Christmas Bird

The last post explained our new display for wreaths and swags. While Denise and I were painting, Jim was inspired to make arms for the St. Nicks so they could hold the wreaths. My idea was simply to impale the Jolly Old Souls with nails for hanging the wreaths. I'm glad that Jim stopped that cruelty and got busy making arms for the Jolly Old Souls.

The wreaths and swags look wonderful on their new display. It's always great to see an idea become a reality.


And then, there's this guy :)

 

 

Jim found an abandoned bird's nest and placed it on one of the Santa's arms. Naturally he found a bird in my craft supplies to take residence in the nest. When I investigated, I discovered that our feathered friend was sitting on a golf ball. Is Jim hoping for a hybrid 'birdie'? A golf ball with feathers that assures a birdie for every hole? Or one that is good for badminton as well as golf?

 

One can only wonder....Jim's brain works in mysterious ways. And that's all I am going to say about that!

 

Marcheta *bye, bye Birdie!

'Tis the Season!

I love our seasonal lifestyle because it keeps life interesting and lively.

We enjoyed an extra-long autumn, setting up at farmers markets right up until the last week in October. We picked around 300 bushels of apples and had around 500 gallons of cider made.  *whew*...it was such work that the end of the season was bitter-sweet. I was glad to let go of the heavy work, but really missed seeing and visiting with market customers. And I especially miss our fellow vendors.

Now that we are recovered from apples, it is time to make Christmas greens. Our big, commercial orders are taken care of, and that's a good feeling for sure.
 
Here at the farm, we are in retail hours for Christmas trees and greens. All of our wreaths, swags, and grave blankets are made to order with our own, home-grown greens. I like to have a variety of greens in our wreaths...Blue Spruce for its strength...really the 'bones' of any structure. White pine adds soft, long-needle movement, Fraser Fir for fragrance, juniper for lovely texture and fragrance, and last, but not least, arborvitae for it's lovely, lacy texture. Making Christmas greens is a wonderful job, indeed, and I feel very fortunate to help people with their festivities.

This year, Jim brought home a picket fence that a landscape customer wanted removed. Jim pitched it on the burn pile. Lucky for me, I found it before a match was lit. I had big ideas for the fence.

Friend Denise came on board with my idea, and one sunny afternoon in late November, she came out to paint Santas on some of the pickets, while I worked on painting trees on other pickets.

Now our old, worn out looking barn is all "spruced" up, with evergreens and a new display created out of imagination and discarded items.

Stay tuned to this blog to see a fun development on our Santa Fence!

 

Marcheta *fa-la-la-la-la!

 

 

The Art of Remembrance

This picture is of three grave blankets and four grave pillows, ready to be delivered to the client.

Making Christmas greens has always been an emotional mix for me. The lines "and the prettiest sight to see / is the holly that will be / on your own front door" from the song, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" resonate with me as I prepare wreaths and swags that are destined to adorn homes and public buildings. 

With Mannheim Steamroller on the C.D. player and the piny scents of juniper, arborvitae, Fraser Firs, Scotch and White pines mingling with wood smoke from the barns faithful heater filling the barn with energy, making Christmas greens can be a wonderful occupation.

At first.

Then, mid month (as now) making wreaths loses it's luster and can become a real drag.

And wreath making is not for the faint of heart...orders like the one above can be downright sad for me. Living in a small community, I know the people personally who are buying greens for their loved ones who are no longer with us. 

Tears have streamed down my face as I've made wreaths for my own dearly departed,...each sprig of greenery bringing back memories as I tuck them into place. 

My consolation in making cemetery greens is that they bring a sense of comfort to the families who place evergreen remembrances on headstones. It is a way of keeping our deceased loved ones a part of our Christmas. 

Marcheta *comfort and joy

Got the Spirit? Let's Hear It!

The first job that I do each year that ushers in the Christmas spirit for me is to gussy up Galion Public Library with fresh-from-our-farm greens and wreaths. I am glad that we have this contract because it transitions my soul from mourning the loss of autumn to the joyous Christmas season of special programs, concerts, meals, and family traditions.

As you can see, the sky was a brilliant shade of blue today when I installed the greens.

I've not always been so lucky....today's 41 degrees felt downright balmy compared to years when I'd be out in below freezing weather, sometimes accompanied by freezing rain or snow, trying to wire pine rope, swags, and bows on the beautiful antique wrought iron fence.

Galion is lucky to have such a beautiful library building. Back in the day, forward thinking citizens of Galion matched Carnegie funds and gave our town a legacy.

But wait!

There's more!

Not only do we have this fantastic building, which is also an important part of American history, Galion has a top-notch library staff to go with it.  And I ain't just whislin' Dixie...the staff truly cares about library patrons and goes the extra mile...not only for library business, but also as a hub to connect different people and projects together. With excellent adult and children programs, the library is also a valuable center of learning and entertainment.

As I was installing the greens today, I pondered the fact that Jim and I have been making greens for the library's Christmas for about 20 years (I know! time flies faster than the speed of life!). I just about couldn't get over that fact, and was humbled by the idea of it. l feel extremely privileged to be the person the library board trusts to do the outdoor decorations for the very special season of Christmas.

Marcheta *the fortunate one