Mockingbird Hill Cottage

An all-day-long rainy day. Gray skies, lots of snow on the ground, and rain make for a dreary landscape. I have lots of stuff to do today, so I’ll be settling in at my desk upstairs with Christmas music playing in the background.

I got an unexpected job offer from Hartford Stage for January and February of next year. Just 5 days work spread over several weeks, but it’s on a new production of Jane Eyre, directed by Elizabeth Williamson, who I’ve worked with before and who is an Associate Artistic Director there. I’ll be the dialect coach. It’s always good to know you have some work coming up in the new year.

Don and I took a little trip to the Clinton Shops yesterday. I wanted him to see a vintage camera that I thought he’d like – though I had no idea of the price – and I wanted to see those darned putz sheep again.

While I was there, the owner came up to me and said she follows me on Instagram and that she loved our stories of our trip to Paris. I’ve spoken to her before. Her name is Nina. We had a lovely conversation and while we were talking, her husband stopped by, so all four of us chatted for quite a while. It’s a lovely little shop.

Don looked at several vintage cameras which were modestly priced and he thought about them and thought about them some more. I looked at putz sheep and I thought about them and thought about them some more.

He bought the camera – a Kodak from the 30s, called the Jiffy Kodak. The minute you look at it, you’ll see why I fell for it.

Hello, Art Deco styling! It’s in good condition and I’m happy to say Don bought it. We’re going to put a shelf up above his desk that can hold some of his other cameras – all of them vintage.

As for the sheep…I held one, then another, I looked at their coats and their faces (and the price.) I put them down and walked away and chatted with the owner. Then I went back. I was especially drawn to two of them, no more than 2 ½ inches high. One had an adorable head tilt. The other had big eyes and a fluffy coat. Both of them had pink collars, so they’re girls.

I couldn’t decide between them. So they both came home with me.

Some of these photos were taken late in the day, so I had to position the sheep on my laptop under my reading light.

A little blurry, but you can see the big eyes on this girl.

Head tilt. It reminded me of the way our dogs would tilt their heads when I used a certain inflection while speaking to them.

Most Putz sheep were made in Germany. The name is derived from the German – I’ve seen the definition as ‘put’ or ‘putter around’ as in ‘putz around the house,’ and as ‘decorate.’ Entire villages were made out of animals and houses – a Christmas tradition in Germany and, later, in the Moravian communities in Pennsylvania. They come in several sizes. The two above are on the petite side. The sheep I bought the other day is larger. The Lamb with the Party Hat, which is the symbol of my blog, is very small. Sometimes, you see “Germany” on the collar or on a leg. I have a couple that have the word Germany on the collar.

Putz houses also had their origin in Germany, but once a certain size of electric light bulb became available, cardboard houses with holes in the back for a light started to be made in Japan. They were inexpensive, pennies apiece. And they were also manufactured here, as seen in the house I bought the other day.

I found one yesterday that I bought for two reasons: it was the least expensive, and it had a design I’d not seen before.

The scalloped edge reminds me a bit of a castle, but the house itself reminds me of California stucco homes. I’ve never seen this design before as most putz houses are more traditional in style.

I have no mantle. The top of the piano is already occupied. So I put them on the McCoy pieces I have in the den:

Germans and German-Americans used to create villages, complete with tree branches and various items found outdoors. Eventually, as the Christmas tree became popular, they would often place the villages at the base of the tree. Once the houses became more popular, glitter and snow were added.

The putz sheep were a part of these displays and they were also used in Nativity scenes.

I could put the houses underneath our tree, but I’m afraid Don will forget they’re there and step on them!

I’ve got 10 putz sheep now and I’m going to rearrange them later today. I’m crazy about them.

Happy Monday.