Let's All Sing Together, Shall We?

I was very excited to see "Lumberjack" as the word at EIM this week. We have been watching the Monty Python show DVDs and we're up to, I think, the third "ton," which includes the notorious skit. My partner in crime has been singing the song for a week now and I hope we can get past that soon.
I was thinking I'd make something with tea and scones or even pressed flowers, but I really want to move along from the song.
Arizona has three major universities: ASU, Arizona State Sun Devils

That's HOT!

UofA, University of Arizona Wildcats

And NAU, Northern Arizona LUMBERJACKS!

I don't know WHY any self-respecting lumberjack would wear yellow, but that and blue are the team colors. When I think lumberjack, he has to be wearing red buffalo plaid. (and I'm not being sexist, but women should know better than to freeze their buns while wielding chainsaws. I'll stay inside where it's warm). Also, they've changed their mascot to something more menacing. I don't like that, either.

I put together this little collage for the EIM including a pinecone because Flagstaff, home of the 'Jacks, hosts a pinecone drop for New Year's eve. It's similar to the ball drop in Times Square, just different. 

The theme for the TwobyTwo is "HOT," so I got into the SPIRIT of things with this macabre item:

For those of you who may have been wondering what "xeritas" could possibly mean, I offer this: "xeri-" is a Greek prefix that addresses hot and arid; "-itas" was a Roman superlative that the ruling class used. Thus it would have been Augustus Cesearitas to show he was better than everyone else. He was emperor, after all.

So, Xeritas is a word I made up that loosely means, "hotter is better." And, now you know!

I'm going to poke around the internet a bit thinking warm thoughts. It's 70 and raining today (thirty degrees colder than this time last week!). We're going to need our pellet stove ASAP and it's needing repairs.
I'll leave you with this. We just returned from the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, NM. The weather was not the best for flying, so this is an image of my favorite photographed by Andi Wolfe:

So, should pigs fly and hell freezes over....