Deb Trotter, Cowboy's Sweetheart

I have moaned and groaned for years about my husband’s lack of enthusiasm for Christmas.

“WHY,” I would ask my friends, “am I driving myself crazy with all of this decorating, cooking, and entertaining, when John could care less?”

I finally discovered how to light up my husband – better yet – how to get him to decorate for Christmas.

All I had to do was ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

You see, I used to do EVERYTHING.

I’d put up a tree in at least four rooms of the house. Carefully arrange my treasured Santa collection on top of the antique cupboards. Stick greenery and lemons in wooden bowls. Prepare Christmas dinner in advance, always making sure the Ambrosia soaked in the fridge for two days to achieve the perfect flavor.

I did all of this for 24 years … until last Christmas.

Last Christmas I did very little decorating. With the exception of a few little tabletop trees and one big Santa Claus figure, our house remained extraordinarily ordinary. I declared that stress had taken over my life every holiday season, and it would never happen again. In short, I became a Scrooge.

Enter 2009 – when it became clear that Deb the Grouch would remain stoically committed to her cause – John’s tender heart burst from his chest. And my guy LIT UP like a Christmas tree. You might even say that he became our ‘home decorator.’

The transformation occurred one day when he asked, “Are we going to put up a tree this year?”

“Oh, I don’t know honey. Maybe if I have time.”

And next thing I knew, it happened. John became Bob Cratchit.

He went to the garage (of his own volition) and brought the trees (plural!) down from the attic. He rearranged the lights and plugged them in. He stood back and waited. Nothing. Nada. No twinkle-ero. (All this, while I pretended not to notice)

“Why won’t the lights work? Did I do something wrong? Is there a special trick to this?”

“You just have to wiggle them around and play with ‘em.” (I admit I said this smugly)

“Really?”

“Really.” (HA! Could it be that he realizes it isn’t as simple as it looks?)

After fiddling with the lights for an hour and a half, he says, “If one of the tiny little bulbs is broken, would the whole string go out?”

“Yep.”

“Oh.”

Thirty minutes later, he returned from Wally World with a small bag. Voila! Extra mini light bulbs. He replaced the broken one, and the tree magically lights up.

So I say, “Oh, honey! You fixed it! That looks GREAT!”

He grins. Those beautiful white teeth – practically GLOWING.

“Thank you SO MUCH!”

“No problem … Don’t you think the house is so much more festive at Christmas when we decorate?”

From now on I will not be the least bit persnickety about Christmas … because … I am doing absolutely nothing ever again – except tell my man how wonderful he is with those Christmas lights.

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© Persnickety Friday is now a regular feature of Deb Trotter’s “Cowboy’s Sweetheart” blog. If you’re feeling a bit ornery yourself and would like to be a guest author on © Persnickety Friday, leave a comment indicating your idea & contact information. Or go to the Contact form at the top of this page to send me an email.

Persnickety

1. definition: fussy about small details; requiring painstaking care; snobbish – or having the aloof attitude of a snob
2. synonyms: opinionated; irritable; ornery; fussy

Friday

1. definition: the best day of the week!

Tags: Art, Blogging, Christmas, Christmas Tree, Collage, Decorating, Digital Art, funny, humor, humorous art, Husband, Men, mixed media, Photography, Photoshop
Posted in Art and Life, Blogs for Artists, Digital Art, Holidays, Photography, Photoshop | No Comments »

“Waitin’ Fer Merlot” © 2009  Deb Trotter ~ Cowboy’s Sweetheart

Today in the Wild West it’s -19 °  …

-19 ° at 1:00 in the afternoon.

Simply absurd.

Contemplating what it might be like for a Cowgirl out there on the plains in this kind of weather, I opened up photoshop and began to play. Then ‘Jesse’ ambled out of my vintage cowgirl photo collection.

Jesse has always seemed frozen in time to me. There is something about her gaze, her stance – that says to me, “I’ll wait.”

“I’ll wait.” A Simple Sentence. Hemingway Simple. Or better yet, Beckett Simple.

By Beckett Simple I am referring to the play, “Waiting For Godot,” by Samuel Beckett. The plot: two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, are waiting for someone named Godot (GOD’ oh) to come. They admit they don’t even know him. But his arrival is greatly anticipated. Distinctly important. They wait for him for two days. He never shows up.

We never know why Godot was supposed to come or why he never came. The strange humor, despair,  intrigue … and absurdity that result from Vladimir and Estragon’s interactions during these two days are what make “Waiting For Godot” a true classic.

Beckett himself says not to over think the play … not to over analyze it. Let it be what it is – the perfect icon for “Theatre of The Absurd.”

It would be silly to over analyze “Waitin’ Fer Merlot,” too. But you already know that, the minute you see the picture – this is no gallery presentation. It is merely a take on my life in cold, wild Wyoming.

What you see are Cowgirl Jesse and the Highland Bull, somewhere ‘out West.’  They are cold … alone … silent … waiting.

There is something out there in the distance – what it is, and why it’s there, we don’t know.

Are they waiting for someone or something named “Merlot” (in place of Godot)? Or are they actually anticipating the real thing, as in a nice warm wine made from the actual Merlot grape?

The whole concept is so simple – so silly – that it seems absurd. I like absurdity in art.

The absurdity that Jesse has no coat … that she is wearing red lipstick no one will see.

The absurdity of two glasses of red wine, balancing on the bull’s horns – strangely visible against a snowy, frigid night.

The absurdity that – even though you know it’s FREEZING COLD (-26 tonight, I hear) for Cowgirl Jesse and Mr. Highland Bull – it might be intriguing to join them. Maybe they’ll offer you a glass of wine – if indeed, there really IS wine available.

The theatre major and the artist in me choose not to over analyze my digital creation -  or this post.

It could all be as Simple and as Absurd as this …  It’s freezing cold, and I want to get plastered.

Tags: Absurd Art, Deb Trotter, Highland Bull, Samuel Beckett, Theatre of the Absurd, Wild West Wednesday
Posted in Art and Life, Blogs for Artists, Cody Wyoming, Digital Art, Holidays, Photography, Photoshop, Western Cowgirl Art | 1 Comment »

Everyone has a bullet to dodge on Thanksgiving Day.

You may not recognize holiday stress a ‘bullet,’ but in Cowgirl-Cowboy lingo, that’s what it is. And every single bullet can prevent Thanksgiving from being what it is supposed to be:  a warm & fuzzy holiday.

Thanksgiving Bullets come in many sizes – from downright tiny (irritating, but manageable) to massive (painful, and almost impossible to ‘remove’ without damage). Here are the bullets you should avoid and how to stop them …

1. The Family Bullet

For some of us, the bullet is a member of our family:  the snooty aunt, who makes depricating comments about the lumps in the gravy … or your Dad, who drinks just a bit too much wine with that Thanksgiving turkey and says things he doesn’t really mean. The Family Bullet is a deadly weapon, but you’re pretty familiar with its dangers. Have a good sense of humor when it comes your way.

2. The Stress Bullet

Stress is a pretty nasty bullet too. I’ve been shot by this rascal one too many times. As a die-hard Cowboy might say, “Okay. You asked fer it!” And before you know it, you’re full of lead. Silly, stupid lead, because the Stress Bullet is something YOU shoot at YOURSELF. Here’s how it goes …

You don’t have time to get your Christmas tree up and decorated. Maybe you don’t have enough silverware, or you’re missing a coffee cup in that service for eight. You forgot to pick up the wine, or you realize you’re out of butter. Out of butter on Thanksgiving? Say it isn’t so!

But guess what? Most of the time no one really cares about everything being perfect but YOU. So there is no excuse for being shot by stress. Let it go.

3. The Five Pound Bullet

We can’t leave out the Five Pound Bullet. It’s actually the food itself. You heard me, pardner. The turkey & dressing with gravy.  The cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, and pumpkin pie. You eat just a little bit of everything, and you’re dead before you know it. (Must have been that extra helping of sweet potato casserole you couldn’t resist.)

I learned long ago how to avoid the Five Pound Bullet when a good friend reminded me of two things:  1. If you feel that bad afterward, it’s not worth the taste … and 2. It’s not a crime to throw away leftovers!

4. The Guilt Bullet

Finally, we have the Guilt Bullet, the one forged from tradition. You live on one side of the country, and your family lives on the other – so your parents are spending their Thanksgiving alone for the very first time (What kind of daughter AM I?” you ask yourself.) Or you try to break with tradition … this year you’ve decided to make ham instead of turkey and forgo the broccoli casserole. Your son goes to the buffet to fill his plate and exclaims, “What? NO TURKEY?” And even YOU recognize that it’s just not the same.

Congratulations. You’ve just been shot through the heart. The Guilt Bullet is the one I have had the most trouble dodging. But I’m getting better at it.

This week not one of those four Thanksgiving Bullets can ‘locate’ me anymore. I have mastered the art of the ‘dodge.’ Here’s how I choose to do it …

1. Family Bullet … I invite friends to join us. We all share stories about each of our families and traditions. They bring food to share. And life is good.

2. Stress Bullet … I don’t worry anymore about whether we eat off of fine china or paper plates. If I happen to get the Christmas tree up, great. If not, big deal. And the stress is all but gone.

3. Five Pound Bullet … I don’t pile on the food anymore. By the time I have sampled a tiny bit of everything I’m full. No more “staving children in China” (remember that?Five Pound Bullets!

4.  Guilt Bullet … I make my own traditions while assuring my family that I will respect theirs. A phone call to my relatives in North Carolina helps keep this bullet at bay. Guilt now is in the same category as leftovers … it’s okay to toss it in the trash.

As for you, my friend … dodge those bullets and ENJOY your Thanksgiving!

I plan on doing the same.

Happy Trails!

Tags: Holidays
Posted in Art and Life, Blogs for Artists, Digital Art, Food and Drink, Holidays, Western Cowgirl Art | 2 Comments »