PROMISES MADE...

I might have mentioned 

this problem last year, 

or was it two years ago?  

Time has a way of slipping by, 

especially when it concerns something 

that is an uncomfortable task.

This is the library at the Cottage.

  It is a small room, as rooms go,

 but it can hold a lot of stuff! 

 The room itself has good bones. 

 One wall is taken up by 

an antique barber's cupboard, 

filled with books and family photos. 

 The room has good storage,

 a computer closet,

 a desk and a work table.  

With the addition of 

a comfortable reading chair, 

it has all the elements of

 a functioning library.  

However, at present, 

it functions more like 

the typical kitchen junk drawer.

Since it is a room that only has to be entered when one wants to, 
the door can be closed off

 from the rest of the house 

just as if it didn't exist.  
The only bad thing is that 

since the beginning,

 the room has been designated 

as "The Captain Quarters" 

and the man in question

 is not happy with 

the present circumstances!

In transitioning the rest of the Cottage,

 stuff would get "dropped off" 

in the library, 

 to be put away at a later date,

 but later has never come.  

Oh, yes,

 words have been exchanged

 and promises have been made,

 but so far nothing has been done.

Now that Christmas has been cleared 

from all the other rooms, 

and winter will be here for awhile, 

the time has come for change.

Jake and Jacenda gave me this

 pretty watercolor kit for Christmas 

and I am anxious to start it. 

 I think I have pushed my luck long enough 

and I wouldn't start it on

 the dining room table, 

if I know what is good for me, 

so the time has come 

for promises to be kept.

Wish me luck and long term success!  

May I get, and keep, on track! 

 I will keep you updated

 on any, and all, progress.

In other news, 

I thought I would make mention of my

 three most viewed posts of 2021:

No. 3

Road Trip...Then and Now...

No. 2

A Garden Illusion...

No. 1

We Had Us A Party...

Have a wonderful week 💖

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

FYI:  If you looked back at my No. 1 post from last year, you would notice that the Covid-19 count was 13 new cases.  In today's paper (January 25, 2022) the count is 707 new cases. Just saying'.

 

A WINTER COTTAGE...

 

"Winter is the warmest season

Oh, you say you want a reason?

Is it warm when snow piles high and wide?

It is if you are bundled up inside

When it's storming, when it's raining

I stay indoors without complaining

Other people like to ski

Or sled down a hill, but not me

While you're bundling up in your jacket

I'm tearing open a hot cocoa packet

I don't mind summer, I'll make that clear

But winter's my favorite time of the year."

Author Unknown

Being inside a warm and cozy cottage 

does make winter almost bearable, 

so I have tried very hard 

to leave the best of Christmas 

and add some winter elements 

that make it a comfortable place to be.

The best of Christmas that I left for winter are greens and garlands. 

 Our community is surrounded by cedars and pines 

and they don't go away during winter 

so they look very much at home, during and after Christmas, as decorations.

  The cedar garland looks pretty surrounding the little rustic cabin 

and the old house painting and the twigs that were picked from the winter garden 

on the shelf above the sofa 

in the sitting room.

As you might have noticed,

 I have a lot of blue in the Cottage 

and that tends to set the mood for a cooler space.  

In summer it helps but in winter it needs 

something extra to make it feel warm...

 ...the texture of the pillows, the old quilt piece over the back of the sofa, 

the warm wood of the wagon 

and the higher pile of the carpet 

accomplishes that. 

 When lamps and candles 

are lit at nightfall, 

this Cottage comes alive.

 

The game table

 holds most of what was a Christmas scene

 on top of the old white cupboard 

in the kitchen...

...Mama Sheep 

lies next to a large bird house made out of barn wood,

 surrounded by greens and pinecones 

and a wooly yarn wreath.

Besides the one pillow on the sofa, 

I only brought one other snowman into the melee. 

 He is a tall, stately gentleman made out of cotton batting

 and wearing a top hat and a thick wooly scarf.  

He stands next to a little tree with snow tipped branches

 that is left over from Christmas.  

With a candle and a garland of cedar 

and another small wooly wreath on the mirror,

 he is ready to greet all who enter.

 

I didn't bring a whole lot of Christmas back into the dining room. 

 The red color of the walls is warm but dark 

so I thought the familiar arrangement with its bright flowers 

would add a cheery spot of color...

...and who better to bring it along 

would be Goatzie who looks perfectly perfect still 

on the table after Christmas.

The other Christmas left over

 is a little tree that sparkles 

from the light of the window 

in the dining room.

The one spot of winter that makes me happy to look at  
is the parlor mantel. 
 I left the Christmas garland up 
 with the addition of a 
string of wooly "snowballs", 
entwined through soft greens and winter berries...

 ...wouldn't it be a perfect touch 

for a winter wedding?

All of us here hope you enjoyed seeing the winter Cottage. 

 Our days lately are sunny and cold 

so being snuggled up here is just right. 

 I hope you are warm and cozy 

wherever you are.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

COMMON SENSE ONE ROOM AT A TIME...

This Christmas went by way too fast. 

 I thought I had planned it well 

and had enough time left over,

 after decorating, 

to enjoy it all.

  But did I?  

Was there too much work

 and not enough play

 or could it be just

 the way life goes these days?

If I am to be honest, 

it is probably the latter.

  With all that being said,

 I still find that I am enjoying the process 

and looking forward to what is to come. 

 I do want to apologize to all of you 

who have commented 

over the past couple of weeks. 

I have read them all just before bedtime 

and then when the morning comes

 there doesn't seem to be

 enough hours in the day 

to fit everything in. 

 I promise I will do better.

Hopefully this year will be better 

than the last - 

and where have we heard that before?  

I have come to the conclusion

 that this is something that we will continue to ask and, even though it is not ideal, 

I will do what I can to keep myself

 and my loved ones safe: 

keep getting my shots

 whenever it is said 

that another is necessary, 

keep wearing the mask whenever I go out 

and, regretfully,

 I will have to stay away from anyone 

who doesn't believe as I do.

I love my home, 

and even though there will be times

 that I may feel like a prisoner there, 

 I will accept that this is the 

normal way of life for me. 

I am really trying

 to come to terms with the fact 

that everyone doesn't see it the same way.

I am so lucky 

that I have been given 

a clean bill of health

 from my doctor yesterday 

and will continue to be careful,

 use common sense,

 and get on with it! 

 It seems to me to be such a simple solution to a very large problem

that, in my opinion,

 is only going to get worse 

for a good time to come.

Getting back to the

 wonderful Christmas experience.

Since it did seem to pass so quickly, 

I am taking my time

 to put the Cottage in order 

and am transitioning 

between Christmas and winter

 by leaving some obvious remnants behind. 

 This way, I get a clean house 

but still enjoy the beauty of lingering

 with a bit of what has passed too quickly.

The kitchen totes were the

 last to be put away

 so, therefore,

 it is the first room 

to be put back together.  

As I said, I am taking it slow, 

so I hope to have at least one more room to feature next week.

It is now sunny and cold

 with snow still on the ground

 and I am taking advantage of 
a warm fire in a clean kitchen
 which goes very nicely 
with a hot cup of tea. 
 I am watching my own 
personal little "roomba" (AKA Robin) 
constantly surveying 
all the little corners
 which she hopes have been forgotten.

What,

 just a short time ago 

was in the parlor

 filling in as a tree skirt, 

is now back to its roots. 

 It is just another way 

to bring comfort and warmth 

to a winter kitchen.

Happy New Year to everyone. 

 I sincerely hope that you 

and your loved ones 

stay safe, healthy and happy

 in the days ahead. 

 As for me and my house, 

we are approaching it, 

slowly but surely, 

with a little elbow grease

 and a bit of plain common sense.

Have a lovely week 

and thanks to you all

 for your support during the year 

and for all your

 sweet and thoughtful words. 

 You are all so very special.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda

 

TWAS THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS AND...

 

The forecast was for snow on Christmas Day. 

 In all of my 82 years,

 I have never seen snow fall on Christmas Day.  

That would be a White Christmas for sure.

  But, as most things these days, it didn't happen.  

We were a bit apprehensive because, if it had, maybe the kids 

wouldn't have been able to come up on Christmas day, 

but it didn't, so we really had a lovely celebration.  

Tami and Tim brought tamales and rice, 

Jake and Jacenda brought blueberry pie 

and we provided salad and green beans. 

 It was delicious and after dinner 

we exchanged gifts 

and then they had to leave to go home.

Snow is  usually a joyful condition around our part of the world. 

But when we woke up the day after Christmas, 

all of the photos in this post were what we faced 

and it wasn't entirely joyful.

Our beautiful crape myrtle tree, 

which has stood at the corner of our lot for probably more years than I have been alive, 

took a hard hit in the storm. 

 It is about half the size that it was before Mother Nature took hold.

 Branches broke in three different places. 

 All over the streets there are broken boughs 

and a few vehicles were damaged from falling limbs.

  I haven't heard of anyone being hurt

 so that is the good news.

We lost power for three days.

  We are blessed to heat the Cottage and to cook with gas, so none of that was interrupted. 

 We also had the TV, the refrigerator and a few lights hooked up to the generator. 

 There are still some without power so we feel very fortunate.

  We did not have the internet or Netflix, however!

All of it did give me time to start taking down some Christmas decorations.  

I can't believe I am already saying and doing that.  

We just put them up!  

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a safe New Years. 

 Believe it or not, we actually stayed up long enough to welcome in the new year. 

 I hope I have something more interesting to write about next week. 

 Transitioning between holidays is always a busy and messy time 

with never much pretty to show for it for awhile.

There is nothing pleasurable

 about the Secret Garden or the screened porch 

these days...

We haven't had any more snow but...

Baby, it's cold outside!

Have a wonderful week 

and let's hope for a better year to come.

...Judy...

Sharing today with:

Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda