Today is January 6 – the last day of Christmas.
No, really, today is the last of the twelve days of Christmas – the day the three kings arrived to see the Baby Jesus. In earlier centuries Christmas started on Christmas day and ended today – not as today, where Christmas starts at Thanksgiving (a totally unrelated holiday) or earlier in the year and ends on Christmas Day. I have mentioned that husband and I are 18th century reenactors. In normal years our unit participates in a Candlelight Nights event at the local restoration village (forgive me if I am repeating myself). We explain to the public which comes through that Christmas was celebrated for the entire 12 days – which by the way, does NOT include Christmas Day – which was religious/church day. Starting December 26 (still called Boxing Day in many countries), which was the first day of Christmas there would be parties every evening. Family and friends would come to visit (and as I explain to children – family might come from far away and therefore might not come to visit for the day or the week, but for weeks or a month) - it was a common time for weddings as a result. Each night we are at the event after Christmas Day we mention what night it is – as in “Oh, you are here for the family's first night (second night, third night…) party. Think of it 12 days of parties and fun for Christmas.
One advantage to there being 12 specific days of Christmas with a definite day – today – to end the holiday is that one knew when the holiday was over. I hate it when people run to take down their Christmas Decorations or toss their tree out the day after Christmas.
I sort of mix it all together. Today we used/are using our Christmas dishes (inexpensive Corelle) for the last time for a year. I have put the Christmas dishes we did not use today (and will not use for late night snack tonight) on the table runner on our dining room table. The dinner dishes are washed. When I take out them out of the drying rack, they will join the others on the dining room table. Tomorrow I will add the dishes we use for late snack -which will be washed and left to air dry before we go to bed tonight, box them up, and store them in the basement closet until next year. The same with our Christmas glasses.
But as good as I am about the dishes – I hate to take down the decorations. The outdoor lights will have the timer in our basement which controls them shut off. The wreath on the door will have it's timer shut off also (it runs on batteries). I will leave the window candles (also battery and timer) up a little longer. But the outside decorations – lights, flag on holder and decorations on our solar lamps' holders – will remain up until the weather is warm enough to take them down comfortably or the weather coming is bad enough that we better get them down – freezing weather or not.
But in the house – generally the decorations – including the trees – will stay up a bit longer (no one sees inside the house to see that they are still up). Several years ago we realized that we needed a definite point in time to take down the inside the house decorations. When January started it was too soon. By the last week in January I was walking around thinking - “oh no, I guess I should start taking it all down soon, but who wants to now that the holiday is over”. I figured out a definite point to signal to start taking them down – Martin Luther King Jr's birthday. (For those not in the U.S. this holiday is on the 3rd Monday in January and honors the Reverend King.) The holiday is of no significance to taking down the decorations – other than it is a set point to do so – well, at least to start doing so.
Our dining room is already back to normal other than the decorations. The board I added to the table is back in the board holder in the back of our front closet. The tablecloths and napkins long washed and put away. The foam table protector is also long rolled up and stored in the front closet. The good china and silver tableware was put away after New Year's Day. (This is not the same as my Christmas dishes.)
The rest of the decorations inside may stay out a bit longer this year – basically it a bit of “we need a little Christmas” so I will not rush to pack them all away. Something to cheer the house while staying in to avoid the corona virus is needed, so it may stay a little longer. My infamous teddy bear village stopped having a “Christmas Festival” some years ago – as the same setup called a “Winter Festival” can stay out longer- until February when, of course, the “Valentine Festival” happens.
When we take down the decorations – outside and inside – I will note anything which needs to be replaced next year and list it in the shopping list in my cell phone under “Xmas” so we remember to buy what is needed and have it when we need it next year.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
When there is a task to do which does not have a specific time it needs to be done or completed by – set a fixed time it needs to be done for yourself. If it is an annual task – use the same fixed time point each year.
I hope all have a good new year and stay well and safe.
Showing posts with label restoration village 18th century. Show all posts
Showing posts with label restoration village 18th century. Show all posts
Thursday, January 7, 2021
WHEN IT IS TIME TO SAY GOODBYE TO CHRISTMAS?
Thursday, January 3, 2019
1775 CHRISTMAS FOLLOWED BY 2019 NEW YEAR'S
Last week I was talking about getting the Christmas decorations finished, our holiday celebrations, and going “back” to 1775 for a candlelight Christmas event at a restoration village. When we went back this past Thursday we found out that there were 1500 people through the village last Saturday night and 2200 people last Sunday night - and Sunday night they turned people away for lack of parking. Makes one feel popular - even if the people are coming for the overall event - not us specifically. As a result for the second weekend they made arrangements for off site parking and school buses to go back and forth.
Thursday and Saturday this week there were so many people waiting to come into the restoration that they let them come in early - event is suppose to start at 5 pm and they have an opening parade at 5:15, so we don’t get many people before then. Both nights people were coming in at 4:30 pm (and they can not just wander in, they have to be let in). Unfortunately since no one had informed us of this -or even the possibility of this - we were not ready for the public yet when they started to walk in. Talk about looking disorganized! We made our apologies and asked people to come back later. I ended up starting to give the tour at the door as people wandered in as the fellows normally there were not in place yet, and when they were ready, I followed the crowd in to where I needed to be. On Saturday night I needed a last minute trip to what was called in 1775 “the necessary”, even though I had stopped in the ladies room in the visitor’s center before we walked out to the house. I went to the one out in the restoration and noticed other buildings having the same problem - one small house was letting people in, other larger ones (take longer to get setup for the evening) had a person out on the porch - door to the building closed - talking to the people who were waiting. I made note of same and told husband about it in case we have the same problem in the future. We had a huge crowd already in our house and I again had to follow the crowd into the kitchen - while removing my modern winter jacket and trying to scrunch it down small enough that it would not be noticed.. Husband had asked our unit commander to man (“woman”?) the kitchen until I was there and he was doing a good job when I arrived - but was glad to go back to music and singing and talking about “guy” things. We don’t have counts yet for those nights, but I am guessing they were crowded than the week before. They, again, canceled the event for Friday night as, again, there was a huge rain storm.
With the event behind us we realized that we had no plans for New Year’s. Husband decided that we (I) would attempt to make chicken pie from partial things - premade pie shells, chicken purchased cooked and cut in small piece, canned cream of chicken soup for the sauce for New Year’s Eve dinner. Worked relatively well and did not get either of us sick.
New Year’s Day I finally had a chance to work on setting up my teddy village for winter. It is mostly done at this point - I need to fix some mini-Christmas lights whose strand is out and I need to get some button batteries for some of the lights in the village. We went out in the evening for dinner at the Asian buffet we go to on weekends.
Not a big exciting holiday, but as I have posted many times - every day is the start of a new year.
Today was my embroidery chapter meeting. Last night husband - whose arm and shoulder were finally doing well - fell coming down the stairs to wash his hair in the kitchen sink. (Due to a bad cold he did not want to take a shower as the house is drafty.) He scrapped some skin off one leg - a problem as he is Diabetic and also he cannot use normal band aid type bandages on his legs - but I bandaged it up for him. His knee and arm hurts and he keeps worrying that he broke something - they look okay to me - not bruised, not swollen, no bone looks or feels out of place.) So after the meeting I came home and did not have a day out alone - in exchange, as he asked me to do this - he had to join me in my normal errands for this day each month as I don’t want to let the empty soda bottles pile up.
While I was waiting for him to get ready to go out I made some phone calls - I had a bill from medical lab as they must not have had my new medical insurance - I called and the hold wait ran too long. I filled in the info on the form and will mail it to them tomorrow. I then called the company from who I had ordered new checks for our reenactment unit - they spelled the name of the organization wrong and they will send out us new checks - glad I ordered them long before we need the new checks. (Once again, I had to do something twice - what is going on with everyone right now?) I also called our heating oil company. This company gets odder and odder. Last year or the year before our company joined another company and the other company is in charge (I may have mentioned chasing them down to try to get them to do the pre-season cleaning of the furnace, which they did not do last year either - and they cannot come until the end of February when the season is well along and heading for the end in a month or so.) Our original company would leave a receipt when they delivered oil and then send us an invoice. This second company would leave an invoice for us to pay as the receipt. Well, just before Christmas a large oil company in this area delivered oil to us - not either of the ones that we have dealt with. They left an “invoice” that did not say how much we owed them and said that a final invoice would be coming. So I called them today to find out when the invoice would be here. Total confusion - “Didn’t they leave an invoice?” I explained and pointed out that I don’t know who the company who delivered is (I was talking to the second company that we have had). “Well, I guess than they should have mailed an invoice to you.” I held my tongue and did not get sarcastic and reply “You think so?” They are sending me an invoice. If I had any question about changing companies next year - this resolved it.
Hopefully we will have a couple of quiet days to catch up. Husband is again thinking of a trip on Friday to Lancaster, PA - but I know how well his plans for same in the recent past have worked out (not at all). Though if we go with the RV he can buy some food items not available here and maybe he will enjoy dinner a bit more than he does.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
The start of a new year is good time to take stock of where one is and what one wants to do. I make no resolutions as they are never kept (except my last one to never make a resolution again). If you want to change things think about what you want to change and how to do so. It is better to think in this manner, I find, than to make grand resolutions and then find that they cannot or are not kept one feels bad. If it was just one or two specific things - one might actually get them done and if not, it is just a hope to get something done and one does not feel as much as a failure than not keeping a “resolution”. Resolutions are large things - work on small things and the large things will fall into place on their own.
Thursday and Saturday this week there were so many people waiting to come into the restoration that they let them come in early - event is suppose to start at 5 pm and they have an opening parade at 5:15, so we don’t get many people before then. Both nights people were coming in at 4:30 pm (and they can not just wander in, they have to be let in). Unfortunately since no one had informed us of this -or even the possibility of this - we were not ready for the public yet when they started to walk in. Talk about looking disorganized! We made our apologies and asked people to come back later. I ended up starting to give the tour at the door as people wandered in as the fellows normally there were not in place yet, and when they were ready, I followed the crowd in to where I needed to be. On Saturday night I needed a last minute trip to what was called in 1775 “the necessary”, even though I had stopped in the ladies room in the visitor’s center before we walked out to the house. I went to the one out in the restoration and noticed other buildings having the same problem - one small house was letting people in, other larger ones (take longer to get setup for the evening) had a person out on the porch - door to the building closed - talking to the people who were waiting. I made note of same and told husband about it in case we have the same problem in the future. We had a huge crowd already in our house and I again had to follow the crowd into the kitchen - while removing my modern winter jacket and trying to scrunch it down small enough that it would not be noticed.. Husband had asked our unit commander to man (“woman”?) the kitchen until I was there and he was doing a good job when I arrived - but was glad to go back to music and singing and talking about “guy” things. We don’t have counts yet for those nights, but I am guessing they were crowded than the week before. They, again, canceled the event for Friday night as, again, there was a huge rain storm.
With the event behind us we realized that we had no plans for New Year’s. Husband decided that we (I) would attempt to make chicken pie from partial things - premade pie shells, chicken purchased cooked and cut in small piece, canned cream of chicken soup for the sauce for New Year’s Eve dinner. Worked relatively well and did not get either of us sick.
New Year’s Day I finally had a chance to work on setting up my teddy village for winter. It is mostly done at this point - I need to fix some mini-Christmas lights whose strand is out and I need to get some button batteries for some of the lights in the village. We went out in the evening for dinner at the Asian buffet we go to on weekends.
Not a big exciting holiday, but as I have posted many times - every day is the start of a new year.
Today was my embroidery chapter meeting. Last night husband - whose arm and shoulder were finally doing well - fell coming down the stairs to wash his hair in the kitchen sink. (Due to a bad cold he did not want to take a shower as the house is drafty.) He scrapped some skin off one leg - a problem as he is Diabetic and also he cannot use normal band aid type bandages on his legs - but I bandaged it up for him. His knee and arm hurts and he keeps worrying that he broke something - they look okay to me - not bruised, not swollen, no bone looks or feels out of place.) So after the meeting I came home and did not have a day out alone - in exchange, as he asked me to do this - he had to join me in my normal errands for this day each month as I don’t want to let the empty soda bottles pile up.
While I was waiting for him to get ready to go out I made some phone calls - I had a bill from medical lab as they must not have had my new medical insurance - I called and the hold wait ran too long. I filled in the info on the form and will mail it to them tomorrow. I then called the company from who I had ordered new checks for our reenactment unit - they spelled the name of the organization wrong and they will send out us new checks - glad I ordered them long before we need the new checks. (Once again, I had to do something twice - what is going on with everyone right now?) I also called our heating oil company. This company gets odder and odder. Last year or the year before our company joined another company and the other company is in charge (I may have mentioned chasing them down to try to get them to do the pre-season cleaning of the furnace, which they did not do last year either - and they cannot come until the end of February when the season is well along and heading for the end in a month or so.) Our original company would leave a receipt when they delivered oil and then send us an invoice. This second company would leave an invoice for us to pay as the receipt. Well, just before Christmas a large oil company in this area delivered oil to us - not either of the ones that we have dealt with. They left an “invoice” that did not say how much we owed them and said that a final invoice would be coming. So I called them today to find out when the invoice would be here. Total confusion - “Didn’t they leave an invoice?” I explained and pointed out that I don’t know who the company who delivered is (I was talking to the second company that we have had). “Well, I guess than they should have mailed an invoice to you.” I held my tongue and did not get sarcastic and reply “You think so?” They are sending me an invoice. If I had any question about changing companies next year - this resolved it.
Hopefully we will have a couple of quiet days to catch up. Husband is again thinking of a trip on Friday to Lancaster, PA - but I know how well his plans for same in the recent past have worked out (not at all). Though if we go with the RV he can buy some food items not available here and maybe he will enjoy dinner a bit more than he does.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
The start of a new year is good time to take stock of where one is and what one wants to do. I make no resolutions as they are never kept (except my last one to never make a resolution again). If you want to change things think about what you want to change and how to do so. It is better to think in this manner, I find, than to make grand resolutions and then find that they cannot or are not kept one feels bad. If it was just one or two specific things - one might actually get them done and if not, it is just a hope to get something done and one does not feel as much as a failure than not keeping a “resolution”. Resolutions are large things - work on small things and the large things will fall into place on their own.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
2018 Christmas mixed with 1775 Christmas
I hope those how celebrate Christmas had a good holiday. I hate to use the Merry or Happy as there are many for whom that won’t happen, but good holiday has a larger definition and is more inclusive. (By the way - Queen Victoria was the one who changed the expression from Merry to Happy in Britain. Why? Well what we think of as the meaning of Merry is not what it then meant. To wish someone a Merry Christmas then, was to wish them a drunken Christmas.)
Did you get all of your holiday preparations done on time? I didn’t. Between time lost back in October and November to my husband’s injured shoulder/arm, doing an assortment of tasks twice to get them done finally and correctly, work, and my general laziness, compounded by the fact that I lost 2 evenings (which should have been 3 - but more on that later) to the Candlelight Nights reenactment event we do with our reenactment unit just before Christmas, I fell behind - even for me.
Normally I would have everything I wanted to do finished, except my (infamous) Teddy Christmas Village setup. Over the years it has become normal for me to be setting it up on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day night, or even just after same. Dinner for Christmas Eve would be planned in advance,gifts wrapped, all the other trees and decorations up and in place. Not this year.
As I wrote last week, I had set up the living room and dining room and front hall decorations - mostly - in advance. I put artificial roping over the windows in the living and dining room and did so this year in the dining room. The living room involves moving a coffee table from in front of the windows to hang the roping there - and an embroidered hoop piece that I put in the center of the roping. (The coffee table is there and not in front of the sofa since it became husband’s weaving room and while not heavy is shoved between 2 chairs and therefore hard to move.) At Christmas Eve the roping was still waiting. I put it back the box and sat the embroidered piece on a chair (which will not be sat in anyway). While doing this annoys me - the lack of the roping does not change the holiday in any way.
Last week, you may remember, I assembled the tree while writing my post to you. On Thursday night I brought up the two boxes of decorations that go on it first (the nicer ones), put “Lion in Winter” in the DVD player (a tradition with husband and me) and started on decorating the tree. It took a few hours but the decorations went on the tree. I put them on the tree in sections as there are so many that it makes it easier to see them. I put angels on the top section of the tree all around - or at least on the 3 sides one can actually see. On the front of the tree I put the ornaments we have bought on vacation - and about vacation - I remember as I start to leave a vertical space for key chain we bought at one of the Smithsonian Air and Space museums of a red fabric piece which says “remove before flight” as used on planes. An ornament does not have to be an actual ornament is something we figured out a number of years ago. (We were someplace and they had the same piece as a key ring -not this one - and as an ornament. Key ring was $3, ornament was $15 - we bought the key ring.) In addition to key rings, we have bought the pins that people put on their hats to show that they have been someplace and a variety of other small items. On the side of the tree facing the front hall and to the left of the vacation ornaments are the Santa ornaments - there I have to leave a space long enough for Santa hanging from a parachute until I come to it. To the left of the them are the teddy bear ornaments - and above them the ones dated with our anniversary - towards the back of the tree - paper houses are hanging. On the other side of the tree - facing the side of the room, but visible are sections with stars, characters (Snoopy, Alice in Wonderland...), (fake) candy, vehicles and so on. Then other ornaments are mixed in around the tree in all of these - handmade ornaments (some embroidered of course), and so on.
Friday night we were suppose to be at the Candlelight event, but there was a huge rain storm coming in and the restoration canceled the night on Thursday as it would be too dangerous for people to be out in the storm and they figured few people would come. So I was able to work on the other two boxes of ornaments (while watching the second version of “Lion in Winter” that we have. These boxes have larger ornaments - balls and such - so there are less of them. I put the more “important” of them on the tree - and stopped. The back of the tree - the side facing the window and not seen in the room (or outside as the drapes are closed) is naked this year - for the first time ever. I cleared up the room and stored the boxes downstairs. As I took a box down I brought a large Santa or elf figure upstairs. This also allowed us to food shop Friday afternoon. While I had already bought stuff earlier in the week to make a Brunswick stew for Christmas Eve dinner, we also need food items that don’t have to be cooked or cook quickly to eat for dinner when we come home at around 10:30/11 pm after the events.
Saturday night (well, actually afternoon) we ate a bigger lunch than normal at Wendys as we were eating earlier and would eat dinner much later than normal. We then went home to dress in our period style clothing. I had previously laid out my clothing - in reverse order of how they worn so the first piece to be put on is at the top of the pile and the last (my apron) is at the bottom of the pile. I put on my “stockings” and shoes (I can’t reach the shoes after I put on my stays) and then my “shift” (a white more or less A-line dress that serves as underwear in period). Over this I wear “stays” - not a corset and not worn tightly tied as Scarlet O’Hara wore her corset. The stays have lacing up the back and front and I only open the front lacing to put them on and off. I had them on and laced up the front. I then pulled the lacing to tighten them (only to the feel of “a gentle hug” and then to tie them - suddenly I was holding a piece of the lacing in my hand and the rest had mostly unlaced itself. The lacing had torn apart! I do not have a spare lace as it came with (on) the stays. Husband suggested that I get some fabric seam tape from our studio. I ran down glad of a solution. Uh, Oh! I had stored his weaving stuff - yarns, finished pieces, table on my side of the studio. I had taken out what I thought we might need to access - safety pins, thread spools and such, but we never need seam tape - so I could not get any. On my way back upstairs the thought hit me, I could pull the seam tape in the waistband of my other petticoat (skirt) out and use it - no problem unless I decide to wear my other petticoat the next night - then an even better idea hit - I have a spare apron and have it used it while cooking at events so it is stained and I would not be wearing it during this event. I pulled it out. I started trying to lace the stays with it - end was stiff and it was wider than the lacing - I grabbed a pen and used to point to push the lacing into each hole - and it worked great (no one sees it as it under the rest of my clothing.) We then rushed - afraid to be late to get there as husband is in charge and the first night we have to make sure the building is set up right and that we have candles, etc. We got there half an hour early to be there an hour before the event started! We sat in the car until we saw some employees of the restoration go into the building.
Everything we needed was there and we rearranged things from how they had been left for us to how we needed them. As unit members came in each started setting up what they normally work with. We made sure to put the keys to the building in the spot where they are suppose to be kept (don’t want to miss them when we go to lock up later). As 4pm approached we lit the candles inside the house and on the steps outside. Three of the rooms are behind clear half height gates, the others are walk through. I put on my cap and offered the mirror in one of the gated off rooms to other women in our unit before I slide that gate into place, the last of the gates to be put in place. One of the fellows had the fire going in the kitchen and the musician was ready. We had a very successful and fun - both for the crowds and us - evening. Members each do whatever they feel they would like to do at the event - sing, greet people at the door and tell them about the building, be a person of the past (as husband and I do) and talk about the house and “our” time as someone who knows nothing of the future, just up to the matching day in 1775. We are on the village for some of our fellows to fire their muskets 3 times during the night in front of the building. When we went back on Sunday night we found out that 1500 people had come through the village the night before! And Sunday night seemed to have almost as many people.
Saturday night after we came home, changed our clothes and had dinner I brought up the rest of my Santas and elves and set all of them up in the living room at the entrance to the room. (Most of them were Christmas gifts from someone husband worked with, two I made, one we bought, and one is husband’s since he was a boy. At this point the excess packing was stored away and the room almost finished - for this year at least.
Sunday was a repeat of Saturday - eat lunch early and more than usual, change clothes, drive to restoration village - not as early this time as we knew that everything was ready for us. The event was basically a repeat of the night before (and really every night we do this), while always being different based on who comes through the building and their interests as life in 1775 had about as many facets as life does today and one or the other of us (or several of us) will be able to talk on the different facets.
After we, again, came home, changed our clothes and had dinner, I went back to Christmas decorating. I brought up our Christmas stockings - one pair red and white fur with names for use in the years that there is something for them, one pair decorated with “Santa Claus, the movie” and one pair I embroidered for us. There are is also a line of small stockings with the names of our Cabbage Patch kids on them (yes, we are that silly). I also boiled the chicken I needed for the Brunswick stew for Christmas Eve dinner.
Christmas Eve day we went out for lunch and some short errands as places closed early. While I cooked our dinner and set the table in the dining room - I had to, again, take the stuff we had brought back into the house from the RV to the RV. Since the stew cooks a long time and has to be watched, I brought up and assembled the dining room tree and decorated it with brass ornaments we have received as members of Colonial Williamsburg. I have, somehow, duplicates of two them and the two duplicates I put on the main tree in the living room. I then took the handmade ornaments I had set aside as I did the main tree (the handmade ornaments are split between the two trees) and set up the tree in the studio for them and put them on the tree - the woven wheat snowflake I use for star on top (made by husband) needed a bit of reinforcing glue on one point and I fixed it.
Ah, all that will/can be done was done at this point. I turned on the living room and studio tree lights and finished cooking dinner. We had dinner, I did the dishes. I put the few (3) gifts we had bought ourselves in recycled Christmas gift bags. Husband wrapped his 2 nieces’ Christmas gifts in Christmas paper and their birthday gifts in different in different paper and we put them in bags for Christmas Day. We then went to Midnight Mass.
Husband later went up to bed before me and I put our gifts under the tree - next to the empty fancy gift boxes there for “show”.
Christmas Day was spent at his sister’s house and the less said about it, the better. Today was the 26th. I paid all the bills due until after New Year’s Day, we mailed them, we went to the bank and transferred money to cover them and then came home for a quiet evening to rest up. Tomorrow night we go back to the Candlelight Nights through Saturday night. Ah, being in 1775 for 3 more nights - something we love. Then the teddy village will be changed from fall to Winter/Christmas.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
None of us can do everything. I could be upset and kicking myself for not getting all of the decorating done, but I did the best I could. Husband points out that there is nothing missing when one looks at it all. Another year, more will be done.
Relax - you can only do the best you can - in decorating and organizing. New Year’s Day will be here before I talk with you again - remember think of what you might want to change or improve and decide to try. Don’t make resolutions - just pick something and think about what you can do. And don’t forget - every day is the start of a new year.
I wish a happy, and healthy new year to all of you.
Did you get all of your holiday preparations done on time? I didn’t. Between time lost back in October and November to my husband’s injured shoulder/arm, doing an assortment of tasks twice to get them done finally and correctly, work, and my general laziness, compounded by the fact that I lost 2 evenings (which should have been 3 - but more on that later) to the Candlelight Nights reenactment event we do with our reenactment unit just before Christmas, I fell behind - even for me.
Normally I would have everything I wanted to do finished, except my (infamous) Teddy Christmas Village setup. Over the years it has become normal for me to be setting it up on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day night, or even just after same. Dinner for Christmas Eve would be planned in advance,gifts wrapped, all the other trees and decorations up and in place. Not this year.
As I wrote last week, I had set up the living room and dining room and front hall decorations - mostly - in advance. I put artificial roping over the windows in the living and dining room and did so this year in the dining room. The living room involves moving a coffee table from in front of the windows to hang the roping there - and an embroidered hoop piece that I put in the center of the roping. (The coffee table is there and not in front of the sofa since it became husband’s weaving room and while not heavy is shoved between 2 chairs and therefore hard to move.) At Christmas Eve the roping was still waiting. I put it back the box and sat the embroidered piece on a chair (which will not be sat in anyway). While doing this annoys me - the lack of the roping does not change the holiday in any way.
Last week, you may remember, I assembled the tree while writing my post to you. On Thursday night I brought up the two boxes of decorations that go on it first (the nicer ones), put “Lion in Winter” in the DVD player (a tradition with husband and me) and started on decorating the tree. It took a few hours but the decorations went on the tree. I put them on the tree in sections as there are so many that it makes it easier to see them. I put angels on the top section of the tree all around - or at least on the 3 sides one can actually see. On the front of the tree I put the ornaments we have bought on vacation - and about vacation - I remember as I start to leave a vertical space for key chain we bought at one of the Smithsonian Air and Space museums of a red fabric piece which says “remove before flight” as used on planes. An ornament does not have to be an actual ornament is something we figured out a number of years ago. (We were someplace and they had the same piece as a key ring -not this one - and as an ornament. Key ring was $3, ornament was $15 - we bought the key ring.) In addition to key rings, we have bought the pins that people put on their hats to show that they have been someplace and a variety of other small items. On the side of the tree facing the front hall and to the left of the vacation ornaments are the Santa ornaments - there I have to leave a space long enough for Santa hanging from a parachute until I come to it. To the left of the them are the teddy bear ornaments - and above them the ones dated with our anniversary - towards the back of the tree - paper houses are hanging. On the other side of the tree - facing the side of the room, but visible are sections with stars, characters (Snoopy, Alice in Wonderland...), (fake) candy, vehicles and so on. Then other ornaments are mixed in around the tree in all of these - handmade ornaments (some embroidered of course), and so on.
Friday night we were suppose to be at the Candlelight event, but there was a huge rain storm coming in and the restoration canceled the night on Thursday as it would be too dangerous for people to be out in the storm and they figured few people would come. So I was able to work on the other two boxes of ornaments (while watching the second version of “Lion in Winter” that we have. These boxes have larger ornaments - balls and such - so there are less of them. I put the more “important” of them on the tree - and stopped. The back of the tree - the side facing the window and not seen in the room (or outside as the drapes are closed) is naked this year - for the first time ever. I cleared up the room and stored the boxes downstairs. As I took a box down I brought a large Santa or elf figure upstairs. This also allowed us to food shop Friday afternoon. While I had already bought stuff earlier in the week to make a Brunswick stew for Christmas Eve dinner, we also need food items that don’t have to be cooked or cook quickly to eat for dinner when we come home at around 10:30/11 pm after the events.
Saturday night (well, actually afternoon) we ate a bigger lunch than normal at Wendys as we were eating earlier and would eat dinner much later than normal. We then went home to dress in our period style clothing. I had previously laid out my clothing - in reverse order of how they worn so the first piece to be put on is at the top of the pile and the last (my apron) is at the bottom of the pile. I put on my “stockings” and shoes (I can’t reach the shoes after I put on my stays) and then my “shift” (a white more or less A-line dress that serves as underwear in period). Over this I wear “stays” - not a corset and not worn tightly tied as Scarlet O’Hara wore her corset. The stays have lacing up the back and front and I only open the front lacing to put them on and off. I had them on and laced up the front. I then pulled the lacing to tighten them (only to the feel of “a gentle hug” and then to tie them - suddenly I was holding a piece of the lacing in my hand and the rest had mostly unlaced itself. The lacing had torn apart! I do not have a spare lace as it came with (on) the stays. Husband suggested that I get some fabric seam tape from our studio. I ran down glad of a solution. Uh, Oh! I had stored his weaving stuff - yarns, finished pieces, table on my side of the studio. I had taken out what I thought we might need to access - safety pins, thread spools and such, but we never need seam tape - so I could not get any. On my way back upstairs the thought hit me, I could pull the seam tape in the waistband of my other petticoat (skirt) out and use it - no problem unless I decide to wear my other petticoat the next night - then an even better idea hit - I have a spare apron and have it used it while cooking at events so it is stained and I would not be wearing it during this event. I pulled it out. I started trying to lace the stays with it - end was stiff and it was wider than the lacing - I grabbed a pen and used to point to push the lacing into each hole - and it worked great (no one sees it as it under the rest of my clothing.) We then rushed - afraid to be late to get there as husband is in charge and the first night we have to make sure the building is set up right and that we have candles, etc. We got there half an hour early to be there an hour before the event started! We sat in the car until we saw some employees of the restoration go into the building.
Everything we needed was there and we rearranged things from how they had been left for us to how we needed them. As unit members came in each started setting up what they normally work with. We made sure to put the keys to the building in the spot where they are suppose to be kept (don’t want to miss them when we go to lock up later). As 4pm approached we lit the candles inside the house and on the steps outside. Three of the rooms are behind clear half height gates, the others are walk through. I put on my cap and offered the mirror in one of the gated off rooms to other women in our unit before I slide that gate into place, the last of the gates to be put in place. One of the fellows had the fire going in the kitchen and the musician was ready. We had a very successful and fun - both for the crowds and us - evening. Members each do whatever they feel they would like to do at the event - sing, greet people at the door and tell them about the building, be a person of the past (as husband and I do) and talk about the house and “our” time as someone who knows nothing of the future, just up to the matching day in 1775. We are on the village for some of our fellows to fire their muskets 3 times during the night in front of the building. When we went back on Sunday night we found out that 1500 people had come through the village the night before! And Sunday night seemed to have almost as many people.
Saturday night after we came home, changed our clothes and had dinner I brought up the rest of my Santas and elves and set all of them up in the living room at the entrance to the room. (Most of them were Christmas gifts from someone husband worked with, two I made, one we bought, and one is husband’s since he was a boy. At this point the excess packing was stored away and the room almost finished - for this year at least.
Sunday was a repeat of Saturday - eat lunch early and more than usual, change clothes, drive to restoration village - not as early this time as we knew that everything was ready for us. The event was basically a repeat of the night before (and really every night we do this), while always being different based on who comes through the building and their interests as life in 1775 had about as many facets as life does today and one or the other of us (or several of us) will be able to talk on the different facets.
After we, again, came home, changed our clothes and had dinner, I went back to Christmas decorating. I brought up our Christmas stockings - one pair red and white fur with names for use in the years that there is something for them, one pair decorated with “Santa Claus, the movie” and one pair I embroidered for us. There are is also a line of small stockings with the names of our Cabbage Patch kids on them (yes, we are that silly). I also boiled the chicken I needed for the Brunswick stew for Christmas Eve dinner.
Christmas Eve day we went out for lunch and some short errands as places closed early. While I cooked our dinner and set the table in the dining room - I had to, again, take the stuff we had brought back into the house from the RV to the RV. Since the stew cooks a long time and has to be watched, I brought up and assembled the dining room tree and decorated it with brass ornaments we have received as members of Colonial Williamsburg. I have, somehow, duplicates of two them and the two duplicates I put on the main tree in the living room. I then took the handmade ornaments I had set aside as I did the main tree (the handmade ornaments are split between the two trees) and set up the tree in the studio for them and put them on the tree - the woven wheat snowflake I use for star on top (made by husband) needed a bit of reinforcing glue on one point and I fixed it.
Ah, all that will/can be done was done at this point. I turned on the living room and studio tree lights and finished cooking dinner. We had dinner, I did the dishes. I put the few (3) gifts we had bought ourselves in recycled Christmas gift bags. Husband wrapped his 2 nieces’ Christmas gifts in Christmas paper and their birthday gifts in different in different paper and we put them in bags for Christmas Day. We then went to Midnight Mass.
Husband later went up to bed before me and I put our gifts under the tree - next to the empty fancy gift boxes there for “show”.
Christmas Day was spent at his sister’s house and the less said about it, the better. Today was the 26th. I paid all the bills due until after New Year’s Day, we mailed them, we went to the bank and transferred money to cover them and then came home for a quiet evening to rest up. Tomorrow night we go back to the Candlelight Nights through Saturday night. Ah, being in 1775 for 3 more nights - something we love. Then the teddy village will be changed from fall to Winter/Christmas.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
None of us can do everything. I could be upset and kicking myself for not getting all of the decorating done, but I did the best I could. Husband points out that there is nothing missing when one looks at it all. Another year, more will be done.
Relax - you can only do the best you can - in decorating and organizing. New Year’s Day will be here before I talk with you again - remember think of what you might want to change or improve and decide to try. Don’t make resolutions - just pick something and think about what you can do. And don’t forget - every day is the start of a new year.
I wish a happy, and healthy new year to all of you.
Thursday, June 28, 2018
A WEEKEND IN THE 18TH CENTURY
Well, as I mentioned last week this has been a busy week of rising about 4 hours earlier than usual - and I don’t fall asleep earlier as a result - sometimes even later, so I am down around the equivalent of 2 nights worth of sleep.
The biggest chunk of this is a reenactment last weekend. For those of you who might not know what this is, my husband has always been interested in the American Revolution and I have always been interested in British history. In reenacting portrays a person (either real or imagined) from a different time period and/or place. In our case we reenact in the general American Revolution period - the 1770s- 1780s. We portray a fictious couple in the period of the “middling sort” - meaning middle class. We are members of a local unit of same which is a civilian (not military) unit. For some time the unit members have wanted to do a specific event and our new commander managed to set it up.
Normally when we do an event it is on Saturday or Sunday for 5 to 7 hours. This event was Saturday and Sunday with setup on Friday night and we were the “lead group” for several other ones that our commander convinced to join us as they were needed for this event. - No, wait, this does involve organizing, I promise.
On a personal level, we had to plan what we would do at the event - normally he talks to people as someone who prints and sells pamphlets (soft cover books) as someone from “then” and I portray his wife and demonstrate embroidery. If an event is at our headquarters we will generally end up giving tours of the house at some point during the day. For this event which involved the British army being an occupying force, neither was appropriate so we had to figure what to do instead. He would just talk to people about “the situation”. I decided to get some actual sewing that has been sitting about done. Mending was the perfect thing for the event. I was going to work on a waistcoat (vest) that no longer fit him. I had previously split the right and left sides apart and stitched the lining and front of each half together (into 2 half vest pieces). I had planned to stitch what are basically buttonholes to the back edges where the pieces should be sewn together. I managed to put all this together. As I did so I found 2 small drawstring bags (drawstring bags in all sizes can hide just about anything modern or carry anything “period” ) so I figured I would bring them along also. In addition to this we were bringing two folding reproduction stools to sit on and plate, cup and silverware each (called a mess kit it is period looking items for when eating at an event). Rather than our 2 good sized bench boxes that we use to bring lots of stuff to and store the stuff in at events we had just the folding stools and the one drawstring bag - much planning went into what went into the bag and fitting it in. The first day was to maybe raining on and off, so I put a small plastic garbage bag inside the large drawstring bag this all went into, so the stuff in the bag would not get wet if it did rain. Our stuff we brought with us on Saturday and again on Sunday.
Setup for our unit was a bit more taxing - but it was a group effort to set up and was done late Friday afternoon. We had to setup a number of tents such as lower soldiers would have - it takes 2-3 people to set up each one. Then we put up all of our “flys”. These are large tents that are only tops - we use them to have shade. Part of all of these tents were put in “our” area and the others were put in the adjacent “British army camp” to make it look like there were more of them than there would be. Where to place each component of our area and their camp had to be carefully figured and laid out. Towards the back of the area there is a barn which we had the use of (it actually dates all the way back to the 1700s) for storage and in case of rain. It was decided that the cooking fire would be near it along with two of the small tents to hide modern things in for the cooking. One of our fellows had planned out the cooking - he was cooking for all 3 areas - ahead of time and then had to have the food cooked and ready at the times set for eating. The third area mentioned was a second camp area which was near us, but hidden by trees as it was the “colonial” men who would be fighting the “British army” during the event.
During the week before our “commander” and the restoration village we were in had planned out where the “battles” were to be and worked with heavy moving equipment in a field to have it set up as it needed to be. Our commander gets the credit for much of the organization and getting the event done. Due to the possibility of rain he also had worked with restoration to have a plan in case of same. We were to go to various restored houses in the “village” and would be doing our impressions in same - he even had figured out who would go where.
We were lucky and the weather held straight through. Somehow due to the organization which had been done everything went off on schedule - people being hassled, soldiers drilling, houses being ransacked, etc. all on schedule - with some more of same not scheduled and being done impromptu. One great idea that someone had for organization was that we wanted the public who came through to participate, but did not want to scare off anyone who did not want to. Those who wanted to participate (and most apparently did) were given big red dot stickers to wear. A great idea as even without my eyeglasses (reproduction ones of course) that I had to take off to sew, I could see the dots in the distance.
On Sunday in the morning husband was told, err, asked to give a talk on the lives of loyalists (colonists who did not want to separate from Britain and were loyal to same). He put together some thoughts on same. We have not been to that end of the restoration in some years - decades(?) so I took a walk down there ahead of time so we would know where we going. When the time came for us to meander over a bit ahead of time we were amazed that as we walked past the “tavern” in the middle of the village one of the employees walked out of same with the keys needed for the house we were going to - not sure how she knew we were the ones or how she timed it so well - that is organization. She showed let us into the house and showed us how to lock it up it when we left. Some household type items had been left inside the front door to be “confiscated” (stolen) from us for being loyalists. People showed up on time to hear husband speak on the subject. Just as he was finishing the fellows who would be bothering us showed up with guns aimed at us - lectured us and were nasty to us, confiscated the items and were gone. The public followed them off to the next fight and we locked up the building - taking time to have a nice look around at what was in it. When we walked back towards the tavern I walked in with the keys and the fellow there knew which keys I was about to hand him.
At the end of the day Sunday - exhausted but happy all took down the “camps” and packed their personal and unit stuff away. Everything had been organized well and nothing had been overlooked - what a wonderful thing and it was only the first time we organized something this big - our commander was in contact in advance with the other commanders and individuals who came.
Just when we thought there had been no problems - we could not lock the house we were in front of, had use of and had given tours of as we did not have the key. The key sits in special place in the house (good organization idea) so it does not get lost and all who work in it know where it is. For some reason someone had given the key to someone, who had given it to someone else who, apparently, had given it in at the office - and the office had closed a couple of hours before. We managed to get someone there for security from the county public safety (restoration is county owned) to come and he was going to try to find the key or contact someone who would know where it was - so we had done the responsible thing and not just gone off and left the house unlocked.
I am still tired on Wednesday night - but thanks to the organization of everyone involved it was a great event and there has already been a decision to do it again next year.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
When something big has to be organized it helps to have a group of people working on it. Planning should start enough in advance to not have to rush at the end. Different (reliable) people should be put in charge of different parts of what needs to be done (such as one person in charge of the food and cooking). The possible problems that may arise should be considered (in our case - what if it rained and we could not be outside). And then one needs to keep one’s head if something arises - such as the missing house key.
Due to how well the event was planned it not only was great fun for us, but the public liked it, the village/county was pleased enough to invite us back to do it again, and in the case of something like this - no one got hurt and nothing was damaged.
Next week is a holiday here in the U.S. which is sort of related to all this - our Independence Day which started the fighting. In case I don’t get a chance to post - although I plan to - a happy holiday to those here in the U.S.
The biggest chunk of this is a reenactment last weekend. For those of you who might not know what this is, my husband has always been interested in the American Revolution and I have always been interested in British history. In reenacting portrays a person (either real or imagined) from a different time period and/or place. In our case we reenact in the general American Revolution period - the 1770s- 1780s. We portray a fictious couple in the period of the “middling sort” - meaning middle class. We are members of a local unit of same which is a civilian (not military) unit. For some time the unit members have wanted to do a specific event and our new commander managed to set it up.
Normally when we do an event it is on Saturday or Sunday for 5 to 7 hours. This event was Saturday and Sunday with setup on Friday night and we were the “lead group” for several other ones that our commander convinced to join us as they were needed for this event. - No, wait, this does involve organizing, I promise.
On a personal level, we had to plan what we would do at the event - normally he talks to people as someone who prints and sells pamphlets (soft cover books) as someone from “then” and I portray his wife and demonstrate embroidery. If an event is at our headquarters we will generally end up giving tours of the house at some point during the day. For this event which involved the British army being an occupying force, neither was appropriate so we had to figure what to do instead. He would just talk to people about “the situation”. I decided to get some actual sewing that has been sitting about done. Mending was the perfect thing for the event. I was going to work on a waistcoat (vest) that no longer fit him. I had previously split the right and left sides apart and stitched the lining and front of each half together (into 2 half vest pieces). I had planned to stitch what are basically buttonholes to the back edges where the pieces should be sewn together. I managed to put all this together. As I did so I found 2 small drawstring bags (drawstring bags in all sizes can hide just about anything modern or carry anything “period” ) so I figured I would bring them along also. In addition to this we were bringing two folding reproduction stools to sit on and plate, cup and silverware each (called a mess kit it is period looking items for when eating at an event). Rather than our 2 good sized bench boxes that we use to bring lots of stuff to and store the stuff in at events we had just the folding stools and the one drawstring bag - much planning went into what went into the bag and fitting it in. The first day was to maybe raining on and off, so I put a small plastic garbage bag inside the large drawstring bag this all went into, so the stuff in the bag would not get wet if it did rain. Our stuff we brought with us on Saturday and again on Sunday.
Setup for our unit was a bit more taxing - but it was a group effort to set up and was done late Friday afternoon. We had to setup a number of tents such as lower soldiers would have - it takes 2-3 people to set up each one. Then we put up all of our “flys”. These are large tents that are only tops - we use them to have shade. Part of all of these tents were put in “our” area and the others were put in the adjacent “British army camp” to make it look like there were more of them than there would be. Where to place each component of our area and their camp had to be carefully figured and laid out. Towards the back of the area there is a barn which we had the use of (it actually dates all the way back to the 1700s) for storage and in case of rain. It was decided that the cooking fire would be near it along with two of the small tents to hide modern things in for the cooking. One of our fellows had planned out the cooking - he was cooking for all 3 areas - ahead of time and then had to have the food cooked and ready at the times set for eating. The third area mentioned was a second camp area which was near us, but hidden by trees as it was the “colonial” men who would be fighting the “British army” during the event.
During the week before our “commander” and the restoration village we were in had planned out where the “battles” were to be and worked with heavy moving equipment in a field to have it set up as it needed to be. Our commander gets the credit for much of the organization and getting the event done. Due to the possibility of rain he also had worked with restoration to have a plan in case of same. We were to go to various restored houses in the “village” and would be doing our impressions in same - he even had figured out who would go where.
We were lucky and the weather held straight through. Somehow due to the organization which had been done everything went off on schedule - people being hassled, soldiers drilling, houses being ransacked, etc. all on schedule - with some more of same not scheduled and being done impromptu. One great idea that someone had for organization was that we wanted the public who came through to participate, but did not want to scare off anyone who did not want to. Those who wanted to participate (and most apparently did) were given big red dot stickers to wear. A great idea as even without my eyeglasses (reproduction ones of course) that I had to take off to sew, I could see the dots in the distance.
On Sunday in the morning husband was told, err, asked to give a talk on the lives of loyalists (colonists who did not want to separate from Britain and were loyal to same). He put together some thoughts on same. We have not been to that end of the restoration in some years - decades(?) so I took a walk down there ahead of time so we would know where we going. When the time came for us to meander over a bit ahead of time we were amazed that as we walked past the “tavern” in the middle of the village one of the employees walked out of same with the keys needed for the house we were going to - not sure how she knew we were the ones or how she timed it so well - that is organization. She showed let us into the house and showed us how to lock it up it when we left. Some household type items had been left inside the front door to be “confiscated” (stolen) from us for being loyalists. People showed up on time to hear husband speak on the subject. Just as he was finishing the fellows who would be bothering us showed up with guns aimed at us - lectured us and were nasty to us, confiscated the items and were gone. The public followed them off to the next fight and we locked up the building - taking time to have a nice look around at what was in it. When we walked back towards the tavern I walked in with the keys and the fellow there knew which keys I was about to hand him.
At the end of the day Sunday - exhausted but happy all took down the “camps” and packed their personal and unit stuff away. Everything had been organized well and nothing had been overlooked - what a wonderful thing and it was only the first time we organized something this big - our commander was in contact in advance with the other commanders and individuals who came.
Just when we thought there had been no problems - we could not lock the house we were in front of, had use of and had given tours of as we did not have the key. The key sits in special place in the house (good organization idea) so it does not get lost and all who work in it know where it is. For some reason someone had given the key to someone, who had given it to someone else who, apparently, had given it in at the office - and the office had closed a couple of hours before. We managed to get someone there for security from the county public safety (restoration is county owned) to come and he was going to try to find the key or contact someone who would know where it was - so we had done the responsible thing and not just gone off and left the house unlocked.
I am still tired on Wednesday night - but thanks to the organization of everyone involved it was a great event and there has already been a decision to do it again next year.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
When something big has to be organized it helps to have a group of people working on it. Planning should start enough in advance to not have to rush at the end. Different (reliable) people should be put in charge of different parts of what needs to be done (such as one person in charge of the food and cooking). The possible problems that may arise should be considered (in our case - what if it rained and we could not be outside). And then one needs to keep one’s head if something arises - such as the missing house key.
Due to how well the event was planned it not only was great fun for us, but the public liked it, the village/county was pleased enough to invite us back to do it again, and in the case of something like this - no one got hurt and nothing was damaged.
Next week is a holiday here in the U.S. which is sort of related to all this - our Independence Day which started the fighting. In case I don’t get a chance to post - although I plan to - a happy holiday to those here in the U.S.
Thursday, June 21, 2018
TRAPPED IN A WHIRLWIND
Okay - I am now so disorganized that I have no idea of what to write for you. So this will be a bit off the cuff and probably ramble even more than usual. I had my time planned out a bit better, but you know what happens.
This week I had planned to go to a client on Tuesday or Wednesday - the one in Manhattan. Due to the severe thunderstorms predicted for Tuesday, I asked her to come there on Wednesday and she could not make the appointment for that day. Which freed up the middle of this week a bit.
Monday night we had our reenactment unit meeting - this is when we get together in modern clothes and discuss recent past events and how they went and what can be done to make them better in the future, upcoming events - the logistics of when and where to be, what we will be doing, who is doing to come to the event, who will cook, what the unit needs to bring - what members need to bring, etc. We also have a presentation by one of the members about something related to the period, the event coming up, or how to improve our presentations. Our next event is a new one, two days long, and in need of more planning than usual as we are the lead group of several groups with the event spread out over a good sized period village and such logistics as what we will do and where we will be if it rains, arrangements for people who are camping overnight at the site (many of the units will be doing so, our unit most will go home overnight), set up, break down, etc. Husband did the program for the meeting on how to do first person (being a person of the past who knows nothing past the specific day in the past) as many of our members are new to this and it is integral to the event. So, most of Monday night was gone - we were not home to eat dinner until after 11 pm.
Monday afternoon husband had tried to start our RV’s generator - it has to be run once a month if it has not been used. It would not start. Not the usual it almost started, but different - maybe it will start tomorrow, but dead silence. The generator is under the back of the RV. Husband gets sick if he is a variety of positions, so I climbed under - all the switches were set correctly. He finally did climb under as we tried to find and see the fuse for it - which we could not do. He telephoned the generator shop we have used in the past - we have to have the oil changed annually and needed to do it for this year (we had run the generator for a whopping 24 hours total over the year) - so that will done also. We are hoping it will not be a huge bill - people talk about generator repair bills being more than a new one would cost. We had figured it would be awhile before they can take us, but they can take us this coming Monday - at 9 am.
Yesterday we went to the bank for the week as we needed to cover some checks and figured if this was out of the way, it would be easier to get ready later in the week for the reenactment event mentioned. I also managed to finish cleaning the inside of the bucket to the dehumidifier in the basement. It has dividers that don’t come out and even my tiny hands could not reach everywhere. Husband came up with the idea of using a stiff, thin artist’s paint brush which worked.
Today we went and cleared out the RV as they will need to go inside and the mattresses, and other items will be in their way. We don’t want anyone near the mattresses any way, and we also took out the wood support pieces for the mattresses. We put them in plastic mattress bags in our living room - on a table husband uses for his weaving - every time I walk past it looks like there is a body laid out in there - ugh. I also caught up on paying bills - with the money we put in yesterday. I then recalculated how much we need to pay bills next week - before we, hopefully, go on a trip the week after. We could pay the bills, but not have any cash for the trip - or pay another bill I anticipate. So tomorrow, the only free day left for a while, we will go and get money from my IRA account - no available money in husband’s until August.
Friday will be the setup day for the event so we will be there a good deal of the day. Saturday and Sunday will be the event - and it now looks like rain, possibly both days. Monday we will be taking the RV to the generator shop. Either Tuesday or Wednesday I have to get to that client. Then Thursday the board of my embroidery chapter is having its annual meeting to plan next year’s meeting programs. The Monday after we are going away for a week - no, really this time, we made the reservations last year and have to pay even if we don’t go, so weather be darned, we will be going.
I am pretty sure I have mentioned that we are not morning people - me in particular. One advantage to being self employed is that I don’t have to get up early. Each of my clients figures that I am at a different one in the morning when I go there in the afternoon. I used to get up at 9-10 am - yes, you can call me a slug-a-bed, but since husband has retired we - again, especially me- have gotten worse. We go to bed at 3 am. It usually takes me until 5 am to fall asleep and we start getting up - very slowly - at 11 am. When we need to, we get up earlier.
But in the coming weeks we will be getting up early (for us) almost every day.
We have to get up early Friday to be out and ready for the setup, Saturday and Sunday we have to be there by 9 am - and getting dressed in the period clothing takes longer than throwing on our regular clothes, plus the drive there.
But I wasn’t worried as I knew I could sleep to normal time on Monday - but no longer can as we have to get up and out even earlier on Monday to be at the generator place by 9 am - it is further away.
Then if I am lucky I will be able to sleep to normal time on Tuesday - but either Tuesday or Wednesday I will need to get up just as early to get to the client in the city - even though I am going there for noon, the trip lately has been taking almost 2 hours. So I will have one of the two days to sleep in to normal time.
Then Thursday I have to get up and out to the board meeting.
Thank goodness for next Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a chance to sleep a bit. But we will have to be setting up the RV for the trip - even more work to be done than normal, as we have to put back everything we took out, plus the stuff we normally put in it for a trip - and make that darn bed - that takes 45 minutes if I am lucky, over an hour if I do something out of order and have to redo it. (Remember, this is the bed that can only be accessed from a 2 foot wide opening at the foot of the bed, so it mostly has to be made while in the bed.)
Then we will be off for a “relaxing” trip. Up early every morning. Pack the inside of the RV so nothing will shift during the day. Unplug the electric and cable. Run around all day and then at night - find the right spot in the RV space that the RV is level and plug in the electric and cable - did it once in a heavy rain storm that was so bad that there were “get inside” for safety purposes. Set up the inside of the RV - invariably we forget to shut the rear curtain while outside and have to go back out to do it. And the last morning we have to make sure to get up early enough to “dump tanks” and be out by 11 am.
So, it has and will be a rather hectic and tiring 2 weeks, especially since all the normal things still have to be done - right now - in less than 7 minutes - I have to run downstairs and switch laundry loads.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
It seems that we go through periods where time is easy - no appointments, just get things done as we can. Then we hit a period of craziness where almost every day is planned and there is little or no time to think. Somehow we always get through it.
So, if I don’t post next week - or the one after - although I certainly plan to, you will know why.
Do other people go through crazy periods like this too?
This week I had planned to go to a client on Tuesday or Wednesday - the one in Manhattan. Due to the severe thunderstorms predicted for Tuesday, I asked her to come there on Wednesday and she could not make the appointment for that day. Which freed up the middle of this week a bit.
Monday night we had our reenactment unit meeting - this is when we get together in modern clothes and discuss recent past events and how they went and what can be done to make them better in the future, upcoming events - the logistics of when and where to be, what we will be doing, who is doing to come to the event, who will cook, what the unit needs to bring - what members need to bring, etc. We also have a presentation by one of the members about something related to the period, the event coming up, or how to improve our presentations. Our next event is a new one, two days long, and in need of more planning than usual as we are the lead group of several groups with the event spread out over a good sized period village and such logistics as what we will do and where we will be if it rains, arrangements for people who are camping overnight at the site (many of the units will be doing so, our unit most will go home overnight), set up, break down, etc. Husband did the program for the meeting on how to do first person (being a person of the past who knows nothing past the specific day in the past) as many of our members are new to this and it is integral to the event. So, most of Monday night was gone - we were not home to eat dinner until after 11 pm.
Monday afternoon husband had tried to start our RV’s generator - it has to be run once a month if it has not been used. It would not start. Not the usual it almost started, but different - maybe it will start tomorrow, but dead silence. The generator is under the back of the RV. Husband gets sick if he is a variety of positions, so I climbed under - all the switches were set correctly. He finally did climb under as we tried to find and see the fuse for it - which we could not do. He telephoned the generator shop we have used in the past - we have to have the oil changed annually and needed to do it for this year (we had run the generator for a whopping 24 hours total over the year) - so that will done also. We are hoping it will not be a huge bill - people talk about generator repair bills being more than a new one would cost. We had figured it would be awhile before they can take us, but they can take us this coming Monday - at 9 am.
Yesterday we went to the bank for the week as we needed to cover some checks and figured if this was out of the way, it would be easier to get ready later in the week for the reenactment event mentioned. I also managed to finish cleaning the inside of the bucket to the dehumidifier in the basement. It has dividers that don’t come out and even my tiny hands could not reach everywhere. Husband came up with the idea of using a stiff, thin artist’s paint brush which worked.
Today we went and cleared out the RV as they will need to go inside and the mattresses, and other items will be in their way. We don’t want anyone near the mattresses any way, and we also took out the wood support pieces for the mattresses. We put them in plastic mattress bags in our living room - on a table husband uses for his weaving - every time I walk past it looks like there is a body laid out in there - ugh. I also caught up on paying bills - with the money we put in yesterday. I then recalculated how much we need to pay bills next week - before we, hopefully, go on a trip the week after. We could pay the bills, but not have any cash for the trip - or pay another bill I anticipate. So tomorrow, the only free day left for a while, we will go and get money from my IRA account - no available money in husband’s until August.
Friday will be the setup day for the event so we will be there a good deal of the day. Saturday and Sunday will be the event - and it now looks like rain, possibly both days. Monday we will be taking the RV to the generator shop. Either Tuesday or Wednesday I have to get to that client. Then Thursday the board of my embroidery chapter is having its annual meeting to plan next year’s meeting programs. The Monday after we are going away for a week - no, really this time, we made the reservations last year and have to pay even if we don’t go, so weather be darned, we will be going.
I am pretty sure I have mentioned that we are not morning people - me in particular. One advantage to being self employed is that I don’t have to get up early. Each of my clients figures that I am at a different one in the morning when I go there in the afternoon. I used to get up at 9-10 am - yes, you can call me a slug-a-bed, but since husband has retired we - again, especially me- have gotten worse. We go to bed at 3 am. It usually takes me until 5 am to fall asleep and we start getting up - very slowly - at 11 am. When we need to, we get up earlier.
But in the coming weeks we will be getting up early (for us) almost every day.
We have to get up early Friday to be out and ready for the setup, Saturday and Sunday we have to be there by 9 am - and getting dressed in the period clothing takes longer than throwing on our regular clothes, plus the drive there.
But I wasn’t worried as I knew I could sleep to normal time on Monday - but no longer can as we have to get up and out even earlier on Monday to be at the generator place by 9 am - it is further away.
Then if I am lucky I will be able to sleep to normal time on Tuesday - but either Tuesday or Wednesday I will need to get up just as early to get to the client in the city - even though I am going there for noon, the trip lately has been taking almost 2 hours. So I will have one of the two days to sleep in to normal time.
Then Thursday I have to get up and out to the board meeting.
Thank goodness for next Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a chance to sleep a bit. But we will have to be setting up the RV for the trip - even more work to be done than normal, as we have to put back everything we took out, plus the stuff we normally put in it for a trip - and make that darn bed - that takes 45 minutes if I am lucky, over an hour if I do something out of order and have to redo it. (Remember, this is the bed that can only be accessed from a 2 foot wide opening at the foot of the bed, so it mostly has to be made while in the bed.)
Then we will be off for a “relaxing” trip. Up early every morning. Pack the inside of the RV so nothing will shift during the day. Unplug the electric and cable. Run around all day and then at night - find the right spot in the RV space that the RV is level and plug in the electric and cable - did it once in a heavy rain storm that was so bad that there were “get inside” for safety purposes. Set up the inside of the RV - invariably we forget to shut the rear curtain while outside and have to go back out to do it. And the last morning we have to make sure to get up early enough to “dump tanks” and be out by 11 am.
So, it has and will be a rather hectic and tiring 2 weeks, especially since all the normal things still have to be done - right now - in less than 7 minutes - I have to run downstairs and switch laundry loads.
THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
It seems that we go through periods where time is easy - no appointments, just get things done as we can. Then we hit a period of craziness where almost every day is planned and there is little or no time to think. Somehow we always get through it.
So, if I don’t post next week - or the one after - although I certainly plan to, you will know why.
Do other people go through crazy periods like this too?
Friday, January 5, 2018
18 CENTURY, SNOW STORM AND NEW YEAR
Sorry to be late again. I am still running terribly behind where I should be due to the holidays, I guess.
The reenactment event we did last week is usually a nice simple, although time consuming, event to do. It has been one of my favorites every year. It was an unusually cold week for around here. Normally the weather should be above freezing here in December, one night last week was 9 degrees Fahrenheit and on the final day of the event it snowed. While it is an 18th century house it does have a furnace in the basement and we also make a fire in the kitchen fireplace. This kitchen is unusual for the period as it is in the house - at least as it is set up to be interpreted by the restoration. Normally we are comfortable in the house, but this year it was cold in the house - so cold that husband (with his cold) actually asked to switch rooms with me during the last 2 nights as the room he was in was too cold for him. So he got to talk about our musicians/singers, the odd cabinet bed in the room, the kitchen, and Sinter Klaus (there is a display table related) while I got to talk about the owner’s office and the 2 bed chambers - he likes doing the back rooms as he can talk more about anything he wants to than in the kitchen where there are things to be covered in talking. We even brought plain knit gloves the last two nights to keep our hands warm in the house. Our unit is lucky - we are in the first house in the village so we have the shortest walk from the visitors’ center in the cold. One thing which surprised me was how many people came out in the terrible cold - and many brought very small children and babies.
So after “spending” 5 days in the 18th century, I was behind on everything. I have since read 9 newspapers, caught up on a week’s worth of email and mail, caught up on my online groups - one of which moved to a new setup and I had to join and setup my account all over again, plus doing all of same that has come in since.
We had been told that we were to have snow from early this morning (Thursday) through the day. Where we are was suppose to get about 4 inches. Husband now panics over bad weather. I had my embroidery chapter meeting yesterday so on Tuesday I told him that we should buy whatever he wants or feels we need to have for a snow day. We bought stuff. I told him that I would go to the meeting (which is actually in extended walking distance from our house) and would not stay for the class on stitches after the meeting part. I did make one stop after - I exchanged USB stick drives in our bank vault - I use same for offsite data storage, which is changed once a month. (When he went to work, I would send the drive to work with him and he would bring the old one home with him for reuse.) I then came home. We ended up going to Walmart, the adjacent supermarket and the Walmart supermarket here. (Our regular Walmarts have small food departments, but not the supermarket areas that they do in other places - the Walmart supermarket is smaller than the sections elsewhere and is only a supermarket and pharmacy.) When we came home we went into “horrible weather mode”. All of laptops and cell phones were plugged into charge (and have stayed same since) and he had bought two devices to recharge cell phones, so those were plugged in also so they would be fully charged. Normally I would move anything in the middle of the traffic patterns in rooms out of same - but the living room and dining room where this is mostly done were still neat from the holidays. This way if we did lose electricity it is easier to walk around in dim light and not walk into anything. (For us, we are still in the holidays.)
When we went to bed last night, the snow had gone up a bit in how much we would get, as it had shifted further west. (Those of you in the South or the Northeast part of the U.S. who were hit by this storm, you have my sympathy.) The weather reporters has also started talking about blizzard and nor’easter (think hurricane with snow in cold weather). But, he had not panicked and I was glad of that. When I went to sleep around 4:30 am, there were still no school closings showing up on the local news.
Well, it ended up that this area had over 10 inches of snow - in bitter cold weather. It finally stopped snowing around 4pm and based on the suggestion from the weather reporters, as well as husband’s need to do so, we went out to clear our driveway. Our neighbors on either side were also doing so (they are young with young children - we are old with no children). And shortly after the neighbor’s son from two doors over (in his 20s) came out with some friends to dig out their cars. Our driveway is semi circular. It goes from one edge of our property to the other so just figuring out where to put snow is hard. Husband used the lightweight snow blower we bought last year. I used a shovel and a brush - the latter to clear off our car. We were out there about 2 hours doing this. Husband had trouble with one of the cuts to the street (4 lane road so we get 2 driving lanes plus a parking lane’s worth of snow plowed over on same) and had me cutting it down with the shovel (breaking the snow loose so it would spread over more area and easier for him to throw) while he worked on the other cut. The neighbor on that side who has a larger snow blower, came and cleared it for us. (Thank you again Sal!!!). I cleared half the stair case to our front door so the mailman could get to the box (I have no idea if we got mail today - I was not going to look - we did get a newspaper, but I forgot to take it in and was not going back out for it) and also cleared the snow all the way across the top step so that the door would open in an emergency.
Finally exhausted we came back into the house. I could not feel my toes. Husband looked as if he would pass out. We lost a small piece off the snow blower - a knob - which we have lost before, found it, but are still missing the nut to it and hope to find it tomorrow when it is light out. (By 4 pm when we started it was dark out - and our garage light is on a motion detector, so when it went out one of us had to run to where it would go back on.) When he was coming to the end of the snow clearing he heard a noise in the blower which upset him - we later found out, he ran over the Christmas lights on one of the low bushes - good thing I told him to shut off the electricity to the lights last night. Schools are already closed for tomorrow. The weather is suppose to remain 15 degrees F or less until at least Monday, so there will be a lot of ice on the driveway.
I had told him to do a bit of the snow clearing, then in the house and rest a bit. But, being a man, it all had to be done at once, of course.
After dinner I went upstairs and did the paperwork I planned to do today and never got to. Moving some money around to pay bills, paying the bills, and a birthday card for my brother in law and one for the daughter of the neighbor who helped us out. Both birthdays are Monday and one bill is due out by then - not sure if we will get to the post office (and bank) in time for them to go out before Monday, but if they can, we are ready.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
We had a quiet New Year’s Eve.
The way I look at it, every day is the start of a New Year. I don’t make resolutions - the last one I made I have kept ever since, it was not to make any more resolutions. I look for what I can do (or not do) and then do my best to follow up. Resolutions are usually to broad to be followed and then one feels bad for not doing so.
And if you make resolutions and don’t keep them - remember every day is the start of a new year and one can start fresh.
Happy New Year.
Well, storms do not always do what they are predicted to do, and we got 10 inches! We had spent
The reenactment event we did last week is usually a nice simple, although time consuming, event to do. It has been one of my favorites every year. It was an unusually cold week for around here. Normally the weather should be above freezing here in December, one night last week was 9 degrees Fahrenheit and on the final day of the event it snowed. While it is an 18th century house it does have a furnace in the basement and we also make a fire in the kitchen fireplace. This kitchen is unusual for the period as it is in the house - at least as it is set up to be interpreted by the restoration. Normally we are comfortable in the house, but this year it was cold in the house - so cold that husband (with his cold) actually asked to switch rooms with me during the last 2 nights as the room he was in was too cold for him. So he got to talk about our musicians/singers, the odd cabinet bed in the room, the kitchen, and Sinter Klaus (there is a display table related) while I got to talk about the owner’s office and the 2 bed chambers - he likes doing the back rooms as he can talk more about anything he wants to than in the kitchen where there are things to be covered in talking. We even brought plain knit gloves the last two nights to keep our hands warm in the house. Our unit is lucky - we are in the first house in the village so we have the shortest walk from the visitors’ center in the cold. One thing which surprised me was how many people came out in the terrible cold - and many brought very small children and babies.
So after “spending” 5 days in the 18th century, I was behind on everything. I have since read 9 newspapers, caught up on a week’s worth of email and mail, caught up on my online groups - one of which moved to a new setup and I had to join and setup my account all over again, plus doing all of same that has come in since.
We had been told that we were to have snow from early this morning (Thursday) through the day. Where we are was suppose to get about 4 inches. Husband now panics over bad weather. I had my embroidery chapter meeting yesterday so on Tuesday I told him that we should buy whatever he wants or feels we need to have for a snow day. We bought stuff. I told him that I would go to the meeting (which is actually in extended walking distance from our house) and would not stay for the class on stitches after the meeting part. I did make one stop after - I exchanged USB stick drives in our bank vault - I use same for offsite data storage, which is changed once a month. (When he went to work, I would send the drive to work with him and he would bring the old one home with him for reuse.) I then came home. We ended up going to Walmart, the adjacent supermarket and the Walmart supermarket here. (Our regular Walmarts have small food departments, but not the supermarket areas that they do in other places - the Walmart supermarket is smaller than the sections elsewhere and is only a supermarket and pharmacy.) When we came home we went into “horrible weather mode”. All of laptops and cell phones were plugged into charge (and have stayed same since) and he had bought two devices to recharge cell phones, so those were plugged in also so they would be fully charged. Normally I would move anything in the middle of the traffic patterns in rooms out of same - but the living room and dining room where this is mostly done were still neat from the holidays. This way if we did lose electricity it is easier to walk around in dim light and not walk into anything. (For us, we are still in the holidays.)
When we went to bed last night, the snow had gone up a bit in how much we would get, as it had shifted further west. (Those of you in the South or the Northeast part of the U.S. who were hit by this storm, you have my sympathy.) The weather reporters has also started talking about blizzard and nor’easter (think hurricane with snow in cold weather). But, he had not panicked and I was glad of that. When I went to sleep around 4:30 am, there were still no school closings showing up on the local news.
Well, it ended up that this area had over 10 inches of snow - in bitter cold weather. It finally stopped snowing around 4pm and based on the suggestion from the weather reporters, as well as husband’s need to do so, we went out to clear our driveway. Our neighbors on either side were also doing so (they are young with young children - we are old with no children). And shortly after the neighbor’s son from two doors over (in his 20s) came out with some friends to dig out their cars. Our driveway is semi circular. It goes from one edge of our property to the other so just figuring out where to put snow is hard. Husband used the lightweight snow blower we bought last year. I used a shovel and a brush - the latter to clear off our car. We were out there about 2 hours doing this. Husband had trouble with one of the cuts to the street (4 lane road so we get 2 driving lanes plus a parking lane’s worth of snow plowed over on same) and had me cutting it down with the shovel (breaking the snow loose so it would spread over more area and easier for him to throw) while he worked on the other cut. The neighbor on that side who has a larger snow blower, came and cleared it for us. (Thank you again Sal!!!). I cleared half the stair case to our front door so the mailman could get to the box (I have no idea if we got mail today - I was not going to look - we did get a newspaper, but I forgot to take it in and was not going back out for it) and also cleared the snow all the way across the top step so that the door would open in an emergency.
Finally exhausted we came back into the house. I could not feel my toes. Husband looked as if he would pass out. We lost a small piece off the snow blower - a knob - which we have lost before, found it, but are still missing the nut to it and hope to find it tomorrow when it is light out. (By 4 pm when we started it was dark out - and our garage light is on a motion detector, so when it went out one of us had to run to where it would go back on.) When he was coming to the end of the snow clearing he heard a noise in the blower which upset him - we later found out, he ran over the Christmas lights on one of the low bushes - good thing I told him to shut off the electricity to the lights last night. Schools are already closed for tomorrow. The weather is suppose to remain 15 degrees F or less until at least Monday, so there will be a lot of ice on the driveway.
I had told him to do a bit of the snow clearing, then in the house and rest a bit. But, being a man, it all had to be done at once, of course.
After dinner I went upstairs and did the paperwork I planned to do today and never got to. Moving some money around to pay bills, paying the bills, and a birthday card for my brother in law and one for the daughter of the neighbor who helped us out. Both birthdays are Monday and one bill is due out by then - not sure if we will get to the post office (and bank) in time for them to go out before Monday, but if they can, we are ready.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
We had a quiet New Year’s Eve.
The way I look at it, every day is the start of a New Year. I don’t make resolutions - the last one I made I have kept ever since, it was not to make any more resolutions. I look for what I can do (or not do) and then do my best to follow up. Resolutions are usually to broad to be followed and then one feels bad for not doing so.
And if you make resolutions and don’t keep them - remember every day is the start of a new year and one can start fresh.
Happy New Year.
Well, storms do not always do what they are predicted to do, and we got 10 inches! We had spent
Thursday, December 28, 2017
LOST A CHRISTMAS GIFT
I finished decorating our main Christmas tree and our studio tree on Christmas Eve Day. I went to wrap the gifts - such as they are. I pulled out the shopping bag that I had stored them in from the back of the dining room table. I brought down the Christmas/Chanukah wrapping holder. (This is a hanging item which holds the wrapping paper, decorative bags, tissue paper, etc. as well as an envelope with printed labels which we use instead of buying gift tags - they are done in a Christmas font and have the name of the person who is getting the gift and our names. Right now we are only using the ones with his nieces’ names on them.
I wrapped the two gifts for one of his nieces and put on tags - I put them in a smaller shopping bag to give to her. I then went to wrap the gift card we had bought for her sister. I could not find it. I looked in the shopping bag of gifts. I looked everywhere in the house - including every pocket of every jacket in the closet. Even though there was a big rainstorm I went out and checked both our car and our van. Husband looked everywhere. For some reason he did not give me the “you have to be more careful with things like this” lecture. (I think he finally is understanding that my sudden disorganization with things like this is the fault of not having a chance to put things where they belong due to excessive running of errands.) Husband said that we would give his niece cash and when we find the card - which we assume we will some day - we will find some use for it. (This being rather limited as we don’t really shop at the store in question.) I found a small gift box and husband made a cute note on the computer as to what the money was for and I wrapped it.
Now, this is basically the wrapping that needed to be done - but husband had bought some items for himself so I stuck what I could in recycled decorative holiday bags and wrapped the two items which would not fit into same. I stuck a small book I had bought and a stuffed teddy bear I had bought into additional recycled gift bags and stuck it all under the tree. I try not to waste wrapping paper on our stuff as we each buy our own “gifts” if we happen upon something.
Husband started feeling a cold coming in and the weather was to become bad during the evening, so we went to 4 pm mass instead of waiting for midnight mass. We came home and I cooked Christmas Eve dinner - and of course we ate it - with lots of leftovers.
What I had not had a chance to do was put up my teddy bear village. I started it on Christmas Day - but everything was going wrong with the tree for the village - I am guessing it has reached the end of its life and I will need a new one next year - the branches keep sagging and the lights seem to all be turning white from their various colors. We left for Christmas Day dinner and I have not gotten back to work on the village since. I am changing the name of it to “Teddy Bear Winter Festival Village” so that it can stay up longer.
Starting the day after Christmas we have been doing a Candlelight Nights Event at the local restoration village with our reenactment unit - we are in the only house which is set up as a 1700s house. It is a favorite event. The weather has taken a turn for COLD and about to get COLDER with possible snow or freezing rain either or both of the last two days (Friday and Saturday) of the event. We had 1100 people come through the village the night after Christmas - the “warmest” night of the week and tonight there were 700 - not bad based on how cold it was.
Unfortunately doing this evening event actually takes up almost all of our time as husband is in charge of it for our unit. Remember we don’t get up early - to be polite. So we wake, have lunch run an errand - maybe - come home and dress in period clothes, drive to the “village”, set up the house, do the event, close down the house, drive home, change clothes back, cook dinner (at 11 pm) eat, try to get some chores done and maybe check some email, have snack and go to bed to start over. The event runs 5 pm to 9:30 but involves us starting to get ready at 3 pm and by the time we are changed back to modern clothes it is 11 pm. We have 3 more nights - unless the weather is too bad on Friday and/or Saturday and the “village” closes. The unit takes over the house as if there is an 18th century holiday party in the house and we and the public coming through are the guests. A few members play period music - especially Christmas, others sing, some of us do first person interpretation - we are someone from the period and know nothing past the same date in 1775, and others talk about the house as modern people. The public seems to enjoy it - some people tell my husband that they come to the village for the event every year just to see our unit, and we have had current descendants of the family who lived in the house visit and say how wonderful it is. It is exhausting, but fun.
I have not entered the chores, repeating appointments, etc for next year into either my cell phone or the setup I have on the computer - I did not even have a chance to make up a list. The newspapers piling up are approaching a week’s worth unread. I have mail stacking up on my desk, and the teddy village awaits yet. This is about the worst December for getting things done in some time.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
If you lose something, after searching “everywhere” for it and not finding it - give up and find an alternative.
I hope all have a wonderful New Year - as I have mentioned before I do not make any resolutions as they are, well, never kept and one feels guilty about it. I do reflect on the year past and try to do better in the year to come.
I wrapped the two gifts for one of his nieces and put on tags - I put them in a smaller shopping bag to give to her. I then went to wrap the gift card we had bought for her sister. I could not find it. I looked in the shopping bag of gifts. I looked everywhere in the house - including every pocket of every jacket in the closet. Even though there was a big rainstorm I went out and checked both our car and our van. Husband looked everywhere. For some reason he did not give me the “you have to be more careful with things like this” lecture. (I think he finally is understanding that my sudden disorganization with things like this is the fault of not having a chance to put things where they belong due to excessive running of errands.) Husband said that we would give his niece cash and when we find the card - which we assume we will some day - we will find some use for it. (This being rather limited as we don’t really shop at the store in question.) I found a small gift box and husband made a cute note on the computer as to what the money was for and I wrapped it.
Now, this is basically the wrapping that needed to be done - but husband had bought some items for himself so I stuck what I could in recycled decorative holiday bags and wrapped the two items which would not fit into same. I stuck a small book I had bought and a stuffed teddy bear I had bought into additional recycled gift bags and stuck it all under the tree. I try not to waste wrapping paper on our stuff as we each buy our own “gifts” if we happen upon something.
Husband started feeling a cold coming in and the weather was to become bad during the evening, so we went to 4 pm mass instead of waiting for midnight mass. We came home and I cooked Christmas Eve dinner - and of course we ate it - with lots of leftovers.
What I had not had a chance to do was put up my teddy bear village. I started it on Christmas Day - but everything was going wrong with the tree for the village - I am guessing it has reached the end of its life and I will need a new one next year - the branches keep sagging and the lights seem to all be turning white from their various colors. We left for Christmas Day dinner and I have not gotten back to work on the village since. I am changing the name of it to “Teddy Bear Winter Festival Village” so that it can stay up longer.
Starting the day after Christmas we have been doing a Candlelight Nights Event at the local restoration village with our reenactment unit - we are in the only house which is set up as a 1700s house. It is a favorite event. The weather has taken a turn for COLD and about to get COLDER with possible snow or freezing rain either or both of the last two days (Friday and Saturday) of the event. We had 1100 people come through the village the night after Christmas - the “warmest” night of the week and tonight there were 700 - not bad based on how cold it was.
Unfortunately doing this evening event actually takes up almost all of our time as husband is in charge of it for our unit. Remember we don’t get up early - to be polite. So we wake, have lunch run an errand - maybe - come home and dress in period clothes, drive to the “village”, set up the house, do the event, close down the house, drive home, change clothes back, cook dinner (at 11 pm) eat, try to get some chores done and maybe check some email, have snack and go to bed to start over. The event runs 5 pm to 9:30 but involves us starting to get ready at 3 pm and by the time we are changed back to modern clothes it is 11 pm. We have 3 more nights - unless the weather is too bad on Friday and/or Saturday and the “village” closes. The unit takes over the house as if there is an 18th century holiday party in the house and we and the public coming through are the guests. A few members play period music - especially Christmas, others sing, some of us do first person interpretation - we are someone from the period and know nothing past the same date in 1775, and others talk about the house as modern people. The public seems to enjoy it - some people tell my husband that they come to the village for the event every year just to see our unit, and we have had current descendants of the family who lived in the house visit and say how wonderful it is. It is exhausting, but fun.
I have not entered the chores, repeating appointments, etc for next year into either my cell phone or the setup I have on the computer - I did not even have a chance to make up a list. The newspapers piling up are approaching a week’s worth unread. I have mail stacking up on my desk, and the teddy village awaits yet. This is about the worst December for getting things done in some time.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK -
If you lose something, after searching “everywhere” for it and not finding it - give up and find an alternative.
I hope all have a wonderful New Year - as I have mentioned before I do not make any resolutions as they are, well, never kept and one feels guilty about it. I do reflect on the year past and try to do better in the year to come.
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