Epiphany

 "True contentment is a thing as active as agriculture. It is the power of getting out of any situation all that there is in it. It is arduous and it is rare. It is the discipline of Epiphany."

-  G.K. Chesterton

creature comforts

 A tufted titmouse sitting under the back awning, working on breaking into his sunflower seed.

and a squirrel we've observed, twice, sitting on the railing outside, just enjoying the sun.

a Happy New Year

 and a charming one, after snow throughout the night, and now everything looks clean and fresh.

And, my wish for everyone who comes here, whoever you are:

May God, the source and origin of all blessing,
grant you grace,
pour out his blessing in abundance,
and keep you safe from harm throughout the year.

-  Amen

May he give you integrity in the faith,
endurance in hope,
and perseverance in charity
with holy patience to the end.
 - Amen

May he order your days in his peace,
grant your prayers in this and in every place,
and lead you happily to eternal life.
- Amen

AND MAY THE BLESSING OF ALMIGHTY GOD
THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT,
COME DOWN ON YOU AND REMAIN IN YOU 
FOR EVER.

- Amen*

*(from Magnificat, of course, from which I'm always quoting and which prints things better than I could say them.)

tiny pleasures, obscure delights

 Well, it was almost fifty today with lots of rain; the snow almost disappeared. Then suddenly, at nine tonight, the winds picked up and the temperature started dropping. Then, a sort of squall, with snow now covering the ground. It will be slippery tomorrow.

Meanwhile, it was so gloomy all day that I even had the window candles plugged in - there were lights all over the place. I love these kind of days at this time of year. 

"...What makes Christmas exciting.... rests on an ancient and admitted paradox. It rests upon the paradox that the power and center of the whole universe may be found in some seemingly small matter, that the stars in their courses may move like a moving wheel around the neglected outhouse of an inn."

- G.K. Chesterton

"The spirit of Christmas is a paradox precisely because its largeness is made manifest in the smallest of ways: in little kindnesses, tiny pleasures, and obscure delights among ordinary people in the simplest of circumstances."

- George Grant and Gregory Wilbur, from Christmas Spirit

this morning

on the fourth day of Christmas

 I'm enjoying the Christmas rest. We had snow again, on Friday, all night. It's been mostly cold, with a warm day every now and then to throw us off. But the roads were clear for our trip to Joanne's on Christmas Day. It will rain tomorrow and melt everything, and winter will have to start over again.

I got a surprise from England - dear Clare sent me chocolates! (They're almost gone, Clare - already.) 

There seems to be a cat coming to the shelter at night; my brother suspected it, and then I saw him cross the bridge and come through the back yard on Monday, an hour before dark. He jumped onto our back step and looked up at the back door window! I was looking out but, strangely, he didn't notice me - he  seemed to be looking at the curtain - he was being very cautious. He didn't want to be seen. So we're trying to use the front door after sunset, but I worked late on Tuesday and forgot - I heard a hurried scrambling and am afraid I scared him away. He seems to still be using the place, because the food gets eaten, but it may be he's coming later. Poor creature, to be so afraid of us! Where did he come from? 

For lo! the days are hastening on,
by prophet bards foretold,
When with the ever circling years
shall come the time foretold
When peace shall over all the earth
its ancient splendors fling,
And the whole world send back the song
which now the angels sing.

- Edmund Hamilton, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

the irrational season

This is the irrational season

when love blooms bright and wild.

Had Mary been filled with reason

there'd have been no room for the child.

-  Madeleine L'Engle

gingerbread spice recipe

 Last year, I was looking for a gingerbread spice recipe/formula - I had lost mine. I found four or five and made one - wasn't too keen on it. But I saved the others and tried another this year. Oh, the fragrance! 

GINGERBREAD SPICE

2 T allspice
2 T cinnamon
2 T ginger
1 T cloves
1 T nutmeg

pinch black pepper

This is from a website called Liv for Cake, but I saw it somewhere else, too, so I don't know where it originated. But I love it!

"make your house fair as you are able"

I gussied up a little thrifted wreath with a short strand of fairy lights and some bright ribbon. It's on the front door. It has "felt" like Christmas since the beginning of December, with prematurely cold temps and snow, which has hung around because it was too cold for it to melt. Now, with Christmas a week away, we're having a warm spell; the snow is almost gone and it will be over sixty tomorrow! (this is why I left some lighter weight sweaters in my closet) However, it may snow again on Tuesday, which would be very nice and rather convenient, if all goes according to the forecast. 

 I've been thinking again about different ways of viewing the seasons. Winter officially begins on Sunday, and ends late March. Meteorologically, all of December, January and February are the winter months. But this article mentioned something I hadn't heard of before this summer, that there's something called solar winter, which is November, December and January. As for summer, and fall, I can understand a solar season. But there is no way, where I live, that February could ever be thought of as a spring month. And March - sometimes, maybe, a little. And so I figured that since this way of thinking dates back to the Middle Ages, it's a European way of thinking, maybe even British, where the climate isn't as harsh. 

Then I picked up Towers in the Mist:

"It was February the fourteenth, ... The gray mist ... had in it a warmth and fragrance that told of the coming of spring. The smell of the earth was in it, a soft wet earth through which the snowdrops had already driven their green spears... It seemed all there behind the mist, the colors of all the springs that had passed and yet would come again, the riotous music of bird song and falling water that would pour over the earth in so short a while. In the darkest days of January one might doubt if it would come again, but on these warm February days one was certain."

                                                                   -   Elizabeth Goudge

And there you have it, straight from an Englishwoman.

I started the mitts for my friend two weeks ago and then didn't touch them again - for various reasons - but they go along quickly and I picked them up again last night. 

I just need to stick with it.

I hope you all are on track with whatever your Christmas preparations are, and are also able to keep yourselves from anything unrealistic. There has to be some way of balancing one's hopes and expectations with one's reality, i.e., time and energy. 

Make your house fair as you are able.
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today;
Love, the Guest, is on the way. 

looking ahead

 Give you joy, wolf,
when Messiah makes you meek
and turns your roar into a cry that
justice has been done for the poor.

Give you joy, lamb,
when Messiah saves you from jeopardy
and all fear is overwhelmed 
by his converting grace. 

from Advent Good Wishes, by David Grieve*

*found in Malcolm Guite's Waiting for the Word

a late birthday card

Imagine, a rabbit delivering a piece of cake.

baking experiments

A former coworker had a special cookie she made at Christmas: chocolate, with an Andes mint candy melted on top. These were good, and she gave me the recipe. I never made them until today.

I got some Andes on sale a while back and saved them; it was time to bake these cookies. But when I looked over the recipe, I saw that it calls for melted chocolate chips rather than cocoa powder. The price of baking morsels has gone up a lot - I decided to look for a recipe that called for cocoa powder.

I found one; they were a little dry in the first batch, so I lessened the baking time by one minute for each subsequent batch and the later ones were better. But it does make me wonder how the original recipe would be. 

full of wonder

 They predicted snow all night, from ten to ten, and, we awoke to a blue morning.

So mysterious.   Another thing about snow is that it mutes the landscape, and then some things really stand out.

more blue

But for the most part, it gives everything a look of quiet drama.

See how the virgin waits for Him;
Mary in wonder waits for Him
Shake off your slumber; come all full of wonder.
Jesus is coming as the Prince of Peace.

talking to the squirrels

 I went out in the dark to toss a thing in the trash, and a rabbit was a little way off. He didn't move.  It turns out there is more than one of them out there - I was very relieved to find that out. They certainly are masters at laying low.

supper

During the day, I have to remember to step out the back (really the side) door slowly when the birds are at the feeder. I startle everyone, the squirrels run to the brook and the birds fly off, usually in my direction. There could easily be a collision, if I'm not careful! They zoom right by, at a low level. But a funny thing happened today. I stepped out, the birds took off, and two squirrels ran toward the brook. I called out, and while I don't remember my exact words, they were something like, "You don't have to run away, don't go, no need," etc.. They were about halfway through the back yard when one squirrel stopped and turned. He looked at me while I was entreating them to stay. He seemed to listen! He came back! So funny. I said, "Yes, come on, I won't bother you," and I went back in the house. I won't expect that to happen again!

It was St. Lucy's feast today. 

the struggle is real

 I used to try and darn my brother's socks when I noticed worn spots, but he said don't bother. With that in mind, I do the laundry but tend to ignore the torn places in the jeans, figuring he'll say something when they need a fix. So, I didn't really notice. But a couple pair have big torn knees that were so far gone - but I think I fixed them, anyway. 

In order to patch a knee on a long, narrow "tube" - the leg of the jeans - I had to rip one of the seams open. I found out they aren't both flat felled seams - thank God! - because I really don't want to mess with one of those. The outside seam was just sewn regular and serged, so I ripped that out and was able to get inside there to attach a piece of fabric, or patch, on the inside. Then I over-stitched, zigzagging back and forth over the torn part to fortify it. Better than nothing. 

I learned something in the doing, and it wasn't that hard, but from now on I'll pay attention to the laundry, and possibly nip these things in the bud. And he's pleased with them!

Meanwhile, Advent moves along and I have made no cookies, haven't written any cards! I was planning on it today, but it did not happen. Christmas is in two weeks.

In between things I pick up Rachel Peden's Speak to the Earth: 

"When starlings come to the feeders other birds depart like leaves blown in the wind, to watch hiddenly and return only when the starlings have gone. 

Hearing the high-pitched cacophonous chatter ... for starlings always come by hundreds ... I need only open the porch door and immediately they lunge forward, admirably regaining their balance when airborne.

But these dark-bodied birds awaken a dark thought in the mind of a farmer: It is not merely because they eat food not intended for them, nor because they are dirty, but because there are always too many of them. Any creature that becomes too numerous causes unease among all other creatures.... Would ten thousand gaily singing chickadees be as delightful on a snowy winter morning as half a dozen are?"

Christ through us

 "If Christ is formed of our lives, it means that He will suffer in us. ...It is extremely difficult to lay hold of this fact. ...It is really difficult to realise that if He is formed in our life we are not beside Him but in Him; and what He asks of us is to realise that it is actually in what we do that He wants to act and suffer. 

For example, if you are conscripted, it is Christ who is saying good-bye and leaving His home; Christ who is marching on the endless route march. The blisters on the feet of the new recruit are bleeding on the feet of Christ. 

It really needs to be practiced to be understood. We need to say to ourselves a thousand times a day: 'Christ wants to do this', 'Christ wants to suffer this.' 

And we shall thus come to realise that when we resent our circumstances or try to spare ourselves what we should undergo, we are being like Peter when he tried to dissuade our Lord from the Passion"

                               -   Caryll Houselander, The Reed of God

snow, after all!

 Just a little.  

But it snowed again after the rain. 

I'll take it!

the road to Bethlehem

 It snowed today. But then rain, and now it's gone. But - not forgotten!

"Advent is a short season, yet it covers a long distance. It is the road of a soul from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It seems such a short distance as we are accustomed to thinking of distances. Yet it is a road into infinity, into eternity. It has a beginning, but no end. In truth, Advent is the road of the spiritual life which all of us must start if we do not want to miss the way. We must start with a fiat that re-echoes Mary's fiat - Let it be done, O Lord. It is a fiat that each of us should say in the quiet of our hearts. 

Let us arise, then. Let us shake the sleep out of our eyes - the sleep of emotions run amuck; the sleep of indifference, of tepidity, of self-pity, of fighting God. Let us arise from that sleep...and begin our journey to Bethlehem. But let us understand that this "Bethlehem" we seek is within our own souls, our own hearts. ...It is an inner pilgrimage, a pilgrimage in which we don't use our feet....So, then, let us enter, you and I, into the pilgrimage that doesn't take us from home. For ours is a journey of the spirit, which is a thousand times harder than a journey of the feet. Let us "arise and go". 

                                                      -  Catherine de Hueck Doherty, from Magnificat, December 2025

of a cat and a King

 Here we are again in Advent! It comes so quickly. 

We feel his footsteps near,
The Bridegroom at the door,
Alleluia -

Michael Reiser, "The Evening of the Birth of Christ"

The church cat is doing well, by the organist's account. She is over the hissing, etc., and happy to have a safe place. (did you know that only about 20% of orange cats are female?) Meanwhile, they think she may be pregnant. It isn't clear if he'll keep her, but I heard him say he wouldn't want just anybody to take her, so we will see how it develops. She is safe. 

Out of the world's darkness, Christ arises like the dawn.

From unconscious habits of sin:

- awaken us, O Lord!

From a lethargic faith:

- rouse us, O Lord!

From complacency and self-satisfaction:

- stir us to life, O Lord!

AMEN*

*from Magnificat, November 2025

a Happy Thanksgiving

 Well, it was a nice day and we had a good time. The cats didn't end up getting any turkey - they were sleeping while we ate. Daisy, of course, was at hand when I set the table.

Don't tell me I should have driven her off as soon as I saw here there - I already know that. I think she liked the tablecloth.

On the subject of cats, my brother went to the church early in the morning; his intention was to go to Mass, but first to the office, where he had to use the copier. He noticed some bags on the steps of the church, but did not investigate - this was before seven. At eight thirty, it was still there - it was an orange cat, in a carrier, with all its possessions, i.e., bowls, harness, etc.. As he was wondering if he should just bring it home, the organist came along and said he'd take it, and see if the local vet could find a home for it. So he took it upstairs in the choir loft, where the poor creature was crying. But there is a crying room up there, so that's where the kitty went. We are looking forward to Sunday when we'll see him, to find out the rest of the story.

I was pretty shocked at this - I follow several cat rescue channels on youtube, and see this sort of thing all the time. But I never saw it here. That is probably naive, to be surprised. 

Anyway, we are hoping for a happy conclusion to this Thanksgiving story. 

My autumnal display on the front steps looks pretty, I think.

Everybody likes Thanksgiving.

"In sober moments [Sir Walter] Raleigh's friends had no faith in his stories, but tonight he held them spellbound. In America, he said, vines laden with grapes cling to tall cedar trees, and sitting beneath them the natives drink the powdered bones of their chieftains in pineapple wine. 

Why? asked Nicolas....The customs of these people seemed to him odd.

That they may have their courage in them, of course, cried Raleigh, bringing his knife-hilt down with a crash on the table. Don't you know that we all of us feed on the courage of the dead? If there had been no valiant men in the past to show us the way to live would we be anything today but spineless idiots? 

Tell us some more, said Philip with kindling eyes. Is it very beautiful, that land?

                                                          -   from Towers in the Mist, Elizabeth Goudge

"As we have grown and prospered in material things, so also should we progress in moral and spiritual things. We are a God-fearing people who should set ourselves against evil and strive for righteousness in living, and observing the Golden Rule we should from our abundance help and serve those less fortunately placed. We should bow in gratitude to God for his many favors."

                                               (thirtieth) President Calvin Coolidge, 1925

almost there

I had some windows open today while I did my work, it was so mild! The dampness didn't matter because I was using the oven. The cats were certainly happy.

The squash pie is in the fridge downstairs, and I made the gratin, too, also in the fridge - squash pie because I also baked some pumpkin cookies. The pie recipe is the same for squash, pumpkin or sweet potato, and I've made all three over the years. The squash has a light, thinner texture, the sweet potato is the most substantial. I like to use dark brown sugar for that one, light brown or maple sugar for the pumpkin pies. 

Half an hour before dark, I finally got a pot, and made it outside to cut those berries. I stuck them in with two dried hydrangea heads and - let's say it looks artistic. I'll soon be looking for evergreens, anyway, since Advent is almost upon us. Just as I was coming back inside, a skein of geese flew right over, dark against the cloudy sky, in formation and honking. They were heading east, but I'm sure they knew what they were doing.

wishing for more

 I keep seeing what look like orange berries in the hedge outside my window, so I went outside before dark to get a closer look; they had an autumnal look.

They are not orange, but I may cut them tomorrow if I can find a suitable pot for the front step area, and get the pot filled. In between sprucing up the living room, changing the beds, making the squash pie, the gravy and the Winter Vegetable Gratin. It may rain.

"Time is something people take for granted, wish they had more of, complain they never have any of for themselves, and waste as if they had flowing wells of it in their back yards."

                                                -  Rachel Peden, Speak to the Earth

the helper

 When I wash the table, she appears. Out of nowhere!

She waits for me to remove the runner and other things, to wash the placemats.

She waits to help me wash the table.

I spray it all with my homemade cleaner*, keeping it away from her face,

and when I get the wet cloth, and wipe all around the edge, she puts out her paw when I get to her side of the table. She's the helper.

*2 cups water, 1 cup white vinegar in a large bowl; add 2 tablespoons baking soda, and when the foaming goes down, pour into spray bottle.

thrones before him fall

 Once again we are at the feast of Christ the King. 

Crown him with many crowns,
as thrones before him fall;
Crown him, ye kings, with many crowns,
for he is King of all.

When you look around at the state of the world and its societies, it doesn't look like Jesus is king, does it? But it's king of our hearts that he wants to be. It takes time.

In your hearts enthrone him!
There let him subdue
All that is not holy,
All that is not true.
Crown him as your Captain,
In temptation's hour;
Let his will enfold you
In its light and pow'r
                        

Let us pray to Christ our King, that the fruits of his reign may abound upon earth:

     Upon those who labor under the illusion of power and who cause others to suffer:
                          Thy kingdom come!

     Upon those who are imprisoned in poverty, hunger, addiction, or disease:
                         Thy kingdom come!

     Upon those who are blind of eye or of heart:
                         Thy kingdom come!

     Upon those who are deaf of ear or of understanding:
                        Thy kingdom come!

     - from Magnificat November 2025

the song of faith

 Today, we remembered St. Cecilia. She sang in her heart to the Lord, and now she is the patron on musicians.

From Magnificat -

For those who are depressed by the burden of their suffering:

      - grant them the faith that enabled Saint Cecilia to sing the song of faith in her heart.

For those who have lost the gift of joy in the daily round of life:

      - grant them gladness of heart.

For those who serve the church at worship through the medium of music:

      - grant them rejoicing.

wool gathering

 

I finished tying the baby quilt today, and it's washed and ready for my friend's little one. I tied it on the "wrong" side, as the floral is so busy - I thought it would just add to it. This gives the whiteness and bit of interest, and hopefully conceal the tasselly ends from their cat - I know how that can be!

Gretchen had asked me what I'm going to knit next, and I thought maybe a shawl, but a friend told me the fingerless mitts I'd made for her years ago finally wore out. So, I ordered yarn to make another pair and am waiting for it to arrive. I remember enjoying making them back then. Let's see if I can do it again without too much head-scratching!

I've been going through my old British Country Living magazines - I kept three issues for each month, not being able to part with them. Until now, but I'm cutting out anything which appeals to me, and putting it all in red folders, one for each month. This will take up way less room! There's a magazine swap bin at the library so they can go there if they aren't too cut up.. A woman named Sally Coulthard had a column every month; she's got a farm and animals and she does country things. Then I saw a book review, of a book she wrote about sheep. I found a copy in a nearby library, and was amazed to find a list of books by her on the back flap - she's written many books! Here are a few. So I guess she's really a writer who also has a farm. 

Anyway, she did lots of research and the book is very interesting. The one I saw in the magazine is called A Short History of the World According to Sheep. The one I have is called Follow the Flock. It has to be the same book. It seems the ancient Scythians were the ones who really mastered the use of felt and they would carry their sheep when they moved around, strapped to the backs of the horses. And, did you know the Romans' shields were covered in felt?  Pliny said, "wool is compressed also for making felt, which when soaked in vinegar is capable of even resisting iron..."  I wonder how true that is.

the colors of November

 

remaking the world

 

the baby quilt

"The church is the 'sheltering womb and matrix of the new world' that remakes the world. The world, in a sense, was made for the church, because the church is the final community, that site of supernatural social life for which all were made and apart from which human nature will not be satisfied. The world belongs to her, and she remakes the human race. All other communities must find themselves in her - if they are to last. This will mean that the church will cause some unrest in the world. She will frustrate the ambitions of any and all who seek to make their fleshly indentities, temporal projects, and earthly communities ultimate." 

                                                            -  James R. Wood, from Plough magazine*

*the article was about Henri de Lubac

on the move

 I thought I could do more out in the garden area today but it suddenly rained a bit and got damp and cold. Still, I did go out later and saw a group of geese fly by. They were going so fast! Maybe the wind carried them along - I don't know. Geese are on the move  - we hear them several times a day.

The leaves are off the trees now. That's when we know it's really November.

"The opportunity of looking intently into some small portion of his natural environment, or the experience of being responsible for the survival of some part of it, enables a man to see his own place in the world with greater clarity, and perhaps with greater compassion."

                                                 -  Rachel Peden, Rural Free

I am working on a puffy whole cloth quilt for a co-worker; she has a baby. I thought I had a photo of it, but I guess not. It was something I began years ago to use some fabric, and then I stopped before finishing. Meanwhile, the colors are perfect for this baby, and the mother really would like it, so -  So, I'm finishing it up by hand - tying, not stitching!

cleansing the temples

 "Christ dwells in our churches so that we may easily come close to him, and once we have encountered him in these buildings, we ourselves are meant to become his temples. He wants to make us living sanctuaries and holy ground. What God longs for is not to dwell in the temples of stone, but to dwell in human hearts. The true temple of God is within. 

Once we grasp this, Jesus' zealous cleansing of the temple takes on a new significance. It is our hearts that Christ wants to purify. He comes to drive out the greed, jealousy, anger, and lust. ..It is not pleasant to have the tables within in overturned. Yet is is absolutely essential, for we cannot be truly happy until we are made suitable dwelling places for the glory of the Lord and find him living within us."

                                                -   from Magnificat, November 2025

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple men selling oxen, sheep and doves, and money-changers at their tables. And making a kind of whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, also the sheep and oxen, and he poured out the money of the changers and overturned the tables. And to them who were selling the doves he said, Take these things away, and do not make the house of my Father a house of business. And his disciples remembered that it is written, The zeal for thy house has eaten me up.

-  John 2:13-17

thoughts on prayer

 "That wonderful thing about praying is that you leave a world of not being able to do something, and enter God's realm where everything is possible. He specializes in the impossible. Nothing is too great for his almighty power. Nothing is too small for his love."

                                         -  Corrie Ten Boom, found on Pinterest

"Prayer is like an electric cord that carries energy into a receptive appliance."

                                          -  Rachel Peden, The Land, the People

finishing

 

This little piece of whatever is almost done. It might not look bad in the spare bedroom, under a lamp.

I suppose you would only know about Baker & Taylor if you were a library worker, but they are a large book distributor in North America. Where I work, we've always gotten our books from them; now, they are going out of business, and my boss has had to find another company. 

Baker & Taylor had two Scottish Fold cats for mascots. If you went to a library conference, you could get a paper shopping bag with their photo on it. And other things. They passed away years ago, but the B&T bags, and calendar, kept going. In fact, they would ask for photos of library cats for the calendar - I had almost forgotten that. 

The cats lived at a small library in Nevada, but were obtained for the library by B&T, who thought it would be a cute PR thing. They never expected them to be such a hit. Anyway, this book was written by a librarian at that library, and I couldn't resist when I heard about it. I don't know how a company can go from the largest distributor to libraries, to having to close up shop, but it's sad. My boss was faithful to them till the end (and a cat lover, I might add). It's not a gripping story, but under the circumstances I'm interested to know the story.