Hanging Outdoor Lights

Hanging Outdoor Lights

Last week, we hung Christmas lights outdoors.  The weather was unusually warm for late November, short balmy days still full of heat.  Surprising. 

The warmth drew us outdoors to begin decorating though we won’t turn the lights on for a while yet.  On the veranda, we placed the bushy evergreen wreath with twinkly white lights; on the pergola, we spread thirty-six feet of rope lights, all in white, all securely fastened.   At the front door, we set up two small evergreen trees covered with tiny white lights.  On the Fat Albert Blue Spruce, we can see from our kitchen windows, we spread out five sets of LED lights in red. 

But five sets weren’t enough.  Fat Albert Blue Spruce has grown; my, how it has grown.  So off we went to the hardware store in a panic.  Would they still have the same lights this year?  They did.  We bought two more sets and laid them among the tree branches, then turned them on to take a look.  Hmmm, not quite right, still too many bare spots.  We went off again to buy one last set.  There, finally full and lush with lights, the tree was looking good.

Today is more like real November weather, cold with bitter wind and a hint of snow in the air, just a hint.  All day the wind has rattled at the windows, buffeted the walls and sent dry oak leaves shooting straight up the sides of the house.  And the wind has thrashed the Fat Albert, unsettling the red lights.  The erratic gusts have redecorated the tree; lights now hang like garlands or have fallen to the branches below forming nests of red bulbs.  Not damaged, just different

Tomorrow, if the wind settles, I’ll drag out my small step stool to extend my height, and my stick with a bent nail on top to extend my reach.   I’ll begin again to nestle the red lights into the tree and corral the strings which are trying to escape, on wings of wind.

Hanging the Christmas lights outdoors often takes more than one attempt each year.  The winter wind entices anything that tries to stay put or tied down, whistling and singing “Come with me.”

Yet, some years, the twinkling lights are just as wonderful when they are hung by the wilful wind.

 

Words and photo are copyright © Carol Steel

Christmas Lights

Today is the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year, a day when night dominates and light is at a premium. 

Christmas lights outside on houses and in yards cut through this darkness to touch our hearts and cheer us.  My favourites are houses decorated with small white lights.  The warmth of the glow and the understated quietness of white lights make me feel peaceful and content.

While I prefer little white lights, I recognize that there are myriad colours and combinations which mean Christmas to others.  Differences give life variety and wonder.  Some folks prefer lighted figures and vibrant colours.

 

Some folks spend much time creating wooden shapes to decorate with lights, love bright colours and work diligently to make their home look festive.  Even to the point of creating sequences of lights flashing to a jaunty Christmas tune.

 

 

And some folks like a bit of everything, festooning the interior and exterior with myriad colours and figures and wreaths and candy canes and signs.

All are cheery and bright.  Each different combination pleases those who placed them, lovingly and carefully to light the darkness. 

At this beginning of winter, may all your darkness and all your light be in balance; may you be filled with joy and wonder, appreciating differences, and recognizing yourself in all others.

Enjoy this season of rich darkness and of twinkling lights.

Bedroom Project

When you buy a home, how long does it take to get everything the way you want it?

What I want evolves as I live in a home and become used to its secrets and seasons.  Tastes and uses for rooms vary.  Simply living in a home changes what one needs and wants.  The innate feeling of a space sometimes calls for transformation.

We have a spare bedroom with two sunny windows and pine bookcases, an antique desk and a welcoming bed, a rocking chair and spaces for the cats.  It is the last room to be re-done after our move here. 

We can’t decide what to do about the wallpaper border at the top of the walls, and the ancient wallpaper stuck half-way up the walls.  We want it gone, but it doesn’t want to go.  We soak it, peel it, score it and steam it.  It will not leave!  We ask the local wallpaper store for suggestions; beyond what we have tried, they have nothing.  And there is always their cautiously worded question, “How long has this paper been on the walls?”  The staff looks down at their feet and scuffs with their toes, when we reply, “Well, as long as the house has been built.”   That being 60+ years, they then announce that sometimes, old paper and old glue cannot be removed.  Further, the plaster walls underneath the paper would certainly be damaged if we press any more water into the paper attempting to remove it.

So, plan B.

My husband carefully, with much measuring and swearing puts wainscoting and trim over the lower half of the walls to cover the impervious wallpaper.  We paint the wainscoting to match the wide baseboard and rounded window frames. 

What about the wallpaper border next to the ceiling?  We paint the upper half of the walls and purchase a wider wallpaper border to cover the stubbornly resistant older one.  We are warned that this new border will have to be pasted to the wall to adhere properly, as the normal glue on the back of the border isn’t meant to stick to anything but painted walls.



We get out all the supplies to deal with the new border.  Table, small foam brush, can of glue, water, smoother thingy, different cloths for different tasks, measuring tape, sharp knife, scissors, and chairs upon which to stand. We discuss how to do this, read the directions on the can (many warnings about not getting glue on anything else but the wallpaper), measure, measure again, discuss which side is the top and which the bottom of the trim  (no conclusion reached, so just pick one).  Have coffee and more coffee, then toast and snacks to help with decisions.  I suggest wine, but my husband warns, “No, that won’t be good.”

Finally, we are off and pasting.  By the end of the first strip, we decide that even though the can warned not to put too much paste, we put too little and have to re-paste the first strip.  Muttering, but philosophical, we settle on hanging the border…first…on the wall that shows the least. 

Wise decision.  Old plaster walls are not necessarily straight.  Muttering turns into frustration.  After a very long and sticky time, the first strip is on the wall and looking fine covering the old wallpaper border.

But, what’s this?  The first four feet are doing a slow-motion peel off the wall.  Quick!  Hold the paper, get more glue, there, there, and there…OK…OK.  Now with many cloths, wipe off excess glue before it does all the horrid things warned about on the can.

Drinks of water, and much stress-filled discussion.  How can we improve what we are doing?  Suggestions flying.  Realize my best suggestion is to make none.  Things flow along better after this discovery.

Second strip does indeed stick better with copious amounts of glue spread on by husband-in-charge.  We are both feeling very confident after this and give ourselves the luxury of another coffee and standing about to admire the job, now half complete.  Going well!

Third strip.  The plaster walls and ceiling seem to be totally out of whack, nothing is straight.  Nothing is working.  The border wants to travel up onto the ceiling if we try to keep it in line with the second piece of border.  My arms are tired from holding up wallpaper border.  Husband-in-charge is into full scale swearing and nearly falls off his chair.  After heated discussion, we cut off the offending piece of border, leaving the section which seems to be behaving properly.  I want wine, now! But, no…

Time to sit and determine what needs to happen next.  I remember to be quiet. Since walls and ceiling are far from straight on this second half of the room, “we” determine that cutting the paper into the corners will help, and it does.  We finish the room a touch more than three hours after we started.

It looks good, if you don’t examine it too closely.  The colours are attractive and well-matched.  There are a few places where the edges are not quite glued as much as needed.  That is easily fixed with tiny sponge, eye shadow applicators, dipped in the last of the glue, and dabbed under the offending edges.

The bedroom is complete and ready to welcome guests and admirers alike.  

Caveat:  If you perceive that the border is upside down or notice that it isn’t perfect, you’d better keep those thoughts to yourself, if you’re expecting a welcome and a glass of wine!

And, this room?  This room is staying this colour, with this border, until we move!