Decking the Halls?

Well, maybe not the halls. This year. But I did throw a little tinsel on the mantle in front of a tiny bisque chorus line. Let's pretend they are singing....maybe the happy song at the end of this post.

Call it lazy, but I just didn't want to get out too many decorations. I know there are some tucked in the Baileysburg (a very tiny town in Washington state) cabinet (quite a story there for another time), but they haven't found their way out....yet. There are some lovely Chalkware Santas and folk art pieces I still may set out. There are also a few boxes (or more, way more who am I kidding?) hiding in the basement (hiding, that's the word! not lost in unmarked boxes or plastic tubs). But it's late and you know the cats are probably always sleeping down there and I wouldn't want to wake them. Considerate of the fuzzy beings, aren't I?

So far we have kept it simple. Here we have one (yes, there are two and no it's not the beginning of a taxidermied Ark...but that is an idea) of our Chevy Chase Christmas former real squirrels in the white (not quite a feather, but old and I still like it anyway) tree in the living room front window. I added the birds to keep him company. I picked them up this summer in a Montana antique/thrift shop, thinking I was going to paint them black and use them at Halloween...you can see how far that project made it. Maybe next year, but I'm kind of enjoying the white on white here, so they may have been saved from the spray can. After all, they most likely survived a wedding or shower and then being packed away for who knows how long and seem to be happy with Nutmeg. That's the squirrel's name. When Brian got him a few years ago and showed his boys, the first remark made was 'Can we name him, Nutmeg?' and so it is.

Or as the Captain would say, 'make it so.'

It's all tucked into a silver ice bucket that came home with me from Value Village earlier this year. It will probably never see a wine bottle in this house and I knew that when I bought it. I guess it was just silver and shiny and that was enough one afternoon to catch my eye. Shiny is good- especially silver, but I like tarnish better. Go figure. Maybe it's an odd way to appreciate age. I have days when I feel a little tarnished myself.

Anywho, here's a little song that the girls on top of the mantel would sing to you, if they could sing and I'm sure Nutmeg would help, too. Written by one of my favorite authors, Shel Silverstein and sung by Marisa Berenson and assorted Muppets. Enjoy!



xoxo

gretchen~