We lit our first fire tonight in the chiminea. That big silvery moon of the past two nights is ready to make another appearance, and soon the patio will be all silvery white, as if covered by a light dusting of snow. I have a lovely Johnny Walker Red (one ice cube) in my hands, and a nice moisturizing soak in the tub just ahead of me. What I’m really in the mood for is a quiet walk in the woods, except for one thing…
There are no woods within two hours of here.
Perhaps when I return East in a few weeks a visit to the Whiffle Tree Country Store in Billerica will be in order. Nice woods, nice shop, a great place to get in the holiday spirit.
For some strange reason, I’m really looking forward to the Christmas season this year. Not because of any particular celebration in mind – this promises to be a lean Christmas indeed, and I doubt we’ll be the only ones observing it in such an austere fashion. Maybe it’s just the strange sense of foreboding I have that we (and I’m not exactly sure who that “we” is) may not be in this same cozy situation next year. But I’m really in the mood to get a phony tree at Lowe’s, hang some of our old ornaments on it, and arrange our Nativity set underneath it as a way of showing my gratitude to God for bringing us this far and helping to prepare our hearts for the feast of Christmas.
Aah but all that’s still weeks away! For now, here’s a lovely November poem I found at this cool poetry website. I hope you like it:
“Leaves”
How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow.
– Elsie N. Brady
Hard to believe Thanksgiving is just two weeks away. Not a great time to be a turkey, I’ll tell you! 🙂
A happy birthday to my brother Dave. He may be to the right of Attila the Hun, but he’s still an OK dude.
What my group of YaYa’s and I did last year, and will do this year, is to not give gifts but give a card that says, “If I could give you anything in the world, I’d give you…..”. We all sit at my dining table and read our cards out loud…some sweet and tender, others funny. It makes for a lovely time to linger at the Christmas dinner table and be grateful that we all have each other. We also put a charity into a container and then draw one out. Whatever we would have spent on a gift we donate to that charity. Last year, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital was the recipient. Not giving gifts has made our Christmas so much richer.
I also gather a group of friends to celebrate the Winter Solstice(Dec 21). We enter my house in darkness and gradually light candles, the Yule log and recite the meaning of the greenery, light Frankencense and Myrrh and reflect on the season of rest and rebirth. I love blending the pre-christian and Christian traditions of Christmas…makes it all feel complete.
The full moon was maginificent as I drove home from visiting my dad as he recuperates. Hope to bring him home tomorrow.
Comment by Jana — November 14, 2008 @ 5:30 am