I’m writing this early on this Friday morning as we have to go grocery shopping and we want to get going while it’s still relatively uncrowded in the store.
I finally got my chores done yesterday. The outdoor lights are illuminating the porch, I emptied more pots and stored them in the shed, I took some Christmas decorations that we weren’t using out to the shed and stored them in a bin. Doing anything in the shed is surprisingly pleasant right now. It’s no longer a story about crawling over boxes and junk to find a place to put the pots, or having to move 5 things out of the shed in order to get to something. I’m so glad we finally accomplished the goal that we’d been talking about for years. It’s now functioning beautifully – we won’t talk about the leaky roof – and it’s what it should be.
We were standing inside the shed and I glanced around and saw our two snow shovels and I just picked them up and took them to the porch. That simple.
I’m doing my best to keep busy and stay peaceful. That’s not easy considering the seditious actions of those insisting that OM is the winner of the election. I think I can no longer be shocked, but I guess I’m naive, because I am outraged. And shocked. In a time where we should finally be allowed to celebrate the incoming administration, we have these fools who are trying to dismantle our democracy.
Anyway. Shopping this morning. Maybe some dollhouse work this afternoon.
As I sit here writing, I’m looking at the glow of the Christmas tree lights through the french door. What an incredibly lovely gift this tree and these lights are. They calm me down. They exude peace and good and all that is lovely. They are my talisman right now, my reminder that all of the other stuff is just noise and that I can choose to focus on love. It’s not easy, but my goodness, this time of year should be peaceful and I want to be in it and of it.
Stay safe.
Happy Friday.
Hope you can get the leaky shed and roof fixed before winter sets in
Yes we finished our tree last night and it is indeed calming
Since winter sets in with a big snowfall on Wednesday, I don’t think that’s going to happen!
Stay safe, Linda.
I can’t remember exactly the quote, but it stopped the McCarthy witch hunt trials during the 50’s. “Have you no shame?” I am hoping the Supreme Court says the same.
Amen to that!! ;)
I remember that quote. But I think it might have been “Have you no decency?” Same thing, of course.
I hope they strongly slap them down.
Stay safe, Tana.
they did! :)
kathy in iowa
yes, happily THEY DID.
UNANIMOUS.
Great news!
xoxo
Every morning the sun isn’t shining…the tree lights are turned on first thing. It has a calming quality, and gives me tremendous hope. Hope, that I seem to lose as soon as I hear about the latest antics of a desperate man along with his cohorts. Gah! Will it never end?
Glad your lights are up. We are scurrying around making sure all the pots, or anything else has been put away…shovels are handy, and there’s gas in the snowblower. We have snow looming, 4-7” looks like. I’m a little excited…mainly because Christmas lights always look so much better with snow. It’s Magic!
Stay safe! ;)
We have snow coming on Wednesday – too far away for it to be the same weather pattern. Glad you’re prepared!
Stay safe, Donnamae.
Love your photos. Picking up my groceries tomorrow morning. So much going on right now. Most important the vaccine I believe and COVID. As to the other-out of our hands. Prayers dear girl.
Prayers, Brenda.
Stay safe!
I love that going to the shed is “surprisingly pleasant.” I should turn my basement or garage into a “surprisingly pleasant” place. The garage isn’t happening now — but maybe Basement 2021 is a good goal!
The lights calm me, too. I’m so glad I was able to get my decorating gene in gear.
I’m glad, too. The lights are everything right now!
Stay safe, Jeanie.
About your shed: I hope, I really hope, that you will be able to keep it this way. It’s fatally easy to let it silt up again!
I think, after 15 years of a mess, we will. We like it too much this way!
Stay safe, Petra.
I felt this way after I cleaned out and organized my good-size linen closet recently. Sometimes I walk past it now and just stare because it’s so neat and organized. Like, why did I wait so long to do it!
I have a wee linen closet (it’s actually a piece of furniture) and it’s a mess. I just have to get motivated to purge and refold everything. That’s on the winter docket.
xo
I like the position of your houses, it looks like a European hillside village. Your mention of your shed and its contents reminded me of a funny story.
A few years ago my son decided to sell his full size drum kit online. The guy who purchased it was more of a city dweller, we live a bit more rural. So my son dismantled the drum kit, packed it into the boot of his car and set off to deliver.
The guy purchasing was overjoyed, he had always hankered after playing the drums but his wife wouldn’t allow him and as he had recently divorced, he said he was now going to learn.
As they were carrying the various bits into his house, the guy lifted an object from the car boot and said to my son “What part of the drum, is this?”
To which my son replied “That’s a snow shovel!” 😀
Happy Friday
Oh, I love that!
How funny!
Stay safe, Dee Dee.
it is unbelievable to me that anyone with a functioning brain can say Biden did not win our election! Biden/Harris are going to have tough times ahead — so much opposition to ideas, nominees, etc. will our country ever be united again?? so much hate/division — egged on by people who should know better, supposedly intelligent, educated. all of us need to pray for the health/safety of Biden/Harris — life will probably get very ugly in the days ahead. hope you/Don stay safe/healthy.
I think it’s already ugly and, yes, will get uglier. These people should be ousted from office. And Nancy Pelosi should refuse to seat all of the House GOP that signed that amicus. If they think the election was a fraud, then surely their reelections were also frauds, right?
Stay safe, Linda.
Exactly, Claudia. Exactly. Do they seriously not understand that??
They’re fools!
Yes, my basement needs the type of cleaning you gave the shed. That will be the winter project once we get past the holidays.
Wishing us all peace (soon)!
Soon. But not soon enough!
Stay safe, Ellen.
Such a nice post, Claudia. You filled me with some needed calm; good goals to aim for, for the season. I of course echo everything you’re saying about OM/treason. This unsavory stuff along with Covid can do its best to sabotage our joy of the holidays; we must not let it. I want to ride out the rest of 2020 in some kind of hopeful and happier state of mind.
But your photo; the putz houses; OMG, it’s Holiday Heaven from you today; thank you! I have my parents’ little putz church from when they got married in the late 1940s; is such a treasure to me (it’s a bit battered after 70 years [cardboard of course; paper]; much loved by little hands [Mom was really good about letting me handle these things and having some creative expression, which was generous, when she could have said, “I don’t want you touching that!”]).
And I love (that in recent years) there are artists out there making repros available to the buying public (fans of Christmas and these memories). I prefer the ones of that newish ilk which are actually tree ornaments because I love the smaller size; some of the newer putz houses are more tabletop-type houses and too large for my tastes although they’re all beautiful; I picked up a couple of diminutive ones maybe two years ago from Pier 1 on a sale. Of course, Cody Foster repros them now (mass production); can even get them at Target or Amazon (pricey). It’s great for people who don’t collect vintage or if they don’t have originals in their family things. I imagine a lot of us (we of a certain age) remember the little Christmas scene at the base of our parents’ Christmas tree; tiny plastic deer, whatever we could scrounge from the Christmas storage boxes to make a wee village and imagine the white cloth around the tree trunk being ‘snow’.
I think I have 8 vintage putz houses. I would have looked for more this year but, of course, no antiquing. I do love them a lot.
Thanks so much, Vicki. I love the idea of a village under the tree. I remember them well!
Stay safe.
As a kid, I’d get so annoyed with our adored family dog for sniffing around and upsetting my ‘village’. I mean, I loved her of course, and my parents always stressed patience and understanding when it came to our pets, but I’d have my eye on her to keep her away from the tree so that I didn’t have the little scene in disarray (my masterpiece!). It was sort of this constant, daily thing to have to put the steeple back on the putz church after the dog’s curiosity got the best of her and her nose got in the way! I solved the prob as an adult with my own tree by simply doing my village scene on a table with a smaller fake tree. I never had a problem with the cats knocking down the ‘real’ (bigger) tree but we had one dog early in our marriage who loved to get under the tree at the base and scratch his back on the low limbs as if he were an old moose in the forest and, boom, down went the Christmas tree which is when I lost several of my vintage ornaments. He was so bewildered and was the sweetest rescue dog who only wanted to please; my initial concern was actually if the falling tree had hurt him, which it didn’t and, in the end, he was a heckuva lot more important than my ornaments and I was still able to salvage the majority of them. We learned our lesson after that and tied the top of the tree to the ceiling. (I’m sure I repeat this story every year.)
With eight vintage putz houses, Claudia, you’ve got your unique village, lucky you! I’m glad it’s not matchy-matchy. Like any human village or older neighborhood, the houses are a mix with their own special characteristics.
I so enjoy your Christmas decor.
xoxo
Stay safe and be at peace during this holiday season. Your putz houses look wonderful. I once decorated a 7 1/2 ft artificial Christmas tree filled with my antique putz houses for a charity auction. It brought in the highest recorded auction price for a Christmas tree for the Detroit Children’s Hospital. I loved my little houses but I never regret what joy they brought to all of those who viewed it, the person who bid on it and the benefit to the sick children. My friends still ask if I regret selling them. How can I regret the joy little putz houses brought to so many people. Your post reminded me of how joy is really achieved.
What a great thing to do, Nancy! A lovely gesture.
Stay safe!
what a generous gift you gave, nancy!
may such joy come back to you!
stay safe!
kathy in iowa
I’m still waiting for me new Christmas tree to arrive. I so want to stop at some of the nearby lots and bring home a fresh one but neither of us are up to that task. Ah well. I’m enjoying the photos people are sharing on FB. Your houses are so cute! To think how we took them for granted when we were little (I doubt there were Putz, more likely a cheap imitation, but we loved them). Stay safe!
sounds like a couple of productive and enjoyable days for you … yay! i get inspiration to make my kitchen, a closet more functional from what you describe about your shed. thank you for that!
love the mix of the putz and the pottery … a lovely village of wonderfulness. and the light!
and your little santa figure. :)
thanks for all your photos and focus on good and necessary things like joy, peace, lights!
after yesterday’s mri and long drives, i was hoping for an easier day today but the weather required a change of plans. it’s been raining all day and is to turn into lots of snow overnight (weatherperson on tv said “traffic will be difficult” tomorrow … ugh) so i did some grocery shopping today, delivered it and am glad i could do that and especially to see members of my family (though sadly from a distance). i miss them all so much!
as for the mri … the drives went fine, in part for knowing the route so well and for taking breaks to move around a little. absolutely zero feeling of claustrophobia. when given the choice of tv or music, i asked for “happy music” and the tech obliged … first up? a long-time fave … joe cocker (especially live/concert versions of anything he’s sang). the technician said the images are very clear, which will obviously be helpful. the first part went very well, but the second part was rough. i had no idea that it required semi-laying down (about a 45 degree angle) and that was hard, did not feel good at all. almost pushed the squeezeball. then i threw up. sorry … probably too much information there! anyway, it’s done. was told my doctor should have the results by this coming monday. hopefully i hear back by tuesday. now i am home, showered, made some comfort food and the window blinds are still open so i can stand there and watch the rain/snow.
also about yesterday … thanks for everyone’s kindness and prayers. i didn’t feel anxious (until the chair back was tilted for the second mri … surprise!) … i just felt supported. thank you. means a lot. more than i can say.
hope you are all safe and stay that way. and have a good weekend ahead.
kathy in iowa
So glad to hear it was a manageable day, kathy. I was thinking of you yesterday. Hope your news is good and you can find some rest and peace this weekend.
thanks, chris. missed being here with you all.
hope your days have been good and will stay that way.
are you getting snow? we’ve had at least five inches of snow here overnight. it’s pretty, but i am not excited to go out in it.
stay safe and have a nice weekend!
kathy in iowa
I am so glad that the drive and mri are behind you Kathy. I hope you hear back from your Dr. on Monday. Keep us posted and have a great weekend!
hej, donna.
thanks very much. i’m glad they’re done, too.
will sure let you know what i find out.
hope you have a nice, safe weekend ahead!
kathy in iowa
…whew, kathy, I’m so glad that’s over for you; you did it, you got thru it, good job, and now to some good results soon!
thanks, vicki. :)
to throw up was embarrassing and gross, but yeah … made it through, looking at a quiet weekend and hopefully getting helpful mri results on monday or tuesday.
hope your have a quiet, safe weekend ahead, too.
kathy in iowa
Oh, Kathy! What a lot you went through! I’m glad it’s done and you can rest for the weekend. We were all thinking of you on Thursday.
xoxo
Stay safe.
thanks, claudia.
i felt it … the eight hours sitting in my car driving up and back, the mris (especially the slanted part) and the getting sick, yes … but also the friendship and support and being prayed for. means a lot. thank you and everyone else so much!
hope your weekend is starting well.
stay safe and well!
kathy in iowa
xoxo
We too were at the grocery store the minute it opened this morning. There were only three other people shopping. So…stocked up for at least two weeks. The best parts were the beautiful reddish sunrise this morning and fresh yeast for a batch of soft pretzels –I love spoiling my sweetie!
We are still seeing T-P election signs up (yuck), mostly in the rural areas. Crazy pants! I’m happy to report that our Republican Representative has (so far) not signed on to the Texas AG attempt to invalidate votes. Go, Nevada! I guess there might still be a few Republicans with a spine? 45 and his sycophants can’t depart soon enough–I’m so done with the drama. Today I’ll follow up on sending postcards to Georgia voters. Flipping the Senate would be MAJOR.
Time to string lights on the tree, play the Carpenters’ Christmas album, look up my recipe for latkes, try my hand at painting some Hanukah gnomes–because nothing says “holiday” like diversity–and wait for the promised storm to roll in.
Stay cheery and safe as we hunker down for the duration, again. Whatever it takes!
I love, love the Carpenters Christmas album. We used to play it in our dorm room! I need to get another copy.
Stay safe, Roxie!
Beautiful picture today, Claudia! The colors and the shadows are just wonderful.
I have been beside myself all day worrying about the SC. I was (sadly) amazed at their vote!!! A teeny bit of my faith has been restored. Not sure if it will last for more than a minute, but it surely made me happy. I want to be so excited about Jan 20 and beyond, but all of this total nonsense has not made it easy!! And knowing how difficult THEY are going to make it for Biden & Harris is shameful. I do hope that some of his history in the Senate will be on his side, but the Congress surely isn’t what it was when he was serving. So very sad.
I am so troubled about their unwillingness to acknowledge Biden’s landslide win. Or to be willing to work with him.
I never thought I would see this.
Stay safe, Chris.
Hi Claudia. I love that you are trying to find the peace and serenity of the season. I too am trying but find that I am getting angrier and angrier at both the elected officials and those who voted for that egomaniac! I was shocked, but thrilled by the courts decision today. I was thrilled by the selection of Biden/Harris for the Time cover for both them, but also because we all know how much it will affect OM! I so hope the people of GA are able to help turn the Senate around. Our government needs a complete overhaul! Wishing you a peaceful weekend.
Absolutely. A complete overhaul.
Praying that we take the Senate, Donna.
Stay safe.
Good evening Claudia
this is a very peaceful post. Hopefully, you can keep the inner peace you’ve found today. Each day is a chance to try again to see the good and positive in our life. I do not count the days I succeed nor the days I fail. I am just glad that there is another day after every night as long as I live.
Enjoy the shed. Enjoy the lights. Try to see the beauty in heavy snowfall. Ant take your time to shovel.
All the best!
Regula
Thanks, Regula.
Stay safe!