"that place where we all exist"

 "Moth's leaning against the stone wall of a ruined building. He seems to be watching the last of the light, but he's not really here; his thoughts are beyond the horizon.

Are you okay? What's on your mind? Shall we go now and just get some sleep? I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted.

Me too, but lately I've realized that it doesn't matter how tired I am, I can't miss times like this. I have to hold on to every moment I can. 

But if you get too tired you won't be able to, you'll be sleeping through all the moments. As I say it, the memory of his endless sleeping before we left Cornwall floods my mind. The days lost in a fog of exhaustion and the doctor's warnings of 'don't get too tired'. It's taken every ounce of his willpower to get him to where we are now; I fear that extra hour of physical effort, or even the wind in the wrong direction, will be enough to send him right back to where he started from, or even further down.

I might have said the same before we left, but this trip has taught me something about all of this - the living, the dying, the void in between. It's not about how long it lasts, it's about the value of each moment. It's like one of your pans of mushroom soup.

It's almost completely dark, on the edge of an island stuck out in the North Sea, a chilly north-easterly wind blowing in from Scandinavia, and he's comparing life and death to a pan of soup. 

What?

It takes loads of mushrooms, so you only ever make enough for two bowls, but it's full of such deep and complex flavours - thyme and garlic, and earth - that it doesn't matter. That one bowl is enough, because it holds so much.

Earth? That's probably the compost I haven't washed off the mushrooms. 

You don't have to do that. 

Do what?

Whenever I mention death, you joke about it, or change the subject. Don't you get it? It's part of the soup. There's always more flavour when the mushrooms are about to go off: it makes the soup so much richer.

I might not make that soup again, not if it makes you think of earth and death, it's tomato from now on.

You know I see right through you, don't you?

I know. But you also know this trip's always been about gathering the ingredients for a great soup. 

It's already good soup.

The very best soup.

We walk away as darkness falls, somewhere in the void between life and death, that place where we all exist."

                                                            Landlines, by Raynor Winn

I hope it's not illegal to print this here!

Epiphany

My Master was so very poor,

a manger was his cradling place;

so very rich my Master was

kings came from far to gain his grace.

My Master was so very poor, 

and with the poor he broke his bread;

so very rich my Master was

that multitudes by him were fed.

My Master was so very poor,

they nailed him naked to a cross;

so very rich my Master was

he gave his all and knew no loss.

-   from Magnificat, January 2017

Labor Day

O God, who through human labor

never cease to protect and govern 

the vast work of creation,

listen to the supplications of your people,

and grant that all men and women

may find work that befits their dignity,

joins them more closely to one another

and enables them to serve their neighbor.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God,

forever and ever. Amen.

- from Magnificat, September 2016

plenty of corned beef

It's Holy Week, and I always want to have matzoh around; it seems fitting.

In reality, even though I love it, too much messes up the digestion - it's basically just flour and water.


I've been listening to this CD which Cyndi gave me a few years ago -

it was on repeat so many times, I think the cats got hypnotized - it was ten before seven and I realized they hadn't had their supper. Amazing that Henry wasn't asking for it!


We got lots of mileage from our corned beef and cabbage this year.  I bought two packages of the meat, and cooked one on St. Patrick's Day with the vegetables. There wasn't enough meat for leftovers on Saturday, so I cooked the other one.

Today I abandoned my dinner plans in favor of making a pot pie. There was a dill flavored dough in the freezer, so I took it out last night.  Into the casserole dish went the meat (there was plenty) and the carrots. I thought it should be without a gravy inside, so I baked it as it was, and made a gravy to serve over it. I know it's essentially the same thing, but the idea of some kind of gravy inside the pie with corned beef didn't sound right. So, we had it with the heated-up cabbage and some potatoes, and salad. Half of it is left, and we'll eat it on Tuesday after work!

Joining Rosie and Leila.

blooming, and other things

I planted crocuses for the first time in the fall. And they came up!

Why have I never bothered with them before? They're wonderful - such charming little things.

It's been spring-like almost all month - very un-Marchlike. And more things are ready to bloom.

Last year the daffodils were blooming on April 16th.

On Thursday, my freezer bag of vegetable scraps was full, so I made stock. I am ever grateful to Leila for suggesting this - it never occurred to me before!

I used some today for a thin sauce over rice, and yesterday in the mac and cheese.  It'll soon be time to use the scraps for compost, but now I feel torn between both uses for them. I do like to make compost, though.

My current issue of British Country Living gave me big surprise yesterday; I was looking at an article about storage and organizing,

when I saw someone familiar on the page -

the Blessed Mother!  

I can hardly believe it.

Joining Rosie and Leila this week.

quiet days

In summer I put kitchen scraps in the composter, but in winter I was lamenting that they are wasted, until I realized I could make vegetable stock with them, and I believe I got that idea on Leila's blog.

The ziploc bag gets filled up quickly; today it came out of the freezer and I made stock. 

To say it smells good is only part of the truth - it's real aromatherapy, I believe. 

I've been working on turning a small but well made (Talbot's! from ebay!) overall-style jumper into an apron.

I'll be glad to have one that's a solid color, as some of my clothing is print.

Henry patiently waited for me in one of the bedrooms while I vacuumed in the hallway.

He's smarter than we give him credit for.

I think I've mentioned before that sometimes, on a picturesque route, I'll just snap photos in the passenger side in the car and see what I get. Here's a small, cute house in the center of town.

Joining Suki and Leila today.

the past few days

I'm joining Rosie and Leila today -

The snowstorm passed through yesterday and when the sun emerged -

beautiful. For a while, the sun shone but the sky was darkish blue - so pretty.

So, I ended up having the whole day off - it wasn't worth opening the library at two when we close early on Fridays anyway. But before I knew that, and when we were just planning to open late, that cozy feeling which snowfalls always bring came over me and I heated up enough almond milk for all my co-workers, added cocoa, brown sugar and some spices.  Put it in two canning jars and wrapped them up so they wouldn't knock against each other.

And then I got the call we were closing.  I'll have to drink it all - my brother can't eat almond. It was a good thought, anyway.

After telling someone yesterday that I don't bother with plants because the cats love sitting on our only sunny windowsill, I came home from the supermarket today with a basil plant.  I just was unable to resist it - organic, and on sale!

I hope I can keep it going till April when I set up the greenhouse.

I just finished the new Jane Austen mystery by Stephanie Barron; I love this series - they're very cleverly done. And that's what I've been up to these last few days.

putting some of it away

I'm joining Leila today because she wants to know what's going on at my house, so...


This was breakfast - the bread that took one week to rise!  Yes! But it's delicious, and I'll have to do a whole post on it, I suppose.

I began putting away some decorations today:  this little nativity

and the three kings in our larger, white one.

I use a clean makeup brush to take off the dust.

I'm going to leave the Holy Family out for a while longer - with their donkey, of course. I changed the red cloth underneath them for something less Christmassy.

It was a sleepy day for some -

Made egg salad for lunches tomorrow.

{pretty, happy, funny, real} with Leila

Today was one of those balmy October days I can't resist - so I stayed out as long as I could. I cut back the hydrangea and brought several dried blooms inside with me. Leila's mention of her brown ones made me think of it, but ours weren't entirely dried; I thought some were pretty enough to bring in.

Some are also on top of the corner cabinet in a small crock I found downstairs last week, but it's too dark up there to photograph.

I strained the raw milk yogurt from the other day. This was after four hours; it's still got that lumpy-ish quality, but I'm happy with the experience and it does seem to have a bit of tang after all.

I picked up a P. G. Wodehouse from the library which I knew would be funny. Bertie Wooster is so ridiculous. I remember a radio series on a local NPR station many years ago with Richard Briers as Bertie and Michael Hordern as Jeeves - I loved it. Who doesn't enjoy a good laugh? Anyway, I've been poking through Leila's Library Project suggestions, and recently finished Gentian Hill. It would be hard to describe that book - it was like no other, is all I can say. But now it's time to laugh with Bertie.
.

Because I was outside a lot today, I did not finish washing the windows as I'd intended. That's the real, but I don't have a photo of it. Everyone knows what that looks like, anyway.  :D

cat eats webs, and leaves

I haven't joined Leila in a long time, but today I am.

{pretty}

My {happy} was the Red Sox winning the World Series. However, no one was there to photograph me (quietly) jumping up and down in my stocking feet.

{funny} and {real} 

Even though typical of cats, it was funny to see Henry jump into the cupboard after I'd emptied it to clean. The real part is that Henry, who thinks only of food and can sometimes be seen eating cobwebs (is that pica?)  found something in there of interest.   Handsome is as handsome does, Henry.

thanks to Leila and Rosie

sewing, showing and growing

Pretty, and Happy

Two projects almost completed - a cheerful skirt for Easter wear, which is now hemmed; and a quilt that I've started binding. How nicely they match each other, and my sewing machine!


Funny

This looks like a piece of cotton, doesn't it? But no; it's a Kleenex that went through the washer AND the dryer. Now we all know what a mess a Kleenex makes going through the wash - so what's up with this one??

Real

The ideal houseplant - one which is also meant to be eaten by pets. Not to mention that it's the lushest thing ever grown in this house. 

Joining Leila this time for {pretty, happy, funny, real}

something ratty in Bethlehem

Saturday into Sunday we had the first big snow of the season. These pretty firs are across the street.

I was very happy to find some Ghirardelli peppermint bark on sale - I broke it up and made these cookies again.  mmmm

Funny, but - I don't think I've ever seen a nativity with a giant rat

until now, that is.

Actually, a friend was over for dinner on New Year's Day and after he left I found the cat toy - I don't think I should blame the cats for this.


Joining Leila today.

preparing the way

It was in the past week that I got out most of the Christmas decorations

detail on a Christmas card

at the library - the patrons were coming in and exclaiming over it

prophetic view beyond a Christmas tree

Joining Leila this week 

pre-Thanksgiving {p,h,f,r}

Joining Leila today for {pretty, happy, funny, real} -

The view out the windows when it's either dawn or dusk always draws me, and I get such a compulsion to get an image.

pretty

There's an aura of mystery about these two - night is coming, but not yet. And lights are sparkling through the dark.


On the far side of about two towns away from us there's a family style restaurant quite well known in the area. We don't get out that way much at all, but a few years ago we were there at this time of year and I sampled some of their cranberry sherbet  (they make their own ice creams) which is only available at this time of the year.

A friend heads out that way for appointments regularly, so I asked him last week if he'd pick me up some for Thanksgiving. He called them, but they said it wouldn't be ready for a month! How could that be?  I was quite cast down, until I remembered that I have an ice cream maker. I found a recipe online and was making my holiday dinner plans when he called me today to say I should look on my back step for a package.

happy

He took a chance and stopped by there. This is the most delicious, creamy sherbet I've ever had, and the cranberry flavor is wonderful!  Ahhhh. And - it's a whole half-gallon!


I was menu-planning the other day - I keep my clipped recipes in a box from work, which previously held catalog cards - and Dolly simply had to insert herself in the box top.  She looks kind of weird here, doesn't she?  Like a grouchy Cheshire cat with an almost disembodied appearance.  So, that's my

funny

I have a long shelf in my bedroom which runs the length of a wall; I keep fabric on it. About twice a year I have to throw it all down on the floor, refold it and get it back up there neatly.  It's time to do it again.

real

I blurred it on purpose; it looks much more palatable that way. Almost circus-y.

Thanks again to Leila.