The Christmas Mantel
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I wanted to show you the Christmas mantel, which I decorated today. I’ve had so much to do that I’m going light on the holiday decorating. I’m still not done getting things in place after moving here.
Anyway, it took me about 2 hours to get the fairy lights untangled, with Ivy waiting for a strand to hang down to grab onto.
I just popped the little bottle brush and other trees up there and laid the fairy lights across them. Nothing fancy. Just an indication that I’m celebrating Christmas but not going overboard. I didn’t remove any of the paintings I already had leaning up there.
Kendra brought my tabletop tree out of the shed, but before she left, I told her she might as well take it back out there. I said I doubt I’ll spend time putting it up when I still have other things to tackle in this house I call Mamie.
Today’s Lunch With Steve:
I paused this post because Steve came to see me. We went for lunch at one of the local “down on Route 66” places. It’s called the Wildflower Cafe, and I’d wanted to try it.
We had breakfast for lunch, as they served breakfast all day. They recently started serving dinner as well. There was a waiting list of about 20 minutes, and that place was hopping.
We had good old-fashioned biscuits and gravy with eggs, hash browns, and a cup of coffee. Then we caught up on the last few weeks. Steve is probably the neighbor I’ll see more of than anyone else. Steve and I were tight from the time I moved there.
After lunch, he was headed to his girlfriend’s place to watch football. She got him into watching sports after they started going out a few years ago. He’s more of an “earth and nature” type of guy.
Ivy & Steve:
You may recall me saying that he retired from the federal government, where he was a biologist and spent his career working all over the country.
Ivy especially loves Steve. In fact, she hasn’t had a cat treat since he was last here nearly three weeks ago. She never wants one from me, but that was their thing.
He’d walk in the door at my apartment, and Ivy would immediately jump up on the coffee table to her blue bowl. And he’d oblige her with a few treats.
We enjoyed seeing people from all walks of life at the cafe. When we came outside to walk to his car, we saw a person sleeping on the sidewalk. I feel terrible when I come upon a homeless person.
I ask myself: Aren’t we better than this?
And I don’t know why. It probably isn’t anyone’s fault. But still, I feel like it is a societal problem, and we’re all responsible in some way.
Ever since we had that terrible storm in June of 2023, there have been more and more homeless people adrift in Tulsa. Many had their homes destroyed. And there was nowhere to go.
The state recently passed an anti-camping law that criminalizes camping on unauthorized state land or rights-of-way, such as under bridges or alongside public roads and highways.
One more tidbit you might be interested in (or not) is that Paris, France, is the fashion capital of the world. It’s also the city with the world’s highest homeless population.
What I Did On Thanksgiving Day:
Yesterday, I stayed home, which is always what I most favor doing. Then Kasi, her husband Ross, and her son Andrew brought me lots of leftovers. I’ll have food for days.
Kasi then played Monopoly in the south room with Andrew while Ross and I discussed real estate and business. He is an executive at QuikTrip, if you happen to have one in your area. The Corporation is a privately held company headquartered here in Tulsa.
At Quik Trip, you can buy gasoline or convenience foods, like at a typical convenience store anywhere. It has more than 31,000 employees, one of whom is he.
Ross and his team spend their time buying up car wash chains. He was telling me about a recent one that cost 100 million. Wow, that’s a number you won’t hear me utter much in my lifetime.
He is excellent with numbers and apparently savvy in business dealings. Both he and Kasi have Master’s degrees in business.
Kendra and I have a more creative bent, and numbers often confuse us. Kendra attributes her knowledge of numbers to her work in real estate. I don’t attribute much of anything that includes numbers to my education.
This is another one of those blog posts where I include a little bit of everything that is going on or has happened in my life.
Oh, and Steve mentioned that I seem much calmer and more at peace since moving here. He is right about that!
And now I’ve shown you the first photos of holiday decorating in the house I call Mamie.
Ooh, Brenda! Your mantle is beautiful! I love those fairy lights. They are just the right touch! Steve’s been a good friend. That’s nice to have! Sounds like a nice outing! Happy Thanksgiving a few days late!
We have done various things…sometimes impressed to give someone our last few dollars till payday. But that was rare…we do not want to support alcohol or drug problems. But as diabetics I try to carry protein items of some sort and have given those out…or we did for a time carry gift cards from places like McDonalds…and gave those out. And one of my daughters regularly gives what she can to organizations who really help others. So just do what we can, each of us…and I do think someday there will not be homelessness. Maybe sooner than we think. Hope is good to have.
Glad your friend Steve came by…always good to see friends!
It is good to give what you give so that they cannot buy alcohol or drugs with money.
Love the mantle.
Thank you! It’s simple, but I managed to use up all the little trees I didn’t give to Kendra this year. Maybe I used too many… Oh well, who’s to say?
Brenda, Your style comes through again! The soft colors of the art work, natural look of the trees, simple candles and the fairy lights are so beautiful. Calming, peaceful and something to carry the mantle past Christmas and into the rest of winter. I think you were wise to let the Christmas tree go this year, it is always stressful to get stuff unpacked and put away. No need to add more. I am glad to hear your neighbor Steve could see the positive changes in you. I love following along on your journey, Sherry B
I feel much more relaxed living here. I was glad he noticed. I can feel it every day when I wake up and every day when I go to bed. This house is good for me.
I wonder if your ankle may start to be less troublesome due to you being more comfortable and happy in your surroundings?
From the internet: “Yes, anxiety and stress can amplify bad health by disrupting the body’s processes and increasing the risk of many health problems.” AND
“In fact, the same study showed that chronic anxiety and stress could increase a person’s risk of infections, metabolic diseases and even cancer. As anxiety triggers fight-or-flight and releases hormones, it increases your pulse and breathing, causing your brain to get more oxygen to prepare for an intense situation.”
I’m glad you’re in a happy place now.
My ankle and back have been better the last few days. I’m not busy, busy unpacking things and now am just mainly relaxing in my home. I do think you’re right. I have not had the gastrointestinal problems I had living there. I don’t feel like my heart is racing. That place was not good for me.
Ivy on that bowl of books is simply perfection. What a cat! Glad she got to see one of her favorite humans. Love the mantle! Such a nice living room & house filled with my favorite thing – LIGHT!
Having natural light is wonderful! I doubt I’ve ever had this much light in a house. Yes, Ivy does love Steve better than any other person besides me.
Brenda, your mantle looks so pretty! I think I will get some fairy lights this year and try them on my buffet or upright piano. I, sadly, don’t have a mantle. The other thing I noticed and which I like in today’s blog is the grey paint color on your living room walls. I need to have mine repainted and am thinking of using grey this time. Would you be willing to tell me the brand and color name? I stayed home for Thanksgiving, too, while my daughters and families did there own things. Three days alone in my house was wonderful! My daughter and family will be moving into their own home in December and I will have my house back to myself again. I am really looking forward to having my space back to myself and doing some decorating that pleases my eye.
I’ll have to ask Kendra what brand and color they used inside. I’m so glad you’re going to have your home back to yourself again!
I love the trees on the mantel it’s simply beautiful.
I like it because it’s simple and easy to put up and take back down again. I didn’t want to move the paintings I have up there because I really like the combination of them.
The mantel looks so good! The little wooden trees really caught my eye. I love the mix with the bottle brush trees.
I didn’t leave one single tree out of the mix! I gave Kendra some of the trees and a Santa I had for her to put in her own home. She said it seems like every time she comes here she leaves with something!
I love your mantel. Now I’m going to have to get some Christmas things out so I can put out my little trees. I think I have some fairy lights too so I can add those to the mantle.
Well the good thing is those little fairy lights are not expensive. I found two I’d purchased sometime in the past and so far used one of them on the mantel.
Your mantel looks very festive. I’m glad that Steve keeps in touch with you.
We have a lot of common interests. I enjoy talking to Steve.
I love all the assortment of trees on your mantle. I do the same with scattering of heights. The fairy lights will soften your winter evenings.
Don’t you just love fairy lights on almost anything?
You are moving in and eager to finish that during the holidays. My suggestion is to set up for the holidays. Your mantel has too much on it.
I think her mantel looks natural and beautiful!
I do too! It looks beautiful!
I do too!
Oh well.
It seems crowded to me. I cannot tell the theme.
Who says you need a theme? I love how it looks. Very natural and calming.
Christmas decorations are a theme. That can be a simple look. Pictures of nature are another. Combining the two is not a simple style in my opinion.
Aujourd’hui je suis allée voir mon petit fils et mon fils, au centre de Paris et il y avait un homme, allongé sur une grille du métro et ce soir dans ce blog, Brenda, vous parlez des sans abris de Paris.
De plus en plus et c est terrifiant.
I know. More and more all the time it seems.
You must’ve heard my brain waves thinking of you as I sat at my computer hoping you had posted. My head is shaved like you due to a treatment called focused ultrasound for my tremors that was done last Wednesday. Funny as they were shaving my head you came to mind. My right hand works like a charm, my left will be controlled w medication. I’m so excited I can write again.
Anyhoo your mantle looks darling as always. Glad you made it out for lunch with Steve. I believe Mamie opens her arms to receive people.
Aw, what a nice sentiment! About Mamie opening her arms to receive people.
Your mantel looks absolutely beautiful! I am starting to decorate for Christmas this weekend. It gets more minimal each year. I’m just not in the mood. Plus, as I get older, I find I want to do less. Easier to unpack and put all away, too.
Glad you had a chance to go out for a meal with Steve and that your family stopped by yesterday. I’m familiar with Quik Trip as they’re all over Wisconsin. Being near the border of WI, we go into WI frequently.
I’ve read about the homeless population in Tulsa. That tears my heart to know someone was just lying on the sidewalk right outside the restaurant.
It tore my heart too. I pointed him/her (couldn’t tell) out to Steve while we were still inside. The person did not move as we went around them. Poor tired soul.