Fresh Starts

Donna and I have been extremely anxious this holiday season. There are changes afoot making me act like a hermit crab, waiting until no one looks to move along. We have tackled a couple of simple things and found nagging complications that have been completely out of our control. You had to see our newly hung bedroom curtains to see how a seemingly silly detail could throw us off. One set of panels had been resealed into a bag to make them look new and ready to go...but they had been hemmed a full 24 or more inches! So half of the curtains went to the floor and the other half looked like a poor soul who had rushed out of the restroom with her skirt accidentally tucked in her underpants. Not pretty.

I was fixed on unnecessary details~ that is until I got a synchronous phone call with an art show request. Despite the season and our offers our house will be almost bereft of company and the business where I was to show my work in January and February abruptly closed last week. The end of one opportunity has cleared the way for another. Suddenly the priorities are made clear....new work for the first of the year makes sense. The gifts and galas will sort out as the week progresses. All in good time, all in good time.

Season of Light

We found this silly 7.5 foot narrow tree at Target and I am happy to say the twanging and panging of my old Christmas Tree business days are quieted when I look at the finished tree.  Neither the dog nor I have a rash or the sneezing and wheezing we both do when we bring in a locally grown smells-like-fresh-air just cut Christmas Tree.

The sale on the artificial tree was good enough that we thought it would be worth a try and if we had to abandon it later we would find it a good home. This year there are additional strings of crystals serving as garland~ we purchased them for the arch we were married under this past February and it seems like a perfect new addition to the decor.

We tightened up a little on the decorating this year. I love to paint the rooms with light during these shortest days of the year. I am really all about the pagan parts of the Christmas rituals except that I can sing every hymn related to Christmas as if I am standing in church with my choir robe on and a battery operated candle firmly gripped in my hand. Anything can set the singing off and nothing will drive the melodies out of my head. Without fail I am accidentally (and probably in a quite unwelcome way) serenading my fellow holiday shoppers to the heralding Muzak in the store.

But the light of this season is a hair more dim.The double hit of storms in August and October did nothing to diminish the power bill. How can one be out of electricity for 9 days and not see it any reflected lowering of the utility bill? In the most unnoticeable and useless protest ever I refused to put up the outdoor lights. Yes, I am questioning my seasonal spirit. Grinch? No. Curmudgeon? Yes. Until "Hark to the Bells" puts a skip in my step and a pleasant ringing in my ears.