Small Steps Forward

At first, Maria and I carried down a doll house and boxes of our collected and handmade miniatures and dolls, even her original bumbies, the Calico Critter family she carried everywhere in a small, cardboard suitcase. We set all of this up across the mantle, with Cairo's help. Then! Then I realized that playing with the doll house, moving cows, and decorating the small rooms, will be easier if we move it all to the floor, or a low table. I cleared the mantle, again, and suddenly I had an obsession for evergreen branches. I thought of the storm, and the possibility of fallen branches, so I convinced Geoff to join me on my quest, a second bike ride to find any fallen pine greenery.

Cairo was most insistent... no Christmas wreaths before Thanksgiving. He knocked it out of the doll house every time. I was going to say something about cats being so silly, but we were silly too... so amused about him batting the wreath, and replacing it over and over again.

It's been a while since we do anything with this doll house, and occupants. This makes me want to make more dolls, both the doll house scale ones, and smaller ones. And I miss hand sewing, too... embroidery, clothes making, quilting. Maybe part of what I enjoy about miniatures is the small scale allows me to dabble in many interests at once.

Kiki and Ruth Bader Ginsburg have been in this curio cabinet for a few years. It's time to refresh their surroundings, too. Gigi looks as though he would like to come down from the fence.

Anyway, I took all the minitaures down, and set them on a small side table, next to the fireplace. We can sit in front of the fire, and play with them there. And Geoff and I rode for ten miles, collecting pine cones, and some really nice pine branches that we found fallen from the wind and rain that came through. Alex helped me arrange everything, with our flameless candles, and the bunny lantern. Jennifer's doll quilt has been in the doll house, but I think it looks very pretty with the evergreens and soft lights.
In my usual fashion, I am putting togther a random, and rambling post. I hope someday to look back and recall that I was both joyful about the election results, and anxious; waiting for signs that the losing candidate will concede, that none of his behavior nor threats will amount to actual treason. I hope to look back and sigh with relief that we overcame these trial, that we have become a better nation, a just nation. It is almost surreal seeing our worst fears daily come to pass. It is almost surreal to play, to wash dishes, to think of the holidays, when terrible things are transpiring, and threatening our democracy. It is deeply concerning how many people I know that are actually immersed in spreading Q-onspiracy Evangelism and cultish ideology. Yes, there is every indication that the healing and reasonable engagement we hope to foster, the path forward, away from hate, and delusion, will be rocky, indeed. I'm sad, and scared. I wish there were fewer hardships and challenges facing all of us at once. I would so like to gather with friends, family, neighbors, and cook together, share our skills, make things, hold hands.