A Little Post-Holiday Lethargy. . .

If it's good enough for the Grand Duke Irwin-Amadeus II. . . Lately, the Saxon-Polish army of the 18th century has been on my mind.

Sigh. I was just saying to the Grand Duchess, in the kitchen upstairs as I waited for the coffee to brew, that I would fold a basket of the Young Master's clean clothing this afternoon. Keep in mind, the basket of said garments has been living in a corner of our bedroom for the last five days or so. But as I explained -- ok, rationalized -- by the time it's 8:30 or so in the evening, and the Young Master has gone to bed, who in the heck wants to tackle folding a basket of laundry??!! Far better to have a second mug of coffee and, mentally speaking, put up one's feet.

Similarly, I have been wrestling with a touch of painting lethargy since just before Christmas when I finished those four hand-made trucks for the Young Master. Oh sure. The desire to sit myself down and paint for an hour or two most evenings is there, but somehow between the late afternoon, supper, coffee, and now syllabus preparation for the coming academic term, which begins on Wednesday the 9th, the will to open a bottle or tube of color and pick up a paintbrush evaporates. And I simply want to lie down with a book and the Voice of Russia on the computer. I used to be an avid listener to shortwave radio, but that seems to be fading as more and more broadcasters have their funding cut and are forced to leave the shortwave bands.

Anyway, Christmas, the New Year, and Epiphany have come and gone now. The syllabi are done and off to the printing office. No related reading to do yet. Or (cringe) undergrad papers to read through. No more excuses. So, tonight, come hell or high water, I'm going to get my seat into the chair at the painting table for 90 minutes or two hours and work on some of those Minden, RSM, and Fife & Drum officers. And I will post a photo or two of my progress here tomorrow. As an added incentive, I give you, loyal readers, permission to jeer, sneer, catcall, mock, deride, and harangue yours truly if I fail to do so. Just keep it clean, please. The Grand Duchy of Stollen is a family place after all. ;-)

Comments

Bluebear Jeff said…

"Mock, Deride, and Harangue" . . . sounds like a legal firm, doesn't it?

-- Jeff

11:31 AM

WSTKS-FM Worldwide said…

That it does, Jeff! That it does. Kind of like the legal firm of Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe.

Best Regards,

Stokes

1:56 PM

The 18th century? What's the Fascination?

Hessian musketeers by All the King's Men Toy Soldiers of Snellville, Georgia, U.S.A. Just a quick post post today, but I thought the above question might be interesting food for thought. Obviously, there is an array of possible periods, theaters, and conflicts that might catch our eyes. But what is it about the era 1700-1799 -- either real, or imagined? Is it the commanders and politics? The fairly straightforward tactics? The myriad of uniforms and flags? The variety and scope of the conflicts? The patchwork of various and sundry petty states, (at least in Central Europe)? I'm very interested to learn your thoughts. Don't be a lurker! Please leave a comment -- or even two or three. Have a nice day everyone!

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The Grand Duchy of Stollen

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