The wolf a noble spirit guide

When searching Loreena McKennit's "Mummers Dance" brought his to my attention . So I am sharing one of my spirit guides with you as a present on this day!

 

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays ?

It really doesn't matter what you say but if you you truly believe it when you say it. I find a smile and an expression of sincerity matters the most when stating your wishes to others. And likewise, their sincerity in return. So the best to all this holiday season.

                         Here is this years card and a little bit of music to accompany it.

Seasons Wishes from our home to you - the gifts of LOVE, PEACE and HAPPINESS all the year through!

 Loreena McKennit - Snow

Loreena Mckennitt- Snow

Rainy Card

Spent the last three days working on this year's Christmas card. It is nearing completion and then to the printers. Made a few changes to my approach to the card and it seems to have worked out well.

Will finish it up next week and then try to get it to the print shop before the week ends. Got to see if I can purchased those Santa Claus stamps I saw in my news feed. so I posted a few pencil teasers here are some follow up ink teasers.

Here is a recipe for some SAnta Claus cookies as St. Nicklas Day approaches. 

Speculaas Holiday Cookies

Makes 60

Ingredients

• 1 Cup unsalted butter; softened
• 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 Cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 Cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Teaspoons baking soda
• 2 Teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 Teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 Teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground anise seed
• 1/8 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Cup sliced almonds

Directions

In a large mixer bowl combine butter and vanilla with both sugars and cream until light and fluffy.
Add beaten eggs and continue mixing. Sift the flour and all remaining dry ingredients together and beat into the butter mixture.
Mix in the sliced almonds by hand.
Divide the dough into four equal portions, cover and chill overnight.
Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.
Roll the dough out into 1/4-inch thick portions and cut with cookie cutters or shape with a special Speculaas mold or other cookie mold or stamp.
Bake for 10-15 minutes and store in an airtight container.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

 

Well we are really thankful to those grandchildren who thought we should get a live tree big enough to fill the living room. Heading north to Whitehall we did find a great tree. With the help of the son-in-laws and grand son we managed to get it to the house and inside.

Our daughter helped us get the lights on the tree and we continued to decorate it over the next two days. Everyone else helped us warm up to the Christmas Season.

 

 

 

 

11-12 foot tree first live tree at the house in the woods

A close up of a section of the tree

Of course, once you have the tree you need to decorate the outside. I spent the greater part of the yesterday getting the outside completed. Here are a few shots of that work. These were taken after the overnight snow storm so you will see a bit of snow here and there.

Garage entry door

 

 

Garage light

We did get a bit of snow so here is the view toward the front and back of the house.

Front view

Back view

Relaxing Thanksgiving Day at Home

We are spending a relaxing day today. Just chilling out at home. Baking pies, drawing, and preparing for tomorrow. We will be getting our tree with all the family except the Germans. We will try to Skype them once we have the tree in the house.
       We will have a real tree again at the request of many grandchildren. So with our high ceiling we are shooting for a 9-10 foot tree. Of course this has become a new chapter of Christmas preparation. New topper was needed as the old small one would get lost up there. A new stand as we had parted with the other when we went artificial. and then new lights, more ornaments. and who knows what else we need once we see it up in the living room.

Here are a few glimpses of this year's Christmas card in it's pencil drawing state. I will begin the inking process today. Keep posted as I present more small glimpses as we head toward card completion.

Early Cristmas Card

Earliest card that started a tradition

Working as a teacher with limited income in a small rural community I found the list of cards needed was bigger than my pocketbook. That started the tradition of me creating a card drawing and then printing them as standard letter size prints. We could write a message on the back, fold them in thirds and stuff them into letter envelopes at minimal costs. We would also print them in black and white and hand color each card. It made the winter evenings go by comfortably as we sat at the dining room table adding color, addressing envelopes and conversing.
        This little Santa was the first step in the development of the card drawings. Here he tokes on his pipe as he concentrates on the Christmas Star an contemplates the Christmas gifts he will be bringing to the children. The toys are those you hear of in that old song Up On the Housetop. That has always been a favorite of mine since childhood. Probably because of the use of Will/Bill as a name in the song. I would hear it played on the radio as Gene Autry would sing. Radio is and has always been an influence in my life. As a child I wanted to be the singing cowboy. now I am just Poppy.

          Up on the House Top Gene Autry version

                 Written Benjamin Hanby 1864

Up on the housetop reindeer paws, out jumps good old Santa Claus

Down through the chimney with lots of toys
All for the little ones, Christmas joys
Ho, ho ho! Who wouldn't go? Ho, ho ho! Who wouldn't go?

Up on the housetop, click, click, click
Down through the chimney with old Saint Nick

First comes the stocking of little Nell
Oh, dear Santa fill it well
Give her a dolly that laughs and cries
One that can open and shut her eyes
Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn't go? Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn't go?

Up on the housetop, click, click, click
Down through the chimney with good Saint Nick

Look in the stocking of little Bill
Oh, just see what a glorious fill
Here's a hammer and lots of tacks
Whistling ball and a whip that cracks

Ho, ho ho! Who wouldn't go? Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn't go?

Up on the housetop, click, click, click
Down through the chimney with good Saint Nick

Some Christmas Memories

Thought I would just post a few glimpses of past Christmas cards. This year's card is in progress and slowly it will be finished before Christmas. I hope! Enjoy the recaps. I have a collection Thanks to my good Friend Gra. of almost every card since 1972, I will be posting some of the earlier cards over the next few weeks with a short explanation of the significance in my family's history. Enjoy and do leave a comment if you wish.

Christmas Night in the Woods

Gaelic Christmas

Up on the Roof Top

Catch a Falling Star

Santa's Workshop

Another Snowy Morning

Well mother nature is blessing us again with a little light snow dusting. It makes the day appear to be brighter and disguises the fact that the sky is gray, the trees bare and black, and the ground brown. As winter approaches I have finally finished the leaves  mixed media project. Water color gouache, permanent ink, and colored pencil were the medias use to create this painting.

" Lake Superior Leaves"  William R Fritz artist - mixed media painting

First snow arrives and then is gone

We were surprised this morning with about 1/2 inch of the wonderful white stuff. Glad I got the leaves blown back the other day. However, it quickly departed by 10:30 am. More is predicted for tonight so maybe a pleasant surprise tomorrow morning. I always find November depressing with it's gray skies, it's dead brown fields and bare black trees. However, with a dusting of white snow the outside world becomes enlivened and the darkness seems to disappear. I know many people curse the snow season but it is one time of year I eagerly look forward to, along with spring, summer and fall. It's just November that brings me down, unless it snows.

Further progress on Leaves. Have begun to add green. I need to complete this soon as there is a Christmas card that needs to be completed. Again a warning to my collectors this card will begin to see some changes in my design.

As the weather turns and the leaves depart

under wash scarlet

additional wash yellow and green

Beginning wash layers to bring out colors

Spent a few more hours blowing leaves. Love the trees but I still curse the ever abundant falling leaves. As I said earlier we compare the leaves to snow and we often can be heard saying "It's leaving again!"

The weather is turning slowly and the anticipated first snow will be coming soon. Just hope I have gotten all those oak leaves in the proper place. Some to cover the gardens until spring, adding warmth to the perennials and bulbs laying beneath them - nature's blanket. All of the rest banished to the outer limits of the forest floor to serve as a mulch mat to keep down the undergrowth.

Progress is being made on the maple leave painting and soon I will begin to work on the yearly Christmas card. I am planning a departure of sorts for this year's card so don't be surprised if you are a collector. Just as I am aging so i=s the rest of the world. And change is the only constant in life I have experienced so far.

The glimpses of the progress on leaves continues. The three above show the progress in the last few days.

Progress on Leaves

I have made some progress on Leaves. The next step is to start adding watercolor washes to the leaves. It is taking a longer time to complete because living in the woods means I am also dealing with the leaves outside. So far I have cleared the surrounding yards and gardens 5 times and I am sure there will be more to do in the next few days. I am anxious to start the color work but who knows where it will go. Also It's time to begin to form my idea for the annual Christmas card. Will try to keep you all posted as I progress with my work.

LEAVING- the act of leaves falling like snow

 

While cleaning and closing the pond for winter we realized that though it wasn't snowing: it was leaving. This is my first attempt at posting video so the quality isn't quite what I wanted but it does show the leaving. I will try to get a better video in the near future.

Added a second video today to show the leaving. It's a bit better but still not as good as standing out in the leaving. The first video iis the latest

Been busy putting summer away and heading into late fall. Closed the Bocce Court today and will be busy closing the pond and sprinkling system tomorrow. Started this fall drawing of leaves and will keep posting the progress for anyone who may be following by blog.

You never know what you will get in the UP! beauty for sure.

Fall Color Tour 2018

Upper Peninsula Michigan

October brings the fall colors so vivid and and exciting. However, traveling to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the best color tour you can experience.

These were some hounds we met. They were on their way to Gwinn with five others to do a little bear hunting with their master. You can see the color behind them. Friendliest group of hound dogs we have ever met. They were at our first rest stop on Highway US 2 and the temperature was in the high 60"s.

View from Brockway Mountain drive south entrance. We climbed the distance up in sunshine surrounded by glittering golden trees.

 The oaks were just begining to take on the tarnished gold color they would have by the time we headed home from the H58 pictured rocks drive. The weather here was starting to change as the temperature was dropping nut still in the upper 50's.

The pines with their church like spires seem to enhance the colors of the turning leaves.

Now as we looked out over Copper Harbor and the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula you can see the snow coming in. The temperature had dropped to 38 F degrees. We had donned our gloves and hats to be outside: still it was beautiful.

This panorama view of Copper Harbor shows the passing snow storm. We would encounter this storm off and on for the remainder of trip down the Keweenaw. Seeing the snow accumulate on the ground and trees by the time we got to Calumet it was clinging to the vehicles.

Muskegon Harbor Channel

We like to walk the two mile stretch of the Muskegon Harbor Channel on a regular basis and are always impressed by the ever changing character of this beautiful location.  Here are a few phots we snapped on September 21 and 22 of this year

Looking out toward Lake Michigan on September 21, 2018 a very windy and cloudy evening.

A view of the channel entrance from the Muskegon Lake side.

Waves crashing over the outer break wall.

.Waves and wind were very forceful out at the end of the south channel wall

Waves crashing on the outer break wall September 21, 2018

Another Day and Another View for the Channel 

This is the same channel on September 23, 2018 but as calm as can be. The reflections on the sailing vessel and the Aqua star as they leave the channel and Muskegon Harbor to venture out on Lake Michigan.

Living in a rain forest

We have received over 12" of rain in the last week and everything is lush and green. The amount of fungi that are blooming is unbelievable. To top it off the temperature has been consistently warm to very warm. I have green bell pepper plants that are three feet high.
        We returned last week, from our trip to england's lake district, Scotland's highlands and Berlin's busy streets, to a house and garden areas that were perfectly cared for by our daughters and their families. Of course they had enjoyed the pleasures of the woods, beach and lake.
 It was grest to return home

     A storm over the highlands as we trekked the Tomintoul trail. What a fantastic place. the weather was delightful. The rains were light and refreshing followed always but sunshine and warmth.

Our return to Tomintoul. This village is a delightful little place with wonderful people and lots of things to do. The local history museum is a fascinating place. The restaurants and shops are surprising for such a small village.

A visit to the THE Glenlivet Distillery is a must. The tour is fantastic as well as informative and the restaurant is superb. I now have a greater appreciation of the spirit!

After a while I'm back to blogging

Sorry for the delay but I have finally returned to blogging and will begin doing so in the next few days. Let me know if you missed my blog.