Lighting the way

Before I first moved up here several years ago I had an inspired idea - at least I thought it was inspired. A round outdoor table that I owned kept being blown over and the glass top would shatter. After replacing it twice I had a wooden top made. That didn't fit but that's another story.

I held onto the rim of the table thinking that someday I'd use it to make a gigantic (five feet across)  Christmas wreath of lights for the side of my house or my barn or wherever. I never did it when I lived near Port Hope, but here, it seemed to be perfect. So the first year I took all the old bright outdoor lights I'd acquired over the years and strung them around the frame and hung it on the drive shed.

You'll laugh - I think the planes going into the Toronto airport 200 km away could see it, a new set of landing lights? It was so bright. It really was a beacon. But it was also very expensive to operate.

So I went and bought several strings of the new LED lights and re-wound the frame. And rehung it on the drive shed where it's been since then. The photo is a bit blurry 'cause of course I didn't have a tripod to steady the camera, but I wanted to show how Christmassy it looks to motorists passing by.

Unfortunately as the dogs and I were struggling with the snow squalls that continue here and the only places we can walk are around the house and drive shed, (we couldn't even get to the road,) I noticed that the lights were very dim. I think the storm has killed some of the strings or ice has gotten into the connections or something.


So when the weather and roads clear tomorrow ( we have sun right now but high winds say more squalls) I'll be off to purchase some new light strings - don't like doing this in winter... but what's Christmas without lights? right?