REVERSE ANTICIPATION...

A little more than a month ago, 

I posted this quote 

in connection with the anticipation of 

the coming of Christmas.  

That time, all too soon,
 has now come and gone.
  

  With each piece 

of our well planned out decor 

being put away in boxes and 

hidden for another twelve months,

 there comes a sadness 

that is almost beyond words.

 An empty spot 

where a tiny kitchen tree 

sat just days ago

 could be responsible for

 a sinking feeling deep inside, 

if I let it. 

 BUT,

 I have decided to take control and 

let all of that anticipation,

 that was felt before hand, 

come back around 

in reverse.

In the meadow, 

two January snowmen 

are anticipating that 

first snow storm 

hanging over their heads...
 and if the weatherman is correct, 
that might be
 happening soon...

...and Mr. January, himself,
 stands head and shoulders above the rest,
 while inviting you to linger with 
a good book and a hot drink
 in front of 
a blazing fire.

The master bedroom 

has been put to rights and 

the vintage pillows 

seem to coincide 

nicely with the

 new ruffles...

...and the only bit of Christmas 

to remain is the wreath on the dresser.

  When walking by 

there is still a sweet scent of pine, 

so as long as that persists, 

it will stay in place.

If you look closely 

you might still see 

some Christmas decorations 

in the back ground. 

 I am not stressing about 

how long it will take 

to put it all away. 

 The anticipation 

of having it all done, 

having a clean house once again, and 

moving on to other pursuits 

is what is 

fueling this fire.

That Cottage Stew 
might be bubbling on 
the back burner again. 
This time
 just enough in the pot 
to satisfy the parlor. 
(For those of you 
who might be visiting for the first time,
 the colors, blue and white 
are to the Cottage,
 the same as meat and potatoes 
are to a stew.) 
Here we have a small taste test 
on the parlor mantle.

I am not setting any schedule

 as to what room is done first. 

 The empty boxes were stacked 

in no particular order and

 we are bringing them back in 

that same way.  

My only rule is 

that each space (not each room)

 when cleared

 will be polished and put to order

 before moving on.

The kitchen

 is one other room 

returned to normalcy 

so far.

A lot of you 

are choosing the "word of the year"

 or making new year resolutions but, 

normally, 

I don't do those

 because I just can't seem 

to stick to them, but

 maybe I am just making

 a "word of the month", 

or however long it takes. 

 For whatever reason,

 the anticipation of 

how long it will last 

is exciting 

for now.

One thing 
I might be anticipating is 
a bite of a shiny, juicy apple. 
 Too bad these apples are not real. 
I found them at Tuesday Morning and 
they definitely could fool 
a discerning eye.

One thing 

I really am anticipating is 

a project 

that has just come to the forefront. 

 That doesn't mean

 it will be finished tomorrow, 

mostly because it

 hasn't been started yet.

 It wasn't even 

on the horizon two days ago, 

but the Captain uttered...

five little words

 and...

...Come On Now,

you can't dangle that apple carrot 

in front of me 

and not expect that I 

won't grab it and run! 

 Oh, the anticipation!

Have a great week and 

look for my

 "thank you's" to you 

at the end of each post.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

and

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