Building a Village

The boxes change and I add new objects, so the village is never quite the same from year to year.

A long flat box is essential for laying out the stream...

It takes 3 white sheets, folded in half, to cover all the boxes...

The whole village can't be seen from one angle.

These are the major buildings...all have lights and must be able to reach an electrical outlet.

The red carousel and Ferris wheel are new this year. They play Christmas carols while turning. I sit back to observe the layout and invariably make changes. Notice all the plugs on the left. That's William relaxing...

These 2 storage containers filled with boxes are sitting on the porch. Everything in them gets added to the village once the "snow" is laid to cover all the electrical cords. I can't do all of this in one day.

Then it's time to check that everything lights up. I don't know how I got this picture to have blinking lights even where no lights exist. My camera has never done this before. Some things are downright strange...

The pugs have the right idea...forget vacuuming (notice the cord)...time to take a nap.

Munchkin, the Girls & Jenny

Munchkin was a surprise. Pug Rescue folks were picking up another pug, happened to pull into a truck stop, and spotted this pug/pekinese mix running with a bigger dog who disappeared into the nearby woods.

After he arrived here I kept trying different names. Because of his really short legs, I started to call him Munchkin and he seemed to approve, but then, nothing fazed him.

He was super mellow and should be a great asset for the elementary school principal who adopted him and planned on taking him to work with her each day.

Jenny's long hair was getting matted, so even though cold weather was approaching, she went to the groomer for a shave. Here she finds a pug bed just the right size.

Here's that same bed getting double usage.

The "girls" arrived the week before Munchkin's adoption. They were a small black 8 year old mother, Asia, and her 6 year old daughter, Kimora. I tried putting 2 pug beds side by side, but they were determined to sleep together no matter what contortions were required.

 I finally bought a 2-pug bed: 

Ursula came for Thanksgiving and was delighted to have a lap full of pugs.

Asia and Kimora thought it was neat to be welcomed onto a lap. My lap is for Jake only.

Those are wooden tulips I brought home from Holland many years ago...they bloom year round.

The small metal can isn't for garbage. It holds wood stove ashes. It has a tight lid so hot ashes burn out quickly.

Griff went off to his girlfriend's home for Thanksgiving. When he returned, he headed right for the refrigerator and made himself a meal of leftovers. Apparently they don't like turkey and had seafood. He was glad the traditional meal was still waiting for him at home.

My DVDs don't interest Ursula at all, but Griff left behind his Betty Boop cartoons and Ursula played the same DVD over and over and over and...

Her parents made sure that Betty Boop stayed in Vermont and didn't travel home with them!

I had a cover on the couch to protect it from pug hair. The couch has since found another home.

This is Ursula's normal speed! That's Jake trying to keep up...

From left to right: Kimora, Asia, and Jake...keeping warm by the wood stove.

With the couch gone, a chair gets covered. Jenny, Jake, and Jake's favorite stuffed toy are soaking up wood stove heat while Kimora and Asia enjoy a softer location. The pink shawl keeps the sun from fading things inside Ursula's dollhouse.