5 thing Friday - cleaning closet, wonky tree top, nostalgia, birthday, concert

 I ordered a new fire extinguisher for the house and decided to hang it in a very accessible place:

Its heavy, and I figured there was a stud directly under the shelf support in this small coat closet just off the kitchen.  So this was a quick mini-project, no skill involved, even though I did charge my drill battery up, just in case.

I no longer hang coats in here - rather, its now a cleaning closet.  All of the vinyl albums are still up there, too. This closet has had quite the transformation in the last year.  It was previously STUFFED with coats, games, vintage camera equipment, table leaves, and two vacuum cleaners. Now I can actually stand in here and access the things on the shelves.

For years the top of the vintage Christmas tree (ca. 1970) has bugged me.  It was so awkward and wonky - hard to get the topper to stay put.  Someone had folded over and smashed the top together.

But lookee what I had hauled out of the truck bed - bolt cutters.  They are massive.

A good snip and the bent and twisted wire was the perfect height and shape for the topper. This is one of those "why had I never done this" things*.  I say I want to buy a new tree, but I kind of love this one every year that I set it up.

I'm not decorating for Christmas just yet, but I am looking forward to adding some nostalgia around the house.  My mother wasn't one for decorating, but she did love this rattan Santa we found at a thrift store years ago.  It makes me smile to see some of her things around my house - almost like she's here celebrating with me.

For my birthday, I took myself to a favorite restaurant and enjoyed a delicious meal and my favorite cocktail.

I had plenty of time left to get to an evening event, so I bought a dessert to enjoy in Bridget while I waited in the parking garage.  No food regrets.

This was the venue - one of the oldest buildings in downtown Austin.

Rings and Dragons Candlelight Concert

Have I ever watched Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings?  Both no.  But did I enjoy the masterful musicians who played hauntingly beautiful music by candlelight? Yes.  And overall, it was a very good birthday.

Hooray for 64!

Gina

*probably because I'm still doing things that Mark would never have let me do, or would have been really mad at me if I had.  So, slowly but surely, I am claiming my right to do whatever I want, including trimming off the wonky top of the Christmas tree...