9 Moons Ago

Tonight’s entry is a special nod to all my family and friends overseas!! I love you all heaps and will see you soon!

Cameron and I are so fortunate to have all these gifts around us here in Australia this Christmas Eve of 2004! Going picture-crazy tonight..it’s quicker than drawing it all, especially in one night! And this particular night!

This is the Christmas Eve sky over the garden and our rooftop (A.K.A. Where Santa and the reindeer will be landing with a “click click click” and possibly a horrendous clatter, since ringtailed possums happen to sound just like elephants!):

Gifts from my family in the States, including a gorgeous brooch which I’ll be wearing Christmas Day, and some fun & cheery “Christmas Stockings!” Whee!:

And our real stockings, gifts from Uncle Tim and Aunt Marie a few years ago, hung on the fireplace mantle. (With care!) We are lucky enough to live in a house, where, even in summer, we can have a very wintery feeling if it’s a chilly night!:

Our pretty little tree, which was 100% free, since there is a huge pine lot on the property. (Coincidentally, most of them were planted about 50 years ago, intended for sale as Christmas trees, but now are all skinny and amazingly tall, like giant matchsticks!):

Almost all of our Christmas ornaments are gifts from family and friends over the years. (You know who you are and what these gifts mean to us!!) How wonderful!:

And the picture just wouldn’t be complete without the gift of our beautiful pups! After his family had gone to bed tonight, Goldie sauntered into the house and we doubled over with laughter at his Dickensian appearance. I took one look at the beautiful caramel-colored bow around his collar, grabbed Gus, plunked a green ribbon on him and bribed them both, with salami, to sit still in front of the tree for a minute or two. We were all very pleased with the results. ‘Twould’ve made a great family card…maybe we’ll use it next year? But it looks like there just won’t be any Danish Salami for Santa by the tree this Christmas Eve! Oh well!:

(Cameron has solved the problem, and has given me the go-ahead for pictures and drawings again!! YAY! Thanks, Babe!)

It’s amazing what you can find when you are renting on a 38 acre property!!! Just happened upon this the other day:

It could’ve been made anytime, and there are several ppl we know who could’ve created it, but I just love that it’s a mystery and I found it by accident! I felt such a sense of awe and wonder and delight.
Here’s to discovering your own objects of mystery and wonder!
What have you SEEN today?

HE’S BACK:
In other news, Goldie bounded into the house the other day at 11am and jumped on Cam who was still asleep.

Oh, it’s been a busy couple of days for these two, what with all the exploring in the pines, the chasing of rabbits, barking at horses, splashing in water, and the backyard squeaky toy heaven!:

Well, this may be the last image for the year..not sure yet..but according to Cameron, apparently “there may be some rogue script eating up space on the server” or something like that, so until that’s fixed up I’ll just post written entries after today.

So..here is my holiday card to everyone! I drew the image and wrote the words with my handmade quill. (I LOVE the way it works!!) Then I dropped in colour and fixed a few details in photoshop.:

Winter Wonderland, St. Nicholaus, Days of Auld Lang Syne and all that jazz!
Take care and remember, “DON’T DRINK AND SHOVEL!!!”

Once again, my travel plans have been pushed up in the air, so to speak. Still going, no date yet.
Just going with the flow.. started to stress about it initially, but now I’m feeling O.K. with things.
Realized we need to start decorating here, regardless of when I’ll be going overseas! So that’ll start today! YAY!
This whole situation is something I’ll probably do a blog about pretty soon.

Otherwise, things have been great. Went to an extended family Christmas luncheon yesterday and had a lot of fun! Hung out with Eb and caught up with the Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. I’m slowly starting to recognize and remember them all. Had a lovely meal of “Chicken Hawaiin” (three guesses as to what the ingredients were), a glass of champagne and “BAILEY’S Chocolate Mousse” w/ whipped cream and strawberries for dessert. Yum!

Intended to go home afterwards, but ended up staying at the pub with a few family members, including an Uncle who’d had a close call in hospital recently..and we laughed and joked till almost 9pm!! I got treated to a latte and another Champagne!! (Thanks, Geoffrey!) Great fun!

Man.. if I don’t sound alcohol obsessed by now, then I think I’m certainly going to before the year’s over! ..I guess the thing is, when you limit your drinking a HELLOVA lot from the DAY you turn 21 because of going loco en la cabasa *(CRAZY), then every drink counts!! I’ve probably named every single one I’ve had on this blog, since I started it!

At least my father’s stopped saying stuff to me like “Are you allowed to drink?” in front of the waiter/waitress EVERY time I order something like Sangria (tasty, yet watered down, wine cooler) at Olive Garden. And EVERY time I’d say, “Dad, the doctor said one to two drinks, once in a while, is FINE.” And my mother would say to him “Deaar…” and Kathy and Dan sometimes did their “DAAAAAaaaaDDD” thing ala Bart and Lisa Simpson. Yeah Dad, we know you love winding us up..but really glad this little joke has ceased!
(Oh boy, we were so the Simpsons)

*no offense to others with mental illness who dislike this kind of thing; I speak disparagingly and jokingly only about myself. I guess that’s cause I’m just plain nuts, or summfin like that. And my brother and sister will attest to the fact that this has been the case since before they can remember!
Before I thought the T.V. was talking to me and before I got dragged away from the stage area by security at a concert at Hershey Park in 1995.

I’m soooo loving the fact that I probably just freaked out a lot of friends and/or family who only know me as verrry quiet and shy. Does that make me evil? Mrahh haa haaa. Nope. And, it also doesn’t mean that I’m likely to let it get to that stage again, if I can help it!

If you are wondering why this entry seems to chop and change a lot..well, that’s just cause I’m CRACKERS! Yes, I did first hear that expression from Davy Jones on the Monkees, Tammy!

Time to shut up, play some stuff like “Santa Baby” and “Baby it’s Cold Outside”, even though it NOT!, and DECK THE MO-FO HALLS!!!!
Hey!!! I gotta find out if they sell the EGG NOG here!! WHOOO!! (no..I won’t add anything to it!)

This dog is soooo wonderful! I thought you wouldn’t mind a few more. (Goldie’s in the kennels while his family is on holiday):

Artwork next time!!