It's December 23rd. . . Happy Festivus!

Frank Costanza says, "I got a lot of problems with you people. And now you're gonna hear about it!" Happy Festivus everyone!

It's amazing what a day of rest and a meal will do. I feel as close to normal today as I ever expect to come, so let's get back to the pre-Christmas preparations.

Here's a more traditional seasonal image now, another old Christmas card, featuring Father Christmas wearing a wreath of holly around his head. I keep meaning to plant a holly bush in our back yard somewhere. A neighbor has one, and it looks beautiful right now.

First off, December 23rd is, as some of you might recall, Festivus. I was surprsied to learn recently that this was not just something dreamed up by the writers of Seinfeld as I had thought for many years. Festivus is indeed real, at least for some. Click on Happy Festivus to learn more about this enigmatic holiday.

And here is another vintage image of Father Christmas, once more in green robes with brown fur.

On other fronts, the four wooden trucks for the Young Master are just about finished. I've got wheels on three of them and expect to finish up everything this evening. They aren't quite as detailed as I might otherwise like, but he'll recognize then for what they are. I'll post a photograph this evening.

And here is a more recent rendering an old-fashioned Father Christmas that I found on some corner of the internet some while ago. He fits well into the spirit of this here on the GD of S blog at the moment.

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Presenting the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere!!!

Here they are, with the rearmost nine figures still drying, three squadrons of the Anspach-Bayreuth Kuirassiere, now in the service of the Grand Duchy of Stollen. And now, it's onto that artillery!

Having a "No Day". . .

F or the almost 20 years that she lived in Mexico, one of my late mother's Irish friends frequently mentioned having a "No Day." A day with no social obligations, chores, tasks, or other work that interfered with whatever personal interests took one's fancy on the day in question. Since today -- a gray and chilly Saturday -- is Mom's birthday, the Grand Duchess is out with friends, and the Young Master is ensconced on the sofa in the TV room with a cold, yours truly is taking his own such No Day. I think Mom would approve of my decision to make the world go away, as the old Eddie Arnold song intoned, even if only for a little while. So, I will spend Saturday afternoon focused on that first squadron and small regimental staff of Eureka Saxon cuirassiers. These have stood waiting untouched over on the painting table for almost three weeks while we skied and otherwise gadded about with snowy, winter outdoor activities. I hope to share a painting update Sunday a

Keepin' an Eye on the World Going By My Window . .

'The Nap at the Palace' by Jose Triado Mayol N ot much in the way of hobby-related activity happening here in the Grand Duchy lately. Sigh. And no surprise there really since there are only so many hours in the day, only so much mental and physical energy to spare, and you sometimes simply just have to give in and know when to say, um, "When!" A glass of wine and/or evening yoga by the hearth with the Grand Duchess (who has practiced for over 20 years), and then off into la-la land. Zzzzzzzzz. More immediately, I'm recovering, mentally speaking, from a grueling Friday in which I was involved with three (online) conference sessions, one right after the other, followed by a 90-minute meeting at the end of the day. Also virtual. My brain has been mush ever since, so an easy, completely unproductive Saturday watching intermittent snow fall outside (no accumulation however) and drinking coffee while the visiting handymen completed some repair work down her

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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