Bird Feeders - Snowed In!

Tonight's accumulation, and it's not finished yet.

And More Snow...

"Lake Effect" snowfall has begun to accumulate 

and will continue...  

I'm fine with it until I have to drive somewhere...

Today's Adventure

Turnaround/tire tracks design

My former college nearby hosts a holiday craft fair around this time every year.  As I drove I noticed some tree silhouettes which appeared rather striking against the stormy sky.

There seemed to be fewer vendors than in previous years.  I only purchased some note cards by an area artist whose work I admire, but first- I spied a discount display.  And there they were:  gigantic rolls of metallic-sparkly and prismatic tape.  Monster Washi, priced at $2.00/roll.  (Actually, they aren't Washi tape at all, they are thin filmy plastic?  with a sticky back.)

These tapes are 1" wide

I think they will last a long, long time, unless I share some sections with fellow artists :)

5+1/4" - 6" across

A Stable Mass

Tonight after dark there was a service in a pavilion outside a country church.  It was a celebration of the Feast of Saint Nicholas, something I never learned about while growing up.  Bringing pets to make for a more "authentic" stable experience is encouraged.  Usually there is a goat or sheep, sometimes a calf, to add farmy sounds in the background.  Fresh hay bales have a sweet scent.

Someone rode in on a lovely black horse with sleigh bells around its neck.  When it whinnied or tossed its head, the bells would sound.  Two people had well-behaved dogs on leashes.  A teenager attended with her miniature pig in tow.  It looked a lot like a dog with its black hide and short brown legs.  The tail was straight.  It kept wagging its tail back and forth like dog tails do.  In agitation?  Who knows.  Whenever people approached, the pig would sniff their hands, but when they tried to pet it, the pig backed away.

It was such a c-c-c-cold night (in the 30's) with a very strong wind that most of the attendees were shivering to stay warm.  Snowflakes sifted in under the roof and we could almost see our breaths.  I had again forgotten to wear insulated layers.

Someone held the pig in his arms while the girl  attempted to wrap her pet in a soft fleece throw.  It squealed and snorted.  All I could think was, "Now I've seen it, a real 'pig-in-a-blanket."  (Isn't that some sort of food?)

Good thing it's just once a year.  Now I'm sipping hot tea in an attempt to thaw out.

Christmas Lights

I "picked" two saplings, 

stuck them in the ground, 

and draped them with white twinkle lights.

Full Moon Tonight

A Little Poetry for Christmas

It's getting close to Christmas, time to search both far and wide

to find those buried boxes where the season's treasures hide.

The trinkets we remember that we've saved from year to year

are part of the traditions that make Christmastime so dear.

We choose a tree and bring it home and find a corner, where

it's brightness and its sparkle will reach to us from there.

Our memories in tissue wrapped are found and brought to light,

placed 'round the home and on the tree to bring us great delight.

I oft' will sit at eventide and look upon the tree.

Its beauty and the glow within bring peace and joy to me.

I love this tree so small and fair, it stands so green and bright.

For minutes long my gaze is stayed on ornaments and light,

and at its feet, my gifts displayed.  There's magic in its glow.

As I recall each Christmas past,  my heart will overflow.

I always wish each tree could last, I wish to keep it there..

But soon its needles, dry in death, will fall and leave it bare.

The old year flies, the new arrives.  It's time to put away

these trappings of festivities, the recent holiday.

The house is quiet, halls are dark, the corner empty, drear.

And all that's left are memories of the Christmas that was here.

HHD - 01/01/89