Norman Rockwell's Christmas paintings

There are many paintings by Norman Rockwell about Christmas. These are just some.

A Drum for Tommy (1921) by Norman Rockwell

The Christmas Party 1927

The Christmas Coach by Norman Rockwell 1930

Rocking Horse, 1933 by Norman Rockwell

Dicken's A Christmas Carol by Norman Rockwell, 1937

Train Station at Christmas by Norman Rockwell (1944)

Santa Looking at Two Sleeping Children 1952

Saturday Critters

Saturday's critters:

Fox, by Jackie Morris

 

Lake Tomahawk was beginning to have water in it again as of last week.

  The black duck seems to be a hybrid of white and some other colored parent (perhaps mallards as they are frequent visitors here)

The photos above were last week, and now I'll let you see what happened yesterday. I picked up my lunch  at the Lakeview site, and planned to sit and eat it out by the lake in the warm sunshine.

As soon as I came near an empty picnic table by the Gazebo, these same three ducks appeared and accosted me. They were very interested in my bag with the clamshell full of my lunch.

As you can see, there was no sitting on that bench...and they started snapping at me, as well as vocalizing. So I gave the vocal NO No No back, in my own barking kind of way, stomping my feet (I didn't want to kick them, but neither did I want to be pecked.)

The gazebo floor made great sounds as I stomped up its ramp, and the ducks seemed to understand this was to be my territory...then they went around the other side, hoping maybe I'd feel sorry for them. Right.

When I went walking after eating, still carrying my bag, these three followed me. Again I stomped and barked, and they finally went elsewhere. Whew!

And the funny thing is the food I had would have probably been ok for them, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, but not the chicken or wrap of course!

I kind of took a few photos and came home to eat the rest of my chicken taco salad.

Oh, and the lake is almost full again!

Sharing with Eileen's Saturday's Critters

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Today's good news:

Volunteer archivists recreate the Centers for Disease Control website exactly as it appeared prior to meddling by the current administration.  -Americans of Conscience Checklist, Mar 14, 2025

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Asheville SHOWED UP to our town hall meeting March 13, over 2 THOUSAND community members told our MAGA representative (Chuck Edwards) how a lot of us feel about what he and the Trump administration are doing.

Photos by Neil Jacobs above

Screenshot of Chuck Edwards, allowing applause and boos, and trying to hear questions which were very critical of his Republican views (Asheville is mainly Democratic, but is snug within a gerrymandered Republican district).

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Women's History Month honor: Open Yesterday's Pages, Toshee Seeger, Pete's wife.

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Today's quote:

In the morning, send yourself love for the entire day and be sure to collect that love along the way.

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Family album:

Grandson Michael and his girlfriend, Amanda.  2024

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Today's art:

Art Critic by Norman Rockwell (1955)

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For anyone who wishes to be my friend on Blue Sky, 

I'm at BlackMtn.Barb@blkmtnbarb.bsky.social

The Flat Creek walk

One  of the signs survived, though it was pulled from it's post holes.

All our waterways flooded during Hurricane Helene.

 

But I have visited this trailway and shared blogs before, HERE in 2020, and Here in August of 2024 when a rehabilitation project had been approved. I dare say not much had happened before September 27 when the third day of rains include high winds of the hurricane remains.

Sunny last Sunday and at least one bloom may be coming out soon.

Throughout the walk, there were tangles still of debris. And then this sad little building...not big enough for a house I think, probably a part of someone's home.

The leaning cottonwoods(poplars?) have been doing so all along. (Just look at the 2020 blog and they were doing just the same thing!)

The parking lot is on a slope, and separating it from private property is a bamboo forest. During school days the teachers' cars take up most of these slots.

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Today's quote:

Which of us is not forever a stranger and alone? -Thomas Wolfe, novelist (1900-1938)

...and because that's a bit negative sounding, here's another one...

When we view life from a place of lack, that's how we'll experience it. Shift into gratitude and watch your world change.

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 And for a more personal note. I'm going to share just one family photo each day for a while, until I get done with the stack that I have!

Number One Son, Marty

My oldest son and myself in 2018 in Florida. I appreciate seeing how I was carrying around that weight, then 2 years later had my heart attack, and have now (5 years later) lost 35 pounds, and 2-1/2 inches of waistline, yet still have the same shape! Ha ha! Being a mother means being somewhat flabby after the years go by.

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Today's art:

Norman Rockwell

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Current events:

If you are thinking today about how to help Ukrainians, here are some possibilities: Come Back Alive (Ukrainian NGO that supports soldiers on the battlefield and veterans), United 24 (the Ukrainian state platform for donations, with many excellent projects), RAZOM (an American NGO, tax-deductible for US citizens, which cooperates with Ukrainian NGOS to support civilians), and Documenting Ukraine (a project that helps to give Ukrainians a voice, also tax-deductible for Americans).

Late bloomers

 Are these the last roses from 2024? They have been through several frosts already, but they bravely give color to welcome patients to my pulmonologist's office.

While nearby Hydrangeas are in their dormant and still interesting stage!

And some industrious landscape-wise person has looked ahead to the months of cold, grey skies and frosts to plant these hardy little ones.

Art for todoay:

By Norman Rockwell

Today's quote:

Finding joy and reason in mundane tasks can shift the flow, and make it not so bad after all.

The critters this week

I enjoyed watching squirrels from the back porch of my cousin John's home.

 

From Vantique

Robert Reich asks for a caption from his readers! He posts these cartoons every Sunday on his newsletter.

Maggie Vandewalle, American artist, watercolourist "Joyriding"

My dear little Panther enjoying her friends in the aquarium many years ago.

Hope all the critters effected by the hurricanes are surviving and finding foods. Imagine being a black bear in North Carolina, or a deer in Florida. Poor things.

I did see several people's real pets, dogs being walked again. And now am at a friend's house in Pittsboro NC (near Chapel Hill) with 2 adorable black cats. Just haven't had camera out when they ventured into the room. I'll be trying to capture them for next week!

Sharing with Saturday's Critters

Today's quote:

Balance must be created when taking in news media, not allowing ourselves to BECOME the bad news.

It's hodge podge day!

 First, here's a photo of the gazebo work being done at Lake Tomahawk. Thanks to Elizabeth Swan photographer.

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Maybe by Bansky

And another artist at work... "Critical Race Theory"  by Jonathan Harris.

And yet another artist, Norman Rockwell.

If you've noticed a lot of confrontational pieces here, it's because that's the life we're all living today. I like how Rockwell says so much about the loss felt by these women.

"To stand with Palestine is to be human," she explained. Needless to say, it also means to be criminalized. Greta Thunberg among a group arrested today in Copenhagen. As always she is on the right side of history

San Marco, Venice by Giuseppe Marastoni

This is my Facebook Cover Photo.

I ache so bad, the pain of compassion for the innocents in Gaza, it's just a tiny drop of the incredible suffering they're enduring. Definitely Hamas must pay for it's atrocities. But Israel needs to give the normal people some consideration also. I'm a pacifist. I hate all war, but this powerful heavy handed attack against sneaky terrorists is the worst. 

What kind of future do any of them think they will have?

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OK, here's something that is beautiful (in my opinion) and uplifting.

Slow motion  bee hive...very short, you might want to mute the music.

Sharing with Eileen's Saturday Criters

Today's quote:

Life cannot be classified in terms of a simple neurological ladder, with human beings at the top; it is more accurate to talk of different forms of intelligence, each with its strengths and weaknesses. This point was well demonstrated in the minutes before last December's tsunami, when tourists grabbed their digital cameras and ran after the ebbing surf, and all the 'dumb' animals made for the hills.

 -B.R. Myers, author (b. 21 Aug 1963)