Christmas in Appalachia

July 1, 2026: 🗓 

“Christmas in Appalachia (1964)”

Appalachian children holding hands while earnestly singing Christmas carols to their classmates in a one-room schoolhouse..

Starts at 1:57.

Right before sharing this video, I was thinking about this other opposite perspective where I’m basically posting a video of a children’s choir concert to which I have no relation and don’t even know any of the kids there.

Then I wondered if this is the first time that’s ever been done. Then I noticed something interesting. These are rare conditions where not only would it actually make sense to do so, but the reasons it makes sense can be distilled into one word.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

July 3, 2026: 🗓 

Underground parking garages are good places to block out firework sounds if anyone is searching for somewhere to bring their scared dog or cat during the fireworks. I did that last year, but it was actually an above-ground parking garage completely enclosed on all sides. I had the air on all the way (for constant background noise) and music playing, and she just slept right through it, totally relaxed.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

July 6, 2026: 🗓 

I looked up the definition of sublime last week. I don’t remember why. The definition included fear. I thought it was interesting.

Something so vast or grand that it takes your breath away the same way fear does sometimes. But it’s not fear. It’s something else. Is there a word for it in English?

I saw this video and was like, this is the definition of whatever word that is. So I guess the word would be sublime then. Right?

This is an example of how I realize things the moment I say it or write it down. This has been going on for months now. It works, y’all. Whatever you don’t understand you just say, and you magically say the answer. It’s so neat and cool, I should do this more.

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

July 7, 2026: 🗓 

I want to make a metal sculpture of a Christmas village, like the ones people set out at Christmastime over white cotton material on tabletops. Except it’s a California village where Christmas is like a summer day.

It has palm trees and little lizards. It contains multitudes and also artifacts from multiple time periods, like this PA system with the baby-boy-blue (Christine Baskets 🩵) dented speaker. The cars and architecture also point to a multi-era Christmas.

What I’m actually thinking of is a little Los Angeles, not necessarily Christmas-themed. Also, figurines. Like a little David Lynch figurine drinking a milkshake at a Googie-style Bob’s Big Boy.

Instead of puffy white cotton, the village is placed on one of those activity rugs for kids, like my brother’s race track rug from childhood. Instead of race track, it unfurls into roads and land and sidewalks. You cut it to fit the shape and size of the tabletop where the village is placed. You add an earthquake by making a jagged cut and separating the town across multiple tabletops.

I’m realizing this idea is less of a sculpture and more like an LA version of a miniature model train set/town people build in their basements, which I don’t have space for (or money or time). Has anyone made something similar to this? Any material, doesn’t have to be metal.

December 24, 2025:

Finally fast enough to get a picture of this lip snarl thing she does 😄💖 Then she said “Merry Christmas”