I’ve always been sort of a ‘natural look’ girl. I’ve never worn much makeup, love the comfort of sweats, and dirty jeans, and keep my hair cut short so I can wash, fluff and go. In fact, nature has always been very precious to me and intrinsic to my sanity. As I age, this is even more so. Little by little I toss aside, give away, or sell on eBay ( my newly acquired hobby) all those clothes and items that cluttered closets, cupboards and coffee table. As I remove layer after layer of ‘stuff’ I quite literally feel lighter of spirit and even of body!
In this same vein, this year I did the unthinkable. I gave away all my glitzy, shiny, bright and bold Christmas decorations to my 28-year-old daughter, albeit with the caveat that she hold them precious to her heart and hearth until it is time to someday pass on the gauntlet to one of her own. But my time with them was done.
I still have great spirit for the holidays, but not in the same way. Along with my new need to
simplify my nest comes a passion to decorate it with the sights, sounds, and smells of the passing seasons. In spring it’s crocuses and cracked robins’ eggs, in summer it’s a tableau of rocks and potted herbs, in fall it’s a medley of late summer veggies. To celebrate the solstice and Christmas –my Boston Terrier Brinkley and I went hiking through snowy winter woods to find berries, dead and dramatic swamp grass, and plenty of pine from which I then crafted several arrangements. Martha Stewart I shall never be, but the joy of finding and making ‘real’ decorations from nature’s bounty far outweighs making the pages of Real Simple.
madmuser 