When I was a child,
growing up in New York City,
we kept European traditions on Christmas Eve.

After an early seafood supper,
we dressed in our finest outfits,
got on a bus and
walked our way
to an evening Church service.

Those evenings were always
cold and crisp,
but my favorites were
making the trip as
fresh snow fell.
I sang First Soprano in the Children’s Choir and
LOVED
wearing the long white robe and
large red collar that overlaid it.

Each one of us was fussed over and given a candle with
last minute reminders.

 Once the Church bells
stopped pealing,
the Music Instructor gave
a whispered cue to
thirty three of us
waiting outside the door. 

Candles lit and held chest high,
we followed a lucky boy
carrying a GIANT  GOLD CROSS,
the luckiest boy with
a giant candle stick
almost as tall as himself
and the clergy.

Single file, double spaced,
we sang

JOY  TO  THE  WORLD

and neatly placed ourselves stage  left to the Altar.

After the service
we hurried home
for coffee and cake, sweets and
gift giving.


There was always laughter...
once the adults settled in with their Christmas toasts. 


Each child, was expected to perform
a recitation,
song or tune

BEFORE

getting any gifts.


It seemed this part
of Christmas
was something
the adults
waited for
all year !





I had come to understand at a very early age that
Saint Nick,{ the Christmas Man aka Santa Claus },
was a very real person who lived
a  LONG  LONG  LONG  time ago.

Born in 280 AD,
in what is now Turkey,
he was known as
The Gift Giver of Myra. 

So that his identity
would remain secret,
he gave his gifts
in the dead of night. 

St Nicholas was eventually named the Patron Saint of
children, sailors,
Russia and Greece.

He was a very rich person
and became a
Christian Bishop
with an earned reputation of being wise and kind.

The tradition of hanging stockings at the fireplace followed one of his
middle of the nite
gift giving bonanzas. 

St. Nick dropped

BAGS  OF  GOLD

into the stockings of
three sisters
on their wedding day
because their father
had nothing to give them.

In the year 303,
the Roman Emperor Diocletian commanded
ALL
to worship him as a god. 

St. Nicholas refusal
landed him
in a nasty tiny cell,
where he suffered from
cold, hunger and thirst for
better than five years. 

When Constantine
became Emperor in 313,
he was released and
continued to carry out
his gift giving,
until his death
at age 63
on December  6 th. 343.

Because of his exceptional
kind heart and generosity,
he was Sainted and thereby
BLESSED
to continue having
the ability to
accomplish kind deeds
during the Christmas season
for the deserving,
ESPECIALLY
CHILDREN  and  ANIMALS.


 
I believe I did see him thru a key hole that year,
as I practiced  "OH  TANTE  BAUM"
but the angle only afforded me his black boots. 

I thought I was singing praises to someone’s age old Aunt
dressed in something frilly and green
which brought knee slapping peales of  laughter from the adults.

MERRY  CHRISTMAS

TO  ALL

AND  TO  ALL

A  GOOD  NIGHT !!!

RANDY  HOWARD 

Singer  /  Songwriter  /  Publisher  /  Producer

25  year  resident  of  Lynchburg, TN ,
born  and  raised  in  Macon, GA,  

centered  around   all  great  sounds  of  the  region

Outlaw  Country   ~   Southern  Rock  Movement

Traditional Country   ~   Old Southern Gospel   ~  Blues

 

AS  A  RECORDING  ARTIST... 

Randy  Howard   has  released   SEVEN  Albums  and  CD's,
all  of  which  have  charted  impressively  in  both 
National  and  International  Trade  Magazines.

1.   ALL  AMERICAN  REDNECK ~ Warner Brothers 

The  first  Country  Music  Album  in  History
to  be  released  with  a  Warning Label.

Clint Eastwood   has  commissioned  and  owns  rights  to
a  movie  script based  on  the  Title  Song,
which  continues  to  be  a  cult/jukebox  classic,
making  Mr. Howard  the   perfect  and  necessary  Inductee  to  the
OUTLAW COUNTRY MUSIC  HALL of  FAME.
             
2.   NOW  &  THEN  ~  Utopian Label
             
 3.   NOT  PLUGGED  IN  ~  Utopian Label

 4.   RANDY  HOWARD  ~  Atlantic

    5.   MACON  MUSIC  ~  Hitsound, { Europe }

     6.   RANDY  HOWARD  LIVE  ~  Paul Hornsby  &  Randy Howard

7.   THE  BEST  of  RANDY  HOWARD  ~  Paul Hornsby  &  Randy Howard


His  newest  collection, entitled 

A  PAIR  of  KNEES

is  inches  from  being  released,
boasting  a   new  genre,

Christian  Country  Music

Produced  by  Renowned  Paul Hornsby  &  Randy Howard.

 

AS A WRITER... 

Mr. Howard's  songs  have  been  recorded  by  The Geezinslaw Brothers,  
Robin Lee   and  Hank Williams III. 

Hank's  version  of   Randy  Howard's  

I  Don't  Know

was  a   Top  Forty  Hit    in    Billboard, 
and  was   #1  for Five Weeks  on 
the  Texas  Music Chart.

Hank III  sang  it  during  his  debut  performance 
on  The Grand Ole Opry
and received a standing ovation.

Hank III's  CD   "Straight To Hell",
features   Randy Howard's   song  entitled

My  Drinkin'  Problem

which  Stephen King, as Pop of King,
included  in  his  
Top 10 Music Picks A-List  
in   Entertainment Weekly.


AS  A  PERFORMING  ARTIST... 

Randy  has  shared  the  stage  with   Willie Nelson,   Hank Williams, Jr., 
Waylon Jennings,  Charlie Daniels,  Greg Allman  and  many  many  others.

Randy  Howard   has  appeared  on  "Nashville Now",
"Entertainment Tonight",  featured  on  "Good Morning America"
and  in  "USA Today". 


RANDY   HOWARD 

can  be  contacted  via 

E-Mail:   randyhowardmusic@yahoo.com 

and 

Facebook
{ click  to  go  to  his  page }

Expect  to  join  him  on   TWITTER   soon.

It  took  a  few  days  to 
tape  and spackle 
to  my  standard.



I  prefer  walls 
as  smooth  as  possible, 
which  meant
sanding  in between 
three  coats 
of  joint  compound.



As  you  can  see, 
everything  gets  covered 
with  a  very  fine 
powdery  dust.



A  mini  Shop Vac, 
Swiffer  and  bucket  of 
Murphy's  Oil  Soap  
in  warm  water 
is  a  God  send 
when  getting 
everything  clean.


Excited  to  create  a 
soothing  library  ambience,
I  swiftly  rolled  in 
a  pure  white  ceiling...

... then  purchased 

BEHR 
PREMIUM  PLUS 
ULTRA 
STAIN  BLOCKING 
PAINT  &  PRIMER  IN  ONE

which  has  worked 
perfectly  well  on  many 
previous  projects.

A  quart  of 
BRONZE  GREEN { 350D-6 } 
was  chosen  as  the  accent  color  behind  the  book  shelves.

It 's   the  color  sample 
furthest  right  in  this  picture.


The  first   streaky   shmeer 
should  have  been  proof  enough  
that  it  was   destined  to  be 

HIDEOUS !!!

It   miserably  took 

THREE 

coats  to  cover  and 

ALL
my  patience  with  it.

A  gallon  of 

BAVARIAN  CREAM
{ 340E-3 } 

was  picked  for 
the  main  wall  color;
reminiscent  of  double  cream 
with  a  hint  of  coffee.

During all this,
I  popped  yet  another  hole 
in  my  ragged  work  jeans 
and  went  to  search 
for  a  suitable  scrap 
in  my  fabric  bin... 

where  
a  long  forgotten 
upholstery  fabric 
proved  to  be 
just  right  
and 
just  enough  
for  a  new  window  valance
that  successfully
conceals  the  pipe
near  the  ceiling !


!!!  YAY  !!!


I  thanked  God  profusely 

for  that  perk 

and 

sewed  it  up  in  no  time.

Despite  lies  to  myself 
that  the 
BRONZE  GREEN 
would  dry  to  the 
color  envisioned, 
all it  ever  did  was
waste  my  time 
and 
twist  my  guts.


YELCH

It  was  like  stepping  into
a  dreaded  eight  day  old  bowl  of  pea  soup
and  was  immediately  changed  using 

VALSPAR  ULTRA 
in 
PATINA  BLUE

The  books  may  not  all  be  put  back  just  yet...

but  you  might  be  interested  to  know  that  this 
Barber  Chair 
was  used 
in  a  Documentary 
about  the  assassination 
of  mob boss

Albert Anastasia.

You  can  click  on  his  name  to  read  more  about  him.


I  don't  know  who
painted  this  portrait
of

Harry Blackstone,

but  I've  always  loved  it.

Click  on  his  name
to  read  more  about  him.


"If  you  believe 

you  can 

do  a  thing, 

you  can.

If  you  believe 

you  cannot,

you  cannot."

Your  comments
are  most
WELCOME

As  you  saw  in  the  previous  post,
{ PART ONE / CLICK  HERE  TO  SEE }, 
1930's  ceiling  block  came  down  in  the  library
of  an  1865  Amish  built  house.
It  also  came  down  in  the  adjacent  hallway.
GOOD !!!
It  was  high  time  for  it  to  be  replaced.
The  room  could  use  a  better  color  anyhow !

After  the  pity  party...
after  the  cussing  and  cleaning...

WHAT's  NEXT  ???

Get  out  the  graph  paper  and   measuring  tape.
Figure  out  just  exactly  how  many  1/2  inch
4  x  8  foot  pieces  of  Sheetrock  you  need.

In  this  case,  I  needed  FOUR,
which  the  lumberyard   promptly  delivered  !

!!!   HOORAH   !!!

Stanchions  once  used  at

DeFILIPPO  STUDIO  SOUND  STAGE 
and  SPECIAL  EFFECTS  HOUSE

came  in  super  handy !


Using  a  matte  knife, 
the  Sheetrock  was  cut 
into  manageable  pieces  for 
a  single  woman
{ me } 
to  lift  onto 
the  platform  created 
by  the  Stanchions.


I  used  a  pencil  to 
mark  where  the 
wood  slats  would  be,
thereby  taking  the 
guess  work  out  of 
knowing 

WHERE 

to  screw  it  in 
once  the  piece  is  up 
and  blocking  the  view  of  what's  underneath.

Wise  King  Solomon  said

" Better  is  the  end  of  a  thing  than  the  beginning  thereof "

I  must  then  consider  myself  lucky  to  have  had  so  very  many  things
that  were  terribly  difficult  to  say  good  bye  to.

Nevertheless, there  remains  a  hole  in  the  world 
where  my  loved  ones  once  were.

They  had  made  my  life  more  perfect,
but  failed  to  explain
how  to  live  without  them.

I  don't  know  who said:

If  we  are  brave  enough  to  say  goodbye,

life  rewards  us  with  a  new  hello.

I  only  know  that 

Gilda  Radner

{ if you don't know who she was, just click on her name } 

hit  the  nail  on  the  head  when  she  said:

" LIFE  IS  ABOUT  NOT  KNOWING,

HAVING  TO  CHANGE,

TAKING  THE  MOMENT  AND  MAKING  THE  BEST  OF  IT,

WITHOUT  KNOWING  WHAT'S  GOING  TO  HAPPEN  NEXT."

Yes...this  particular  Fragrant  Lilac  Bush  has  been  living 
at  this  location  for  about  75  years !

It  was  proudly  planted  by

Alice Jean Arden Hodge
{ July 23 rd., 1914  -  March  1 st., 2012 }

who  was  the  only  woman  from  the  NYC  area
to  be  in  the  1936  Summer  Olympics.
She  placed  NINTH  in  the  High  Jump  Event
and  never  competed  again.

You  can  read  more  about  her  by  clicking  on  her  name.

Lilacs  symbolize 
LOVE
and  are  a  member  of  the 
OLIVE  TREE  Family.
They  have  been  known  to  live  for  hundreds  of  years,
under  ideal  conditions  and  proper  care.

While some varieties only grow 4 feet, others can reach up to 30 feet tall.
Pruning a Lilac properly is essential and needs to be addressed 
EVERY  YEAR
to achieve a perfect shape and to increase flowers.

ALWAYS  TRIM  BACK  THE  BUSH  IMMEDIATELY  AFTER  THEY  HAVE  FINISHED  BLOOMING !
CAREFULLY  REMOVE  SPENT  BLOOMS  AT  THEIR  BASE  WITH  CLIPPERS
NEVER  USE  HEDGE  TRIMMERS

Removing  the  flowers   will  prevent  the  Lilac  from  producing  seed
and  encourage  it  to  create  next  year's  buds,
which  happens  VERY  soon  after
this  year's  flowers  are  spent !
!!!  SO  DON'T   WAIT   TO  DO  THIS  TASK  !!!

Lilac Bushes  desperately  need  and  love
AIR  CIRCULATION.

NEVER  allow  them  to  grow  densely  in  the  middle.
Trim  stems  away  from  the  center
to  increase  ventilation.

CUT  AWAY  shoots  that  are  at  ground  level
and  those  that  appear  out  of  the  trunk.

Trim away any branches that are not appealing to you...

BUTT, 

AS  YOU  CUT  AWAY

KEEP  IN  MIND

that  it  takes  3  to  4  years
for  a  new  branch  or  shoot  to  flower !

Therefore,  leave  a  few  strong  and  healthy  stalks
in  strategic  places  as  you  will  surely  have  to
trim  back  old  wood  in  the  future.

Lilacs  look  best  when  their  tops  are  rounded.
Please  don't  give  it  a  crew  cut  on  top.

Renewing  an  old  overgrown  Lilac 
can  be  done  in  one  of  two  ways.

In  March  or  early  April,
severely  cut  the  entire  plant  down  to
one  foot  off  the  ground.
Don't worry...this won't kill it.
It  will, however, induce  the  Lilac  to  produce 
many  new  shoots  during  the  growing  season.
Of course,  you won't have blooms 
for 3  to  4  years.
But  you  will  have  the  ability  to 
create  a  new  framework. 
The  following  March, choose  which  branches  are 
to remain  and  cut away  the rest.
Cut  the tips of the remaining stalks to
encourage branching out.


A second way to rejuvenate old Lilac Bushes is
to  cut  back  the  overgrown  shrubs
over  the  course  of  several  years.

Remove  one  third  of  the  large  old  stems.

The  following  year, prune  out  one  half  of
remaining  old  stems.
Thin  out  some  of  the  new  growth.
Keep  several  well  spaced  stems.

At  the  third year, remove remaining old wood and  keep  any  new  shoots  that  look  like  they  might  be good  for  the  future.  This  method  should  allow  you  to  enjoy  flowers  every  spring
and  provide  a  smoother  transition.

Pruning  Lilacs  should  become  an  annual  event  to  keep  them  healthy, 
vigorous  and  blooming  profusely  for  several  hundred  years  to  come !

... well... at  least  YOUR  lifetime... if  you  care.

En plein air has always been my favorite way to sketch.

This one was done about ten days ago
using French watercolour on cold pressed paper
and Bic magic markers.

The Spring Bear was an added bonus.
He was big and slow
and I was safely locked in my car.

He seemed to be enjoying the last moments
of  early evening sun
and didn't seem to care about me at all.

If you look at the "TABS" on the top of this web page,
you'll notice one that says

SKETCHBOOK

Click on that to view more recent sketches.
I'll be adding to the collection continually.

OR

SIMPLY  CLICK  HERE
AND  YOU  WILL BE  TAKEN  TO  IT

Your  comments  are  always  welcome !

Thank  you !

Peaches  were  my  husband's  favorite  fruit.
We planted this one in the front yard
together
a year before he passed.

I certainly had my Dominic in mind this morning
as I snapped a few shots of the freshly opened blossoms.
He would have delighted in seeing the tree so healthy.

He would've eaten himself peaceful with peaches last season.
It yielded a whopping

SIXTY  POUNDS

of  succulent  sweet  freestones
at the age of three.

I don't know what the two yellow orbs in this picture are.
Someone told me they are a classic example of
Spirit Orbs.

Hmmm...
I do like that idea.
It's far more interesting and romantic than
simple floating dust balls.

While I am joyed by the blooms,
and the magical appearance of the orbs,
I am also conscious of  the very late bloom time.

My Gardening Diary has usual bloom time as  mid  April.

In addition,
last weeks entry regarding 
the usual arrival time for Hummingbirds 
in this area of Upstate New York,
has also changed.

It is May 6 th. and I have seen
NOT  ONE  HUMMER  YET !!!

???  WORRY  ???

"Ain't  no  need  to  worry
about  the  things  to  come.

Forget  about  your  problems
and  face  them  one  by  one.

Ain't  no  need  to  worry
about  what  might  have  been.

Just  trust  the  Heavenly  Father
and  let  that  be  the  end.

Ain't   no  need  to  worry
about  things  unknown  to  you.

Have  faith  in  God
and  rest  assured
that  He  will  see  you   through."

Poem  by
Earline Ross Cole