Say it ain't so. If I were counting- and I am, this season was been wrought with electrical problems. No less than four strings of white mini-lights have burnt out. The last set- last evening, on a wreath that hangs above our "shed-mahal" door.
That's our garden shed.
We call it the "shed-mahal" because we got carried away with the design many years ago and from the street it looks like a small house, hence the "shed-mahal". The wreath made of grapevine requires a 14 foot ladder to reach it. So, last evening when the lights came on, a string of white lights on the huge wreath were dark.
A year ago I had also wrapped the wreath in a set of red LED lights. The red/white combination looked brilliant! Last night was a warm evening and it sure didn't feel like mid-November as I dragged the wooden ladder from the "shed" and propped it up against the door. As usual, I had to stand a couple of steps from the top on the ladder to grab the wreath from its hook and take it down. Luckily, I had found another set of white LED lights in the garage loft so I set about replacing the one that had turned black. I wonder if there had been a brown-out? I have noticed the lights dim during the evening a couple of times in the past week.
I dunno...
I set about removing the offending lights but the wire was entwined around the red light string and an artificial garland of green fir I had wrapped around the wreath, so, I got the pliers out and cut the wires! A "Tim-the-Tool-Man-Taylor tip"! I mean that Tim Taylor knows everything about Christmas decorating and yes- I unplugged the set first before I cut! After removing the bits of severed light string, I wrapped the new LED set around the wreath an climbed up the ladder to hang the wreath in its place. At least I would be using less energy with the new lights but I still wonder why I have had so many sets go dark this season. The wreath looks great once more.
Now, I have to tell you there is a fine line between classic decorating for Christmas and "tacky".
Tacky, as an example, would be those plastic, blow up figures once sees in some neighbourhoods- not ours thank goodness, around the city.
Now, don't judge me but I am a little hesitant to tell you this. You see, the past couple of holiday seasons, I have seen an Eiffel Tower up at the Home Depot that lights up and sparkles. Now, keeping in mind that not only have I seen the "real" Eiffel Tower "sparkle" on the hour a couple of times at Christmas and climbed to its very top, I had been tempted to buy this 7 foot replica in previous years. Well now, earlier this week when I was at what my husband and I refer to as "The Homo Depot" buying paint, I saw the replica tower again.
What can I say?
I had a weak moment and shelled out a hundred and thirty-nine bucks for this sparkling white version. I mean the lady at the cash said it would look beautiful with a bit of snow falling.
"Maybe so."- I said, "I just hope it doesn't look tacky."
"No. No. Not at all!"- she replied scanning the bar code on the box.
I noticed she couldn't look me in the eye.
Hennaway, last evening as well as dealing with the light string outage, I also put my "EffelTower" together and plugged her in. She looks good and to tell you the truth, her lights sparkle in the same manner as the lights on the "real" tower there on the right bank in Paris.
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| Here's a pic of the "real" Eiffel Tower sparkling a couple of years back |
"Oh, Honey..." so, that's good- isn't it?
A neighbour from France saw the tower twinkling away last night and said it looked nice.
No, he's not from Nice.
Now, onwards and upwards and here's hoping my seasonal lighting problems will end and I'll "sparkle" through the season.
