House upside down

I am completely into working over the house for the Christmas Holiday time. I finished the small tree yesterday and the large one is down from the attic and set in place. A table and a footstool and my large rug hooking basket have been carried out of the living room to give more room for people and I have finished the mantel.  For the season, my deer rug hangs over the mantel rather than the Oliver Cromwell ship rug.  Wreaths and garlands and ornaments and sleds and pine cones and on and on must be found.     From year to year I am never sure I can gather myself enough to do all of this, but so far so good. It is further complicated by the fact Jackie died at Christmas, all the while telling me he wanted me to go on living fully after he was gone.    Friend Ruby Lee called yesterday and said what are you doing? I said I am decorating the tree, and have music on, Manheim steam roler’s Fum fum fum comes on and I dance fast around the room til I am out of breath and then Auld Lang Syne comes on and I cry some. Either way I am still living life fully  and passionately. 

Cold damp weather makes it less easy to work but I expect to have the major decorating done soon.  The sun porch is used as a staging area and is a jungle right now, but must be tamed to handle overflow guests on party days.   I plan parties on Dec 6^th  8^th and  13^th.    I will also be cooking a lot this week, which is something I do very little of normally.  I will have company over the Thanksgiving weekend. The town expects 25,000 visitors this weekend so it is impossible to eat out and I must have food here for some of us about four days.   Daughter Beth will have 20 of us in on Thanksgiving day itself. 

My van will be away from me being worked on during some parts of this,  a bummer.   I was run into by a fast running deer last Monday evening right here in my neighborhood.  She ran off fast so I hope was not much hurt. But my dear Vanessa that I have had 14 years had never had a dent before.

I enjoy the bustle of the Holiday season and love our little town decorated for Christmas. Downtown buildings are outlined in light and it is a wonderland.  We have banners across the street saying Merry Christmas and a crèche in the center of town.  We don't have reindeer in our Christmas parade but we do have llamas! My little grandchildren love them!   e

Christmas Fences

Sunday Dec 5th early am, update
Nice buy on ebay tonight for twig fence sections. Easy to add back a few missing twigs.   Marked Germany
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-PUTZ-WOOD-STICK-FENCE-GERMAN-CHRISTMAS-VILLAGE-60-INCHES-TOTAL-FOOT-BRIDGE-/281874447293?hash=item41a106bbbd:g:Yo4AAOSwNphWYGGE

Mending fences is not just a rancher's chore.  The little antique ones to go around Christmas trees can need a bit of help sometimes too.  The ones I have bought in the past have mostly been found in Pennsylvania.  I have owned and sold them in many styles over the years.   I have some long pieces of green fence which stay out year round on top of two glass doll cases.  This uses 8 feet of it, but I have more that matches it.

 Perhaps someone will make a square fence for a table top tree from this large fence someday like this one I use around my feather tree.

Some of the more sought after of the smaller scale fence is twig fence, marked Germany on the bottom.  I have had yards and yards of this and am so glad it was sold before our house fire in which so many wonderful Christmas treasures were lost.  Twig fence is particularly charming in a Putz scene, but is also effective used around tiny feather trees.  Fences were made of metal sometimes, and of Feathered wire like the feather trees, and also of wire or wire and wood combinations.

I watch for Old Christmas things all year long, and here is the square fenced tree base I bought from Barbara this summer.  It came to me with some ill advised spontaneous paint additions in red and green on the outside of the palings only.  I elected to  match the older ivory white paint and try to reverse the red and green added paint.  Note I did not say original ivory paint, as close inspection shows this little fence was originally dark green! However the square base has no trace of green under paint, so when ever the fence and base were joined, they were given a unifying coat of ivory white. I only painted over the red and green, not the entire piece.

The result pleases me, as it still shows wear on its old paint. Beside the fence is a long garland of beads I bought from Trisha in September, another piece of sweet old Christmas trim..

 

 Here is a combination fence and table to make a great tree stand, I have never seen this form before! Thank you Tricia L for sharing this charming antique.

 

The dolls like to have their tree up for a long time, I am late getting to this this year. Even though our family is planning Thanksgiving dinner still,  I am thinking beyond that to two early December parties I hope to have here.

I will make a big peach cobbler pie for Thanksgiving at Beth and Gary's

 house.  Great Granddaughter Bailey will make two pumpkin pies. That recipe came from Judy K how many years ago!  close to 40!  

 

In a side bar of this blog, there is a banner to click that takes you to a list of short slide shows. One of the slide shows is Red Cape Christmas, showing Christmas decorations in our old house.   e

Sunday Brunch in Fredericksburg

The Sunset Grill is deservedly well known for delicious foods.  Visiting cousins and my brother Chale being here too made a perfect reason to go enjoy the patio and great vegetable omelet like no other I have tasted before.   
Here is a picture with the cousins, I seem to be sleeping, blinked at the wrong time...

 

 My brother Chale with me 

 

I should play tourist in my own home town more!  I always have a good time when Chale comes from Austin to stay a few days.  e

Painting makes for nice days.

 I got back in my paint last week and it felt so good for my spirit. I haven't been painting for a few weeks, mostly because I was concentrating on the Plein Air Painter's guide for Fredericksburg Texas.

Here is the little painting, oil 6 x 12 of Gloucester Harbor's Ten Pound Island Lighthouse.     e

Hill Country Ranch home

 Not long back, land here was thought of not in acres or hundreds of acres, but rather in "Sections' of 640 acres a section.  It is very poor form to ask anyone how much land they have, rather like asking "how much money do you have in the bank?  The large old ranches are being broken up now and real estate sales people have a different point of view.

 It is nice to be able to visit one of the old ranches that has not suffered from "development".   This pretty rock homestead has been lovingly maintained by several generations of each of the only two families that have owned it.  This county was settled in 1846,  200 years later than many of the properties we study in the Northeast.  So what is antique here is much younger. 

The buildings and very extensive grounds are carefully groomed and managed. Interesting outbuildings have been preserved. Barns are farther back out of sight.  There is a large tennis court for family use and a beautiful pool tucked behind the house away from casual view.  Understated luxury would describe the lifestyle. The sweetness of the morning air and birdsong and golden slant of the sunlight tell a story of timeless simple pleasures.  The front porch of the main house sports a Texas flag on one corner and a US flag on the other.  The home began as a log structure, was rocked and added onto several times and the gingerbread porch came along in the 1880's.   Interiors are very simply but comfortably furnished.

An old mesquite tree can be beautiful.

 

 

Paint Fredericksburg Texas

is the name of a guide book for Plein Air Painters.

Along with three friends,  I have been working on a book for artists. It may also interest visitors to our area. This has been a great project and we are thrilled with it!  Take a glance at it to have a taste of what this area is like.   I have sent previews of it to a few friends earlier for feedback. We turned the final version of it loose just hours ago and I have already heard from one watercolorist in Scotland who has picked it up and plans to be here in Fburg in December.

Press release:

"Fredericksburg is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state, known for great scenery and a spectacular two-mile downtown historic district full of shops, restaurants, and galleries. Fredericksburg is also recognized as an art destination.  People come here to view art, buy art, study art and also to make art, painting the Hill Country itself.  Having so much to offer, it’s no surprise that Fredericksburg is a destination for plein air (outdoor) painters. Now, there is a free downloadable pdf guide book that can be used by artists either living in or coming to Fredericksburg to assist them in identifying painting locations. 

In this guide, a group of four Fredericksburg artists, Steve Talley, Chuck Mauldin, Barbara Mauldin, and Edyth O’Neill have shared their favorite places to paint in and around Fredericksburg and Gillespie County. This guide offers a list of interesting public locations for plein air painters. The sites have been divided into two groups – those within the city and those in the rural areas. There is also a section on areas where photography is more easily accomplished than painting due to the private ownership of the land. The guide is profusely  illustrated with photographs and paintings accompanied by text describing the location, directions, ease of access and other information pertinent to a plein air painter."  

Our Guide for Plein Air Painters in and around Fredericksburg Texas is now finished. Take a look, it is a free download for any and all to enjoy. e

To see it click on paintfbgtx.com  

Two Star rug Camp, just a glimpse

I could not help it, I bought a piece of wool.  e