Merry Christmas from our city farmhouse

Pink and green and everything in between.

Stockings hung with at least a bit of care, my new favorite seed-packet ornament, and the fa-la-la-la-llama pillow.

Anthony and I both battle the holiday humbug feelings. But as one of our readers recently said, the thing to do is to push on and through, so that first weekend in December, we cranked up the holiday tunes and decorated.

Just a pause here to say the music started out with a tribute to Pogues frontman Shane McGowan, may he rest in peace.

Writing over at the

Saving Culture (from itself)

Substack,

Jenny Holland

speaks to the infamous temperament of McGowan and others like him:

I don’t mean to romanticise any of it. The wild streak I have seen in so many Irish people — and that might be lurking in myself —  comes with a high cost. Chaos is fun, and good for thrills, but stick with it too long and it kills you.

I’ve written here about my dying Scottish family name, but the other part of my ancestry is Irish, and when I read that “wild streak” comment, it hit really close to home. I challenge you to get through her great piece with a dry eye.

A requiem for Shane MacGowan

This is our seventh year in the 1904 city farmhouse that charmed the pants off us both despite its obvious flaws—and there are some hefty ones at that! As of now, I can report that the ugly brown paint (streaked over the top of fading stain) that marred much of that gorgeous wood trim detail throughout the house has now been completely covered over in soothing grey and crisp white, as we finished the last area, the stairwell, this summer.

Next week, I’ll take you on a tour of a local farm, Grand Army, where we purchase raw goat milk, garlic, wool socks, rabbit meat, and other products. A recent Notes post of mine about getting to milk Lena—the goat who provides me with goat milk—kind of blew up.

Paid subscribers will find more holiday farmhouse photos below the paywall, including the real star of this Substack, Chaco the Devon rex.

There’s never been a better time to become a paid subscriber, as we’ve slashed the prices on all subscription levels, plus there’s a 25 percent discount now through January 15 on top of that. For our winter giveaway, we’re opening it up to all subscribers with six-month paid subscriptions or a six-month extension if you’re already a paid subscriber to five randomly drawn winners. The drawing will be January 15 at 9 am CDT.