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Saturday, December 7, 2013

it's that time of year... for memories



Deb at Just Cats was discussing Christmas ornaments in one of her recent posts and the memories they carry. Now I can't stop thinking about some of those memories.  One of my favorite ornaments is a tiny red bear that I picked up at a stationary shop in Wales - while on a trip with a dear friend. I'd have to check my trip journal to remember exactly which town we were in at the time, but I do remember the shop. It sold stationary as well as these little stuffed animals - about 1" in size.  I bought 3 or 4 (2 bears, a monkey, and an elephant) - gave one bear away and kept the other 3 for the tree. Every time I hang these, I remember that shop and that wonderful trip to Wales.




And here are a few more Christmasy items that help decorate our house:









Christmas cat






Christmas cottage







Christmas Birdhouse

It's been a long cold weekend for Dallas.  Those of you who are used to this type of weather are probably laughing at us. For the most part Dallas has closed down. The Arctic Blast came in late Thursday with rain, sleet, and ice.  We awoke to 18 degree temps, hazardous road conditions, and lots of power outages. Most of us have stayed inside. Our power went out the first night, but luckily came back by morning. Some in our area still don't have power. My son (who lives about 10 mins away) lost his electricity and it stayed off most of the day. When it simply got too cold in their house, they braved the icy roads and came over to our place.

The news and weather reports on accidents and people trapped in their vehicles for hours keep coming. They warn people that if they get stranded somewhere, it may be hours before someone can get to them. It was down to 17 when we awoke this morning. It's about 21 now and will probably go down to the teens again during the night. However, supposedly Sunday we will get to the early 30's... maybe not above freezing, but better. Our feral cats and kittens seem to be using the heat lamps, straw, etc. and are coping better than we imagined.

I have divided my time between decorating the tree (partially), reading by the fire (with cats on my lap), and completing some of my clay jewelry. Here is a picture of my messy workstation (and cup of tea).








Well, it's almost time to think about supper, so I'd better close for today.  I really hope this crazy weather (global warming???) works itself out.  I'm thankful that hurricane season is over... and now if we can all just get through the next few months of winter.






8 comments:

  1. Your weather sounds like ours, almost exactly the same temperatures, but it's sunny and dry here. The wind has finally died down and now it almost seems normal... but then I walked into our bedroom, where the heat isn't turned on, and it's 47 degrees at 3:00 in the afternoon! Here's hoping we will be back to our normal temperatures before too long, Rian. Stay warm!!!

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    1. You too, DJan. But from your hikes and walks, I can tell that you apparently handle the cold better than me.

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  2. Thanks for the shout-out, Rian. I love the little animal ornaments on your tree. When an ornament takes you back to a time and place then it is a very special one. You sure have kept busy with all your crafts. It is getting colder here now, too. I put food down every night for the ferals and it gets eaten, not a crumb left. I do worry about them but not much I can do about it when I barely ever see them. At least they are not hungry. Stay warm, hope your weather improves. Deb

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    1. The cats and kittens seem to be handling this freezing weather well. We watch the young ones playing out on the frozen yard... I guess kittens will be kittens! And we put out bread and seed for the birds also - and they eat it as fast as we get it out.

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  3. Your clay jewelry is quite nice. Will you be selling it at craft fairs?

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    1. Oh, Olga, I don't know. It's fun to do, but I've not tried selling anything. Plan to use some of these for gifts. We do have a pottery sale this Spring at the School. I may put a few in and see how they go.

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  4. You've certainly been busy with your decoration and pottery, but I'm guessing you want to stay cosy indoors during such bad weather. I love the thought that you have a tree decoration from Wales. :-)

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    1. I *do*... Do you have a tree decoration from Texas? ; )

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