A Misplaced "For Sale" Sign, Christmas Lights, and Poinsettias

Sunday, December 11, 2011. Before getting into the usual Christmas-season photos, a sort of update on my house:

• It's not for sale
• We're having a larger garage built

I can see why folks may have gotten the idea that the big yellow house at South Ash and 9th was for sale:


The real estate agent didn't put the sign there. December 6, 2011.

That 'for sale' sign at South Ash and 9th is probably a prank. We live a few blocks from the school, right on the route quite a few kids walk on their way to and from classes. December 6, 2011.

It's about two weeks before Christmas, so stores have a lot of red and green in their displays. Marc'ette Floral, at Main and South 6th, and Hidden Treasure, downtown, also have a new kind of candle.

My son-in-law invented these 'candles that burn in a circle' earlier this year, and this is the first holiday season that stores have had them. I've been working for his company, Spiral Light Candle, off and on, for about a month now.


Marc'ette Floral, on south Main and 6th, has poinsettias, cards, home decorations: and Spiral Light Candles. December 9, 2011.


Hidden Treasure, downtown, has those 'candles with a twist,' too. And a whole lot of nice gift and decoration stuff. December 9, 2011.

Spiral Light Candle has a video on YouTube that shows how the candles work: "Spiral Light's Spiral Burning Self Filling Candle."
(One minute, 31 seconds)

Just one more bit of blatant self-promotion, and I'll get to more photos from Sauk Centre.

I've been writing about my experiences with Spiral Light Candle in two of my blogs:

• "Lemming Tracks: Candles, Reports, Meetings, and a Busy Lemming"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (December 7, 2011)
• "Candles: Analysis, News, and Very Odd Questions"
  Starting a Small Business Without Losing My Mind (December 3, 2011)

I like the Christmas season for quite a few reasons: but it's the decorations that seem to make the best photo subjects:


Downtown Sauk Centre: lighted garlands over the street, and Main Street Theatre's signs. December 7, 2011.


P's and Q's Computing, on south Main, puts on quite a show each year. December 6, 2011.


Here's P's and Q's at night. Some of the lights go on and off: it's too slow to call 'flashing.' December 7, 2011.


Yet more P's and Q's, this time on their north side. The display is a little different each year. December 7, 2011.

One more photo, and I'm done for the week:


Marc'ette Floral, again: It's poinsettia season in their south room. December 9, 2011.

I thought of writing something about poinsettias, how the Aztecs called them cuetlaxochitl, who first mentioned them in Europe, that the red things are called bracts, and more of that sort of thing. But somebody beat me to it:

• "The Poinsettia Pages"
  University of Illinois Extension

The U. of I. folks did a nice job with that website: including a history of the poinsettia; and how to care for your potted plant, provided that it's a poinsettia.