A Few More Toga Pix, then it's on to 2009!

This year's New Year's Eve party was held at my 82 year old mother's house. She hung in there with us til we rang in 2009. This cardboard monstrosity is our GRUMPH. He is built each year usually out of the Christmas debris. As the evening progresses we stuff the Grumph with little notes which contain all the things we want to let go of and leave behind from the previous year. The guys then fill him with firecrackers and roman candles and other pirotechnics that were illegally purchased across state lines in either Florida or Alabama.
This is the result. The Grumph behaved very well this year. Last year Andrew stuffed him so full of fireworks that we were running and jumping to avoid being hit by shooting bottle rockets. I love this kind of crazy chaos. Such fun!
This is young women and children doing our ritual dance around the Grumph before we set him on fire. For some reason, unbeknownst to any of us we chant "Oh, we love the old one." as we form a parade from the house to the yard. One of the older women, that can still walk, usually heads the procession with the Grumph held high. Is this weird or what!?
This is my take on a Gone With The Wind Southern Georgian Toga. Yep, that's me as Scarlet O'Ben Hura with my faithful attendant "I don't birth no babies" Prissy. Two curtain panels and a rod from my son's room. You'd have to be a fan of the old Carol Burnett Show to get this.
and then there were frisky goings-on for the camera and the goddess and vertically challenged gladiator sword fight that was instigated by the goddesses. That's it folks just a snippet of our 2008 send off.

Party's over! No more slacking!

I survived the toga party. It was small potatoes compared to past bashes, but still worth being there. I left my camera as I fell out of there, so no pix today!
Perhaps tomorrow!!!
As a consolation prize here is a photo from last year's PIRATE party. Burry photo to protect the innocent!!!!!
I have to get to work. I know that! Way behind after all that holiday slacking.

Back Home For New Year's!

Red Sky at Night. Sailors Delight!
This is our omen for the New Year!
I took this a few sunsets ago during our week in St. Marys. I'm back home now, ready to ring in 2009 with the family.
We choose a theme each year for our year end party. Last year it was Pirates! This year it is TOGAS! Hopefully I can take some unblurry photos for the blog next week. Have a great New Year's Folks!
Ronnie - in a small town in Georgia

Have a Great Holiday!

I'm outta here. Gone to St. Marys, Georgia for a week.
Have a great Christmas!
Ronnie

A bit of info on the car painting BELOW:
I was worried about how this one would turn out. It's for a great guy who has done more than "above and beyond the call of duty" for my son, Andrew. Randy is a professional race car driver that has been in racing for 3o years.
I didn't know a race car from a turnip until Andrew got involved and considering I paint Chickens and Fruit, this was a stretch for me. I wanted this to be something that would show Randy how thankful I am for all he's done for 'Drew. I hope I accomplished that.
Here's to you Randy! An intentionally dirty car painting!
Interested, in the least bit, about auto racing? Check out this video of Randy driving an APR Porsche. Once at the site, type into the search box - Randy Pobst 911.
He's a Champion in more than racing.
Thanks for listening.
Ronnie

I finally finished Randy's painting.

Figuring it out...
Getting the car done, which I dreaded. Never painted a car before...
and here it is framed!

Have a great one. I'm glad this is finally finished!

Later gators,
Ronnie

Just after sunrise this morning

It was gray and overcast this morning, but so warm that after brewing tea and seeing Joe off to work I took a walk in the backyard in my pajamas. There was a fog on the lake. I thought it might make a nice picture.
This is my rosemary plant still blooming.
Halfway to the lake I startled two white tailed deer in the woods. Too quick for me! I heard them rustle, lifted the camera, but by that time the two were nothing but white tails flying through trees and leaves that matched their colors perfectly.
tree tops...
Another tree down! This is the second in a month. Sawed off artfully by our friends the beavers.
And then, the very loud SQUAAAWK- Haaaank of a heron had me jumping out of my slippers. He must have been 15 feet from me, as he lifted his big wings and headed down the wooded shoreline. How wonderful! Some days I get lucky.
This young deer is one of the pair I saw this morning. I caught this shot of him in October. He was heading toward me, seemed very eager to meet me, but his mom had better ideas.
Well, that was early morning here. Have a great rest of the day! Oh, wait! Check out Rebecca Ramsey's post this morning. Good stuff!
Ronnie

Another Big Biddy Painting

It seems the thing to do here in blogger land. So, here is the latest Big Biddy thing. It's painted on a 12x12" x 1 1/2 " gallery wrapped canvas. I had fun with this! I covered the canvas with an old vintage feedsack using matte vanish. Then, I painted my biddy and the words. To finish it off I added burnt umber and burnt sienna to give it that old rusty ad sign look.
If you haven't discovered Cedric Smith from Savannah, I have a link to his site on the right. He has been a great inspiration to me.
This Big Biddy is for sale on my etsy site.
I know, don't remind me. I have to finish the race car painting. After I load the dishwasher and throw in some laundry and go to the post office and make Shelagh's soup, then I'll get to painting the race car.
Have a really nice day.
Ronnie

Toooo much Christmas!

This picture is of a small portion of the Christmas gifts that arrived at my mom's house for our family gathering yesterday.
Our Christmas gathering begins with everyone stumbling through the door looking over a pile of teetering packages. The sight of all this booty, once it's piled in my 82 year old mother's living room has become a point of discussion for the last three years.
"This is obscene! We need to do something about this!"
Finally, this year, with the pounding of a fist on a tabletop and a call to, "Order in the house! Listen Up!", we have come to an agreement to change.
So, names of each member were written and drawn. Now, there will be one gift held by each person entering the house next year.
Family traditions die hard. This one's time had come.
Have a merry,
Ronnie

Early Christmas Gathering

This is an exemplary example of how NOT to take a photo of a flaming Christmas pudding in a dark room!
The family gathered early this year. Lots of delicious food and our first real traditional Christmas pudding! We have two English folk in our family.
My younger sister prepared the flaming extravaganza right out of the pages of her new Nigella Christmas Cookbook. This is a potent concoction, mind you. Two cups of sherry and then more to pour over at serving time in order to get the grand flaming entrance.
The lights were lowered and sister ignited the pud' in the kitchen, picked it up and turned for the living room. Followed by a hoard of jumping grandsons and ooooing adults the procession began. It became interesting when some of the flaming liquid sloshed over the side of the platter. Fireballs were literally rolling across the wood floor behind her! Older sister calmly exclaimed, "There's fire on the floor. One of the English yelled, "It's on my foot"!
After a lot of Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! all was well and everyone was laughing hysterically at the close call.

My prize - made by "B"

Feast your eyes bloggers. I won this in B's giveaway last week. The purse. It arrived today and I want to leave no doubt how much I love this iddy biddy pink purse. It is more useful than a husband and prettier too.
Here you see it carrying my brushes. No, that would be the last photo. Quick, scroll down to the end then back up.

But there's more.






It keeps your beer cool!






Great for Cheerios and...
(that's not right#*X?)




washes up soooo easy.





Holds JunkerJane's monsters.



Perfect for clean-up in the shower.



Drat! I can't get the pictures to jibe with my words. Just use your imagination.
Well, that one went in wrong. Look backwards. Yeah, that's it.

Yard work. Gotcha covered.

But where it really comes in handy is a night on the town. Pink a dink a doo!
(See top photo with dark bar-like lighting.)

Good Grief! This display is not remotely like I planned.
Anyway, I want B to know how much I like my prize. Thanks B.
You'll find B right here at Simply B!
Visit her today. She is in shock after her giveaway.
Dirty rotten bloggers tried for the pink purse and then left B all alone.


...Cheerios and milk on your left


If you're wondering, those are wax lips in the top photo. Maybe I'll do my own giveaway. Wax lips anyone? Have the best day ever.

Ronnie