Blue Monday: Christmas Eve Reflections

Blue Monday is hosted weekly by Smiling Sally.
To see more offerings, or to participate yourself, please head on over to her blog.

A few years ago, Michael and I started a sort of tradition of taking a photo of the two of us together, every Christmas Eve.  I guess nowadays that would be called a "selfie," wouldn't it?  Or is it a selfie if it's two people?  Well, whatever.  We usually take it in front of the Christmas tree or a wreath or something decorative (since we're not all that decorative ourselves).  

Last year we forgot to take the photo.  So I really wanted to remember to do it this year.  Naturally, I forgot again.  But earlier in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, I snapped some shots of Michael while we were outside checking on some of the plants (and wondering why the nandina doesn't have any berries yet).

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

And when I looked at this one later, I realized I'd taken a photo of the two of us on Christmas Eve after all.  That's the hubby, plant-gazing - well, his reflection anyway (I did a little cropping).  And that's me reflected in the window too, taking the picture. And that's the bright blue Texas sky reflected in there, too!  And just because it's Blue Monday, here's another shot of that sky.  It really was a lovely Christmas Eve.

I'm also linking up with Holidailies,

even though I've really been doing a terrible job with that, this year.

Christmas Cards

I love Christmas cards.  And I have a huge collection of them.  Actually, I love ALL greeting cards.  Always have.  My mother used to save all her greeting cards in a big shoe box and one of my favorite childhood pastimes was going through the box, making up stories to accompany the pictures on the cards.  I especially loved the shaped or die-cut cards - I'd trace around the edges and use the outline to make frames for my drawings.  Hmmmm.  Whatever happened to all that creativity I wonder.  But I digress.

Today, I just thought I'd show you a few cards from my collection.  It's a pretty random selection - some are really old, from the 1920s and earlier.  But most were issued sometime between 1930 and the early '60s.  I used to be able to pick these up for around a nickel each, in thrift shops.  These days, with more and more people collecting, they're usually considerably more expensive - and harder to find.  But I still love hunting for them.

Fairy Tales

Ever since my cousin MLB told me about fairy doors, I've wanted one.  Back then, we were living in a high-rise condo and didn't have a garden or yard, or a tree we could use.  But now we're in a house, with LOTS of trees on our property, and one day last month, M surprised me with my very own fairy door!

He built it out of a tiny display case meant to hold small trinkets (my mother used it for thimbles), and part of a wooden cigar box.

 

Then he painted it the same color as our own front door, and attached it to the base of one of our live oaks.  I was a little nervous about driving nails into the tree, but M assured me it wouldn't do any damage (small nails, big tree).

See how cute it is, surrounded by other trees. (Click on the image to enlarge and get a better look.)

One morning, just a day or two after we put it in, we woke up to find the little door open!  Maybe a fairy family was moving in?  We haven't noticed any activity since then, but just in case, we've decorated it for the holidays.

I have a strong feeling that more fairy doors are likely to appear around here very soon!

Don't Look At the Sun

Travis County TX

November 27, 2013

5 PM / Heading WEST