The Holidays Are Quickly Advancing

It's just amazing how fast time flies. There we were just trudging along through the summer and all of a sudden, here it is December. The holidays are like that. They kind of sneak up on you when you aren't looking. It was especially noticeable this year because we were on our trip for two months and didn't return until November. We had barely been back when Thanksgiving appeared. And so it goes.

However, we are busy, busy, busy and not just because of the holidays. We are having the house washed and painted and the crew is coming tomorrow. So we have spent the day moving all of the stuff that has accumulated in clay pots around the house for the past ten years. Now that everything has been cleared away, it will be wonderful to begin anew with just those objects that have importance.

We eagerly await the new paint....I hadn't really noticed how much the house needed tending to. Sometimes it's easy to ignore things like that when one is busy traveling and doing art and riding her bike.

We also hooked up the trailer because it must go to the dealer for some badly needed warranty repairs after such a long trip. Remember, we drove over eight thousand miles. So the little POD also needs tending to and taking it to the dealer right now will get it out of the driveway and out of the way of the painters.

We moved one chair out under the trees and the other out into the Zen Garden (a meditation garden I have out back). We plan to sit in these places and do some daily sketches. This afternoon, while we were outdoors, we saw a gorgeous pair of red-shouldered hawks (it's mating season). Shortly thereafter, we saw three of our neighbors riding their horses down our street. We love to hear the sounds of the horse's hooves on the pavement. We feel so lucky to live in a place where things such as hawks and horses are common everyday occurrences.

Finally, yesterday on our way home from Tampa we stopped at Fresh Market, a wonderful grocery store specializing in organic and local foods. There, we found the beautiful wreath at the top of this blog post. It is real fir and smells lovely. It will go on the front gate when the painting is done but for now will live on the garden gate out back.