the real King

 It's the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the feast of Christ the King. This would be celebrated at the end, because proclaiming someone a king would be a culmination of their life. And next Sunday begins Advent, which is the beginning of the liturgical year. It would have to be the beginning, because it is the quiet, reflective time before Christmas, the birth of Jesus, and we know that life begins, not at birth, but before that, at conception. So, we honor that presence of him in his mother's womb for the three or four weeks before Christmas, waiting and preparing with her for the birth. 

It's nice for the merchants that Advent starts on December first this year, since all Advent calendars I've ever seen seem to think it always begins on that date. But Advent is not something invented by those who sell Christmas decorations. It was observed by the very early Christians and officialized in the fourth century - that's pretty early! They observed it practically from the beginning. 

Christ's reign is a conquest not over political enemies
but over the powers of sin and death.
His rule is redemption.

- from Magnificat, November 2024

Put no trust in princes,
in mortal men in whom there is no help.
Take their breath, they return to clay
and their plans that day come to nothing.

- from Psalm 146

late November

 We had plenty of wind yesterday; today, most of the Japanese maple's leaves are down. I was wondering when that would happen.

A few hang on, trembling in the chilly breezes. While I took pictures, Leo came through - he's often coming through.

Something caught his eye.

Then, I guess I caught his eye.

progress, and forgetting

 I was waiting for the cold nights to kill off the rampant weeds in my garden; I thought they might be easier to pull up. But we are also having a long drought - every day brings a fire warning. So, nothing is easy to pull out of a hard ground. 

Still, I went out today in the beautiful breeze and was able to remove some of it, and I guess I've got all winter to get it out of there, even till March. We'll see how diligent I am. 

I was noticing how the Japanese maple hangs on to its leaves when almost all the other trees have shed theirs. Some of the leaves look dry and deeper-colored, others look garnet with the sun shining through them.

"It is very often painful when the lovely images in the mind will not compose themselves into even reasonable facsimiles, in words. It can be so painful that I long to throw the typewriter out of the window and scrub floors all day. With a floor, I feel, you can see progress, you get somewhere."

                                               -   Gladys Taber

Oh, I was going to wash the bathroom floor today - forgot! 

fall colors

 A few nights ago it got down into the thirties. Now, we're having summer again, with four days in a row of the seventies and up to eighty. I'm trying to finish washing the windows while it's nice. 

I can't ignore the beautiful scenes out the window, with everything golden, and leaves gently falling in the sunlight. I notice every change of light, every different window angle - I am always enraptured at the beauty. The reds and oranges are past now; the yellows have taken over.

This is next door - can you believe it? And there's a golden maple in our yard, too.

Fantastic. I had my window open last night and will again - next week will be drastically different, with daytime temps in the fifties and then the forties! Well, it'll be November.

We have a book at the library similar to this one, with Carl Larsson's paintings in it; it's called A Farm. But there are two more, which I obtained through inter-library loan, A Family, and A Home. They are all delightful, as you can imagine. His work makes country life and family life fascinating and very appealing. I'm also going through some older Country Living magazines, tearing out what is saveable. This caught my eye today

In cities, no one is quiet but many are lonely.
In the country, people are quiet
but few are lonely.

- Geoffrey F. Fisher

I don't think Carl Larsson's home was too quiet, with so many children, but it looks just right. 

Meanwhile, I plod along with my sewing; I've cut some of it out, and was looking through my thread to find a match. I hesitated over the facings - I don't like them and would rather make a bodice lining, but I haven't done that with sleeves. It may be nothing, but I told myself not to be so stubborn and just do the facings. 

I was very surprised while cutting that Daisy didn't rush over when she heard the pattern papers rustling. Well, I have to thank God for these small mercies. Meanwhile, I caught her in a comical position today.