It's that time of year...

Christmas is coming. It takes us by storm now, attacking us like an F4 tornado, images, commercials and gifts being tossed at us as easily as a tornado tosses houses, even before Halloween has come and gone.

I miss the days when it took so long to come, as a kid, desperately hoping that the time would speed up,  the stores would start decorating, and Santa would visit the malls, his presence indicating that the holiday was near. Now it's too early, too soon and too much. It kind of takes away from the magic.

However, now that Halloween has passed, I guess this is the time to start preparing, sooooo...

If you are looking for holiday cards, unique, cute and humorous, I have 5 designs available to choose from. They can be purchased individually or in packs of five (envelopes included). Please see my website below to view all the illustrations available or contact me if you are interested in ordering some.

www.juliesillustration.com
julie@juliesillustration.com

This weekend certainly showed no indications that Christmas, let alone winter, is around the corner. With temperatures in the mid-teens, everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the warm November days, myself included. It was a Conservation Area weekend, with dogs in tow. This is the little dog's favorite weather, and she takes advantage of it when she can. The areas were packed, both Saturday and Sunday, and I actually witnessed, for the first time in my life, people being turned away from Hilton Falls as there was no room left to park. Cars filled the lot like sardines squished into a can, line ups of cars waiting for someone to leave so that the occupants could enjoy the outdoors as well.

Needless to say, I didn't wait - I'm impatient. We visited Crawford Lake and Kelso this weekend instead. No pictures, just enjoying the weather.

The leaves are exceptionally loud at this time of year. And they are exceptionally dense on the ground. So dense that the paths are not visible. Once again, I almost lost myself in the woods of Crawford Lake. I'm thinking that I should bring provisions next time. Some water, food, a compass and a tent perhaps? Thank God for the little yellow arrows hanging off random trees pointing the way along the path that is not visible. I wasn't lost for long, perhaps 2 minutes. I'm really not that naturally challenged. And hey, the little dog back-tracks well, so no need to panic. Ahhh the woods.