Day 2 - Expectations

Expectation and I have never gotten along very well.  I think it's a matter of having a hard head.  If the plans were to go out for a hamburger but were changed to steak at the last minute, most people would rejoice in the upgrade.  Not me.  I would have been all set for hamburger and even the best steak would somehow fall short if there hadn't been adequate time to readjust.

After the lack of mail on Sunday, I seriously expected something, anything of a seasonal nature in today's mail.  But  there was only a magazine that I didn't order and a junk mail solicitation of some sort.  Although it isn't enough to ruin an otherwise beautiful day, I'm fighting the inclination to pout.

I think it's a two part thing: 

First, I'm missing the daily flurry of Christmas cards.  Surely it can't be the increased cost of stamps.  I think it's more of a cultural change sort of thing.  First we went from answering our phones to machines that took messages, then voice mail, then email.  Now it's texting.  I have one son I can't even reach without calling his sister and asking her to send him a text with a request that he call me because he doesn't check his email, answer his phone or even check his phone messages.  Now, it seems that the progress of technology has rendered the sending of Christmas cards to the nostalgic past.  Please don't tell me Facebook is all we're going to get.

On the other hand, there's the issue of the packages that I'm anxiously awaiting.  And, waiting has never been one of my strong suits.  Oh, I can wait for babies to be born and for holidays to arrive but I hate waiting for the mail, waiting in line, even the words 'waiting room'.  Ugh!  The waiting, in this instance is especially onerous because I'm waiting for something important, at least to me.  

As my sister and I spoke often of our childhood Christmases, we listed our favorite tree ornaments.  Aside from the bubble lights, which most of you have never experienced, we most loved the little glass birds that adorned our trees as long as we could remember.  After an exhaustive search, I found some on eBay and won two bids; one for her and one for me.  They were shipped simultaneously.  When mine arrive, I will know that she also received hers and for that I cannot wait.  

So, the mail for today has come and gone with no joy at all and I have no option but to wait to see what tomorrow holds.  Oops, there's that pout again.

But on the upside, I'm quite pleased with the two little topiary trees that flank my front door.  I bought them late in January once the 'after Christmas' sale items had been thoroughly picked over and only a few things remained.  What is great about them, aside from the ridiculously low price, is the fact that they came pre-lit and fit into their box without being squashed out of shape.  

Adorned simply with red bows and cardinals that I've had for eons, they fit my home in the woods and my taste perfectly.  Five minutes to set up.  Five minutes to put away and they suit me.  Now, that's something to chase the pouts away.

 If you've read my blog for any time at all, you know that I cherish my front porch.  Once my little studio was built, I enjoy the view from the porch all the more.  Last year, with great and time-consuming difficulty, my local son and I hung large silver balls in the Hickory tree between the porch and studio.  We used mono-filament line onto which I had glued tiny, craft store mirrors.  The little dots of rainbow light reflected by the mirrors were such a delight that I left the line in place when the season was over and the silver balls were taken down.  To maintain weight at the end of the lines, we attached fishing sinkers and all summer long little dots of light raced along the grass, across the porch, even into the house.  I've told the grandchildren they are garden fairy lights and hope they last for many years.

This year, the visiting grandchildren and my daughter attached large colored balls to the weighted lines for an entirely new look.  A simple wreath hangs on the studio window and I think I need another single cardinal to perch there.

Having antique birds on their way for my #1 tree, and cardinals on the porch trees, I thought it reasonable to fill a tiny, unlit tree with birds as well.  Such an easy thing to do and such an easy arrangement to pack away intact.  Situated with one of my woodland angels, it is perhaps my favorite Christmas decoration of all - at least for this year.

And now it seems that I have been at the computer long enough for the clouds to overtake the sun and it smells like rain - a perfect afternoon for a hot buttered rum and a nap.