i haven't been doing much for the past couple of days
other than sleep,
steep and drink ginger tea,
cancel appointments,
sleep,
cough,
take xtra vitamins and herbs,
sleep some more.
today...i feel better...and ventured outside!
the temp has gotten down into the low 30's, high 20's at night.
besides the hooting owls...and wandering foxes...
besides the hooting owls...and wandering foxes...
during the day you can see lizards
slowly peeking out from their hiding places
for some much needed warmth...sunshine...
and the squirrels, still frantically collecting, eating & burying acorns.
i've been noticing all the little things CURLING...
slowly...giving in to the colder weather...
losing their color...and turning to a winter brown...
You can't stay in your corner of the forest,
waiting for others to come to you;
you have to go to them sometimes.
~ A. A. Milne Piglet, Pooh's Little Instruction Book
...an air fern hanging in there...
looking like a nest of spiders...
OH, and speaking of spiders...
a daddy long legs (on front porch) trying to figure out which way to go...to stay warm...
hopefully OUTSIDE, and not in!
o~o~o~o~o~o
last weekend we pulled the christmas boxes out of the closet.
and instead of going to get a live tree...or a cut one...
like we do every year...
we finally did it...we gave in...folded...
we bought an artificial tree.
telling ourselves, in the long run, it's better for the environment...
no senseless cutting of trees...no more contributing to christmas tree farm pesticides.
and we'll save the $$ we spend each year.
we down-sized.
putting our new, compact, 4 1/2 footer
on the table in the front window...
conserving what little floor space we have!
the LIVE trees we've had for past christmases...never seem to make it after we plant them.
the only one that ever did was a small 'charlie brown tree'
that the guy at the lot gave us one year as a freebie with the tree we bought!
so...with that spirit of the season in the air...
the shelves and mantle filled with little santa & snowman figurines...
scented candles...twinkling lights and garland...
i'm ready for it to be over!
well, kind of.
i'm not a scrooge.
it's just that it's all gotten so commercial. so out of hand.
i don't DO christmas for religious reasons.
i do it for the 'feeling'.
but nowadays the stores are jam packed with christmas trees and decorations
before halloween is even here.
gifts for HER. gifts for HIM. everything packaged...oh so nicely...
in plastic wrap with big ribbons. (can you hear the sarcasm?)
the packages are yelling "ME! ME! BUY ME!"
but i block them out. all the ads. the commercials.
subliminal messages...they try to worm their way in...
all the people rushing around. pushing & shoving.
no thanks. i'll just relax by the fire...have some hot apple cider...
or how about a nice hot brandy toddy...
and wait for the holiday panic to end...
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold,
it would be a merrier world.
~ J. R. R. Tolkien
o~o~o~o~o~o
earlier today, sam surprised me
with something he picked up along the side of the road...
on his way home.
NO, it wasn't a lost dog...a puppy...or a kitten...
or even a hurt turtle...or bird...
it was a deer skull!
i know what you're thinking...
that's pretty scary, eh?
scary, that sam knows me so well...
or scary that a dead animal would be an acceptable gift?
ha!!
it's still a little 'furry'...BUT...
i can see another decorated skull in the near future!
and here are the cleaned bones from the last couple of owl pellets i've found:
they too, will be part of some future creation...
well, my congestion is subsiding...
achiness almost gone completely...
my ginger tea is well steeped.
i have much catching up to do...with all the terrific blogs i follow.
and i will...i promise. i'll wake up early sunday morn. before dawn.
and sit down with my coffee...and read away...and journey...all over the world...
'til next time...be safe.
stay cool.
laura :]
If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient.
It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.
~ A. A. Milne
Oh, Laura...sorry to hear you were not feeling well. One of those nasty clients gave you something! You had to emphasize that SPIDER didn't you? Gee whiz, I hope you & Sam have a snuggly Christmas...I too hate the hustle, bustle...I do like you LOVE the feeling & wish it could be year round!...:)JP
ReplyDeleteHello Laura, Have discovered your site by visiting 'blogspots of note' and browsing. So glad I did. Your spot's title drew me and I visited. Wow. Your site is positively wonderfully absorbing. Could be here for months and still only be exploring the surface. Thank you. A perfect discovering for Xmas. May yours also be as uplifting, which I have no doubt will be. Nature its self will ensure that with the way you honour all its amazingness.
ReplyDeleteYour Earth and Moon side photos have inspired me. Will search out their locations in the hope of being able to include them on my spot also. Thanks for a beautiful idea.
So Good To Have Met You. Thanks for your site and for being you. Appreciation from M, Australia
So glad you're feeling a bit better today Laura ... sipping away on herbals and relaxing, that's the ticket!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pics - as always, thanks Laura, love the "curling up" theme.
My word, your Sam knows how to keep his woman happy eh ;-) good on him!
We gave in a while back and have a plastic tree - a bit of tizzying up and in the dim light, it looks quite pleasing... less work all round :)
Cheers now :D
Hi Laura, very poetic about the leaves curling and things giving in to winter, I loved that phrase. I enjoyed my "walk" through the wilderness today on your site, AND in Florida. I had a little nature trip of my home on Kingsley Plantation today in Jacksonville..Reminded me of you. Happy Bone Picking! ~stacey
ReplyDeleteLaura! I miss visiting your "corner"!
ReplyDeleteAndo in a run around with my work ... even more so years: salon is very boisterous!
It's all here ... all beautiful! Adprei the tree!
Kiss in the soul.
that's a nice looking tree, even if it is fake!
ReplyDeleteI love your photography, almost a breath of fresh air via the computer <3
ReplyDeletewww.rubyccino.blogspot.com
xxx
Glad you are feeling better. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteLove all the curly leaves and the little tendrils on the vine. Such a cute squirrel, too. Glad you are feeling a bit better. Hope it continues!
ReplyDeleteAnd love the piglet quote--I just stole it for my facebook page!
Hey lady, take good care of yourself & feel better soon. I'm with you re: the wacky commercialism of Christmas - and of all holidays, really. Over time, I've learned to focus on the parts of a holiday that are meaningful to me & my family & ignore the rest. I used to get so angry to walk into a store before Halloween & hear Christms music.Now, I just ignore it - or avoid it if I can.After all, stores wouldn't be putting all that seasonal merchandise out there if folks weren't shopping & buying it. So, to each his own, I guess. It's not up to me to dictate how others celebrate - but it IS up to me to celebrate in the way that I feel is right for me. Looks to me like You & Sam have figured out how to do that. So settle back by the fire with your cider & just enjoy the season as you'd like. (Besides, those stores are already re-grouping for Valentine's Day...) GREAT post, by the way! Enjoy figuring out what to do with the deer skull...
ReplyDeleteYour Christmas tree is really bright and pretty. I like your Winnie the Pooh quote. As a kid, I didn't understand some of the things Pooh said. Now I do. I'm glad you're feeling better, Laura-bah! humbug! And, yes, Christmas is so commercialized. I just like having the time off work (just kidding). And a good egg nog with Seagram's! I like your picture through the trees. The squirrels have been real busy here too and actually play around some. It's hard to get good pictures of them.
ReplyDeleteI like all the curls! Great theme, great pics and a super christmas tree! :)
ReplyDeletehey!! thanks everyone for leaving your comments...and kind words! sorry it's taken me so long...a week in fact...i'm STILL fighting some congestion...and have had so much going on...between work and getting ready for christmas!
ReplyDeleteanyway! THANKS!! i appreciate everyone who takes the time to stop by & wander around...whether you leave a few words or not! >>later... laura :]