snow storm coming

 When I left work this afternoon, I heard a wren trilling. I wonder how the little birds will fare tomorrow, in the big snowstorm that's on the way. From around midnight to around midnight, it's going to snow, and quite a lot - blizzard conditions in part of the state. We'll try to make it enjoyable.

making perfect yogurt

 I like to make my yogurt in the evenings, and I intended to last night but at the end of the day I didn't want to do one more thing, so I didn't. But while I was at work today I thought about it, and really the Instant Pot does it all - it's just a matter of keeping on top of when the milk is heated up sufficiently and when it's cooled enough. And I thought I might give it a go when I got home, even though it would be in between dinner stuff and laundry stuff and the rest of it. 

I have made yogurt on and off over the years, never sticking to it for too long, but I've made it on the stove and in the crockpot. And then strained it, as most people these days like it thick. Then I bought an Instant Pot. I had heard they are the best way to make yogurt. It's true. 

It's a big one - an eight quart, and I keep it in the spare room down the hall. So I brought it to the kitchen, plugged it in, set it to "saute" and poured in a half gallon of pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized) milk. Then I went off to get changed, feed the cats, etc., etc. I know enough now to watch for the milk to steam, and then to start to become frothy - by then it's getting up to 185 F. I take the liner containing the hot milk and put it somewhere to cool. It has to get down to around 115 F, and that takes somewhere between twenty and twenty-five minutes. I add only one quarter cup of my previous yogurt, stir a bit, put the lid on securely and set it on "yogurt". It will keep it at the perfect temperature until I'm up in the morning, which tomorrow will be about thirteen hours later. I will take out the liner and put it in the basement fridge. And when I get home I can ladle it into jars. 

This will be the fourth time I've made it in the Instant Pot, and I can tell you it is the thickest I've ever made. Not as thick as Greek yogurt, but thick enough for me to feel I don't have to bother straining it. Which is great, because there's no waste. I get a half gallon of yogurt when I'm done! For less than three dollars. I'm not terrific at flavoring it; I have it with my granola. The Instant Pot is big and takes up a lot of room, but it makes perfect yogurt. I just need to remember to learn to use it for other things.

hidden things

 I like to observe holidays; they exist for a reason. It may amount to a cloth on the table, some dessert, a day of less housework. Sunday is also in this category - it's different from the other days of the week. 

From the first reading at Mass: 

   Today is holy to the Lord, your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep.... Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our Lord. 

                                                              -Nehemiah 8:9

"If we take for ourselves no other model than those who are world-famous, this will hurt us a great deal and result in a lifetime of striving to be somebody. But if we follow the model of a Redeemer who for thirty years lived in obscurity, it should not distress us to be ignored. There are very few people of worldly importance; far in the majority are the multitudes of ordinary people whose path to heaven is unexciting and unromantic. How very kind of God to show us by his long, hidden life that his plan of redemption includes everyone, even those whose lives are so unremarkable that the world does not notice at all!"

                                                                - Sister Mary Jean Dorcy, O.P., from Magnificat, January 2022

warmth in numbers

 When I came up the basement stairs into the kitchen I could see out the window to the bird feeder; there were three dark gray juncos and a brown wren. The juncos prefer eating on the ground, but it was snowing. I've discovered a new podcast called BirdNote - it's very short, two minutes usually, and today they were talking about what some birds do when it's cold. Apparently, Eurasian Wrens, who are common in the UK, have been found 40 in a nest box! And over here, the winter wren was found over thirty together. Bluebirds huddle together, too. 

So now we have a little snow again, and when it gets down in the twenties tomorrow I can think of the little birds warming each other with some companionship.

scones for hermits

 It's the feast of St. Anthony, the hermit. Why didn't I think to make hermits? But it's getting late, the butter is in the freezer and there is bread in the oven. I've got to start on the soup. Oh, blast! But I did make scones earlier, and they are spiced and homey - they'll have to do.

O raise your voices! Wake the world!
And let your songs of praise be heard!
For both in town and desert waste
God's glory finds a dwelling place.

not even one percent

 When Orphan Annie finally had her check-up, she was found to weigh eleven and a half pounds. Ahem. This would be our fault, of course. Dr. P. said it can't continue.

So she hasn't eaten one piece of dry food since, and she does not get food every time she cries, and she cries very pitifully, like all cute cats know how to do.

But we also found out what kind of cat she is. And she's not a Burmese, not even one percent! Here's the lowdown:  

• 41% American domestic and 11% European domestic
• 13% Maine Coon and 12% Norwegian Forest cat (my favorite cat!!) 
• 10% Sphynx (really???)
• 2% Highlander 

That was the Western section. There is a Persian section which says she's 10% Scottish Fold and 1% British Shorthair. So, the British Shorthair is a Persian? And the Scottish Fold, too? Interesting.

Ten percent Sphynx - you know these cats are hairless, right? And she's twenty five percent very hairy cat (the Maine Coon and Forest Cat, which I think are related from way back, along with the Siberian cat: very large, fluffy cats). I had to look up the Highlander, which has ears that seem to curl forward, as opposed to the Scottish Fold, whose ears curve back. What a confusing family line. 

According to something I read, Burmese cats know how to play fetch, and they have a very silky coat and are heavier than they seem. They are good natured, rather like a dog in some ways. Annie is all those things, but it's not enough to make her Burmese. :D It's very cool to me that she's part Norwegian Forest Cat, but that doesn't make her look like one. And, what is the difference between the American Domestic and the European Domestic? I never heard of either. She is a tiny bit British Shorthair, but not American Shorthair. Aren't all regular cats in this country American shorthairs? 

the little imposter

You know that Dolly is next, right?

to sleep, or not to sleep

 I returned Yeats to the library; now I have Wordsworth. 

This evening I hankered for a hot cocoa, so I had one, but I wonder if the caffeine will disturb my sleep.

TO SLEEP

A flock of sheep that leisurely pass by,
One after one; the sound of rain, and bees
Murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas,
Smooth fields, white sheets of water, and pure sky;
I have thought of all by turns, and yet do lie
Sleepless! and soon the small birds' melodies
Must hear, first uttered from my orchard trees;
And the first cuckoo's melancholy cry.
Even thus last night, and two nights more, I lay
And could not win thee, Sleep! by any stealth:
So do not let me wear tonight away:
Without thee what is all the morning's wealth?
Come, blessed barrier between day and day,
Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health!

- William Wordsworth

winter night

 "There is something at once magnificent and terrible about moonlight on the snow during these cold, white January nights. 
 If one is outside, and cold, the landscape has a profoundly lonely look, underlined by shadows. Only in a warm house, surrounded by people and the pattern of busy living, is this loneliness abated. Even then it is awesome and beautiful."

                                                  - Rachel Peden, A Farmwife's Almanac of Country Living

the profound stillness

 I think I happened upon an answer to my question from yesterday:

"Why do people always get so still when they watch the snow, murmured Carol at the kitchen window, as if they could see it better that way?
  It is because the beginning of snow is, itself, a profound stillness in which the listener hears the thoughts of his own secret heart."

                                           -  from A Farmwife's Almanac of Country Living, by Rachel Peden

unexpected

 We knew it would snow overnight, only two to five inches, and over a fifteen-hour period. 

early morning

But it came faster, and heavier, and I got an email first thing that said the Town offices were closing, and that included the library. A snow day!

What is it about a snowfall that compels you to feel quiet inside, even while you are joyfully going about finishing up what you didn't do the day before.

deep, dark afternoon sky

when I have time

 

What I'm reading at present. Jane Eyre is more fantastic than I remembered. Highly Irregular was a Christmas present - it's about many quirks of the English language. The young woman who wrote it is smart as a whip. (now, I wonder what she'd make of that saying?) The reason I've got The Mind of the Middle Ages, well - I read The Year of Our Lord, 1943, and in it, Alan Jacobs mentioned something about the Romanesque period as having a different way of thinking than previously or later - anyway, it caught my curiosity enough that I hope this book may shed some light. It's rather like a textbook but interesting all the same. May it continue that way! I have nothing to say yet about The Apostles and Their Times. 

I also pick up A Literary Christmas now and then - it has a pretty cover

And today, being Epiphany, ended the daily Advent (and later) meditations in Malcolm Guite's Waiting on the Word. I can't say enough about it - if it sounds good to you, buy it.

I rise in the dawn, and I kneel and blow
Till the seed of the fire flicker and glow;
And then I must scrub and bake and sweep
Till stars are beginning to blink and peep;
And the young lie long and dream in their bed
Of the matching of ribbons for bosom and head,
And their day goes over in idleness,
And they sigh if the wind but lift a tress;
While I must work because I am old,
And the seed of the fire gets feeble and cold.

- The Song of the Old Mother, by W. B. Yeats

the little folk and the embattled flaming multitude

 Well, it's a new year, and there's a new reading challenge I'm embarking on. The very first thing is to read eleven poems by a poet who's been highlighted on the Well-Read Poem podcast - I chose William Butler Yeats. 

I've never been much of a poetry person, but I think the influence of Gretchen, for one thing, has encouraged me; also, the two poetry podcasts I subscribe to - it does seem to grow on you. So I opened the poetry book of Yeats' work, and the very first one grabbed me. 

To Some I Have Talked with by the Fire

While I wrought out these fitful Danaan rhymes,
My heart would brim with dreams about the times
When we bent down above the fading coals;
And talked of the dark folk, who live in souls
Of passionate men, like bats in the dead trees;
And of the wayward twilight companies,
Who sigh with mingled sorrow and content,
Because their blossoming dreams have never bent
Under the fruit of evil and of good;
And of the embattled flaming multitude
Who rise, wing above wing, flame above flame,
And, like a storm, cry the Ineffable Name;
And with the clashing of their sword blades make
A rapturous music, till the morning break,
And the white hush end all, but the loud beat
Of their long wings, the flash of their white feet. 

Fantastic! Then I went to youtube, hoping to hear some recited by actors. Here's Sam Neill (why did I think he was American?). 

Yeats was really into the world of the little folk - well, I like the fairy folk myself. Except that after a while I wondered if he ever came back to earth. But I don't know anything about the man. 

reflecting Christmas

 "Surely happiness is reflective, like the light of heaven; and every countenance bright with smiles, and glowing with innocent enjoyment, is a mirror transmitting to others the rays of a supreme and ever shining benevolence. He who can turn churlishly away from contemplating the felicity of his fellow beings, and can sit down darkling and repining in his loneliness when all around is joyful ... wants the genial and social sympathies which constitute the charm of a merry Christmas."

                                                                          -  Washington Irving, from The Sketch Book

New Year's table

 I've been wanting to put the little Christmas tree on the table during dinner some time - that was easy enough, since it sits right next to the table on a shelf. And I've been wishing I had charger plates for a more elegant look. Years ago I bought a big, gold, plastic one but what good is only one? 

Anyway, I wondered how the tree would look with that charger plate under it, and when I went up on the stool to get it, I saw three more behind it, and a silver one! I've had them so long, and never used them once - so I forgot they were even there. I put them under the dark blue plates and found some Santa paper napkins which livened up the place settings with some design and color.

 I put a thrifted brass candle holder with holly leaf cut-outs next to the tree and went through the cards we got - one that Debra made seemed to go nicely there.

 It was lovely!

ring in

A Happy New Year to everyone!

 Ring out the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be.

                                        - Tennyson, from Ring Out, Wild Bells

oft told Christmas tales

 I have a book called A Literary Christmas which I've been going through here and there. A Washington Irving excerpt caught my fancy and it turned out we had the complete piece at the library.

"It seemed to throw open every door, and unlock every heart. It brought the peasant and the peer together, and blended all ranks in one warm generous flow of joy and kindness. The old halls of castles and manor houses resounded with the harp and the Christmas carol, and their ample boards groaned under the weight of hospitality. Even the poorest cottage welcomed the festive season with green decorations of bay and holly - the cheerful fire glanced its rays through the lattice, inviting the passenger to raise the latch, and join the gossip knot huddled round the hearth, beguiling the long evening with legendary jokes, and oft told Christmas tales."

                                                                             - from The Sketch Book, "Christmas"

melting

 Christmas has been so nice and quiet, which is what's usually needed after all the hubbub that always comes before. But we did have some ice Christmas morning, and almost thought we wouldn't make it to church

but we did. Then things got warmer on Sunday and it mostly melted and I am still grateful at how amazing it all was, to snow just in time for Christmas and melt away right after. 

A patron brought in some homemade goodies for us at work last week, and I asked her for a particular cookie recipe. They are chocolate drop cookies with chocolate chips and dried cherries, which sort of dissolve and give a fruity flavor. Well, mine spread out too much and looked unattractive; she didn't say to chill the dough. Anyway, I hadn't baked the whole batch, so I pressed the remainder into a small cake pan and cooked it that way.

I like it like that! At least it looks more appealing. The recipe is worth keeping. 

like magic

 And there was snow, this morning, Christmas Eve day. And yesterday I scrubbed the kitchen floor. What more could I want?

Earth, strike up your music, 
Birds that sing and bells that ring;
Heaven hath answering music
For all Angels soon to sing:
Earth, put on your whitest
Bridal robe of spotless snow:
For Christmas bringeth Jesus,
Brought for us so low.

-  Christina Rossetti, a verse from Christmas Eve

the Advent of our daily lives

 "The liturgy of Advent... is not just about commemorating the historical event which occurred some two thousand years ago in a little village of Judea. Instead we must understand that our whole life should be an advent in vigilant expectation of Christ's final coming. To prepare our hearts to welcome the Lord who will come one day to judge the living and the dead, we must learn to recognize his presence in the events of daily life. Advent is then a period of intense training that directs us decisively to the One who has already come, who will come, and who continuously comes."

                                                                                       - St. John Paul II, from Magnificat, December 2021

naughty, naughty cat

 I can't believe I attached a favorite bird ornament on the tree with her watching. When I went in to unplug the tree, there were white feathers scattered underneath it. The bird was laying there, no tail feathers. Naughty Annie! Stupid Lisa.

soon and very soon

 We sing this hymn at least once during Advent in recent years in church, and we did this morning. 

There isn't enough time in the week for me to do every thing that comes to my mind to do. We will see what happens. 

The advent of our God
Our prayers must now employ,
And we must meet him on his road
With hymns of holy joy.

Daughter of Zion, rise
To meet your lowly King,
Nor let your faithless heart despise
The peace he comes to bring.

- from Magnificat, December 2021

one more week

 There was a fantastic sunrise this week -

I had to dial down the light coming into the camera; this is how the sky really looked, with that purply-pink color and the pieces of cloud, don't know what they're called.

And now it's cold again. It's been rainy today and may turn to snowy stuff during the night, but it doesn't look like a white Christmas this year. 

I made yogurt today. I usually do it overnight, but this time started it in the morning, and I just put the Instant Pot liner in the fridge. I tell you, the Instant Pot makes the best yogurt! The secret must be it's ability to keep it at a steady temperature indefinitely - today I let it ferment for ten hours. It comes out so thick I don't need to strain it, so there's no waste; if I start out with half a gallon of milk, that's what I end up with, or maybe a little less due to a little evaporation when it heats up initially.

A man and his daughter came up to the children's desk at work yesterday to check out two books. He put them on the counter and began fiddling with his watch. I thought what's he doing? Well, he had a smart watch and his library barcode was on there - he stuck out his wrist and I scanned it! 

We've been having lots of soup this Advent and it's been nice - one more week to go. The other day it was chicken soup with some greens and this piece ended up on the spoon rest (which is really the cover to a plastic container). It looks like a frog, doesn't it? 

It's not.

I made granola today, too. I like to make it at night. I overload the roasting pan with about ten cups of stuff, stir it a few times while it stays an hour and a half in a low oven and then it sits in the warm oven overnight, where it dries out completely by morning. Granola is expensive to buy, but I am not sure it's much cheaper to make, since I like to put so many things in it. 

I went to confession today; I always feel lighter when I come out - I even felt like that as a child. It's a good thing, right before Christmas. It's the second day of the O Antiphons. Eleven years ago I posted each of the O Antiphons with a piece of art from online that I really enjoyed choosing. I can't believe that was so long ago. Here they are, if you're interested. They don't appear in order in the link, so you'll have to skip up and down to read them properly. 

The promised one shall come and rule over us in peace. 

very near

 Today was so mild, but I also had another headache. It may have been due to the warmer weather, but I can never be sure. So, my dreams of sitting quietly and diligently at the table writing Christmas cards did not come to pass. But I did dust the kitchen, do my regular cleaning and make chicken soup. I think I have to be content with just keeping up with laundry and dishes. I had some windows open for a while, and even stepped outside just to take a turn around the yard and talk to the birds.

Look up, O drooping hearts, today,
The King is very near;
O cast your griefs and fears away,
For, lo, your help is here!
Hope on, O broken hearts, at last
The King comes in his might;
He loved us in the ages past
When we lay wrapped in night.

             -  from Magnificat, December 2021

I found a dried orange slice, broken in half, in the living room this morning. Naughty Annie.

adventing

It seems about two weeks before Christmas I get the urge to bring out more glitter and shine; this may have something to do with Gaudete Sunday, which was yesterday. Now things are looking more like Christmas around here, but I haven't finished yet. 

I organized another shelf in one of the basement closets, and it's so neat now. There are some cake pans, birthday candles, cookie cutters and colored sugars and other sprinkles, etc., and I tend to use those decorations at this time of year mostly. I haven't made any cookies yet, but I think I'll do better by making quick drop-type cookies, and maybe scones and some cakes which I can slice into portions to give people. Nothing too fussy or time-consuming. 

The bathroom floor is scrubbed and shining. I feel like I'm getting somewhere. 

The orange slices I dried last year still look good - I may do some more. 

Dolly was fussing at us so much earlier this evening - she had food nearby, so we didn't know what was the problem. After quite a while, I put her on my bed on the green quilt and turned on the radio. Immediately, she began to settle and talk in a contented way. Dolly, I apologize that I didn't think to turn it on before! I can't believe this is what she actually wanted - since, when she complains, it always sounds the same, and we always think she's saying,  "I want food". Everything she says sounds the same! Poor Dolly. But she seems to take comfort in hearing the music nearby.

Meanwhile, I am following along this Advent with Malcolm Guite's book, Waiting for the Word, a poem each day with commentary by himself. I love it. 

into His destiny

 "The children who refuse to dance or mourn* represent souls that are anesthetized by self-absorption and doubt. The Son of Man, because of his great love, experienced both exquisite joy and profound sorrow. He invites us into his destiny. Thus, we share in his cross with the assurance that, if we do, our 'name will never be cut off or blotted out from his presence.' Believing this is true wisdom." 

                                                                          - from Magnificat, December 2021

* from Matthew 11:16-19

We await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our mortal bodies, to conform with his glorified body. 

- Phil. 3:20-21

a short conversation

 The phone rang. I picked it up.

me: Hello?

OP (the other person): Who's this?

me: Hello?!

OP: Who is this?

me: Did you call me?

OP: This is a call-back. I'm calling you back!

me: I didn't call you!

OP: I got a call from this number; I'm calling you back!!

me: I did not call you!

OP: Then, why is this number showing up on my phone?

me: Because certain people have software that does this to be funny  - I assure you, I did not call you. So, anyway, whoever you are, have a nice evening!

OP: And you, as well!

me: Good-bye!

OP: Good-bye!

This has happened before. Maybe with caller ID it's not an issue, but this phone I used doesn't have it. 

a welcome delight

 When I got into bed last night, snow was falling. I turned out the light and could still see Dolly's white shape in the bright glow of the snowy atmosphere.

This morning, I'd forgotten all about it, until I heard the snow shovel scraping on the driveway.

Gold-tinged tree branches made me bring out my camera several times; it's very hard to capture. But I didn't expect a snowy landscape from this, and it will be gone when sixty degree temps come on Saturday. So it was a beautiful surprise.

The snow always gives that feeling of newness, freshness, and new beginnings. Which is what Advent is about.

I will give you a new heart
and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.

- from Ezekiel, chapter 36

new curtains for the living room

 I was very excited today to finish off the new living room curtains. The curtains I made years ago were impossible to salvage another day. I had hung those every fall, ignoring how faded they were, until last year when I cut them short and used them like valances. Which was rather cute, but it couldn't last.

So, there I was, looking at fabric sites and wondering what look I wanted. Meanwhile I was thinking of things in drawers which could be gotten rid of, or whatever, and I remembered two twin flat sheets, in their packages, which nobody had a use for. I folded over the big hems and slipped them over the rod. 

They are a mocha color and they darkened the room immediately. This can be cozy when winter comes, but they were just hanging there and something else was needed. I searched Pinterest and found this image 

And this is what I did -

It's hard to tell here, but I used brilliant red satin ribbon which I have plenty of and I love it! I decided ahead of time I wanted the curtains pulled up at the lowest window pane. What a difference! I like the idea that it's tied back up and away from frisky kitties - I'd never seen this style before. Thanks to Mom's Secret Recipe blog for posting it.

instead of a listless spirit

 O God of glory, 
you have sent your only Son into our midst
to bear us in joy into your presence.
Waken those whose faith slumbers;
stir up those whose love has waned into indifference;
rouse to fullness of life those who have abandoned their journey 
toward you amid the hardships they have met along the way.
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn; To place on those who mourn in Zion a diadem instead of ashes, To give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. 

                                                                 -  Isaiah 61:1-3

Christmas with the cats

 The tree is up, and the lights. I need to find a sensible method of doing the lights but now's not the time to think about it. And Tricia came by to give me a darling little hedgehog ornament! I clipped it on, and it's starting to look Christmas-y.

The Orphan finally had an appointment with the vet for a checkup, Thursday morning. We'd put it off for over a year, with so many appointments for Sweetie and Dolly. Meanwhile I went to give Dolly her insulin shot Wednesday night. She was curled up, sleeping. I wanted to wake her first; I poked her, Dolly, Dolly. She didn't move. My brother came in and we were poking her, but not pushing. After a minute or so, she finally awoke, made a sound and stretched. Gosh! But then I thought about how over the past few days she'd been eating less, sleeping more and seeming out of it, otherwise. I decided to take her in instead of Annie. She's got an infection!  Upper respiratory. After four doses of Clavamox, she is already eating much better and like her old self again. Poor Dolly! And Orphan Annie has a short reprieve (because I know she does not like going into the carrier), until the 28th. 

And speaking of Annie, on Cyber Monday I happened on a youtube video of the Kitten Lady testing the DNA of all her cats with a company called Wisdom. There was a link and a sale. I ordered it! It's Clare's doing - she started this when she thought Annie might be Burmese, and it seems to me like she is, reading about the characteristics. Now we'll find out for sure!  I always wished I knew what kind of cat Henry was, but I don't think they had these kits back then. Of course Dolly may well have some fancy lineage, but it's rather expensive, and Annie is more surely part fancy cat. And I got forty five dollars off. (I hope she won't mind getting the inside of her cheek scraped for half a minute!) 

on a better day

grace

 I just read this:

Nothing is more repugnant to capable, reasonable people than grace.

-   John Wesley