Traveling Back in Time

I've been going through an old photo album tonight. Wow. I don't do this very often but it's amazing how pictures do take you back to a moment.

I was looking at photos from a 1992 trip to Europe that I took with Greg and his mom. We went to Paris and then on to England that May. Greg had made arrangements for us to visit Stonehenge and we spent a couple of days in Avebury, England, which I loved.

One of my favorite photos from the England part of the trip is of Greg's mom having breakfast at the place we stayed in Avebury.



Doesn't Miss Joy look like she's having a fabulous time? We all were.

Earlier that morning I had experienced one of those moments that stays with you forever. I woke at dawn, hearing something I couldn't identify. I got out of bed and went over to the window and pulled it inward to open it. I looked out onto the church from the 1600s right across the street, and there on a path beside it, in the garden, was the peacock I was hearing. It was chilly, especially for May, and I quickly retreated to the bed and snuggled under the heavy covers for a bit more sleep before beginning the day.
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A Festive Day

This morning I did the MHA's table display for the Downtown Tablescape contest. Last year I did a Snowman theme in a window and it was way too much. So, this year I said it would have to be much simpler. I started with the white fire king and just worked from there. Frank's Frame Shop is hosting the display.

The weirdest thing was when I went to do the flatware, I realized the writing on the knives was on the wrong side - so it would face up when placed on the table in the proper place. So, I reversed the sides for the fork and knife/spoon. I wasn't sure what to do. Basically, there is no way to properly set a table using this flatware. Although I rarely set a proper table, it's nonetheless distressing to realize that even manufacturers don't know how to do it anymore. Either the knife had to be turned the wrong way in relation to the plate, or the writing had to be visible, or the place setting had to be reversed. Maybe I made the wrong choice and should go change it. Odd. Obviously, I haven't used this flatware much. Or ever, maybe.

When I was loading the extra stuff into my car I noticed something festive happening across the street. They were putting up the downtown holiday wreaths. It was quite a process.








They had to mount the poles it was secured onto and then hoist the wreath into place and secure it on top, and then on the bottom. It was chilly enough I didn't watch the end of the process but got out of the wind.

After work I decorated a bit more around the house and cleared the dining room table off because Trish, Andrea and Diana were coming over tonight to do Christmas cards.



It's time for me to get some sleep now. I want to have some energy left after work tomorrow night to work on the novel. Yes, I know, another exciting Friday night on tap for me. I'm such a party animal. I'll be the one hunched over the keyboard. Or, if things get really exciting, writing edits in the margins of the hard copy.
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We All Need Some Holiday Cheer

These are the ornaments that are my package tags this year. I first did this in the early 90s and started out simple, writing everyone's name on one of those little red apples they used to sell as ornaments. I haven't seen those in awhile now that I think about it. They didn't last long, so maybe that's why.

Then I progressed to making them.One year I sewed stockings. They're really cute, but I was working on them up to the last minute. One year I made little gingerbread men from cinnamon dough and Bobby Clark wrote the names on them. He was a little guy at the time, so it adds to the charm to have his handwriting on them. The only rules were that they had to be able to have everyone's name and the year on them. A couple of years ago I decided not to put the names on them and found myself Christmas morning with a sharpie, trying to do that, because Cathy and Kim both wanted names on them. Lesson learned.

This year I found these stars at Hobby Lobby when they first put the Christmas stuff out. I bought them the first time their stuff was half off. I'm so glad I did because I haven't seen anymore. I wasn't sure how I would get the names on them but then tonight I ran across these Martha Stewart hangers and realized the problem was solved. I'm very happy with how they turned out. I haven't attached them to the presents yet, but I think they'll go nicely with my theme this year.

As you might guess, the ornaments have to match the paper, which has to coordinate with the ribbon. Last year it was the cream colored star paper, that I loved, with star ornies (I love stars!). The year before it was the red foil with silver snowflakes, and those wonderful snowflake ornies that were just perfect. In 2005 it was this translucent paper with old fashioned ornaments printed on it. I had to wrap the presents with white paper under that but it was a cool look. I can't recall what the ornament was that year and the close up photo of the presents I have doesn't show the ornies. I'll have to go hunt on the tree.

Yes, I know this isn't a life or death matter. But, good grief, I want to think about something happy instead of the continual gloom and doom I hear every time I turn on the TV. Avoidance? Perhaps. I'm a big believer in avoidance as a coping technique and I think others are engaging in it too.

I've had multiple people tell me they want to have a "Christmasy-ier Christmas" this year. In no cases does that mean an expensive, extravagant Christmas - just more Christmas. If ever we needed a holiday season, it's this year. And for those of us here, who lost a large part of our holiday season last year due to the ice storm (more than a week without power for me in the heart of the season), it seems to be an intense desire.

So, I'm engaging in the holidays full force. I'm finishing up my cards tomorrow evening with friends. I'm hoping to get a bit more decorating done after work before they come over. At the very least I need to move the piles of plastic tubs away from the dining room table so we can use it. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and hope to entertain a great deal during the holiday season and enjoy time with friends and family in the coming month.

For those of you who are Kansas Country Living readers, I'm hoping to see some of you on December 6 at my home. I'm extending the invitation to blog readers as well. December 6 from 3-6 I'm opening my home to share the Christmas decorations with everyone. If you want to come, please RSVP to me so I have some idea how many to prepare for and I'll send you the details. I'll be making dessert. You do not need to bring anything except yourself. You can email me at patsyterrell@gmail.com if you're able to come. Hope to see you then. I'm really looking forward to meeting some readers.
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The Day

I had a very busy workday today - just one thing after another. I was tired by the end of the day. But, I managed to find some energy to put out more Christmas stuff - imagine that. I also worked on the novel some more.

Greg helped me bring up a bunch of Christmas stuff from the basement last night so my house is a forest of plastic tubs. But, it's so nice to have help getting them up the stairs. Later this week I've having some friends over to do our Christmas cards so I need to at least have a path to the table by then.

I was finishing my Christmas letter tonight, too. I thought it was all done but I keep editing until it starts coming off the printer. Frankly, sometimes even then I'm still editing the other side of it. I'm doing a much more straightforward one this year - no photos. I need to simplify that a bit. I'm simplifying a lot of things this year. For some reason I just don't want to "fuss" as much. Not sure why. But, I am going to honor that feeling.

I think I'm so focused on my writing these days that it's hard to think about much else. I realized this afternoon that it has been ages since I've been in my art studio. Of course, I will be again, but at the moment my creative energy is devoted to the novel. I'm still reading and editing and rewriting on it and probably will for another couple of weeks. Unfortunately, that inability to stop editing is going to be a problem at some point.

The more I write the more I want to read, too. Funny how that works. At the moment I'm reading Wil Wheaton's book, "Just a Geek."  I have read it before, along with his first book, "Dancing Barefoot," but I wanted to reread it before reading his new book, ""The Happiest Days of Our Lives." He's a great writer. I check in on his blog regularly, too. It's one of the blogs out there that's always worth your time.

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Living These Days

I was thinking tonight about the amount of information we have readily available to us all the time. When I was growing up - not all that long ago, thank you very much - we had network news and that was about it as far as timely info. There was a newspaper, but of course the news was at least a day old by the time you got it. There was not on-site satellite reporting from where news was happening. Radio news had already been relegated to a token. Research required a good relationship with your local librarian and an understanding of the Reader's Guide - is that what that thing was called that listed magazine articles - I think it was. Remember how we all carried around card files with notes about research in high school?

Now I'm on the computer large parts of every day. And, if in the middle of a project I make a reference to something and then have a question about whether or not I remember it correctly, it's easy to google for it and check myself. If I suddenly get a hankering to learn what baby gorillas eat, it's no trouble for me to find out. If I feel a weird numbness in half of my ring finger and my pinky, Dr. Google will shortly point me to an ulner nerve problem. A few keystrokes and almost anything information I want is right there on my screen.

I'm also able to share the daily lives of people I would never be likely to meet in person through their blogs. I keep up on the trials and joys of being an actor in Canada, owning a vineyard in France, living in Morocco, riding horses in Egypt and being a writer in New York - all from my home office in Hutchinson Kansas. This is something that has never been available to people until now - no matter their socio-economic status. Until this moment in history we have not had the opportunity to connect in this way. People all over the world read my blog, sharing my daily life, and I'm continually flattered by it. I continue to be amazed at how alike we all are on the big things, and that our differences are in the details.

These are fascinating times in which we live. Mind-boggling and mind-stretching. I like to stretch my perceptions of "normal." I like to make room for all kinds of possibilities. I like to get a glimpse of what could be, instead of just what is.

Recently, this video was posted on whatsuphutch.com. I found it quite interesting. It's well worth your five minutes to watch it. Just click on the arrow in the middle of the picture below and it will automatically play for you. It may take a minute, so be patient. I'd love to hear your comments on this.



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Dick Cavett in The New York Times

I did not know that Dick Cavett was writing for the New York Times, but he is. Mary Lou forwarded this to me today and it's brilliant writing. It's called, "The Wild Wordsmith of Wasilla" and well worth your time to click on the link and give it a read.

One Excerpt:
Could the willingness to crown one who seems to have no first language have anything to do with the oft-lamented fact that we seem to be alone among nations in having made the word “intellectual” an insult? (And yet…and yet…we did elect Obama. Surely not despite his brains.)
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A Day of Writing

I have spent the entire day working on the novel. I'm at the point where I'm finishing up details, rewriting and editing.

Of course, I've done this multiple times and today I printed out a fresh copy and on page one I found a huge error. Yes, page one.

I'm guessing at least a dozen people have read or heard this chapter and missed the error. Just goes to show you that you can never edit and proof read enough.

I'm excited to be nearing the end of this project.

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