Finally. Christmas Tree Chair

 

Here it is as it is lit up and decorated. I have some ornaments on it. But really didn't put tons on it this year. I used up most of the red colored ornaments I had for some color. 

I also don't always hang my special ornaments, but use them on the chair seat like this:

I'll keep changing what is on the chair or around the chair almost daily. To keep the horses from falling over, I used the string of beads. This chair seat IS flat so they shouldn't fall over, but I liked adding color with beads and ribbons.

I finally got my North Pole Village out and as I arranged things, I started to 'play'. 

I mean, this time of the year gives me a great excuse for more play, right?

Our weather is unbelievable! We went from way below frozen to 50 F yesterday. It will last through the weekend through Monday. I still am contemplating doing a Charlie photo. You know, the one where I make the dog sit in front of the tree and pose. 

LOL. He hates it but will do it for cookies!

Enjoy.

Chasing ice

 

Thursday after lunch I took off to go look for ice along the bluffs of the Kickapoo River. I waited until after noon to head out as I was hoping for it to warm up above 10 F. It did, but the windchill was still at something like 9 F, if you were facing the winds.

I knew that hiking along the bluffs would keep me on the east side of the river with the forest and the bluff blocking part of the cool breeze. However, since the sun never shines on this section of the bluffs ... except on late summer evenings, it would be chilly next to the rocks.

That is perfect for the formation of little ice falls. Last year there was almost no ice or water in this area due to the drought we'd been having. This was promising sign to see. There is a small 'pond' under the rock that was frozen solid.

Light reflects strangely on ice and water which is why I took my Infrared Camera again.

I'm not sure why the mosses don't turn out with the same amount of colors. I suppose it is just how the light reached the moss and the ice in these two areas.

What the ice looks like in camera:

I channel swap, which means I swap the colors and blue can become pinkish, reddish, or with this filter more orange colored. The ice will almost turn blue with most filters [except the 850nm range which is a B&W filter...very useful for white fluffy clouds against a black sky]

Here was another unpredictable shot. I thought this would just turn out yuck with nothing fun. I wanted to see if I could differentiate the ice hidden inside this fern and moss covered area. It turned out to be my favorite shot of the day.

Some IR photographers call this 'Candy Colored' and I think it is! But the detail in the ferns turned out pretty neat. 

I did take some normal shots, but not many.

Hiking down Willow Trail.

Long Tall Shadows on old 131 Trail.

Charlie, the Explorer. 

Christmas Chair...slow work...

It's a tree, it's a chair. It's a Treed-Chair? The tree and the chair must become intertwined. I don't know why, but that is the way I think of it.

The chair seat is scratched and old but it provides a surface for magical things to happen 'under' the boughs of the tree.

At one time the little chair held gifts and envelopes [grands grow up and want $$ more than a gift]. I could be a real jerk and get everyone underwear and socks. But I don't. It is a thought though.

I mean come on. Wouldn't everyone in the family think I was more off my rocker than usual? At least no one would forget the year Grandma gave everyone weird underwear. 

Meanwhile, back to the Christmas Tree Chair. 

I really only do 1/2 of a tree, so the tree towards the window is flat and it saves more room. I don't go all the way down the tree either with the branches. 

I started doing the Christmas Tree Chair as a fluke in 2013. The tree at first was supposed to be behind the chair and hide the poor design of the tree that doesn't reach the ground like a real tree does.

This was before we remodeled the house. Dark walls, dark bricks, and ugly carpeting. 

The chair offered a nice way to change up decorations in a small space. The chair was rough and had a cool texture to it. It was beat up and cracked. Not really good for holding a human at all.

Over the years, I used the same chair until it actually fell apart.

The fun of decorating the chair morphed into including some of the wooden boxes I've collected over the years. In 2020 I got an old nesting box for chickens that my mother in law had purchased years ago and used as a coffee table.

This year tried something different yet again. A different chair and a different arrangement.

I start and stop often. Two days ago, I stopped here and let one of the handmade tiny button bears take over. I was tired.

It looks like the bears added a string of colored lights and a gnome has hopped onto the top of the tree.

The rest of the work is still unfinished. Most of what I do with the whole mess is change small scenes often in the boxes and on the chair for the fun of photography in the dead of winter.

Plus, it brightens up our living room with color and light in the evenings.

In the meantime. Charlie and I have been off exploring and looking for more ice formations. More about that very soon!

Infrared in Winter?

 Are you nuts? Infrared is so much better in the summer. 

Except.

Sometimes I just think I like a challenge. I took a filter that I didn't like so much and a 25mm lens which is 'fast' so I could shoot in the low light that the weather had gifted me.

Here is an original shot and then the edited shot of the creek in my neighbor's valley.

The filter I used is a 590nm filter. The camera has been modified to be able to 'see' Infrared Light. Most cameras have a filter to shut that light out.
Shooting IR is pretty technical when it comes to finding a proper white balance along with something called channel swapping in post work.

I like both versions of this shot. It was certainly more colorful than normal color. [I hear that winter can be rather colorless...]

The bluish color in the first shot shows the plants that still have chlorophyll in them and they reflect light in a different way.

This time of the year can be a bit dull, so I figured I'd have some fun with the colors that we don't see with our eyes.

I even used the improper white balance for this filter to pick up a different type of color. Though, really I feel that it is up to the person with the camera to decide what they want to visually see.

What I saw through the lens:

And then my version of what I liked. In some cases, I like the odd blue above a bit better. 

How far can I push the illusion of what we can't see with our eyes?

Why not do this? It is like creating a fairy land.

The challenge just like any challenge in photography is to find an interesting composition or subject. And I had a particular tree in mind.

Charlie and I hiked across PeeWee's valley to a particular tree that has roots that climb the steep hill.

The weather was supposed to get gnarly around 11 or noon. The winds were to gust up to 50 mph and as the temperatures dropped, there was to be snow squalls along with some sleet.

Charlie and I headed back home before the bad weather hit.

And boy did it ever hit!

It was time to hunker down and drag out some things for the Christmas Chair. I going with the old Captains Chair this year. 

It was a good way to stay out of the bad weather and trees that might blow down.

Hi Ho Winter! I love you!

 Finally!

After so many days of being stuck indoors. I grabbed Charlie and we went on an adventure of sorts.

We went wilding. Not a savage thing, an untamed sort of hike. Through the brush, brambles, burrs, prickly ash, and multiflora rose. Charlie is 7 inches tall so he has it easy, he can walk under most of the brush. I have to bust through it.

Years ago, Mike was the owner of the land. His cattle kept the forest clean and made nice trails. Since his death in 2005, his brothers have abandoned the land except for the deer hunting season. They lease out the farm land and lease out sections of the forest for a few trophy hunters to bow hunt deer and hunt turkeys.

The land has regrown in many places to invasive underbrush. I still get around on deer trails and always wear heavy coveralls to get through some of the rough stuff. 

Its getting harder to get to the special places I do like. Oddly enough, I don't even think Mike's brothers know of these cool spots. I like my secrets. I've walked and ridden this land for 30 years. I know the trees, the creek's secrets, and cool rock formations.

Charlie and I did get to our favorite spot in the creek though.

I had quite the surprise. I was following coyote tracks along the creek bottom and found this.... ----->

I swear that it looks like a coyote slipped and 'biffed' it. Doesn't it look like the back legs spread eagle as its chest hit the ice and it scrambled back to its feet?

It is very possible that this did not happen at all. But I'd like to imagine that it did.

Charlie sniffed the tracks and then walked to the edge of the ice. He knows better than to go off the edge. The water in that spot is over his head.

Another surprise met us at this spot in the creek.

An Ice Fall.

Closer..

The color in the ice is from the reddish sandstone in this area and the dirt. The moisture seeps out over the rock wall [which is warmer from being underground]. It hits the frigid air and makes these beautiful ice formations.

Another shot of a different section.

I can't help it, but this absolutely fascinates me. I run my hand over the ice ripples and marvel at nature's art.

I mean who doesn't love this? I love this. I can't wait for cold weather to see this phenomenon.

The creek is the main lifeblood of this forest and it is evident by all the animal tracks that can be found there.

In this section we found a nice set of coyote tracks.

If anyone is worried about Charlie. Don't fear! He sticks to me like glue when he smells these guys.  

If all goes according to plan, I plan to look for some more ice falls in another place soon. If the temps stay below freezing ice falls will develop. I sure hope they will!

Oh winter, how I love you!

Don't play with your food...

I can do all sorts of things. Baking is not my forte. On occasion, I do make an attempt at some simple homemade cookies.

Hubby spoke up Sunday morning after his breakfast.

You know, you said you'd make some cookies.

"Um. Yeah. I did." I made a face and it wasn't a pleasant face. "I have to see if I have the ingredients."

Come on, we haven't had home made cookies in ages.

I made another face. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. But I went to check on what I needed. It seemed as if I had everything including the chocolate chips. However the box of Baking Soda was nearly empty but I could squeeze out 1 TBSP.

I laid everything out on the counter and stared at it. Then I walked away.

Hubby looked at me. What's wrong? Do you have what you need?

"Yup, I seem to. Now I just need my helpers."

I returned with two skid steers, a Mime, a Witch, and a Construction Worker.

Hubby shook his head when he saw my Lego People. I'm going to lay down. Didn't your mom ever tell you not to play with your food?

I gave him an evil grin. "My Legos help me or I don't make cookies. And...I never listened to mom anyway."

You are not right in the head! And they say I am crazy!

Making chocolate chips cookies is supposed to be easy. Most people probably don't even have to follow the directions on the package or study the measurements and ingredients. I do. 

And I was going to enjoy the torture of baking anyway.

The Mime gave hand signals to Grandpa and his pet chicken in the skid steer. The construction guy walked around back. He said it was break time.

The Witch on the edge of the pan must have put a spell on the whole works...

The Mime obviously didn't know how dangerous it was to get in front of this skid steer to direct the measuring of the flour. 

What? 142 scoops of flour??? Are you serious? We'll be here all day!

Next, clean up the egg shells...

Put everything in the oven and....

Ewww, these cookies turned out strange! They spread all over the place and fell apart when we got them out of the pan!

I admit, they turned out horrible. I had to let them bake a bit extra in order to get them out of the pan after they cooled. They spread out weirdly. So I went to a baking site and looked up what may have gone so wrong.

Old Baking Soda. Yeah, as if I'd ever would have noticed. I use baking soda and vinegar to clean in the sink and refresh the drains. Huh.

Hubby came into the kitchen.

What the heck happened here!

"Um...SEE I baked! Um...It was the witch's fault, she put a spell on the cookies so they wouldn't turn out! SEE???"

I just need a dragon to finish hardening them...

Hubby picked one crumbly cookie and munched on it.

Well, at least they are eatable. 

...and it wasn't a total waste. I had a little bit of fun doing it too.

Why Decorate?

Decorate or don't Decorate its a personal choice. 

For some it is a burden. The commercials flood the radio waves, the TVs, and every store shouts CHRISTMAS at every turn. For some it feels like Christmas has missed its intended purpose. Christmas is not a Currier and Ives Scene, it can sometimes be messy, it can sometimes be wonderful.

An elderly friend in the south, told me she gave up on decorating years ago.

Her life had changed significantly. Let's just say there were tragedies in her life.

Similarly, my mother decided a few years back that she wouldn't decorate anymore. She questioned the point of it and often mentioned her dislike for Christmas.

When I was young, my mother would decorate extravagantly. Outdoor lights, a real tree, delicate glass ornaments, and those large, colorful bulbs were all part of the tradition. We joyfully threw tinsel over the tree. After we stopped believing in Santa Claus, she would pile gifts under the tree as she accumulated them.... which brought us immense excitement.

As we grew older, she opted for a tabletop tree to avoid the mess of fallen needles and the need for watering. It was neater and more convenient.

Children grow up and sometimes move away. Life unfolds in unexpected ways.

Christmas occurs during the darkest time of the year, often intensifying feelings of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The darkness, the family memories, whether joyful or painful, are very real.

Isolation is a reality for many, as are sad and enduring memories.

My mother-in-law, however, never ceased her Christmas decorating. Post-Thanksgiving, I would help her retrieve decorations from storage. She would supervise from her chair as I replaced fall decorations with Christmas ones, set up the pre-lit tree, decorated her balcony, and arranged fairy lights, a wooden goose, and her miniature village.

Her apartment would transform into a festive haven, complete with a 'feather' tree and vintage ornaments. You couldn't even reach for toilet paper without seeing a Yuletide decoration.

When my husband and I first met, he expressed his dislike for Christmas. He didn't want me to decorate. He'd spent a Christmas in Vietnam and it was not a happy time for him at all.

That didn't stop me. I first started out with his tiny 6" tree. 

Eventually, it wasn't about Christmas so much as I wanted to light up the dark cold nights with colors and a sense of warmth. It was also a chance to deep clean the house and move stuff around. 

The Christmas season became a reason to have fun to...

Display toys and let the toys play.
Decorate the dog.
Take photos.
Be surprised, take joy in imagination...

I do it for me as generally I am the only audience for my decorating. It is like creating art that keeps transforming.

At least I have a reason now to 'play'. 

If I can make December playful with the cold days and dark nights, I'm happy. After all. No one who knows me thinks it is weird when I turn the living room into a place of play.
The toys take over as they should.

It even makes Grumpy Gus smile when he walks into the room and sees Teddy Bears doing naughty things one day and the next they are sitting quietly looking sheepish.

Decorating or making the decision not to is just fine. We can be moved to do it or not.

It is such a personal preference.

For many, Christmas can be a source of stress. I often spend Christmas Eve thinking about all the times I'd call my Father late on Christmas Eve. He'd ask me to describe our Christmas Tree. I'd tell him about it and sip a glass of wine. We'd laugh, we'd chat and I'd sit in the dark and tell him tall tales and he would do likewise.

For that, I am grateful for Christmas and the memories it brings to me each year.

This year I have 3 ugly chairs to consider for the Christmas Tree Chair. Which one will it be??