Christmas 2023 started rough when the tree came crashing down and destroyed most of the ornaments and jewels; along with one of the rings.
I’d been meaning to add some kind of winch system for years, but I was finally motivated to get one installed. Then the Modern Christmas Tree (https://www.modernchristmastrees.com/) people restrung the tree and sold us some demo ornaments so we could try again. It went up a lot smoother this time. I didn’t put up any exterior ornaments this year because the roof still needs to be inspected and the gutter guards need fixing.
Lina wanted a vintage shell toilet seat for Christmas, and I got her one. But it broke after I finished cleaning, polishing, and replacing parts. It was too late to replace or save before Christmas; but luckily a man had visited the Philippines in the 70’s and brought back a 4.5′ carved mask and was getting ready for a move. His wife told him “That has to go”, and he posted this ad on Craigslist:
“Demonyo (demon in Tagalog)
Hand-carved from a single piece of luan mahogany by Igorot craftsmen in the Baguio region of the Phillippines”
I spotted it on Craigslist the same day the toilet broke and arranged to pick it up before Christmas. Then I had to hide it for a week!
Bakunawas are mythological dragons that were believed to cause earthquakes, eclipses, typhoons, rains, and wind.
We epoxied the toilet seat and I finally polished it to “good enough”. It’s now installed…for now.
