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The week after Christmas and New Years tends to be a
bit of a let-down. To counteract the depression which
most feel then, I came up with a wonderful solution.
Don't take the tree down.
You can chalk it up to laziness, being too busy, or
whatever other excuse works for you - but for me I
just can't quite yet bare the thought of losing all
the glitter and colorful little lights.
We actually had a 'full-size' tree this year. For
many years it was a small tree on a table. Not too
small mind you, but one which our little dog could
not eat, tear ornaments off, or "mark" as his
territory as some male dogs tend to do.
We've collected some very neat ornaments over the years.
A dozen or so very small (actually life size) acorns,
gold and silver, which came off a very old garland
belonging to my grandmother. The garland was so old
it had bits of candle wax on it. It deteriorated as
things a hundred years old or more tend to do, and I
removed the little ornaments. They grace the topmost
branches each year. A dozen or so red and silver
mushrooms find their way to the tree as well. The
wagging tail of my last Labrador was the cause of
breakage on a couple - I know the box isn't quite
full, but I haven't counted them. There are many
of the old reflector ornaments, made in Germany a
long time ago when liquid silver was poured inside
the glass to make them bright and reflective.
In my Christmas shopping this season I found a very
neat fish ornament. It was made in Germany too, is
brand new, and is a largemouth bass. Really. Made
for a company over in Spokane Washington, I 'googled'
them up in hopes of seeing if they made any more fish
ornaments. No such luck. No photos at all. Bummer.
It did come with a little tag: " 'Gone Fishin" are an
angler's favorite words. Known for its large size and
strength, the Largemouth Bass us a favorite game fish.
However, fishing isn't just the thrill of a tight line
with a strong fish on, but a sport that teaches patience,
respect for nature, and gives an insight into the value
of life." How cool is that?
JC had a procedure at the local hospital just before
Christmas (don't be alarmed, not life-threatening)
and I killed a little time in the gift shop. I'm a
sucker for hospital gift shops anyway since they
usually support some special hospital fund. I found
a cute ornament there, a dancing frog with a crown, a
very happy critter. I was going to save it for JC's
Christmas ornament, I try to find something a bit unique for
him for the tree every year - but he was a bit down after
the procedure and I gave him the frog in the car. A
small thing, but you do have to kiss a lot of frogs.
We don't go hog wild at Christmas, either with gifts
or decorating. We did have a few lights outside, just
enough that we didn't look like the Grinch in a
neighborhood which was very lite up. And since I
just had the kitchen floor replaced and my wonderful
flat-top stove was still 'new' it didn't seem a good
thing to produce much of a 'wish list.'
There were some wonderful surprises - one in particular
which deserves public acknowledgment. A little background
first; when we re-painted our work space (den, office
whatever) it went from an off-white to forest green.
There had been a nice large photo of me in a float-tube
holding up a nice silver salmon, hanging over my computer.
We removed everything during the painting process and
have been putting up just what we felt we wanted now.
The space over my computer desk remained empty.
Just before Christmas a package arrived in the mail -
a wonderful crocheted hanging, Bless This Home, with
a house, tree and under it Birkholm. JC took it down
to our local framer, had it double matted and framed.
It fits perfectly over my desk. Absolutely perfect.
Thank you Rick, it is very special, and we do feel
blessed.
We hope your holiday brought you some surprises, joy,
and lots of love. Here's to the New Year. ~ The LadyFisher
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