Beating the Winter Blues & Cabin Fever...how do you do it???

I hope I never get too old to have a tree.

NEVER will I go without a live Christmas tree! It's a MUST HAVE for me too. And I also love the magic spell that a lighted tree in a dark house casts! I think it takes us back to those special childhood Christmas's when you would sneak in to see what Santa had left under the tree in the middle of the night. Those were the days!!

Santa? When I was 4, my brother & sister....old enough to know better.....told me my tricycle came from Mom & Dad...there wasn't any Santa....I must remind them of that this Christmas!

When my son was little I told him that Santa was just a story about Christmas and that he wasn't real. He came home from kindergarden telling me Mom, Santa IS real!!

What do you mean he's not real?!!!! ^_^

Yeah, Debi!!!! What do you mean????

Hope you all can fight your winter blues by visiting me here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1143576/

:)

Told my kids two years ago that I was pissed that the reindeer crapped on my solar panels!

heehee

Victor, I wouldn't bad mouth them, as they could just come back and eat your whole garden out of spite and leave you a pile of coal. Patti

Victor may get a pile left by Santa's buddies but not of coal!

For sure!

Uh oh!!

think how pretty your blooms will be come spring

Just feed 'em Jap Maples and you'll have plenty of fertilizer!

Late night hot-flash (even in my 70's) w/about 6 hrs. of VT. on Dec. 1, in the 50's. (Severe temp. chgs. spr/fall have me often in my
nite-ware on sundeck many times.) Have greatly enjoyed the winter pursuits/busyness/ideas to survive another N.E. winter. Puzzles sound kinda' fun as we do small ones at our summer camp on rainy days when nieces/nephew visit. Cleaning way overdue back-bedroom closets don't sound so fun. But have to be done this winter as many records of both our families when I was once big into genealogy, as "we could be running out of time" for younger family mbrs. to have this imp. info. (I've said that for 5 winters; always intended as albums each Christmas. Blew that again this year, as fall gardening chores at summer & winter residences, seem to blow me into Thanksgiving; & this yr. most all Oct. was solid rain and my 20 commercial bags of chipper/Vac giant Maple leaves were reduced to 12, the city "stole my first 4, 20 ft. off our street, under a huge red Maple. (The phone call I made was not "pretty.")

Before Christmas for the 1st time, I occasionally sneak off to our 1972 "mouse-hole sized, surburban BR w/4 X 8 Master bath.(I watch HGTV lots in evening, and WOW, no one under 50 will try to buy this house!!) Trotting down the hall w/me, armed with old Garden Gate or Blooms & Birds subs. I recently unearthed, are Barley (blond tiger/half simese/tall, long and huge ~ and stuffy little "bear-like" prize-fighter built Charlie.) For a good nap in the sun-filled room, when it isn't (grrr.) raining.)

Best thing to keep in mind, is love your pets from local shelter, hope that someone special will step in if you can no longer care for them (like the 83 yrs. old woman who turned in Charlie & his 3 black brothers because she could not feed them anymore) and give lots of love and hugs to family, friends and have a wonderful Christmas and New Years.

Corinne Lawson, Montpelier & Woodbury, VT.

Thanks, Corinne, & same to you....I love that name, Barley, for a blond kitty.

Thank you, Corinne! Same to you!
Louise

Repotted my rosemary today (I know, wrong time of year, but it was in a plastic pot and I hate plastic pots). I left a pile of potting soil on a plastic tarp in the sunroom where I'd been working, and wandered off on some errand. When I returned, I found Pumice the kitten making suspicious scratching motions on the pile of soil--yup, looked so much like her litter box, she figured she'd save herself a trip downstairs.

Anyway, I think one of the best ways to get through winter blues is play with your houseplants. I made this little succulent planter recently. The Crassula lycopodioides in the center is just a cutting, the rest are young plants I picked up last weekend at the local nursery. The plant on bottom right was unidentified, but some research makes me think it is Gasteria baylissiana.
--

pretty container!!

Pretty granitegneiss, alas I am horrid with indoor plants. I made another little pot, not grouted yet.

Weeze you have no idea how much those things you make impress me

that looks great granite!

like to see that when it is done weeze - looks good!

I like that pot to the right of the X-mas pot too Venu!

Nice Weeze, i'm no good with making a pattern into something recognizable! LOL

Loved the planter, GG....has an Oriental look to it. Weeze, great pots!

Decided to 'play' with something else.....they said it was simple and it was thank goodness!
Take a clear glass ball.......

Some rubbing alcohol and a few arcrylic paints, drop a few drops inside the balls and swirl.

I need more colors ^_^

Then of course there are always a few distractions.......

Visitor to greet....

and feed :)

The "Mrs."

and "Mr." C.

"What??!!"

"Save some for me!"

Cool ornaments!

My son made one of those ornaments last year at the boys club at church, very cool and very easy to do

Thanks Victor!
Easy was the key word!! LOL

Pretty ornaments and birds too!!