EPISODE 100

What better way to introduce Episode 100 of the Trowbridge Chronicles than to offer one of my favorite of Mrs. Trowbridge's holiday paintings. The Trowbridge shrews of long ago didn't celebrate Christmas as we do, but they celebrated an annual winter festival that was similar in many respects to our Christmas celebration. Mrs. T painted her neighbor's cottage (above) decorated for the festive occasion during a winter snow.

The early shrews picked a variety of berries during the summer, then stored them away in their food cellar for winter provisions. The red huckleberries and white snow berries were also used for holiday decorating, as you can see in Mrs. T's painting. They would then hang the berries on tiny twig trees planted in front of their cottages. They ignited alder twig torches fueled by fir pitch, and decorated wooden barrels filled with mountain heather and berries. Their decorations were much simpler than ours.

Mrs. Trowbridge would most certainly have come undone if she could see the way we celebrate Christmas, with all the hustle-bustle and commercialism. I hope you are able to take time this season to remember the real reason for Christmas...to honor the Savior who came to us as a babe in a manger to bring Light into a dark world. Merry Christmas to all!

OW! HE JUST SINGED MY TAIL!

Our little shrew is undoubtedly feeling like his life is a bit unbalanced at the moment, as he attempts to escape the little green flame thrower with legs who is pursuing him. How could friendship possibly emerge from such adverse circumstances? Maybe it can't, maybe it can. We shall see.

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ESCAPE FROM THE FLAMES!

Frozen with fear, our little shrew must decide what to do in order to escape the little dragon's flame-throwing mouth. Can friendship arise from the flames? We shall see.

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WAS IT SOMETHING I ATE?

Our little shrew has just encountered a green baby dragon with a polka dot pattern, fresh out of the shell. At this point it doesn't look like much of a friendship could develop. If your whiskers were singed by a fire-breathing dragon, you too may have second thoughts about nurturing a friendship.

A STRONG CONTENDER FOR MVP

I decided to try something different from my traditional Trowbridge format. Sometimes more time passes between Trowbridge posts than I would like, so from time to time I thought I would post some images that I created myself. Some of you who are fans of Mrs. Trowbridge's stories and paintings may not know that I dabble in art a little myself. Mrs. Trowbridge will always be the star of the blog, but I might sprinkle in a few of my own images along the way. That should help me to post a little more frequently.

This first illustration is a professional project that I just completed, depicting a famous college team football player who can't wait to go out for pizza after the game...so much so that he's hallucinating. If you're a footbal fan, you'll recognize the design and colors on his uniform.

The January 2010 date is drawing nearer, and two more signed up last week for my upcoming Painting in Paradise workshop in Rarotonga. Here's more info: http://bronsmith.googlepages.com

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