Holiday Presence :: Day Fourteen

Another wonderful thing about The Holidays is the fact that it often brings out affordable finds at local thrifts and antique stores. Things that have been squirreled away for a while, or people that find themselves going through their holiday decorations and deciding to let go...Which means fun finds for the rest of us!
(I didn't post the prices I paid for these...but, they were all completely affordable...which usually leaves me so giddy when I find them that I can't concentrate on even looking at anything else...because I'm hunched over my finds. I guess I think that someone is going to point and yell something at me and then they're going to get taken away? Giggle...)

A medium sized blue themed bottle brush tree with aluminum ruffles and glass decorations.

Not one, but two goofy looking vintage German Santa head candy containers.

A handful of vintage glass painted glass light bulbs from Japan, taken from their original light cord and tied with ribbon to make them into ornaments...including some very cute face ones which I've never seen before...of course, having the ribbon tied around the bottom of the lights makes the Santa hang upside down, then again, I'm sure he hung upside down on the cord as well, so he's probably use to it...poor Santa.

And, a couple of vintage Christmas tablecloths, which aren't as easy to find sometimes...the one pictured here apparently was going to run out of fabric before the bottom of the print was inked onto it, so someone attached an extra piece of material using some serious thread...which was then printed on. I suppose that the "value" may go down on this piece, except that I think it's so unusual and fun...so it's a gem in my eye!

A set of vintage tavern candles in their original box.


A mica village house with 3 white bottle brush trees, and it's own bit of mica property. I also found 3 more tiny vintage glitter village homes from Japan that kind of pale in comparison to this large beauty. We're calling it the McMansion of the glitter village
(I guess you can't escape the McMansions...even in Christmas villages...sigh)

I will work on taking a perfect picture of the mantle soon...as both it and the tree have been decorated for about a week, sans Rozzilyn, my mother and I...

Of course, half of the twinkling lights on the mantle refuse to light now for some odd reason. They're a new set straight from the box for heavens sake...

Wonky lights are something that I don't like about the holidays, but something that is certainly present this year.

Holiday Presence :: Day Thirteen

Highlights of Saturday:

Beautiful weather for both the Holiday Parade and the Courthouse Lighting

A pushy woman and her 3 kids at the parade...the constant yelling and trying to get in front of me...resulting in a lot of weird heads and shoulders in the pictures I was trying to shoot.

The smell of an unwashed child's head steaming in the winter sun (courtesy of woman and her family above)

The tearing up of my eyes at the beginning of the parade coupled with the thought, "I'm so happy that I got to participate in all of the holiday celebrations in this town all these years...including performing in several parades and the Lighting"...then realizing by the end of the parade that I wanted to go back and open the shop because I was tired of watching the holiday festivities...(giggle...from nostalgia to boredom in 1.5 hours)

Watching the lighting with both Rozzilyn and Rich

A celebratory dinner out at a favorite restaurant with friends, in honour of Rich leaving his tie over job to jump into the gallery and the printing and the photography full time...

Having so much fun this weekend that I didn't even have time to turn on the computer on Sunday...making me miss one whole day of Holiday Presence...but then again, that's the fun of the holidays isn't it?

Holiday Presence :: Day Twelve

The Holiday Parade is today. This is different from the Light Parade, as it's during the day and there are more floats. As you can see...being Arizona's Christmas City comes with a hefty price...lots of parades and events (there didn't use to be this many, and it's kind of overwhelming...but, I think it may be done primarily for the tourism...and with gas being down, well? Bring it on...) I usually always go to the Christmas Parade, seeing as the route is right down the street from Snap Snap...and I really like this parade, seeing as it's one of the original Holiday Celebrations that I remember from being a child...

The Holiday Parade is always followed by The Courthouse Lighting...which is at 6pm tonight. I usually don't go to that seeing as it's always cold and then I usually get a cold. It doesn't look like this year will be any different as I watched my sweet kitty who snuggled with me all night, gallop across the floor and jump directly onto her heated bed in the window when we got up this morning (yes, she has a heated bed...I get worried that she will get cold. Older kitties have a hard time regulating their body temperatures you know...not as much body fat and all of that) But, this year...Rich is feeling like he wants to venture down town to see The Lighting. So...I'm taking all my cold preventatives and dressing super warm so that I will stay warm and well. It's been so many years since I've attended this particular holiday ritual that I'm looking forward to it. Usually there's school choirs singing and the reading of The Christmas Story by someone noteable...

In case you're out and about for the lighting?

I'll be the girl in the down sleeping bag with a clapotis wrapped around her head
(See? I finished that project right in time!!)

PS. See that third picture up there? The one with the angels and the green and gold weird leafy things? Those are supposed to be red and gold poinsettias...for heavens sake! When they "restored" and re-did the decorations a few years ago this is what they came up with. I keep wondering if people walk around The Square and think, "what the heck is that supposed to be??"

PPS...Do you like giveaways? There's an amazing one over at Confessions of a Craft Addict...you have plenty of time to get in on it as well!!

Holiday Presence :: Day Eleven

I know I've mentioned that between the start of November and the end of January, the bulk of my family and loved one's have their birthdays. Does this extra gift buying add to the stress of the holiday season? Heck no...it just gives me more to celebrate and several more excuses to justify eating extra cake!

A very special birthday wish goes out to my grandmother today. She will be 95 (I'm not sure when not saying your age because of decorum turns into saying it because you're damned proud to be alive...and your age is a major accomplishment) She's still just as amazing as ever...

The other day while we were all chatting on Thanksgiving she expressed the wish that she lives long enough to get another government stimulus check. When I rolled my eyes and told her that we're just going to have to pay it all back in the end she started laughing and alluded to the fact that she probably won't...I also keep thinking in the back of my mind, if the economy keeps circling the drain, it's going to be more important than ever to have people that lived through The Great Depression as advisers on how to make it...

Happy Birthday Grandma...here's to another great year!

Holiday Presence :: Day Ten

I'm sure I'm supposed to be posting only holiday things here aren't I? I mean, this is the whole thought behind the Holiday Presence project...but I just finished something monumental...

Yes.

The epic knitting project is finished.

I am proud to say that I am officially done with the Clap.

Over I say.

I started my project at least 3 weeks ago with my beautiful cohort in knitting...and finished it in a laughing round with another beautiful friend last night. This is the project that I have hauled from Foolsewoode to work, from work to knitting with my mother, from here and there to the Airstream, it has been a part of me, and a constant companion wherever I've gone...this knitting has never been far from my hands. I haven't picked it up or worked on it straight through, or I would think it would have been a quicker project.

I worked on it through more life realizations...and I feel like it's been with me through good times and bad...it's heavy olive merino and silk goodness resting in a pile in the middle of my lap while the cat tried to sit on me...But, it couldn't be both the knitting and the cat on my lap at the same time. There just wasn't enough lap space for both...and the combined weight made my legs fall asleep.

There were times when I thought I wouldn't finish...I sighed and laughed my way through those times, reminding myself that I had all these beautiful skeins of yarn that were just itching to be made into their potential...

When people inquired into what exactly it was that I was knitting...I found myself replying,

"a shroud."

"a body bag"

I got a lot of laughs.

I wasn't kidding.

I ssk my last two stitches together, unraveled my last row of dropped stitches along the length of the scarf, and didn't even hold it up for Dina and I to see immediately, because we were in the middle of a long story and giggle fest. I almost didn't want to see my finished piece.

When I held it up I was completely in awe. I am in awe of such an amazing bit of knitting. This is a huge accomplishment, even with a couple of minor mistakes. I wrapped it around my neck, twirling it around my shoulders, using it as a shawl...spreading it across my lap...draping it across my head like an organic hooded traveller, and peeking out like an immigrant from the past...Dina grabbed it to run her hands over it, to feel it. She said it smelled like me, that I smell good.

I am giddy with myself.

I love it, and I find myself smiling uncontrollably in the wake that is the Clapotis.

If you want to find me this winter? I'll be the red headed gal who is totally cozied up and completely engulfed in a large scarf...the girl with the very warm neck.


Thank you Kate for the inspiration...

Holiday Presence :: Day Nine

Welcome

One of my favorite memories of Christmas time was the smell that hit me when I walked through the door after school (yes, it was uphill...and in the snow sometimes too!) We use to get a fresh once live tree to decorate every year...I stopped that tradition soon into my relationship with my ex when I watched a tree we got totally dry out so badly before Christmas that I was terrified to turn the lights on...and I think we ended up pitching it before the actual day, and I ran out and bought a fake tree that year at the 50% off sales...So, I really miss the smell of fresh pine in the house (this may sound weird seeing as Foolsewoode is nestled among a few pines...but it's not like having them in the house with me) I have tried candles and essential oils, and while they're close...it's just not the same.

This is probably why I buy a real wreath every year...made from once live tree branches. It's the perfect way to welcome someone to my home, and it gives me a bit of a whiff of fresh pine when I walk through the door...the perfect welcome home.

Holiday Presence :: Day Eight

Cooperative winter weather results in mini hiking at Granite Basin Lake...Just in case you're wondering. It seems as if pretty soon there's going to be a lot more opportunities to hike together coming up...finally. I think we've both been missing this aspect of our lives.

You can see Rich modeling his new backpack...I hear it was a gift from someone special (who listens well...and knows her sweetie even better...then again, it may be because she jumped at the thought that she no longer has to juggle the tripod or extra water bottles, trading off with the photographer...you see, this backpack has both a water bottle poised above the waterproof camera compartment and a holder for the tripod...it's a perfect day pack.)

Moving through this part of our forest today, in and out of the dappled shadows, breathing the cool winter air and witnessing the juniper and oak dressing hanging out their mistletoe in the branches...pure winter heaven.

Holiday Presence :: Day Seven

Rays of winter light peeking through the window in the bedroom.

Light illuminating treasures and collections...With the past few days during the holiday bringing welcomed clouds, rain, sleet, fog and hail...making it extra cozy to be tucked inside under a quilt, reading or knitting...or finding myself in the kitchen cooking...or even the cleaning and dusting...it's beautiful to see the sun making it's way back to us...finding ways to come into the house and brighten dark corners.

Allowing Rich and I to make plans to hike locally today.

In other news: My personal email is changing yet again. There was a security breach this weekend, and Rich was forced to change our email server...I didn't want you to worry in case you tried to email me and something bounced back to you or whatever it would do in a case like this...ahhhh, you can see how technical I am now can't you?

Holiday Presence :: Day Six

The Holiday Light Parade :: Prescott Arizona :: November 29, 2008

The Prescott World's Oldest Rodeo Frontier Queen and her court

The Yavapai Prescott Native Youth Float (look at that wonderful eagle!!)

The Grinch...posing as King Kong...going after Santa's sleigh
(apparently someone hasn't read The Grinch Who Stole Christmas)

The Prescott Unified School District bus...
full of happy and educated children...

And...the big man himself...

Santa.

Our little light parade has grown up. I think it was almost an entire hour long...and the perfect way to kick off the holiday season for me.

As for Sunday?

I have been running around cleaning. I've been on my step stool cleaning the tops of all the window and door moldings and wiping down the iron curtain rods, washing the inside of the windows and their sills, dusting the ceiling fan, the baseboards...looking for errant spiderwebs to attack. And the vacuuming?!?! (including under all the furniture and in every corner) Throwing away piles of things, and cleaning surfaces...culling part of my bowl collection in the kitchen...clearing off the mantle for the impending Christmas decorating and finally setting up the tree, hanging the greenery around the doorways, hanging the mistletoe...and then some of the outside lights.

And all this before noon.

I am mightily impressed with myself.

It's now a blank slate around here. Rather than hurrying to put everything up, I am determined to enjoy the dragging out and unpacking all of the ornaments and decorations this year.

I am also determined to clean and organize and cull the entirety of this house...starting one room at a time. It feels so good so far...

Holiday Presence :: Day Five

Looking for light.

Saturday Night:

Cilantro Garlic Fries and Pumpkin Fried Ice Cream with a good friend after work...

Gathering with more friends to watch the Holiday Light Parade...

Another show at the Ian Russell Gallery of Fine Art...a chance to see my sweetie, and buy some holiday gifts for friends and family...

Jumping into bed, knowing that I can laze around and look forward to two whole days off...

Finding the Light.

Holiday Presence :: Day Four

I decided to join in on Black Friday this year. After owning Snap Snap for almost 14 years, I don't have any illusions that the day after Thanksgiving will put my shop in the black for the year...that's why I'm open the other 360+ days...but, after being met at the door last year by eager shoppers waiting for me and further coupled with the flailing economy, I thought I would try to give a little back to my community this year. I'm probably not as popular as the large Big Box stores in the world (and I am confused to hear that there are families camped out at one such store here in town starting Wednesday night...with their 2 kids. In the rain and hail...and they don't even know what's on sale yet because the papers hadn't come out on Wednesday night...which means no hot Thanksgiving dinner, I would assume...and really? There's nothing that outstanding on sale this year. Plus? I think this consumerism is a little out of control...This is, actually, the first year I didn't wake myself from my slumber early to brave the crowds as there's only one thing I thought would be neat, as a gift for someone else) but I know I offer an important service to a lot of people in our town...and I am grateful for their continued support over the years. So, I thought I'd offer some savings in the form of a certain percentage off your entire purchase...It's not tons, but I think it will help save some money.

I will be showing up a little earlier than normal to open the doors...

My sale will last 2 hours, although I might run it longer because it sounds so fun...

The signs announcing the sale have been posted for a week...

Wish me luck.

Holiday Presence :: Day Three

Two Thanksgivings in one day...with my favorite people and my favorite foods. The things in life that I am truly thankful to be blessed with.

I'm a little amazed that I'm feeling slightly hungry...

Happy Thanksgiving

Holiday Presence :: Day Two

I've been sitting on my hands over here...giddy with excitement to share today's pictures with you.

You see, I made a pie for tomorrows festivities.

I adore making pies. I am very good at it, and my pies are beautiful (I think) Making pies is like a sort of meditation for me. I love finding the perfect seasonal apron from my vintage apron stash, getting down the perfect mixing bowls (I get my love of mixing bowls from my mother, because she had the most amazing mixing bowls when I was growing up...and there's nothing quite like the feel of a perfect bowl) for the filling and rummaging around for my canape cutters...rolling out the pie dough, and cutting little extra shapes and applying each piece to the pie crust...leaves in this case. I cut each leaf out, and then score the top with a knife to make it look like the veins...and then carefully set it atop the crust. My mother kindly even bought me some pie crust covers so that I can bake each special pie without burning all the pretties (sometimes this happens and they worked perfect...browning the leaves just beautifully instead of burning them)

I am looking forward to joining both my family in the morning when we'll be dining at noon...and my mother requested that I make the pie and my vegan potatoes au gratin to join her tomato mincemeat tarts, dressing (our families recipe) and all sorts of goodies...and then I will be joining Rich at 3:00 for his famous meat pie, my vegan potatoes au gratin (they're getting a lot of play this holiday) and more goodies...

Last year, I spent Thanksgiving with Rich only...and since he has a nutty work schedule, I thought I could go to my families as well. I don't usually spend Thanksgiving with my family, kind of a habit that I got into when I was married, but they never mind if I swing by...Rich and I also went hiking last year, and this year it is gearing up to be quite blustery rainy and possibly snowy weather this year, so that is certainly out. We'll snuggle, eat and watch a movie instead...Rich also doesn't like pumpkin pie, so I didn't make one last year. I thought it would be too dangerous to have a whole pie just innocently sitting around my house...just for me.

Too much of a temptation indeed.

But, after tonight, I realize that dangerous or not, this is a tradition that I need to do for myself to make me truly happy this time of year...

Holiday Presence :: Day One

The mantle is decorated, as it has been...for some time now. But, I love these vintage Gurley candles the best, yes...even over anything I actually made with my own two hands. They remind me of my childhood. Since my mother collected them since she was little...I was always so excited she wanted to share them with us. I loved helping her get them out and arranging them all around (In fact, I was just at her house last week...and I saw her little Pilgrims in a bag and I almost slipped them in my pocket...I may have done it if it was the Indians, but I think they would have noticed.) I have been studying these candles more and more lately...there are so many for the different holidays...and I look forward to getting my little collection out every year. They make my heart skip a happy beat. I currently have all the Pilgrims in different sizes, but not any of the Indians...or actually the dark blue set of pilgrims...and if you look closely, you'll see that my large Pilgrim man is in a gray outfit and my large Pilgrim woman is in a brown outfit...perhaps I will remedy all of that soon (sometimes it's hard when you're relying on thrift stores for your finds though) Until then, I have collections of candles I will never burn...which is a bit ironic as there seems to be a burn going on somewhere around here...hazy skies and a house that smells of woodsmoke...

Project...

It's Monday and I am working today...my gal is off in Disneyland having a grand ole' time. I would assume anyway...seeing as it's the worlds happiest place...or something like that, right? I was wondering how I was possibly going to make it through until my next 2 days off...and then I realized that I have Thursday off this week.

Because it's Thanksgiving.

Yes...I realized last week that the holidays are fast approaching. I also noticed that some people around town have their trees up in their homes...and a lot of the stores have their decorations up as well. I am wondering if it's the flailing economy that is pushing people into the holidays even earlier, or are people feeling like me, "this was an ultimately butt-kicking fall...maybe there's something else out there that I could possibly look forward to?" Then again, perhaps living in Arizona's Christmas City does that to a community...makes it hang the decorations early.

There are a lot of decorations and celebrations around here this time of year...it takes a slew of time to set it all up if you're an official sort of place (and even longer to dismantle it)

I decided last week when I realized that it's time for the holidays yet again...that I usually run around like a maniac trying to squeeze everything in, and not taking a minute to breathe or enjoy myself. I remembered this from years past and I decided that rather than rush through this season, that I want to take time this year to find the magic again. This of course comes on the heels of interesting self-discovery, so maybe it's high time? I was sitting here thinking to myself that I always feel so overstressed this time of year, and it's almost like I've forgotten how to find the magic because things tend to get crammed in to every second. I know this may not be the perfect time of year to be assigning myself something else since I just documented the fact that things tend to get wack-a-do...but I am committing myself to something different. I am tired of the holidays becoming a whirlwind of activity, confusion and frustration...I want to rediscover the magic of this time of year aside from some of the craziness that accompanies it...

I am committing myself to being Present.

Present to the moments of the season.
Present to the holidays themselves.
Present to myself.
Present to my past.
Present to the magic...

I offer you: Holiday Presence.

Between now and The New Year, I will be documenting something every day that is helping me stay Present and rediscover the magic of the season for me. Perhaps I will include a story, or perhaps it will be pictures...You'll have to tune in and see...

If you want to join me, please do...let me know though so we can journey with you as well...

100 Percent...

What does that feel like?

100 Percent?

My therapist asked me this week...and how long have you been feeling this way? As I sat on a chair uncomfortably shifting back and forth, crossing and uncrossing my arms...my eyes darting around the office looking for someone to help me other than me.

Probably about 10 minutes...But, it feels like forever.

Then the dam burst...and the uncovering of a long past issue in my life has left me feeling not quite here. I know I am here (because someone is going to Snap Snap every day...and someone has also ripped it apart to install a new shelf courtesy of the recent gallery boys project clean out the room we print and frame in...so I eagerly raised my hand when the offer of a set of shelves came along. Which were delivered to me today and were so close to fitting in the space I intended...it was like mere millimeters, which left me to put my back against the wall, muster up a lot of anger and frustration and move the counter 2 inches forward...using only my feet, because lifting weights 3 times a week for almost a year doesn't quite cut it when you need to move heavy furniture, apparently...So, there's a mess that someone needs to clean up tomorrow morning...I also think I hurt my shoulder or upper back...or it could be from tension, but even yoga tonight didn't work out the knots)

Um. Yeah. Where was I?

See? How easy it is to get distracted when dealing with this that has come up? I just don't know if I feel up to discussing it. I've crumpled into tears at my therapists office and then here at Fooleswoode...the tears linger behind my eyes and threaten to spill into other carefully constructed parts of my days. I've tried to make sense of why I am still so sad about this part of my past...why it feels so fresh. I am embarrassed to be dealing with this yet again. Then again, perhaps I haven't dealt with it at all...I remember sitting in the chair at her office, innocuously discussing something else, and then out of nowhere, I was blindsighted.

Again.

Only this time, between all the tears, there was a new dawning of understanding. I literally sat on the chair at her office and flashed on a slide show of my actions neatly lined up in a row in my head...and I could see the way I have been living my life through these colored glasses because of this particular part of my past...I could see it winding it's way throughout each action and reaction...Then it was if I saw the thread of this pattern retract and unwind and let it's hold on everything go...because I finally saw it and recognized it, and then it could leave. Which was amazing (although these feelings and realizations have left me drained) It happened in an instant and left me saying...ahhhh.

I can't help but wonder if I will deal with things or see things differenlty from now on...mabye not react the same way because the pattern was called up...seen and now can go? I felt calm after this huge realization that wasn't a secret necessarily, but feels more like a key that has unlocked a door to why I do the things I do (sometimes...) but I find that I am now scared. Scared that when it comes down to it, I will react from that same wounded place.

I was also left with this part of me that finally understands why it's so important to take care of yourself and not just try to make sure that life is perfect for everyone around you...Not to suggest that you take care of only yourself exclusively at the exception of everyone...but that it's OK to put me first (for instance...in this example...) because if I am not taking care of myself, then I'm slower to be happy, and then the relationships that I do have will certainly suffer...because I can't run around doing what I've been doing and expect things to be different.

I don't think.

Or maybe I do.

Too much.

Oh, that elusive 100%...I wonder if it will come back to me? Or if I ever had it in the first place?

How do you finally get through things? How do you move past? Do you ever really know?

Closed for Remodeling...

On Monday, we went to Sedona to hike in West Fork and take in the fall colors...we got all the way there (it's at the end of the drive in Oak Creek Canyon...which usually means that you're stuck behind someone who refuses to go the speed limit, is swerving all over the road and pointing out the window) and found that the trail was closed due to maintenance. Yes. A public land was closed for remodeling...and the wonderfully wide sides of the road had No Parking signs all over them, so we couldn't even get out and walk around...







As it were...there was a whole colorful fall playground surrounding us, which led us to stop and park in a couple of places and run out to enjoy the colors and smells (well, that and we both had to use the bathroom, and there are usually bathrooms at the picnic areas...we did not enjoy the smell of the bathroom, however...) I have been wanting to go to Sedona for a few years to enjoy the colors...and I finally found myself totally immersed in the beauty of fall. Fall has been drawn out this year into a long tail of summer...it's been mostly in the 70's during the day here (30's at night) so the colors are slow (in my mind...of course, it could just be my mind) to turn this year...so standing close to the running water, in the gentle dappled light of the fall...smelling the leaves helped me feel so serene and comfortable.

Like coming home (which probably is due for a bit of a remodel...I wonder if the trail crew in Sedona could be convinced to swing by here?)

Another Year Older...

Again...


A very Happy Birthday to two of the most important men in my life today. My father and Rich share the same birthday (insert appropriate Freudian joke here) I also feel incredibly lucky to have both of these amazing men in my life...I smile every day about it in fact. They are both expert story tellers, comfortable around many people...and often make friends wherever they go, which is wonderful in my opinion, because you never know who you're going to meet...they are quick to smile and laugh, they have wonderful senses of humor...big beautiful blue eyes (which is where I get my blue eyes in fact...that would be my father, not Rich...I'm sure you figured that out though, you're kind of smart like that) they are both kind and loving as well...each in their own different ways...incredibly smart and have sharp tongues and wit. I also think you can talk to a Scorpio about almost anything...they can be very thoughtful and are darned good gift givers to boot.

I am lucky enough to be spending Rich's birthday with him, including a special Airstream dinner (he's cooking a coveted family recipe tonight...we won't actually be eating the Airstream, I'm not to sure how special that would be) and enjoying of a lovely gift to celebrate (if I may say so myself. Of course, I picked it out, so I think I shall say so myself...thankyouverymuch) Both my father and Rich can hardly stand it when you try to surprise them (Scorpios don't like hidden things...even if they are good things) and are often so intuitive, it's impossible to surprise them as well...I gave Rich his gift early yesterday and he was quite surprised...My father has a silly card on the way (although it may be there already) with some fun gift cards enclosed...and I will be calling him today since I can't be there in person.

If you would like to help me in wishing Rich a Happy Birthday, you can pop over here to his blog and leave him a comment...If you would like to wish my father a Happy Birthday it will have to be here...like me.

Happy Birthday JohnDad!

Happy Birthday Rich!

Got Any Cat Snacks?

Saturday morning at approximately 9 am...I was stunned as I was sitting in my living room when I happened to casually glance out the window only to see a coyote running through my front yard.

You have to understand that I live about 10 minutes (by foot) from downtown...I often hear the music from the bars at night...I am that close...I know it's Northern Arizona, but on the other hand, it's hardly wild kingdom up here.








I have to say, the coyote was beautiful...a shiny coat and looked well fed.

Perhaps on neighborhood pets as snacks?

Meena slept through the whole thing, which was hard for me to believe, as I was practically balanced on her head while taking pictures through the windows...Coyote's are a little sketchy, so I didn't necessarily want to hop out into the yard to get the perfect shot...and Meena had actually just been outside a little while before quite prossibly posing as cat on a stick...

I guess you never know what is lurking around the corner, eh?

Maybe this is a sign that I need to enjoy life fully because I just might end up as a snack for a predator.

I suppose that would be one way of solving the holiday season dilemmas this year...

(Sorry, The Grinch is on TV at the moment, and I'm a little confused seeing as we haven't had Thanksgiving yet...I often wonder what Dr. Seuss would think about that?!)

Got Milk?

"Listen Pal! I hope they use Jersey Milk where you're taking me!"


Courtesy of The Malone Dairy in Malone NY...

Also courtesy of a local thrift foray. It does make me wonder about the promotion of breast feeding in Malone NY when this particular milk bottle was made however...

Things To Do When You're So Buisy...

That you should be doing something else...

but hey...

Let's face it.

The tea situation was out of control...

It was.

Seeing as I ran out of decaf coffee for my morning beverage, I needed an alternative, and thought sometime in my sleep last night that I might just have some chai stuffed away somewhere here at Foolsewoode...

A few minutes of searching, and I unearthed a chocolate caramel box of chai...

20 minutes of organizing found:

• several empty vintage canning jars, which are now full of tea bags (instead of just sitting there with nothing to do)
• neat stacks of boxes with labels facing out where I can see them
• a slew of tea I didn't know I had on hand
• all the tea finally in one place instead of stuffed wherever I could put it
• a lot of organic chamomile (I guess I think I need to be calmer, eh?)

Now at least I know what I've got for my evening Winter cup of relaxation...