Does It Matter?

Today's high temperature was: 59 degrees

At wake-up time.

36 degrees by five tonight.

We are heading into the refrigerator.

========================================

...but we aren't going to get the freezing rain/ice/and snow that the rest of the Mid-West is going to get.  The first storm went north of us into the UP of Michigan--the second one that is traveling east now, is missing us to the south.  How fortunate!!  I have to drive 20 miles on Sunday to see Madeleine perform in the Nutcracker and if there were a lot of snow, I would have to stay home!!

I woke up this morning singing, "Muskrat Susie, Muskrat Sam, living and loving in muskrat land..." I have no idea why that song.  Weird things happen in my mind while I sleep, and when I wake up, sometimes they are still with me.  Monday morning I woke up way early, trying to pull the open end of the pillow case over my head like a hood!  The connotation weirded me out.  White.  Pillow case.  Hood.  I live near the (once) Michigan Capitol of the KKK--Howell, Michigan.  Or, maybe my ears were just cold and I was trying to pull a hat down over them, who knows!  Last week I woke up saying, "Thank you for the world so sweet.  Thank you for the food we eat.  Thank you for the birds that sing.  Thank you, God, for everything."  Now, I haven't heard that prayer for 40 years--why would I think of it while I slept?

Some mornings, I open my eyes and am startled and amazed that I am still alive.  Then I wonder if I am really dead, but living in a parallel universe, where everything looks like it does in real life.  Then I have the urge to call someone on the phone and see if I can reach them, which would prove that I am truly still alive.

I tell you--I am weird!!

====================================

So, after Maggie The Cat's demolishing of Bethlehem under the tree, I did not put it back up.  I just didn't want to take another chance down on the floor and not being able to get back up.  I used my Grabbit-Stick from when I had hip surgery, pulled out the little stable and all the animals and people and put them away.  The next morning, she had the tree skirt out in the middle of the living room again.  I pulled her over to it and said, "No.No!" which she seems to understand.  Later that day, I found this.  

Apparently, Buddy was teaching her how to respect and enjoy the Christmas tree,

as the tree skirt has remained in its place every night since.

============================================

I could not find a frame to fit this collage I did for my sister.  I got advice from another customer in Michael's the other day and bought a floating frame--glass on both sides.  I think it will work.  I will let you know.

This shows things from The Farm BEFORE 

their renovations started.

Some of the old sheds and the little house that they tore down

to make room for the new family room and garage.  

I think she will like it.

===================================

I had one of my extreme Liberal friends notify me that I was being a "pagan", with the whole Christmas tree and decorating and that "Jesus was not born on December 25th!  Quit living in denial"  So I just had to reply, because she is such a know it all and I wanted to prove that I was just as bad a know it all as she is.

"Yes, I know Jesus wasn't born on December 25th.  Point #1: Shepherds were not abiding their flocks by night in the fields in December.  Judea is much too cold and rainy that time of year.  Point #2:  Caesar did not ever have a census taken in December--the cold and rain would have kept people from traveling to their home town, which is why Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem--his home town.  Point #3:  John the Baptist was born the end of March.  He was Jesus' cousin.  Scripture states that Mary went to visit John's mother Elizabeth, who was ready to give birth.  Mary was three months pregnant.  Jesus was born six months after John, so that would put His date of birth around the end of September. 

The Romans celebrated the infant birth of their Sun god on December 25th, near the winter solstice.  The new Christians wanted to one-up them, so they celebrated their God Son on the 25th also...this was way back in the 4th century.

As for the Christmas tree--early German's cut evergreens and placed them in their home and barns to keep the evil spirits away for the new year.  Later, German's brought a freshly cut tree into their home and decorated it with fruit and candies.  Prince Albert, of German descent., had his servants cut an evergreen and bring it into the palace for Queen Victoria, where they decorated it with candles and pretty ribbons, beads and ornaments.  The people in the New World--the rich people, many of them English and German, thought this was a sign of affluence, so they did the same.  My family always celebrated on Christmas Eve night, because, being of German descent, we believed that the baby Jesus was born that night, NOT Christmas morning.   

BUT--as your dear friend Hillary is so fond of saying, "What difference does it make?"  September is much too busy a time of year.  We need a celebration of light and life in dark December and what would all the people do the day after Thanksgiving.  AND, as my favorite Tevye would say, "TRADITION!" and he was Jewish and celebrated the Festival of Lights."

=======================================

I have not heard back from her.  Hm-mm.

So--if you don't want to celebrate Jesus' birth, celebrate Santa Claus--it matters not to me!

Okay--done with my rant and enjoying my Christmas tree and my nativity collection, along with my Santa collection and Angel collection and...all of it.