Mares eat oats, and does eat oats...but little lambs eat ivy!

(...continued from the Krohn Conservatory Winter Solstice posts.)

The lambs outside the stable at the live nativity at Krohn Conservatory were so sweet. They made the old song "Mairzy Doats" pop into my mind (which continued to run through my mind the entire day)...

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
...If the words sound queer and funny to your ear,

...a little bit jumbled and jivey,
Sing "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy.
A kid'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you?"
(by Milton Drake, All Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston, 1943)

"Where's the ivy? Bahhh... All I have to eat is hay!"

I don't know what Cow-Lambs eat. Do you, Dad? ;-)

"Mmmm...ivy...eating ivy in my dreams..."

The stable with a live nativity at Krohn Conservatory.

Snow frosted trees and a view of Eden Park from the stable.

...and on the other side of the street in a hazy, snowy, river fog stands a beautiful Victorian-Eclectic building officially called the Eden Park Stand Pipe, often called the Eden Park Water Tower, and mostly called the Huge Red Brick Castle Tower Across from the Krohn Conservatory.

I looked it up and learned it was a stand pipe for the Cincinnati Water Works. Its period of significance was 1875-1899 and the architect was Samuel Hannaford & Sons. (Click here for more info on this historical building.)

Ghosts of Christmases Past II...1992

Christmas Manger with Lamb and Birds, 1992

The idea for this card started in my head with the image of birds landing on a rickety and old manger. It just seemed natural that a lamb would be standing next to it. I also remember when I sat down to create this card I thought I'd never be able to capture anything like the Christmas Angel from the previous year, but in the end I was happy with it. The little birds stole my heart with this one. They are so sweet, and I can imagine them singing for the baby.