in the twelfth century

 The week following the big holiday is very quiet, after all the busyness - it seems odd, but it's necessary, I think. I finished reading a Brother Cadfael mystery, Dead Man's Ransom. I couldn't remember who the murderer was - thought it was someone else - but that isn't why I re-read them anyway; it's the whole story, and her telling of it. It was great!

The weather today was so beautiful, up into the forties, but sunny and it felt much warmer. I went outside and quickly re-pruned the rugosa. I hadn't cut it back far enough, and when the snow piles up, the canes will break without proper pruning. I was out there with only a cardigan because it took just a minute or two; I got a few rosehips while I was at it. 

The Christmas season is wonderful! A client of my brother's brought in a bottle of maple syrup from his own trees in Vermont, where they have another place. Lovely!

It's the feast of St. Thomas a Becket; he was supposedly murdered at the suggestion of Henry II, who was king after Cadfael's day, but not very long after. I recently obtained a used copy of Murder in the Cathedral, by T.S. Eliot:

What, at the time of the birth of Our Lord, at Christmastide, is there not peace upon earth, goodwill among men?  

The peace of this world is always uncertain, unless men keep the peace of God.

a merry Christmas

I hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas.

Twas in the moon of wintertime.
When all the birds had fled,
That God the Lord of all the earth
Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wandering hunters heard the hymn:

Jesus your King is born,
Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria.

- from the Huron Carol

yes, he is coming

 "Thus says the Lord God: Lo, I am sending my messenger, to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek. And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

                                                            Malachi 3:1

how to stay cozy

Annie was hanging around the baseboard heaters to try and warm herself, so we bought a couple of these cozy little retreats for the two cats, and it was a good purchase. They get used, especially by Daisy, but Annie also goes in to warm up  and I expect she'll use hers much of tomorrow as it's going to only be in the teens during the day! She still insists on sitting at the back screen door, with the fresh air flowing in, every morning after breakfast, but then later we find her sitting on the dryer, or trying to walk on the heaters. These little "huts" were a good idea. Wouldn't it be nice to have a little thing like this to curl up in?

every mountain and hill made low

I put the radio on to the classical music station; they were playing the Christmas parts of Messiah. I cranked it WAY up. 

Meanwhile, Daisy appeared on the shelving, and - see that candle on the right, in the iron holder? It was on the middle shelf, but she wants to chew everything that sticks up - I had to move it. So much for nice decor.  But I was greatly into the music, and thought it was kind of interesting that they were playing every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low. The crooked straight and the rough places plain. And this cat, leaping higher and higher, knocking things out of her way - it all seemed to fit somehow. 

He wasn't singing in my key, so I was having a hard time singing along. But all is chronicled here for posterity. Or madness.

"in that place of darkness and waiting"

 "The whole purpose of Advent is to be for a moment fully and consciously Before Christ. In that place of darkness and waiting, we look for his coming and do not presume too much that we already know or have it.....  The core of the Christian faith, and indeed of Judaism before it, concerns a God who meets particular people in particular places, and from one small encounter builds a nation and changes everything."

                                                       - Malcolm Guite, Waiting for the Word

O Adonai and Leader of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in flames
of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai:
come and redeem us with outstretched arm.

O Wisdom, come and show us

 Today I decided to make cookies instead of cleaning, or even making dinner - we got some soup and sandwich stuff at the store. I made totos, which take a while, but I love them and haven't had them for a few years. 

They are Italian cookies my aunt used to make, and a woman who comes into the library gave me her recipe - they are exactly like Auntie Adeline's. If you want to make them, this is how:

Totos

Mix together 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of cocoa powder, 1/2 tablespoon (one and a half teaspoons) of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of cloves. Set this aside.

In the bowl of the mixer, blend one egg, one cup of cold coffee, 2/3 cup of oil, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and 2 teaspoons each of orange peel and lemon peel. Then add the dry mixture a little at a time. Finally, mix in about one and a half cups of raisins. 

Oil your hands and, with a soup spoon, scoop up some and roll it into a ball, medium sized. They don't spread in the oven. Bake them at 350 F.

Now, the lady who gave me the recipe apparently bakes her for 50 minutes. I do not! I had written on mine to keep them in for 25, but today I was experimenting, and I think 15 might be good enough. Let's say between 15 and 20 minute per batch. 

When they cool, make a thin icing with powdered sugar and lemon juice - don't skip it! These cookies have many flavors in them, but they are good! Enjoy.

The O Antiphons begin tonight. 

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from end to end, mightily and sweetly ordering all things:
come and teach us the way of prudence.

Dolly, 12 years ago. 
There she was when we came home from Mass on Christmas Day.

Christmas preparations

 I'm making very slow progress on my plaid skirt; at this time of year, there are multitudes of extra things to be done. You have to decide which thing to do. 

Like make a batch of gingerbread spice. That was important. 

When, in the mornings, I ponder all the things I'd like to do, need to do, feel I should do, etc., in the course of the day, I've been asking myself, what is it that you'll be glad you did, at the end of the day? That clarifies everything for me!  It's the balance I'm always searching for. 

I put on my gaudy Christmas apron today, and baked a gingerbread for a birthday cake next week. I did not use the aforementioned spice mixture, as I like the recipe as it is; it's something I pinned because I liked the way it looked. This is it, and it actually reminds me of something they used to sell at the grocery store when I was a kid, called Spanish Bar Cake - do you remember it? Do they still make it? It had raisins inside, and I think it was spicy - it may have been a gingerbread. I wouldn't want to read the ingredient list now, but it looked like this photo, and I'm sure that's what drew me to it. Anyway, mine is safely in the freezer, and I'll make the cream cheese frosting on Monday (the Spanish Bar cake had regular frosting, a "buttercream".) 

I realize I don't mention the cats much. Dolly was very photogenic, and she was often surprising us in interesting ways. Daisy is so young and active that it's hard to get her to stop moving. 

None of these photos are any good. But they illustrate my point. But here's something -

And speaking of Christmas trees, I am throwing out our old one - the lights don't work and it sheds. I think Daisy would eat the "leaves"; she puts all sorts of things in her mouth. If we bought a new tree, it would have to be so dense that they couldn't climb it, and with the realistic type of needles which would hopefully be unpleasant to chew on. Last year, Annie went inside our tree and laid on some lower branches - she bent them down, and they wouldn't bend back; there was a big gap there afterward. So I'm not sure what the solution is. I'm pondering a three-foot tabletop model for the time being. I don't know - time is passing, and maybe if I put enough decorations out, it can look festive enough. But I do love a Christmas tree! 

Anyway, there's a lot to do, isn't there?

For any birth makes an inconvenient demand; like all holy things.*

-  from Christmas and Common Birth by Anne Ridler

*taken from Malcolm Guite's Waiting for the Word

gaudete

It's snowing; we'll get maybe four inches. And it's going to be colder this week, in the thirties during the day. Now I feel like Christmas is really on the way. I know that's ridiculous.

I'm aiming to make a flannel skirt with a lovely plaid I got from Walmart. It's very nice quality; after washing and drying, there was no need to iron it! But - a strange thing. If you sew, and know a little something about woven fabric, you might have noticed that fabrics don't have any "give" along the selvage length, but there is some give if you snap it crosswise. Do you know what I mean? If you've ever taken material and snapped it sharply, you know which way is the length and which the width. That's why it matters how the pattern pieces are cut. Anyway, this fabric from Walmart has the give along the selvage! And no give across! It's the opposite of any I've ever seen. Opposite of how it's supposed to be, for that matter (sheets don't do this - there's no give either way, that I've even noticed). So I had to piece the waistband since I couldn't get a long enough piece across the width. Quite confusing! 

I was looking up descriptions of plaid names; this seems to be a tartan. 

This struck me this morning:

John announces the coming of the Messiah who will burn away in the fire of the Spirit - the fire of God's love - all that hides God's goodness in this world. 

-  Magnificat, December, 2022

who watch and wait for you

 Light-bearing Christ, come down to us,
And light in darkness sow;
Come down and save our fallen world
Whose sinful ways you know.

Prepare us for your light and truth,
Who watch and wait for you;
Restore our once lost dignity;
Come down and make us new.

Almighty Father, speak the word
Your children long to hear,
And with your Spirit dwell in us;
Lord God of love, draw near.