A Thought at the Year's End

All Things Pass

by Lao-Tzu

All things pass

A sunrise does not last all morning

All things pass

A cloudburst does not last all day

All things pass

Nor a sunset all night

All things pass

What always changes?

Earth...sky...thunder

mountain...water...

wind...fire...lake

These change

And if these do not last

Do man's visions last?

Do man's illusions?

Take things as they come.

All things pass.

Jolly No More

It's over for yet another year. The excitement and holiday frenzy is a thing of the past, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  The Christmas lights are still merrily sparkling, both inside and out, while the Christmas tree, now stripped of its presents, still stands at attention begging to be noticed.

Chris with his new friend, Buzz Lightyear.

A comforting calm has taken over, as lives return to normal and sanity reappears after being AWOL for a week.

Christmas Eve

So, let's put the red and green back into the drawers and get ready to embrace the new year, with its tempting promise of a new beginning and fresh start, that is just around the corner.

Translation: my annual diet begins January 1.

It's a Wrap!

I'm done! I'd say the annual wrapping of Christmas gifts took about 3 hours. I personally think the unwrapping is much more fun than the wrapping, but one has to precede the other. So, here is the end result of my labor of love.

After

 And here is how it all began.

Before

Yards of ribbon and festive wrapping paper are, at last, gaily covering my holiday gifts, aiming to delight friends and family. It is quite a jolly collection: toys, video games, gift cards, books, DVDs, and new clothes...something for everybody. I'm so ready.

Now, to bake or not to bake? That is the question.

The Halls Are Decked...Almost

The Luther Burbank Holiday Open House turned out to be both festive and well attended, a grand occasion  for the community. Volunteers tastefully decorated the Burbank home in red and green, both inside and out, bringing  holiday excitement to every nook and cranny.

Beauty was everywhere. Tour guides, dressed in vintage costumes and holiday attire, gave tours of the Burbank home to eager visitors. Even Burbank's well-used safe, once the holder of cash and seeds, took on a jolly aura.

The greenhouse, where I was a very busy cookie server, was filled with glorious poinsettia red, a vision to behold, though I think most people had their eyes on the cookies. I could hardly keep the trays filled.

I am now officially in a Christmas mood and able to put community celebrations on a back burner in order to concentrate on my own holiday . I have done all of the decorating and most of the shopping...whew...but the gift wrapping, the baking (what little I do), and the holiday cards are still not on my agenda. Maybe today?

Patience. Perseverance. It'll happen.

Making Merry

 We gathered in Luther Burbank's sunny greenhouse to create some holiday magic for the rapidly approaching Luther Burbank Home and Gardens Holiday Open House. The tables were filled with a sumptuous collection of jolly ornaments and holiday treasures just waiting to be hot-glued onto the many nude pine-coned evergreen wreaths begging for adornment

As we completed our masterpieces, they were merrily hung on a nearby railing  to await transfer to the final display area where, hopefully, future visitors to the gardens would be reaching for their checkbooks to take home one of the glorious wreaths, a bargain at $35.00.

My Nutcracker Wreath

I made two wreaths in the allotted time. The first time around I didn't really know what I was doing but turned out a fairly presentable wreath with a toy theme. However, as I began my second wreath, I took my time. After spotting  a very cute and lonely collection of miniature nutcrackers, I decided that they were mine, all mine. Onto the wreath they went. More pine cones and  a festive holiday bow were added.  Then...done...and ready for the potential buyers arriving the next day.

It was a fun experience; I'll do it again next year. As if the fun crafting wasn't enough, there were divine goodies lurking about just waiting to be sampled. And, of course, I did. Twice.