Cold Weekend

I made some lists and checked them twice.  I will go to town when it gets warmer this coming week.  I made a list of food to prepare for Christmas.  I  hope to keep it real simple.

It snowed but it is too cold to shovel, I will shovel Sunday afternoon after it warms up.

A peek out the window.

Blue jars I should probaby put marbles in. A tiny vase with a pencil carving, a Loon that Far Guy carved, an Angel that I bought at a garage sale, my blue collie ( a cover for a candy dish) and a Nutcracker.  Hanging in the window on the left a stained glass piece from my cousin Mary Jane and the other large piece of glass was a gift from a now very famous Glassblower.

The snowstick is out this window. We have eight inches of snow, it was so cold when it snowed last night that it was like a sprinkling of powdered sugar over everything.

I finally changed the flag.

I have kept busy reading, working on a crochet hat and making a few more Christmas Cards.  I also did some indexing at Family Search.  Far Guy woodcarved for awhile.  Then we all had a nap!

Yes it is bitterly cold here, but there are no snakes or bugs…not even any of those ticks. It makes us appreciate those days when it is above zero.

Shiny Brite Tree 2016

It is done!  Actually I thought it was done once, took some photos and added just a few more ornaments.  Typical for me.

Finished finally!  Far Guy wants a photo from outside..there is about a foot of snow on that deck.  It has not been a priority for shoveling.

The Gingham Ornament is one from Susan, this is it’s first year on the tree!

This is an ornament from Kansas Kay!

Ornaments and the snowy deck.

There it is…decorated before Christmas!

It is still cold here…brrrr. Headed for dangerous wind chills on Saturday and Sunday.  Wind is expected and lows will be –20 to –30F or –28 to 34C eh.  Winter Fun in Minnefreezeyourbuttoffsota!

Gifts from Kansas

It was really cold on Thursday morning…like –25 F or –31C eh!   The mailman delivered a package to our door along with the mail that included seven Christmas Cards!

I opened the package first! 

A box of Retro Shiny Brites and a book The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas.  “A colorful exploration of Depression-era Kansas and the meaning of friendship.”  I was hooked after the first few pages!   Thank you Kay you are ever so thoughtful! 

I took the ornaments upstairs, found some hangers and hung them on the in progress Shiny Brite tree!  These will be known as my Kay ornaments!

The tree upstairs will be done soon, I work on it for a few hours and then do something else.  So many people have given me ornaments it is like a trip down memory lane while I am decorating.

Chance : Dog Days and Nights

Hiya!  It’s me Chance.  You know how cold it is? 

There were Sundogs Wednesday morning, they were so big that it looked like we had three suns.  Far Side waited too long to take photos and poof they were gone.

The phone rang at supper time and it was Far Sides other baby brother who said “Get out there to freeze your butt off and get some photos…there are Moondogs.”  Well she waited too long inside the nice warm house.

She did get a nice photo of me earlier in the day. Wind Chills were –25 to -35 below zero.  I was not allowed to walk to the mail box, it is too far for an old dog in the extreme cold.  Far Side thought Far Guy should stay in too…but he went anyway.  Far Side watched from the window, it seemed forever before he was seen through the trees on the way back.

I had a really boring day…no company…ball playing commenced inside the house until I got tired and needed another nap.

  Yes, that is snow on my nose. We may warm up in a week.

Midway Memories: Spot

Just the word Spot brings up a few memories.  The first most towns were “spots,” Carnies would say that was a lousy spot or I cannot wait to get to the next spot!  The second belonged to a very old man I met.

I wonder if Spot had a real name?  Certainly his Mother did not name him Spot.  Spot was old ( maybe 65 when I met him.)  He came out for the Kaffee Fest in Willmar Minnesota.  I was introduced to him in a small cafe with those swivel red stools…Spot swiveled around on his stool to smile a partially toothless grin and offered his hand.  He was deeply tanned and had a large mole with several long dark hairs inhabiting a spot on his temple.  I wondered if that was why he was called Spot?  He was a little bit of a man, about five feet four inches tall, he wore tan pants and a cotton shirt and striped socks that has long since lost their elastic.  A partially bald head was covered with one of those summer hats with a little feather on the side that was popular back in the 1970’s.

He got his name because he only came out for a spot here and there, he just hung around the Midway…perhaps he had been a Carnie at one time but in his retirement he just came out for a spot or two each summer.

Far Guy says he thought Spot was from Southern Minnesota, near Pine Island, he had land there and one time The Boss, Paul and Far Guy went out there to get a part for a ride. Spot was a collector of many things…mostly carnival “stuff.”

The last time Far Guy saw Spot was in Cannon Falls Minnesota he was sitting on the platform of the Merry Go Round sleeping in the sunshine with his mouth open.  Far Guy laughed out loud and Spot opened one eye and looked at him like “Your day will come.”

 

Curly Ribbon Angel

My Curly Ribbon Angel needed a little repair.  She is made from  a Styrofoam Ball, Kraft Paper Twist Ribbon (3 ft), a jumbo spool of Curly Ribbon, ribbon for angel wings, some curly hair and a few trims…oh and a bud vase.

This angel is so old that there are no instructions anymore.  So I will attempt to explain how to make her!  I looked for instructions on the Internet…even on Pinterest with no luck.

Untwist your twist ribbon, take about two feet of ribbon fold it in half and cover the Styrofoam ball secure by tying a string at the base of the ball, let the other end be (tails).  Cut another piece of kraft twist ribbon about a foot long and insert it just below the head, half for a left arm and half for a right arm. You can tie another string around the bottom of the arms to keep them from slipping.  Twist the remainder of your tails into a round rope shape.

Curly Ribbon…I used the better part of a 500 yard spool.  I wrapped it around and around the legs of a chair…you want about a four foot hank that you will tie together in two equally spaced places. Choose an area near one of those tied spots and slip it over the head of the angel, half on one side of her head and half on the other. You can tie it in place if you wish. You will cut the ribbon in a little bit…be patient.

Now for her wings..attach ribbon with four loops…I most likely used a piece of wire to attach mine to the inside body…have two loops come out to the right and two to the left.  Tie a piece of cord…mine was green where her high waist would be.

   


Now you can cut the other part of the ribbon that is tied together.

See the tail in the center? (The dark spot toward the center)  Form it so that it fits into your vase.  You can glue it if you wish, I didn’t.  You can always wind more kraft ribbon around it to make it fit snug.
Then the fun begins as you can curl ribbon to your hearts content.  The more wraps you made the more you have to curl.

The finishing touches are fluffing the twist ribbon to look like arms and add an embellishment…mine used to have two roses but one was lost so she now has a bit of sparkly pipe cleaner.  Glue some curly hair on her head and make her a halo….mine is silver garland with stars.

Mine sits on the shelf above the television.

I made her about 15-20 years ago at one of the Cousin’s get togethers.  She stores well all the curly ends seem to do just fine no matter how I arrange her inside a Christmas tote.

It snowed …again..and got cold again. Typical December weather for Minnesota. The Wind Chills are horrible.

Downstairs Tree

The downstairs tree is done.  Complete. Two weeks to spare.  Yahoo for me.

We have Bubble Lights and Merry Go Round Horses at the bottom of the tree.  We are still using the Christmas Tree Skirt that Far Guy’s Paternal Grandmother made, it is velvet and Far Guy used to use it as a cape.  We are still using our artificial rendition of a Colorado Blue Spruce that we bought in 1996.  Twenty years and it has served us well.

The Post Office was delivering packages on Sunday. 

This ornament is from our friend Sue in Indiana.  I love it!

The upstairs tree is still a work in progress. It needs a few more days.

It warmed up to snow but has turned cold again.

OCD and Christmas Decorating

I have a fair amount of OCD. I betcha never guessed that.

This year I put the Nativity on the left and the Angel on the right above the fireplace. Really pressing the limits. I made the Nativity figures in a ceramics class in 1986.  Far Guy made me the creche out of pine lumber.  The tall Angel came from a  garage sale over on Bass Lake one year I think I paid a dollar for it.

We rearranged the living room for the tree…that is out of our usual box also.  Chance must have OCD also as he looks bewildered when he cannot make the circle…I have it blocked by the loveseat.

We have never had the tree in this corner before. The ornaments may survive dog tails better in the corner.

No ornaments on the downstairs tree yet but the tree is up and it has lights!  I am working on the tree upstairs…it is almost ready to decorate.

Had to take a break in the late afternoon.  I warmed up a corn bag and snuggled with it under a down quilt and watched the 1943 Movie Lassie Come Home and then I had a nap.  I got up and cooked us a wonderful supper.  Steak, sweet potatoes and green beans.  Far Guy was not sold on the sweet potatoes he said “I wasn’t looking forward to the sweet potatoes but they weren’t too bad.”

It was –20 F or –28 C eh on Saturday morning.  Too cold to snow…so it didn’t.

A Shiny Brite gift and snow fun

I got a Shiny Brite tree in the mail!!

Thank you Mildred!  It is just perfect!  This tree is already decorated!

I have not begun the big Shiny Brite tree yet.  Soon …maybe.

Yesterday I dusted and put a whole bunch of dust collectors away in the living room so I can begin decorating.

It is cold here. The snow quit, the main roads are okay but the side roads are icy.

Far Guy got the snow blower started.  The darn thing needs a new electric starter…it was replaced about 18 months ago and used about six times since then.  Workmanship is not what it used to be. 

Far Guy and Chance went to the Post Office for me, everything is in the mail…cards and Christmas carvings.  I had a feeling “off” day yesterday…had a long nap…didn’t seem to help much…hope this passes soon.

We are supposed to get more snow today…so we will have snow fun again.

Paige: Skittles and Sigourney

Miss Paige our youngest Granddaughter got a kitten in April of 2010 for her birthday.  She named the kitten Skittles.

Skittles 2010 –2016

Skittles had a good life as a favorite kitten.  One day this summer a guest staying at the house left a door open.  Skittles was not an outside cat.  She disappeared.  We thought perhaps she would return after a few days but those few days have turned into months and Skittles has not come home.  Paige looked everywhere for her.  They live in an area with many Eagles and Owls.  RIP Skittles.

Paige was very upset, especially with the guests that left the door open.  I cannot blame her.  I figured she would get another kitten…Paige has always said “I am a cat person.”

Well Sigourney is NOT a cat.

Paige and Sigourney

Sigourney is a pot bellied pig. She even squeals like a pig.

Do pigs smile?

This pig is litter box trained and has her own room with her own cage indoors.  She ate some brussels sprouts when were were there.

I wonder how big Sigourney will get?

Three Days of Snow

It has been snowing here on and off since Monday afternoon. We have been hermits since then, who wants to be out on questionable roads anyways. 

This time the snow is light and fluffy and blows around a bit.

We have just about eight inches in the yard.

The snow slides right off the shovel!   Far Guy shoveled some, then I shoveled but left some for today.  No sense in doing it all at once.  The freaking snowblower wouldn’t start…it has an electric start that just made a grinding sound.  Good thing my brother came by with his big snowblower to do our driveway.

So far the only decorating is by Mother Nature.

The Christmas Cards are done and most are mailed, I still have a few on my desk that need to go to the Post Office.  Most of the Christmas Ornaments have been mailed or will be mailed soon.

We have discussed where we will put the Christmas Tree downstairs. A new spot this year.

One of these days I will bring down the angel and the Nativity and the decorating will begin.

Shovel fun

Midway Memories : Limey

Some carnivals are different from others.  Some may have people who go by an alias/fake name and get by with it. 

In my time with Merriam’s Midway Shows I only know of one. How much of an alias it was I am not certain….it was at best or worst a half truth.

One summer one of the Concessionaires had a new worker.  He was from England and had quite an accent.  Not sure what his real name was but everyone called him Limey.  Limey made extra cash by helping set up and tear down the Tilt.  He worked one of the joints for George Belben….a dart game with balloons maybe. 

I talked with Limey, he was stocky, not too tall maybe 5 feet 7 inches, lots of freckles on his face and longish brown hair with a little red in it.  He wore sun glasses a lot, and mostly white shirts with rolled up sleeves with a pack of cigarettes tucked into the sleeve, the shirt was tucked into jeans.  The accent was fun to listen to.

In Seward Nebraska Limey, T J and Nick got into a bit of trouble in a Motel Room…they stole a bath rug.  The cops came and arrested them.  When they ran the checks…it turned out Limey was not a he but a she.

The word got out…and traveled like wildfire. “Limey is a Chick”  “What??” “You  know a chick with boobs.”  Some of them said “Oh good Lord I peed in front of her.” “No shit.”
She returned to the show wearing a wig and makeup and told me that she was going to write a book about her experiences during the summer.

The guys were all wondering how she/he pulled it off and pulled the wool over their eyes.  After it was all said and done she moved on…but the guys will never forget.

Wall of plush at a Duck Pond.

Ornament Winners

We are having a winter storm today.  It began snowing yesterday.  The wind is supposed to blow and visibility is supposed to be very low.  We will be staying home.

The other day when it wasn’t snowing we saw a sundog.

The sun is off to the far right just at the edge of the photo.  Sundogs are usually seen on really cold days…sometimes there is one, sometimes two on each side of the sun and sometimes they are connected by a circular thin band of pink.

I will get the ornaments mailed off to the winners as soon as the weather clears.

Red and Kansas Kay!  Congratulations! 

Please contact me by email captainconnie2001atyahoodotcom with your address.

Thank you everyone for sharing your favorite Christmas Memories!

The 2016 Ornament

Far Guy designed this ornament.  I was not convinced that we could get it to look like the inspiration. But we came real close.

Here they are in progress.  All six pieces are carved from Basswood.  The pieces are pinned and glued together. Far Guy does the pinning and gluing.  I  put a layer of gesso on them and then paint them.


Each one looks a bit different.

The inspiration.

The result is the artist interpretation of what the Lady’s Slipper would look like if it were made from wood.  Each ornament takes between three and four hours to make.  I have a limited number of them for sale. Check out Far Sides Attic and Woodshed Carvings For Sale under the blog header.  We made 78 to send to friends and family and I have them ready to mail and or deliver.

If you would like to be entered in a drawing that will end at 9 PM tonight.  Then leave a comment on this blog post and tell me about your favorite Christmas.  Stay tuned for the winners tomorrow.