"Blahdeblah" at its most blahdeblah

It's been a somewhat stressy and anxious weekend for no reason but the main, and I don't mean Hamlet's father's recent death or his mother and uncle's o'er-hasty marriage. No, it's the ongoing news of president-elect Trump and the alarming general trend of civilization. My mood likely was not helped any by Underground Airlines, a book I bought some months back in part because I liked what the author had to say about the cover design process. (And perhaps it's about the time that you're selecting books based on what the author has to say about how covers get chosen that you should consider you've maybe been in publishing too damned long. For those tracking at home, I've just finished my 30th year, with no relief in sight.)

Anyway. The premise of the book is that Abraham Lincoln was shot in 1861, rather than 1865 and the American Civil War never happened. By the time the 21st millennium rolls around, which is when the book is set, slavery still exists in the "Hard Four" states: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and "Carolina"; it seems the north and south split never happened there either. It's sort of an adventure/caper story, but it's mostly a lot of misery. The north isn't exactly thriving nor is it all that pleasant a place to be black or poor. So, maybe a little too like real life in some ways and with too many stretches and little flaws in the storyline to really be what I was after. I don't know what is up next, but I have a whole pile of options sitting not ten feet from me. Perhaps Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat or the Magda Szabo that I picked up at Elliott Bay after the Leif Whittaker reading last week. Or I could rejoin Scott in our supposed joint reading of Remembrance of Times Past; possibly some time along the Guermantes Way would settle my nerves (though that link suggests otherwise).

However. None of that is providing photos and I am all about photo content on blahdeblah. Today, unexpectedly, was sunny and clear but also cold: perfect weather for putting in the storm windows (the new screen windows slid right out--no sticking paint or fuss) and then putting up Christmas lights though, personally, I think it's a bit early for that sort of business. There's no guarantee that we'll have nice weather again next weekend, however, and with neither Figgy Pudding nor West Seattle tree lighting lifting my gloom, I thought it best to see if some time on ladders putting lights on the house would do the trick. As it happens, the one string of white icicle lights that was still working last year was only half working today so we're down to just color lights but they're pretty enough.

Dyes and damaged balls on the strikingly green front lawn

In situ

But the most exciting part of this year's outer decor is the Japanese maple tree. The paint on the glass balls we've used outside has largely been washed away by the weather, but I thought I'd try filling them with colored water since they always fill with rain anyway. We had only yellow and red food dye left (the blue, which had turned pretty green over the years, went into the moss for my Halloween costume) so that's what we used. I am always pleased to have an excuse to make use of the lab glass.

Scott captured the moon behind the tree because he's clever that way.