Loose Ends

The pressure begins in October when the weather starts to turn, and I know the holidays are right around the corner. Just this morning I realized that it is too late to put out my pumpkins since they would only be out for another week.

Oh well, then I guess I won't have to put them away when I take out the Christmas decorations. Part of my problem is shopping. Every year right before and after Halloween, they put all of those beautiful gourds on sale. They are painted, ceramic and covered with twigs or pinecone bits. I love them all. So I collect them. And they're all in the closet upstairs.

I learned the hard way that what I think is edible and what mice will eat are two different things. It never occurred to me that anyone - or anything - would want to eat dried pomegranates. I stored them in the attic. Mice are not neat. Now the only decorations that go in the attic are the artificial ones.

This year I moved beyond gourds and bought two acorns. My other half said this was really over the top, and he said this without knowing that they are the size of cantaloupes. They have foam centers and are covered with green, leafy-looking things. The cap is made of pieces of acorn caps glued into place. Very clever. Three would have been over the top. Two is just right.

Last Christmas, I decided to be organized. I made a list in my new calendar of decorations, wrappings and crafty things that I might need this year. When my other half borrowed my calendar yesterday, he noticed the list and asked about it. He wondered why I would make a list of things I might need a year later. I told him that I can never be too prepared.

I have a pinecone collection in the garage. I have tiny ones, long ones and round ones. The huge ones are great, but they're the ones my other half isn't too crazy about. We have two lawn and leaf bags full in his garage. They are there just in case I need them. It's a security thing.

I can glue, paint, frost, hang, group, dress them like reindeer or burn them as fire starters. My other half just doesn't understand value when he sees it. After all, he has collections - wrenches, wire, screws and bolts, and even nails. And they only do one thing. Except for the wire - it is probably multipurpose. I can use it to hang pinecones.

So far I have found a set of glittered leaves. They can be hung or just placed around the candles on the dining room table. They weren't on the list. I need to find a cat ornament - one that looks like our cat. We have bought an ornament that looks like every pet through the years. We didn't even do that for the kids.