time. Sometimes there’s no pain and it’s as if it never happened. This time there was more soreness afterward and a lot of blood on the eyeball. It’s slowly getting better. I’ve encouraged him to lay low today. We are officially starting our ‘no chores-listening to music-reading-relaxing’ days leading up to Christmas. Of course, I’m cleaning the bathroom today but that’s because I like things clean before Christmas. And since we’re getting lots and lots of rain tomorrow on top of a snow pack and temperatures in the 50s for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with a 20 degree drop on Saturday, we’ll probably be out there salting as the melted snow turns to ice.
Our Christmas – at least the outdoors portion of it – is not going to be pretty. Indoors? Pretty.
Today, however, is sunny and quite beautiful.
This arrived at nearly 10 pm last night:
A big thank you to UPS drivers who are clearly working long, long hours. (By the way, we’re still missing our USPS packages – not their fault, of course, just annoying.)
Anyway, this is the Beacon Hill dollhouse kit. We haven’t unboxed it yet, but it weighs about 40 pounds and we’re going to have to drag it upstairs later this morning. I’ve been reading lots of posts about constructing this huge house and they’re very helpful. But I had to stop reading them for the time being. If I kept on reading, I would never start the project!
By the way, this is for Jeanie, who mentioned she’d like a photo of the den in Hummingbird Cottage all dressed up for Christmas.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
Good morning Claudia and Don. I’m sure having a shot in the eye is stressful for everyone. I love the orbs in your photo! Little Christmas fairy lights! Thank you for sharing the den–I’m sure I’m not the only one who wishes she could shrink down to enjoy that lovely space. Have a lovely day before Christmas Eve.
Thank you so much, Nora!
Stay safe.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Judy.
Much love and stay safe!
That new dollhouse will sure keep you busy. It looks huge!
Hope Don’s eye feels better.
Merry Christmas!
It is!
Thanks, Ellen.
Stay safe!
Two hundred eighty -five….wonder how many days beyond this, until we feel safe? Our postwoman was quite frazzled a few weeks back. I had asked her how her day was going….she replied, ‘do you really want to know?’ I don’t think things have gotten much better for them, nor for us. Packages are delayed, the UDPS is overwhelmed. Hopefully, Biden can straighten it all out.
We are getting the warm temps today, plus some rain. I’m afraid this means no white Christmas for us. Sigh. Since you got more snow then we did, hopefully yours will stick around for you.
Days of rest sound wonderful…Don should definitely rest. What an ordeal he has to go through. Stay safe! ;)
I don’t know whether it will stick around – 1 – 2 inches of rain tomorrow and tomorrow night. Plus, it’s been melting for the past two days.
Stay safe, Donna!
Hi Claudia, I hope Don’ s feeling better. My mother-in-law had those shots and they are not fun. I just love that room and just want to live in it! Can’t wait to see how the Beacon Hill progresses!
Thanks so much, Deb!
If I can just get it built – and that will take a long time – we’ll see how the rest of it goes!
Stay safe.
ohmygosh, I just NEVER tire of seeing the gorgeous interiors of your cottages, Claudia!
Thank you, Vicki!
Stay safe!
Love the dollhouse room. Merry Christmas…take care…prayers…
Merry Christmas, Brenda!
Stay safe.
It is supposed to be near 50* today. We had a bit of rain, and now the sun is out. It is getting quite windy. Very little snow remains here. Have been busy tying up all of the last minute loose ends which need to be put together. Cleaning, dusting, straightening. So very very excited to see the little one tomorrow!!! As the kids say… only one more sleep!!!
Glad to hear Don’s shot went well and he is feeling better today. Hope you have a peaceful day. I heard you have strong winds coming your way. ugh. Hope they are manageable. Take care.
Seeing little one will make for a beautiful Christmas, Chris.
Stay safe.
a magical room! I could live there! it’s just lovely!
and the mere IDEA of getting a shot in the eye
much less getting the real thing… OMG! bless you both.
and I hope you both have a truly Merry Christmas! xoxo
Thank you, Tammy.
Merry Christmas!
Stay safe.
Beautiful photo of the paperwhites with the orbs. Last year when I was at my First Best Friend’s house for our winter solstice women’s gathering, we took a group selfie and when we looked at the photo, we were astounded that we all had little orbs of light on our faces. Someone then said, but of course we did!
I can’t imagine getting shots in my eye. I have two friends that go through that periodically, too and it always makes me cringe when I hear about it.
Brian is on vacation from work right now and we’re lying low as much as possible, too. Some light housework and laundry and that’s it. Otherwise, lots of reading, playing backgammon, and watching Christmas movies at night.
Our weather is nuts right now, too. It was 55 degrees today, though it certainly didn’t feel like it. It was damp and insanely windy. It’s crashing all the way down to 14 degrees tonight – a 41 degree drop! Tomorrow, Christmas Eve will only be high of 18 degrees and Christmas day, 21 degrees. I guess if we had to pick one good thing about staying put at at the holidays during the pandemic, it would be that we will be cozy and warm inside our home and that we don’t have to go out in the bitter cold.
I think we’re getting what you had tomorrow, with the addition of heavy rain. Not a very pretty Christmas Eve!
But, like you, we’re home, we’re safe, and we’re watching Christmas movies. Tonight is The Bishop’s Wife.
Stay safe, Melanie.
Always so strange, the weather variations. In SoCalif, we’ve had unrelenting and severe Santa Ana wind for 21 straight hours, no letup with it, gusting out there right now and rattling the windows, too-dry (6 percent humidity) and not-Christmasy (warm; mid-60s as we begin the 6am-hour with of course still no sunrise; is dark out there). But it’s not atypical. It’s just this part of Calif. I’ll dream of your white Christmases!
Talked to a cousin who lives locally here and she said, “Oh, no, we’re not gathering this year.” And who’s coming for Christmas?
Her household of 3.
One adult child coming from 6 hrs away.
His girlfriend coming from 2 hrs away.
College student daughter (studying virtually at my cousin’s home) hosting a friend.
Then they’re all going over to her 90-something-years-old mother-in-law.
So, that’s mixing five households. (And with an elderly, vulnerable relative.) Yet they look at it as ‘not gathering’. Just ‘their pod’. [These are intelligent people; just not with Covid.])
And we’ve watched the cars accumulate with our neighbor. So many people have already arrived there for the holiday that when we went to place flowers at the cemetery (a very short trip and around zero-other people), we returned to NO parking in front of our house, so had to park down the street and walk home til the next day; we counted eleven cars associated with their household. As public health director for L.A. County says, “I don’t understand it. It’s irresponsible. And dangerous.”
All I can do is pray for everyone’s safety and health (in our area of SoCalif which has no ICU beds and mega escalation of virus). And believe 2021 will be better. HOPE! (It’s spelled out in several Christmas-light displays around my town: HOPE.) Peace, love, hope.
And as you say, Claudia, stay safe! (We opted out of our grocery run; decided to make do for our holiday dinner, and it’s fine; felt too iffy here right now to be anywhere near a store; but it’s indeed okay; we’re glad for our home; that we have a place to BE safe. [I opt for ‘cozy’, as Melanie said above! The wind should stop today {Christmas Eve day} and all will be calm in the silent night, holy night.]) I will watch NO news on TV nor will I read any, not til next week. It’s a time for Christmas movies, snacks, wrapping a few gifts and reflection in the most healing way.
We have wind starting today and going through Christmas and you know how I hate the wind. Ah well. There’s nothing I can do about it.
Yes, stay away from the news. Just be in the moment this season.
Stay safe, Vicki.
Merry Christmas to you and Don. I hope this coming year will bring you peace and safety from the virus. Thank you for your unfailing commentary throughout this last year. I am sure it hasn’t been easy to write everyday, however I have appreciated reading your words and enjoying your photos.
Thank you, Miche.
Merry Christmas!
Stay safe.
love the photo of the paperwhites and orbs!
and the other photo shows well how large that new beacon hill dollhouse is … wow!
hope don’s eye feels better, that it’s all good and as easy as something like that can be.
glad you and don plan to keep things low-key the next few days, watch Christmas movies, etc. sounds very, very nice. if you don’t mind the question, what’s on the menu? like most people i know, my family and i will make some favorites (i love traditions), but i also enjoy hearing about other people’s plans. thanks.
good luck with the weather! our temperature dropped quickly today, the wind came up and by the time i left work, we had maybe an inch of snow on the ground. i stopped at a couple places for groceries and in just a few minutes, the wet heavy snow began to freeze on my windshield. not at all pleasant (other than the beauty of it and just thinking about all it takes to get snow, etc).
i am working tomorrow, then get to see some family members (from a safer social distance … i’ll be in my car) on Christmas eve and Christmas. best i go as i need to wrap the other presents, then wash the dishes. i enjoy both those things (luckily).
hope you all have a beautiful Christmas eve and day, celebrate as possible and including the reason for the season, and know that you are great, cared about, prayed for and appreciated.
stay safe!
kathy in iowa
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Kathy.
Stay safe.
The number of days in quarantine is amazing and of course we’ve many more to go. I am going to celebrate the end of 2020 and pray for a much brighter 2021. Merry Christmas!
Amen!
Merry Christmas, Linda.
Stay safe!
I am in love with Hummingbird Cottage. May I move in right now? It’s just charming and so festive!
Sounds like a wonderful plan, to just hunker down and enjoy the days of Christmas now. I can see where that appointment would be exhausting and I hope the aftermath isn’t too bad.
My paperwhite buds are a day or two from bloom. Oh, they make me so happy! Merry Merry!
Each time I check them out, I see another bloom!
Merry Christmas, Jeanie.
Stay safe.
Aw the dollhouse will be so amazing. Your flowers are really moving along!
I like the house spotless when we host CHristmas. Im kinda just sour graping it here, but I dont have to clean like a mad woman. My daughter (32 years) said allshe remembers from last Christmas was me COnstantly vacuuming. She threatened to hide it on me.!
WEll, Zoom ZOom ZOom. THat’s our Christmas . ITs been fun to send gifts and we even figured out how to use AMazon Mexico for our son!
Bless you and Your Husband. I hope for his vision to be wonderful in 2021
Bless you and yours, Kathy!
Stay safe and Merry Christmas!
A very Merry Christmas to you and Don. I’ve enjoyed your blog for years and have loved following you through the ups and downs. You keep it real and I love your heart. I marvel at your beautiful little homes, you’re an inspiration! I’m wishing you both a very HAPPY New Year and know we’ll have a better next four years than last!
Yes! Soon it will be 2021!
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Ginette!
Stay safe.