Happy Thanksgiving from the Quiet Grand Duchy of Stollen. . .

Not a very model soliderly photograph at all, and, sadly, not our dinner table this year either since most of our finer things remain in storage. But maybe by Christmas?

Deathly quiet in recent months here at The Grand Duchy of Stollen without much to report. We are still alive though. The planned solider painting just has not happened due to extremely limited desk space, much of which has been covered with student papers and related course notes since classes began back on September 2nd. Still, we have much else to be thankful for including the sale of our old house in Illinois, which closed yesterday and now belongs to someone else. . . or rather their bank for the next 30 years.

Here in Michigan, we are waiting for our lender to issue a closing date for our own Totleigh-in-the-Wold, but that has been delayed by the long Thanksgiving Weekend. We had hoped to hear on that early this week. Sigh. All desired repairs have, however, been carried out and given the A-OK by our house inspector, all paperwork from us has been submitted with all it the i's dotted and the t's crossed saying we the purchasers approve of said repairs. With any luck at all, we can close shortly, move in just before Christmas, and get the first floor of the house squared away before Christmas Eve. Cross your fingers and toes. The Grand Duchess and I have had it with this blasted apartment into which the three of us have been crammed since the summer.

In the meantime, allow me to wish those of you who celebrate to have a happy and reflective Thanksgiving wherever you might find yourself today. It ain't all just about the food and the NFL games. While I may fret, grumble, and grouse about this and that, we indeed have much to be thankful for. Goodness knows that there are plenty of people around the world in much more dire straights and in want of common necessities that I and many others take for granted from our relatively safe vantage point here in the United States. When I stop and remember that, suddenly my own frustrations seem very small in comparison.

-- Stokes

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!

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 h...

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...

The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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