Sunday Seven

IT'S A BROWN CHRISTMAS: here in Edmonton this year, the first one we've had since 2005. No snow, too warm, the temperature is always hovering just above or just below the freezing point. We've had a couple of skiffs of snow but it melts within 2 days max. This time last year we were freezing in a snow-filled polar vortex.

DRANK: my traditional couple of Christmas Eve eggnogs 'n rum. Actually, I'm not a huge fan of either eggnog OR rum, but together they seem to have become a personal holiday "must have" while waiting for Santa.

TURKEY AND ALL THE TRIMMINGS: a friend very kindly invited me to Christmas dinner, which was delicious! It was my first time eating gluten-free stuffing and gluten-free pumpkin pie -- and all I can say is "yum yum!"

THE AWARD FOR BEST WRAPPING PAPER GOES TO: my sister who managed to find this beautiful Christmas variation on Van Gogh's Starry Night (one of my favourite paintings!)

STUDIOUSLY AVOIDING: all those ubiquitous end-of-the-year news retrospective roundups on TV because the news was so extra depressing this year, all that human misery, death and suffering in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and elsewhere, combined with increasingly dire news about climate change. Not even to mention the rising tide of fascism in the western world. I'm a major news junkie but even I have my limits of how much bad news I can bear to watch.

FAREWELL TAPESTRY: on another sad note, I just learned that Tapestry, my favourite CBC radio show about philosophy, spirituality and what it means to be human, is ending today on December 31. Its long-time host, Mary Hynes, is retiring and CBC is not replacing her. (CBC has had some major funding cuts recently and I'm sure that has factored into the show's demise.) I enjoyed a lot of good, thought-provoking programs on Tapestry over the years, and I will miss it greatly.

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE, EVERYONE!: and in case you didn't already know --

Friday Face OFF -- Bobcat

For this week's Friday Face OFF link party

of art featuring faces, hosted by Nicole of

DVArtist, Art, Food, Gardening blog . . .

Here's a bobcat peeking out

from behind a tree which

I did in coloured pencils.

Its white whiskers are created using

the technique of embossing.

Before any colour is applied, the whiskers

are essentially engraved on the paper

 with pressure from a stylus.

Once the bobcat is coloured,

the whiskers then show up as white against it.

My favourite part of this piece

is the bobcat's little pink tongue!

It was done using light pink,

dark pink and violet.

[Art & photo of art © Debra She Who Seeks, 2023]

Action Figures UPDATE

It's been a couple of years since I gave an update on my superhero action figures collection. And you know what? This Christmas it just expanded again!

Remember a couple of months ago when I wrote a post about Rocket Raccoon and the Winter Soldier? 

Well, my sister read that post too.

Ordinarily, my Winter Soldier action figure just hangs out with his best bud Captain America --

Now, however, the Soldier has his very own sidekick too --

But wait! There's more!

My sister also gave me a larger, super-duper deluxe Rocket Raccoon with special action capabilities! Look what happens when I squeeze his legs together -- he raises his blaster, his ears flatten, his eyebrows frown downwards and his mouth opens in a snarl --

Yowza! The box says this action figure is for ages 4 and up, so good thing I'm in that demographic! And as I always say, "It's never too late to have a happy childhood!"

Thanks, sis -- I love them both!

December Full Moon Altar: Reindeer Jazz Trio (hit "play!")

To celebrate the Winter Solstice, Yule and

Christmas, this month's full moon altar

features Santa's multi-talented reindeer!

While they may not be

representatives of the Divine Feminine,

they ARE magickal creatures,

no doubt about that!

I bought these reindeer

at a big Christmas craft sale 

very shortly after I moved

to Edmonton 25 years ago.

They are brushed steel,

made by an artisan from

British Columbia. 

Between holidays, they live

in The Christmas Box.

[Photo © Debra She Who Seeks, 2023]

Merry Christmas!

Here's a charming and heartwarming Christmas video which I found on Leanna's blog Can We Have a New Witch, Ours Melted. FYI, Telstra is an Australian telecommunications company, so that explains the kangaroos in the opening sequence. Watch it in full screen and enjoy!

Merry Christmas

To All Who Celebrate!

Sunday Seven

What I got up to this week --

RUDELY AWAKENED: by the fire alarm one night at midnight. Luckily, it turned out to be a false alarm but I still had to schlep down 11 flights of stairs. My calves are stiff now from that unaccustomed exertion and I've got a plantar fasciitis flare-up in my right heel.

EXCHANGED: lovely Christmas emails and art photos with an old friend from Winnipeg, who in retirement has become an accomplished artist and also does fused glass work.

WATCHED: the finale of Holiday Baking Championship on the Food Network. I follow this show faithfully because I like the fun judges and host. The winner, a bakery owner named Ashley, was undeniably the best cake designer/decorator among the finalists, so it was a well-deserved win!

ENJOYED HOSTING: my holiday wine 'n cheese 'n cookies get-together. Everyone seemed to have a good time. One guest brought a delicious light cheesecake as well for us to feast on. Another guest gave me a beautiful decorative "Charlie Brown tree" in a seasonal mug. Here's a photo of it, preceded by a shot of my cookie tray which someone in last week's comments requested to see. Clockwise: mince tarts, fruitcake cookies, whipped shortbread, oatmeal raisin cookies, and soft ginger cookies.

DISTRIBUTED: to various friends, my Christmas goodies tins with the same selection of homemade cookies. They were well received, so that was nice.

WORTH THE WAIT: Finally saw the Barbie movie, which has just now started streaming. An absolutely brilliant, blistering satire of gender relations, Mattel and our society. LOVED IT!

LOL OF THE WEEK: For some reason, this really tickled my funny bone --

Canadian Santa(s)

Craig Baird, who posts at Canadian History Ehx,

recently used AI to give Santa a true Canadian makeover!

Here's how Santa looks in each of Canada's

10 provinces and 3 territories --

In British Columbia, he's a hippy-dippy flower child

kind of Santa, probably high on something --

While in Alberta, Santa works in the oil fields --

Down on the farm in Saskatchewan,

Santa rocks his thick thermal plaid --

In Manitoba, laid-back Santa loves

to spend the winter ice fishing and

keeping warm the old-fashioned way --

Ontario hipster Santa loves coffee

and the trendy urban scene --

In Quebec, Père Noel wears French bleue

and continues to enjoy his Gauloises --

Meanwhile in New Brunswick,

Santa takes a hike through a snowy forest,

dodging those huge logging trucks --

In Nova Scotia, Santa wears his trusty

 oil slickers and is always ready

to go out deep sea fishing --

Prince Edward Island Santa

just wants to stroll along

those beautiful red sand beaches --

In Newfoundland and Labrador,

Santa has caught a big fish

out on the Grand Banks --

Up in Nunavut, Santa is

out on the tundra, all

bundled up in fur to keep warm.

Here in the Arctic, he's close

to his home at the North Pole --

Northwest Territories Santa is

born to be wild, man --

While Yukon Santa is heeding

a different call of the wild.

"Mush, mush!" --

Our national anthem should be

"Ho Ho Ho Canada!"

don't you think?

Friday Face OFF -- Man Waiting For His Wife

For this week's Friday Face OFF link party

of art featuring faces, hosted by Nicole of

DVArtist, Art, Food, Gardening blog . . .

Here's a graphite drawing

I did earlier this year of a man

patiently waiting on an outdoor bench

for his wife to arrive and take him home

(done in HB, 2B, 4B and 6B pencils).

Actually, this guy was a classmate

of ours in the drawing class.

Our instructor snapped his photo after a class

and then surprised us all in the next class

with the assignment of drawing him!

[Art & photo of art © Debra She Who Seeks, 2023]

Holy Darkness, Holy Light

Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere when the longest night gives way to the returning light of the shortest day. But the Winter Solstice is not best interpreted as the badness of darkness being overcome by the goodness of light. Both darkness and light are sacred, numinous states of being. Holy Darkness is where rest, rejuvenation, healing and transformation occur so that we may benefit more fully from acts of growth and creation in the Holy Light. 

Once again, the artist and mystic Joanna Powell Colbert has caught this deeper meaning and connection in her latest artistic work in progress called Mother of Night. She holds the centre of the Wheel of the Year close to her heart, nurturing in the darkness the transformation of the Samhain Crone into the Child of Wonder preparing to be born again at the Winter Solstice.

Joanna is currently creating an oracle deck and book based on the Wheel of the Year, the lunar cycle, and the seasons of our lives. I'm looking forward to getting a copy when it is ready!

Winter Solstice Blessings

To All Who Celebrate!

Holiday Mayhem With HRH

Greetings, my MANY devoted followers.

I, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE CAT,

am here again to HELP you with TIMELY ADVICE.

Do you REALLY want another

DULL, BORING Christmas?

OF COURSE YOU DON'T!

Follow my TIPS to inject some

SURE-FIRE EXCITEMENT

into the holiday!

First, try JAZZING UP 

your decorations!

Next, don't be afraid to go RETRO

with your decorations, entertaining and gifts!

LOADS OF FUN AND NOSTALGIA!

As you can see,

THOUGHTFULNESS IS KEY

for a successful Christmas!

My tips are GUARANTEED

to improve ANYONE'S holiday!

NO NEED to THANK me!

JUST ENJOY!

Sunday Seven

With all my Christmas shopping done and no art classes to attend, I've had a lot of time on my hands this week, which explains the many TV/streaming items in this list, LOL --

AN OLD CHESTNUT UPDATED: for the first time in probably 20 years, I watched Toronto's Santa Claus parade on TV. Unlike the past, a real effort is now being made around inclusivity and diversity, with representation from indigenous, black, asian and other community groups. Even Pride Toronto had a float with diverse and same-sex families on it. Good progress!

FOOD FIGHT: one of the holiday-themed cooking competition shows I've been enjoying on the Food Network is Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown. He always has good guests and serious competition is handled in a fun and light-hearted way.

GOBBLE GOBBLE: I noticed recently that the little baby turkey wattles at the base of my throat are now halfway up my neck and heading for my chin! Hellooooooooo, old ladydom.

ROSY-FINGERED DAWN: Edmonton has been having some spectacular sunrises lately. Here's a photo taken this week from my balcony --

TUNED IN FOR: the season finale of LEGO Masters. Ordinarily, this reality competition show would be the LAST kind of thing I'd watch on TV, but one pair of contestants were from my city of Edmonton -- a mother-and-son duo named Neena and Sam -- so I got hooked on watching to see how well they would do. They were a powerhouse team and made it to the finale! However (*sob*) they ultimately lost to another team. Oh well, they still did our city proud!

BAKING MARATHON: this weekend it's non-stop baking around here -- four different types of cookies plus mince tarts! Next week, I'm hosting a Christmas wine 'n cheese 'n cookies get-together, as well as giving out a select few Christmas tins of goodies to others. 

CULT CLASSIC REMAKE: I'm a fan of the 2010 movie Scott Pilgrim vs the World, where slacker Scott Pilgrim must battle his current girlfriend Ramona Flowers' "League of Seven Evil Exes" in ridiculously unlikely computer-game-style action sequences. Netflix has now made an anime series called Scott Pilgrim Takes Off with the original cast returning as voice actors to reprise their roles in a new version. I'm enjoying this fresh take on the original very much. Recommended! Here's a little taste of both --

Friday Face OFF -- Grumpy Woman

For this week's Friday Face OFF link party

of art featuring faces, hosted by Nicole of

DVArtist, Art, Food, Gardening blog . . .

Here's a rather grumpy-looking woman

done in coloured pencils.

She didn't look anywhere near as grumpy

in the original photo, but sometimes

that's just how things turn out, LOL!

Also, her kerchief in the original was gingham check

but I knew that would take forever to do, so I

just made it plain cloth. Doing the striped scarf

was time-consuming enough for me.

They say that art teaches us about ourselves.

What art lessons have taught me is that

I'm quite an impatient person.

I do not want to spend an endless amount of time

fussing over every little detail like many people do.

This revelation has surprised me and

shaken my self-image because up to now,

I've considered myself a real "detail person" with

a great capacity for patient focus and concentration.

Huh. Who knew?

Have you discovered anything about yourself

that contradicted your previous self-assessment?

Share in the comments if you feel like it!

[Art & photo of art © Debra She Who Seeks, 2023]