Dare To Decorate

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        Seasonal decorating is fun. I enjoy being creative, so I am mixing purple paint with white glue to paint paper mache eggs. The plan is to avoid the messy Easter egg dyes. The ones where you lower eggs using a wire spoon after adding hot water to a colored pill that dissolved neatly in the bowl of your choice. All within bowls, rarely splashing, never dripping. What was I thinking? Why did I think that this glue / paint concoction would be less messy? Purple, purple everywhere. And the glorious result? Eggs that are shamefully streaked and splotchy- a kindergarten mess.Why am I coloring eggs without the excuse of a child? I am determined to produce something seasonal. I call it DIY pride and I am always ready to show off my artsy-craftsy skill set. Admittedly, my fall gold painted pumpkin was a hard act to follow; but the vase filled with pinecones and glitter was a good December statement.     

       Holidays are an opportunity to be creative and have fun but holiday decorating can be very competitive. Being both lazy and on a budget, I marvel at the work people put into their Christmas decorating. In December it took me half a day to add a few fake poinsettia to a humble wreath and hang it on my door. The ‘more the better’ is often the winter paradigm and we have the humble wreath versus the life size reindeer. It’s a hard choice. I like both ends of the decorating spectrum.       The colored egg season begins in March and because I am a realist, I rule out bunnies. Show me a bunny that lays eggs, and I will give you a chicken that hops. My Spring decorating plan is to put purple eggs into a wicker basket, add a few silk flowers and fortunately it is only a few weeks before I can trash it and start the summer tribute to my crafty self- indulgence.     

       Summer. Summer. Summer. How do I decorate for summer? A beach ball? A shovel and pail? A lovely bowl of sweat? Remembering my summers in Florida, I have memories of my air conditioning go out. This is something that happens on weekends. The condo maintenance man brought me a dehumidifier and said, “I feel your pain.” I expected a fan. A dehumidifier? I guess he couldn't feel my pain without bringing me a token gift of some sort. Not a solution, no solutions were to be had until Monday, but looky look- I can plug it in - fans get plugged in!  I can adjust a dial, just like on a fan. Now I will be able to say, “Maintenance came right away, they brought me what they had.” How about a plunger, do you have a plunger? Light bulb? I'll take anything. Don’t worry if it has nothing to do with my not having cold air. I survived that hot summer weekend. I lived through it, sustained by thoughts of dehydrated pioneer women before me. I have always had the attitude that it is better to be too hot than too cold. In Florida time is measured three ways: B.C., A.D., and Pre A.C.