The Flakes Are Coming...

... the flakes are coming!  No no, they're here--they're not anyone's in-laws, they're SNOWflakes, and they're piling up out there.  Not piling up like an-inch-an-hour blizzard, just sticking to the ground, not the pavement yet, but there's snow in that there grass, pardner, and it looks like it's going to stay a while.  Maybe I'll dust off my snowshoes later...  Yesterday was a banner day in the Christmas decorating sense.  I hauled up dusty bins and boxes, moved everyday stuff, and made room for the festive.  First I unwrapped the Three Kings that Mom painted when she first went to the ceramics studio way back in the '70s.  For some reason I have always loved them so "for Barbara Sue" is written in indelible marker on the ancient box.  There are even half-burnt avocado candles in the box to complete the '70s vibe.  Cool.  Next came the porcelain Nativity set that Mom and Dad made for us.  It's so pretty, Mom didn't paint anything but the faces and a bit of gilding on the kings (who are hidden behind the stable with their Lexus-grade camels until it's their turn), it's very understated and I love it.  I remember them sitting at the kitchen table with the greenware (unfired pieces) using what looked like dental picks to scrape off the mold marks and smooth the seams with a wet sponge.  Dad worked on the donkey for each set they made (I think they made 5) and every time he said, "well, I finally got my ass cleaned" and cracked himself up.  So that's what I thought of when I unwrapped the figure and admired Dad's well-cleaned ass.  In his honor I put the donkey in the stable so it's the critter closest to the Baby Jesus.  Good job, Dad.  When Dad offered to make a stable for me I told him that I wanted a welfare stable not a fancy one so he built it out of barn lumber and didn't finish it too finely; it's exactly right.  Also made by Dad is the Scrooge "bah humbug" wall plaque that we found three of when we went through all of the stuff at Mom's last fall.  I hung it on the wall.  I put the tree up last.  It always takes a lot longer than I think it will, at least 2 hours, and this time Durwood didn't help because he was busy making a quadruple batch of meatballs to have on hand for when DD & DIL2 are home later this month.  Honestly, it's a 4-foot wire tree, already lit, all of the ornaments fit into one extra long Rubbermaid bin, and it still took me over two hours.  It sure it pretty when it's lit up at night, though.  I have to remember to leave the curtains open a bit so it shines out at night.  Oh, I just remembered, I have to take down the watercolor by Durwood's Uncle John and put up the Santa art print that MG painted and signed to our family.  (too much to think of this time of year)  Today I'll be sewing while Durwood watches endless football on TV.  The Packers play in town today but it's the night game so no flyover.  Boo.  What's the point of all the game traffic and hoopla if the airplanes don't come?  I do not know.  Evidently the big cheeses at the armed forces won't let them fly over after dark.  Those spoilsports, I never liked them.  Although speaking of soldiers, I dug out some random Christmas cards, wrote a little note inside each one, and addressed them to "A Recovering American Soldier, c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Ave., Washington, DC 20307-5001"  I showed Durwood and he suggested also doing a few to send to the aging vets at the nearest Veterans Home.  What a great idea.  I can find a few more cards downstairs, and stamps are cheap, especially considering what veterans have done for us.

I didn't write last night.  I wasn't ready for bed when Durwood went around 10:30 so I stayed up listening to an audiobook and knitting until midnight.  Sleep chased me down the hall and overtook me almost before I laid down.  So enjoy your Sunday; I'm going to go make sewing.



--Barbara

P.S.  Now the snow's sticking to the street, etc.  Good times a'coming.