I'm Not Going to Think About It - Yet

I promise myself I won't even think about taking down the Christmas decorations until New Year's Day. Who am I kidding? It may be two weeks from New Year's Day. 

It looks snowy inside (and outside.) I like the lights at night. Not ready to give it up. 

I was slow getting decorated. The older I get the more appealing it would be to donate it all each year and start fresh. No hauling boxes up and down from the basement. But I'd have to be rich. Not happening. 

And I would miss these sweet glittery deer on the dining room table each year. 

Nope, can't do it. So I'll continue to be a pack mule going up and down the stairs. Just not yet. 

Merry Christmas!

A wonderful Colorado Christmas complete with snowfall and wintry temps has come and is almost gone. Hope you and yours had a lovely holiday! 

Snow and Berries

It snowed some yesterday. 

Those are fake red berries that I put in my summer pots after I yanked out the dead annuals. Well, actually I had to cut the dead annuals down because the dirt was too frozen to pull them out. I waited a little too long to take care of some of the fall chores. I put some evergreen clippings in there too, which I cut from trees and bushes in my yard. Does that count as a fall chore? 

Oh, and I had to use my dandelion digger to punch holes in the frozen soil so I could insert said berries and branches. I'm thinking it looks very Christmas-y. 

On the front porch the snow pretty much buried a red wagon filled with more branches. 

The old washtub fared a bit better. I can at least see that 

big pinecone but others are buried in the wagonful of snow. 

Back on the terrace a snack awaits the arrival of the flock of magpies that will arrive soon. About a dozen of them. They will make short work of this with the help of a few bluejays and the nemesis squirrels. I like how the birds pick up each peanut judging its weight so they get the biggest one. Sort of pointless since they'll eat them all anyway, but the best first, apparently! 

A row of Skyrocket Junipers in their blue pots lined up on the back porch for the winter. It's the only way I'll remember to water them. They're usually in the bottom garden until my grandchildren haul them up here in the fall. Otherwise, out of sight, out of mind! I normally tie them up with twine so snow doesn't ruin their pencil shape, but these are getting a little ragtag anyway so I won't bother this year. 

It's hard to tell this is a reindeer with a metal branch sculpture behind. Looks more like a sheep now. A snow sheep. 

Hunting for summer

I just came back from a Mexico vacation. While I was in Mexico there was snowstorm after snowstorm at home. I felt bad for my neighbors who I knew were taking turns shoveling my walks and driveways while I walked the beach in search of sea glass. I have good neighbors.

Being back at home always leaves me yearning for the tropics with its warm weather. So I went on a hunt for summer. I needed a lovely bowl to display all my sea glass so I hit TJMaxx for inspiration. Found the perfect bowl and then browsed the store. Suddenly, I found it. Summer, tropics!

Those colors! Those fronds! It called to me. But wait, was I being rash? Do I need another bedspread? Well, of course. Does it look too old lady-ish? Probably, but I am an old lady. I circled the aisle and came back to it, eyeing it warily. Another customer approached. I pounced. It's mine. Summer is here, at least in my bedroom.

 

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Tomorrow

I have to do it. I have to take down this long cedar swag hanging over the entry to the dining room. But look how dried out it is.

I know what will happen. The minute I touch it there will be an immediate downpour of dried needles. A regular cloudburst. And that's carpet under it. Just look at this desiccated stuff.

Maybe I'll do it tomorrow. Note to self: next year don't be too lazy to go to the basement and haul out the fake stuff.

But meanwhile the succulents in the living room window are soaking up the low winter sun. What the heck, one of those guys even bloomed.

Notice how they're thumbing their green noses at the snow and cold outside the window.

I think they need watered and rotated. Tomorrow.

 

 

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Signs of snow and Christmas

I like to read decorating blogs to see how out of touch I am. Right now they're all showing their winter mantels. Here's mine.

What's different about my mantel is that I don't change it. It's my winter, spring, summer, and fall mantel. It's suitable for all Colorado seasons except summer and then I'm out in the garden anyway. If I should happen to notice it in the summer heat the sight of the snow-tipped branches makes me feel slightly cooler. Once in awhile I dust it, too.

The very summery chaise with its big pink and rose floral design gets a furry shrug for winter. Nice and cozy for TV watching and book reading. Easy to whip off when the warm breezes blow again.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile now you know I have a humongous Christmas village that lives in the basement. One of my Adorable Grandchildren has been helping me put it all away so some work can be done down there. But I couldn't celebrate the season without at least a part of a village so I grabbed a few houses and made them the centerpiece of my dining room table.

Behind that is the hutch with all my seashell stuff. It's year-round too. So I stuck some juniper and spruce branches from my trees into the mix to make it blend in. It will be very ouchy to remove.

Back in the living room, here's a tree. Undecorated by choice. I don't want to have to put all those ornaments away in January. Easy-peasy.

And another snow-tipped tree mirrored by the snowfall outdoors.

I am attracted to shiny. Shiny pillow, shiny pointy tree.

And more shiny next to a minimally decorated tree. With a little leopard thrown in for good measure.

Outside, the Bushtits heard there was snow coming and mobbed the suet feeder. They must have seen the snowbirds arriving (Juncos) as they've been here all week. A sure sign of snow.

 

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Winter sun

Early morning sun in the living room.

 

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Fine and Feathery

Here's what happened this week. It got really cold. I mean really, really cold. It hasn't been this cold here at this time of year since 1916. What the heck. But...I watch the weather report, I was ready. I raced around the garden on the last morning of nice weather, tucking ceramic pots and birdbaths away safe from freezing and thawing destruction, wrapping the standing wall fountain in a big blue tarp. The cold front blew in, the temperature dropped, the snow came, twice. But I was ready. Amazing!

The miscanthus standing tall a few weeks ago.

And the snow didn't beat it down. It still looks fine and feathery. Before I shovel my walks and driveway I brush the snow off the ornamental grasses. I have my priorities.

 

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Boo

Getting ready for spooks and goblins tonight. Or more likely, Batman, Elsa and Anna, and assorted princesses.

Pre-retirement I shared the fun duties of Halloween party planner extraordinaire with a co-worker. Together we planned the day-long festivities with costume contests, endless food, and decorations galore. It took hours to transform our workroom into a spooky cobwebby witchy space to celebrate Halloween. The whole department pitched in. Costumes were discussed or kept secret. The day of the big event everyone from mail clerk to chief executive joined in the festivities. The costumes! Some people were unrecognizable. Some were glamorous, others funny or scary. We outdid ourselves. But what do you expect from a building full of library staff? It was great fun. It was exhausting. Now I'm happy to hang a ghost or two on my front porch.

I was going to stretch some fake cobwebs across the window but discovered I have real ones. Done.

Oh, here's a pretty miniature rose I noticed while hanging ghosts. Not scary.

So while I'm done coming up with costumes like Mary Queen of Scots, Pocahontas, Gypsy fortune-teller, Tourist in Hawaii, Cowgirl, Sacajawea and many others I still feel the need to do a little something. Okay, this is scaring me. I hope Batman and the princesses don't trick instead of treat.

 

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Antlers?

Every blog I look at is featuring some fall decorating. Mantles are big, so are front porches. I did stick a little pumpkin on my porch thus depriving the squirrels of their usual carnage on the large display of pumpkins and gourds. But I decided that probably wasn't quite enough. Maybe a centerpiece for the table? I rooted around in the storage room and found this stuff.

I cut the heads off my red hydrangeas, now a dusty rose.

These antlers have been sitting around forever. Can't think where I got them. Probably at a garage sale.

I must have packed up these gourds and pumpkins from last year. I wanted to add some Indian corn but then remembered the squirrels ate them all last fall.

Add some bittersweet.

Now for something to put them in. I rescued this from the garage - it had been on its way to Goodwill. This will save me a trip to Goodwill to buy it back.

So I plunked the antlers and a big pine cone in there and started adding stuff like little wooden acorns. Aren't they cute? I'd like to see a squirrel bite into one of those. Who am I kidding? They'd still eat it.

And here's what I came up with.

I liked it a lot better before the antlers started reminding me of a stegosaurus. Maybe I should start over? Naw, I'm done. Happy fall!

 

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