Progress at The Owlery!

Firstly, I think that every home, be it ever so humble, should have a name. My small home is The Owlery, a tribute of sorts to Harry Potter and his beloved owl Hedwig,  and the joy the books and the movies have brought me over the years. Also, my middle name is Athena; she being the goddess of wisdom, and carries with her an owl!

So my Williamsburg Christmas is slowly arriving at The Owlery! I worked a bit on the outside lights and the inside fireplace mantle this past weekend. I purchased cedar garland and noble fir branches from Lowe's of "Let's Build Something Together!" fame. I wired them to my front porch railings, and around my pine cone wreaths. I'm very happy with them so far, though there is still much to do.

While watching Season II of The Tudors, some good, semi-soap-opera fun with Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn (a guilty pleasure), I began studding Clementine "cutie" oranges and lemons from a friend's garden (Thank you!) with beautifully-smelling cloves. I put them on the mantle with the hospitable pineapple, and am pleased with the look thus far. I will be baking gingerbread cookies to hang in the garlands and from my Christmas tree (yet to come). I always use Martha Stewart's gingerbread recipe. It's the best.

It's actually quite refreshing not to see the typical commercial Christmas decor around. My holiday, spartan  by comparison, is starting to shape up nicely. Even my "outdoor" cat, Blackie Norton, is enjoying herself, coming in occasionally to see the progress!