Friday, December 04, 2020

A Different Angle Weekly Link Round-Up

 


I've been enjoying myself these past few days, playing around with all my Christmas decorations, deciding which ones to use, and coming up with new ways to use many of them. When you get some mobility issues like I have, you may want to put up all your lights and thirteen Christmas trees, etc., but climbing up and down ladders and step stools and crawling around on the floor and underneath furniture? No, thanks.

It is what it is, and I thought that I might be a bit depressed by not going all-out on decorating this year, especially since I missed out last year completely. There was one period in my life that the only rooms in this house that I did not decorate for the holidays were the closets. I'm not kidding! But guess what? I've been enjoying firing up the old grey cells and coming up with new ways to use decorations that I've had for years. When I post my photos later on in the month, you'll see what I mean.

I've also learned an important lesson. You don't need Christmas trees to bring holiday spirit into your home. As you can see in the photo, it's simple to add a few touches-- like hand-knit dish cloths and dish towels as well as needlepoint mats-- in the right colors to put the sparkle in your eye and a spring in your step. Yes, I know that a person's attitude and actions are really what bring holiday cheer into the home, but decorations can be a very good catalyst, don't you think?

This holiday season is going to be very different for many, many people around the world. Nothing is going to change here because Denis and I always celebrate Christmas together quietly. But my heart aches for everyone who wisely decides to forego large family gatherings in order to keep everyone safe. Be kind to yourselves. Do what you can to brighten the season. Sometimes it just takes looking at something from a different angle.

Now where did those links go? Head 'em up! Moooove 'em out!



►Books & Other Interesting Tidbits◄
 
►Channeling My Inner Indiana Jones◄
 
►Channeling My Inner Elly Mae Clampett◄
  • Tegus (four-foot-long lizards) will eat anything, and they're invading the Southeastern United States. Yikes!
  • This helpful dog loads his bowl into the dishwasher.
  • A robotic spy penguin captures the sight of hatching Emperor penguin chicks at their father's feet.
  • A super rare dwarf kingfisher has been photographed for the very first time.
  • The Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans, Louisiana, welcomed a critically endangered gorilla baby.
  • This raccoon sits like a human and eats grapes from a jar.
  • Have you ever seen a chicken enrichment exercise wheel? Neither had I.
  • In social insects, researchers find clues for battling pandemics.
 
►The Happy Wanderer◄
 
►Fascinating Folk◄
  • Love and murder with Jo Nesbø.
  • The literary life of Octavia E. Butler.
  • Local teen Dylan Campshaw has been nominated for Nickelodeon and Time Magazine's Kid of the Year honor.
  • My mother, the mystery writer (Orania Papazoglou aka Jane Haddam).
  • Censorettes: the women wartime censors who kept the Allies safe and uncovered a nest of spies in Brooklyn.
  • Daughter of celebrated writers Ross Macdonald and Margaret Millar, Linda Millar's brief life was full of tragedy.
 
►Crafty Gems◄
 
►I ♥ Lists◄


That's all for this week! Don't forget to stop by next Friday when I'll be sharing a freshly selected batch of links for your surfing pleasure.

Stay safe. Stay healthy. And don't forget to curl up with a good book!

12 comments:

  1. I love it that you're taking pleasure in decorating, Cathy, even though you're doing it in different ways. And I know just what you mean about being creative as you think of new ways to use what you have, and ways to get in touch with what makes the holidays special for you. It's a burst of energy, really. Now, I'm off to Hegra!

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  2. I love what you said about your decorating and also about being kind to ourselves and brightening things in new and different ways. We can do that, can't we? Take care and let's look forward to this holiday season as a way to bring joy to not only ourselves, but others. Take care, Cathy!

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  3. Cathy, you are so right about a few touches being able to bring the holiday spirit to your home. Just yesterday I added a red and green placemat to the middle of my table with a couple of candles on top. My husband noticed and said that it looked quite Christmasy. I think that having to do things differently is causing many of us to appreciate what we do have and that is a good thing! Have a good weekend.

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  4. Ooh, I enjoyed learning about Hegra! (The longer this pandemic lasts, the greater my itch to travel....)

    And I had a Christmas a few years ago when I was unemployed, and found not only pleasure but also a certain amount of pride in finding new ways to make my existing decorations 'work,'instead of adding more to the mix. The important thing is the attitude, as you mentioned; as long as you're enjoying it, then you're doing it right. Enjoy your weekend!

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    1. "As long as you're enjoying it, then you're doing it right"-- Love it... and you're right! Have a great weekend, Kate!

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  5. Our Christmas decorating is much like yours. We downsized our trees for several years, finally to the point where we agreed it was logical not to put one up (although we sometimes put include a little 12-inch lighted tree decoration somewhere in the house).

    It's hard for me to believe it's already Christmas. And it's strange that in a year that in many ways has dragged along, it so suddenly seems to be over.

    It's been like a bakery here for the last few days because my wife is in the middle of making dozens of cookies for my daughter's school staff Christmas thing they have at the school every year about now. It's gotten to the point that her teachers start asking whether my wife is baking this year somewhere around Thanksgiving.

    Needless to say, I've been doing a lot of sampling...

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    1. I used to get asked after Halloween if I was baking my margarita cakes for Christmas.

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  6. I just can't get over the dog putting his dish in the dishwasher, pushing the drawer back and shutting the door. Maybe he could be taught to cook dinner?

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