Unearthing Treasures

You know it's time to take down your Christmas lights when....your neighbors casually mention, "I was up in the middle of the night last night and oh, did you know, I think you still have some Christmas lights up?" I know, I know. If it wasn't for iMan stringing them up, I wouldn't have them at all. Not that I don't love lights at that dark time of year because I do. It makes all the difference in my day to see the color and the light shining. But I have a terrible fear of heights so I rarely go up ladders. And also, stringing up the lights (and getting them down) just isn't "my department". So here's the last of them. And just so you know I'm not a total idiot, they are solar powered so it's not like I was actually plugging them in every day.

Now, I do love this time of year. And at the same time I am a bit sad and have a little resentment stirring in my bones. This is when I pull out my summer season clothes and bring out the garden ornaments, the outdoor accouterments. There is always some ooh-ing and aah-ing, not unlike opening up the Christmas decoration boxes and remembering the little treasures we only see for about one month each year. Today I discovered a pair of H2O capris I found last year, the last pair at Sports Experts and on sale because it was an odd size. The same capris I wore whenever they were clean last summer. And this t-shirt I found on vacation in March, from the "Life is Good" line.


Here is a shot of the blue heron my sister gave me as a Christmas present last year, it's debut in my garden.


And these, from a friend who gave them to me; her sister had given them to her for her own daughter but the girl was really too old and was probably a little embarrassed by them. They have seen a little wear and the green one, well I think I'll call him the headless horseman since I can't bear to part with it.


And the frog prince, who I neglected to put away in the fall but weathered the winter without any obvious wear and tear. I like this shot - I didn't have a golden ball but the green one works.

There is the birdhouse that I adore.

The bobble heads we got at Loblaws last spring, one to represent each of us.


What's a garden without a couple of dragonflies?

And an odd mixed media bird I bought at a Christmas craft fair, a newbie along with the heron.


The resentment part is that I don't get to live with these pieces more than a handful of months each year. I know they are just "things" and that it is an indication I need to work on my attachment to the material. I am always sad to put them away, then when the garage door is closed I seem to forget about them, missing them without knowing exactly what I am missing.