Josie"s Castle People Need Lebensraum

Otter and I spent all day Wednesday at Meema and Grumpy's. Of course, I had pancakes. And Meema made an extra-big one for me to sneak later. Jenny was Very Interested because she likes pancakes too. So does Otter.                                                                                  

Meema and I did some painting                                                                             

This is Meema and me at the beach. You can see the sun in the sky and the sand and the water.

I also painted some trees for my Castle People.

Under here is one of my hiding places. Otter is watching how I get out.

It was nice and warm back in The Room. Corycat watched me.

Then I had to fix breakfast for Dolly. She asked for spaghetti, but I told her she could have pancakes with syrup. She said she wanted spaghetti sauce on her pancakes, but I told her NO. Sometimes Dolly is Too Silly.

Otter wanted to come up. She has to be helped because she is still little.

Jenny jumps right up. 

Later all of us had a nap. Otter and Jenny were tired and snuggled up together. It was a good nap.

Then I dressed up like a princess with a fan and a velvet hat and velvet slippers. 

If I stand on one of the dining room chairs, I can reach the third shelf. My Castle People are on the two bottom shelves and the two top shelves are for Meema's stuff. That's what she says.

But there was a little Christmas tree and toys and a snow globe on the third shelf and some of my Castle People really wanted to play up there. So I let them. 

There is lots of room on the top shelf, but I can't reach it.

Yet. 

 

From a Real Photographer

Our friends Cory and Kasie came for a visit last Saturday. Cory is a Real Photographer, and he took some fine pics with his Super Duper Whiz Bang Camera. (He also kindly adjusted my camera which had gotten out of fix. But only after I'd taken the above blurry shot.) He has some great photos on his website. And all the rest of these are his.

Visit:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sodiumbenzoate

and follow @corybarlowphoto on Instagram
For a selection of Cory's photographic endeavors.

 

The Wheel Turns--Winter Solstice

Waiting for it . . . the sun is at the southernmost end of its yearly transit of the horizon. The days will begin to lengthen and once again the promise of renewal is kept.

The light touches the distant mountains and illumines the clouds while I wait for the sun to peek over the wooded ridge. And here, at last, it is!

Something about Solstice always makes me think of the old times, when the return of the sun was cause for relief and merriment. The end of the cold and hungry times was in sight, and some of the jealously hoarded wood and food could be spared for fires and feasting to mark the occasion.

As we do today.

Solstice Blessings to you. 

 

Around Here

 

Yuletide Cards

I decided to indulge my passion for watercolor by making our own Christmas/Yule cards.  I came up with a design and made a rough template to speed the process. I ink the outline then add color. . .

Thirty-some cards later and ten or so to go, I haven't gotten bored with the process. Something about repeating the same design over and over (with some tiny variations) is a learning process--learning more about which brushes and which colors work best in certain situations, learning how little details can improve the picture. Or maybe I'm just easily entertained.

                                                                                           
 

Holiday Color

Yesterday was my day for finishing the Christmas decorations and, by gosh and golly, they are done.

They are somewhat reduced from past years: a smaller tree, no evergreens going up the stairs, and a number of things I used to put out that I dassent, due to Jenny's love of chewing up stuff. The Christmas presents are in that category, so they are upstairs for now.

But it feels like Christmas, in spite of balmy temperatures. All that's left is to finish my Christmas cards. I know a lot of folks have abandoned this practice and I can certainly understand the reasons. But somehow, after two years of Covid precautions and not seeing many people, it seemed like something I wanted to do--a small way of staying in touch.

More about those cards tomorrow. . .

 

Black and White

 

Another Sleepover, Another Playdate

Meema picked me up at pre-school on Monday and we hurried home so I could finish decorating the tree. There are lots of ornaments that look like stuffies and I had to tell Jenny NO! when she thought she'd get one.

And there was mail for me Josie. Meema already told you about my jewelry box and all the stuff in it, but I also got a pop-up Christas card, Isn't it pretty?

I helped Meema make dinner. I cut up the mushrooms for spaghetti sauce. I love cutting up mushrooms. I do not love eating them.

On Tuesday, my friend came over for a playdate. We painted, of course.

Then there was an emergency! Dolly was sick. I listened to her heart and checked her all over. My assistant was ready to help. She likes wearing those glasses from the doctor kit.

We also read books and had a tea party before she went home. I made spaghetti and my friend said it was the best she'd ever had.

Jenny and Otter had a playdate too. They ran around like crazy and then they got tired and took a nap. But when Meema and I tried to take a nap, they got on the bed with us and were crazy again. So we didn't have a nap but read books instead.

It was a very lively day.