Meandering Thoughts at Holiday Time

I finished five houses and will stop there until I figure out what to do with them next. And it is the holiday season.  So my mind is on incoming company, Christmas dinner, presents, wrapping, getting last cards out. This year I resurrected an old undergraduate etched plate to use for our card. We have, or rather I have, always made our Christmas cards. And they have always said, “Happy Holidays” inside.

This year there seems to be an extreme sensitivity to using that phrase over “Merry Christmas”. The other day I heard two people congratulating themselves for saying, “Merry Christmas” to each other and indicated they were protesting some left wing conspiracy by doing so. This latest election has brought out the worst in us and an amazing amount of pride in ignorance. I would just like to hide out until education becomes an important goal again. But with the things the way they are right now, especially in states like North Carolina, I might be under wraps for quite some time.

But onto other things about the holidays. My not so traditional tree is up again this year with an oil can theme. It does lack the smell of pine and all the age old ornaments full of memories, but I like doing this….featuring a collection each year on the tree.

Also sharing part of the living is my answer to the lack of a fireplace in our house. A very old basket that my father and I picked peaches in while living in Michigan. I filled it with some local apples from a neighbor, my collection of African monkey balls, twigs from our corkscrew willows, some Eucalyptus branches, a large wooden bird, some mementos from Australia and twinkling lights to make me feel like I am sitting near some small glowing embers.

Here are some detail of the Australian Aboriginal carved goannas and in keeping with the pyrography of the bird and those animals are Toni Rogers’ sticks of driftwood. Whenever I am in Australia and I see Toni, I buy her sticks when I can. They are magical and fit in my non burning fireplace just perfectly. Here are some details of the fireplace basket.

On the front door this year I have another nod to Australia…

In 2011 I put this on the front door. A coil of barbed wire with an old rusted calf muzzle attached. I thought filling it with holly and a bit of honeysuckle vine sort of made it a bit festive. A neighbor questioned my holiday spirit. Now it hangs minus dead and dying plants up high in the foyer. I still like it.

I think one of the best things about blogs are the pictures. And I just don’t have any more for this one. It is a dark and dreary day here with ongoing showers. I think I will go back to the studio and find something to do.

If I am not back here before please have a Wonderful and Happy Holiday Season. I will be keeping the company of family and friends where we all can say “Happy Holiday” and discuss the new and less than happy outcome our election has brought into each of our homes and hearts. We will do this over some single malt, excellent bourbon and lovely Australian wines.

Be back in 2017.