order, beauty

"Order is the shape upon which beauty depends."

                 -    Pearl Buck   (from Simple Abundance)

blue and gold

Our house faces westish, and yesterday after an early dinner when the sun was getting lower, the sky behind the house got that darkish deep blue and the golden light was all over the trees and everything out there.

 I don't really like putting up pictures of my neighbors' houses, so I used a filter called smudge stick, but you can still get the idea of the brightness.

a thing for hankies

My mother sang in the church choir and I'd usually go up with her.  A nice lady up there once gave me a set of three machine-embroidered handkerchiefs, and I haven't looked back since.  Years later while working in the nursing home, a patient brought out stacks of hankies she'd made years before, some with tatted edges and some with crocheted. She let me take a big stack. 

Those are all gone, but meanwhile I found that one of the fabric companies had printed some to be used for crafts.  I use them for my runny nose.

I also have three beautiful Christmas hankies my mother gave me.  Yes, I'm ironing. I'm ironing anyway.

dear tree

Our beloved ornamental cherry tree, which sits in front of the house and blooms so magnificently every spring -

Our dear tree which was so weighed down by snow two years ago -

                           

has a split right down the length of the trunk, and I was the one to discover it (with a shock) this morning.

I was very surprised two years ago when there seemed to be nothing wrong, after the big snow. But maybe that caused a weakening, and together with temperatures in single digits yesterday, this crack developed.

I called the nursery where we got it - she said when it's getting warmer to paint it with that black tree stuff. I thought she'd say we should wrap it up! Bind the wound! Put it in swaddling clothes like a baby! She didn't seem to think so.

My brother knows an arborist - we're going to see what he thinks. It's heartbreaking.

one more

Christmas present to give, that is.

I'm in no hurry.

May each Christmas, as it comes, find us more and more like Him who at this time became a little child, for our sake, more simple-minded, more humble, more affectionate, more resigned, more happy, more full of God.

-  Cardinal John Newman (from Miss Read's Christmas Book) 

winter cold from the past

With reports of such cold temperatures around the country, I offer this from Miss Read's Christmas Book:

Sunday, Christmas Day, 1870

As I lay awake praying in the early morning I thought I heard a sound of distant bells. It was an intense frost. I sat down in my bath upon a sheet of thick ice which broke in the middle into large pieces whilst sharp points and jagged edges stuck all round the sides of the tub like chevaux de frise, not particularly comforting to the naked thighs and loins, for the keen ice cut like broken glass. The ice water stung and scorched like fire. I had to collect the floating pieces of ice and pile them on a chair before I could use the sponge and then I had to thaw the sponge in my hands for it was a mass of ice. The morning was most brilliant. Walked to the Sunday School with Gibbins and the road sparkled with millions of rainbows, the seven colours gleaming in every glittering point of hoar frost. The Church was very cold in spite of two roaring stove fires.

                                     -   Francis Kilvert,  Diary, 1870-1879

Now that's something I could never do.

on the eleventh day of Christmas...

one friar piping?  Well, it is a bit cold for sandals, so I guess I shouldn't expect the other ten.

a chocolate memory

Cyndi brought me some Fanny Farmer chocolates for Christmas. She had a reason for it.

When I was a child, before the days of shopping malls, my mother would dress me up and bring me into the city, where we'd go to my absolute favorite department store; a place with brightly-lit make-up counters, escalators, a large ladies' lounge, dining room with Victorian wallpaper, and, at the top of one of the escalators, a little spot where they sold chocolates. I have a memory of a box of milk chocolates all in the shape of wooden shoes.

About twenty years later, Aunt Helen and Uncle Tony came by for one of their monthly visits. These were always very pleasant - they'd come around lunchtime on a weekday and Aunt Helen would usually bring a small box of chocolates. This time it was Fanny Farmer, which I hadn't had. Or I thought I hadn't. I chose a solid milk chocolate piece, and was instantly transported back to my childhood at that wonderful department store. So, at last I knew what brand those chocolates were! There was no doubt in my mind - that taste memory was a certainty.

I didn't know Cyndi when I was little, but I've been friends with her a long time and she knows the story, so when she saw these she remembered. Thanks, Cyndi!   mmmm

New Year yarnalong

I finished my cowl finally. I do like it! I wasn't sure - I've never had one before. I guess I need to block it.

Thought I must try a selfie, since it was just named the most annoying word of the past year but I couldn't get it right; still, it looks passable in black and white.

I'm kind of in between books right now, but have been looking through these two:

The Christmas one is from another library, recommended by Anne. The other was a present, and is very interesting, with much about ancient times.  Glad I don't live in that era, though.

Thanks to Ginny, and yarnalong.

afternoon delights

A sunny spot in the living room with a bit of hand stitching, listening to Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring on the radio.

With company.

time for crossing the desert

"If, as Herod, we fill our lives with things, and again with things; if we consider ourselves so unimportant that we must fill every moment of our lives with action, when will we have the time to make the long, slow journey across the desert as did the Magi? Or sit and watch the stars as did the shepherds? Or brood over the coming of the child as did Mary?"

                                        -  anonymous  (from Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach)

an Italian time

Like every Christmas, we spent it with my Italian side of the family. 

Very lively. Kissing everybody. Rum cake. Laughing.

And a new ornament - the Italian flag - and everybody got one.

a blessed Christmas

(painting by Heather Sleightholm)

"the incredible truth"

"We do not dare to believe or trust the incredible truth that God could live in us, and live there out of choice, out of preference. The message of hope the contemplative offers you is not that you need to find your way through the jungle of language and problems that today surround God; but that whether you understand or not, God loves you, is present to you, lives in you, dwells in you, calls you, saves you, and offers you an understanding and light which are like nothing you ever found in books or heard in sermons."

                                   -   Thomas Merton

a smart cookie

The Smart Cookie I'm talking about is me. 

I've mentioned these before. Once you've had them you don't forget them. And I've never met a person who didn't love them. 

You roll the little balls of dough in some sugar, and since it's holiday time, I got out my silver sugar, which is rod-shaped and can really make a statement. Mixed it up with the granulated sugar, and they came out perfect. Very wintery looking, as if they'd blown into the kitchen after a tumble through the ice and snow.

two winter yarns

I'm joining Ginny again for yarnalong. I've begun knitting a cowl for myself, just because it's a good way to use up some Wool Ease Chunky - I don't know if I'll even like it. We'll see. I'm using the Simple Ribbed Cowl pattern here on Ravelry. 

I have issues with using circular needles - it feels like my gauge is loose when I use them, at least at the beginning of the work until I get going. So it was fortuitous that when I decided to make this, I didn't have any size thirteen circulars and had to go with the elevens.

My book is one of Anne Perry's annual Christmas mysteries, A Christmas Odyssey, from three years ago. These are always enjoyable and there are about a dozen by now, and can be read in any order since they're not a series.

"not now"

I see him, though not now;

I behold him, though not near;

A star shall advance from Jacob,

and a staff shall rise from Israel.

- Numbers 24:17

in a Christmas dreamland

The Music Lover, lulled to sleep after enjoying Christmas carols.

the reds

We've got some snow on the ground; now it's really winter. It's feeling like Christmas. And another of the things I do in Advent is get out the reds. A throw, dishes, ornaments, napkins - it turns everything warm, cozy and cheerful.

A crocheted ornament from Tracy, hanging from the kitchen light with a snowman gift tag.

a reason why Catholics are devoted to the mother of Jesus

"The genuine significance of Catholic devotion to Mary is to be seen in the light of the Incarnation itself. The Church believes that the one who was closest to him in this great mystery was the one who participated most perfectly in the gift.

Mary, who was empty of all egotism, free from all sin, was as pure as the glass of a very clean window that has no other function than to admit the light of the sun. If we rejoice in that light, we implicitly praise the cleanness of the window. And, of course, it might be argued that in such a case we might well forget the window altogether. This is true. And yet the Son of God, in emptying himself of his majestic power, having become a child, abandoning himself in complete dependence to the loving care of a human mother, in a certain sense draws our attention once again to her.

The Light has wished to remind us of the window, because he is grateful to her and because he has an infinitely tender and personal love for her. If he asks us to share this love, it is certainly a great grace and a privilege, and one of the most important aspects of this privilege is that it enables us, to some extent, to appreciate the mystery of God's great love and respect for his creatures."

                                               -  Thomas Merton

(Madonna and Child, by Marianne Stokes)

Santa Lucia

Today was the feast of St. Lucy, who is especially revered in Sweden. Which is a fascination to me, as Protestants don't generally want to pay much attention to the saints.  I like to play this cd on her day (but not just today); beautifully performed by students in an elementary school for singing, but very professional.

When the days are cold and grey and the nights long and overcast

and summer sleeps like frozen earth

When snow has fallen brightly from a grey and cloudy sky

and everyone dresses warmly against the bitter cold

then a light reaches into every dark corner

for look, Lucia is standing among you.

- from Lucia Song

easy winter scene

In the current issue of Country Living is an awfully cute idea with inexpensive salt shakers, small bottle brush trees, a miniature stag and salt for snow.  Meanwhile, I found myself at the thrift store yesterday and found one of those great mason jars with a glass lid and wire closure. It's pretty good sized; the opening being about three inches with plenty of room inside for a little winter scene. 

So when Emily came again today, I sent her outside to gather some sticks and greenery. Our little glass deer fits right in with yew pieces behind and red berries in the "snow".

We included a taller stick to give the crowded arrangement some balance. You could do a lot with this idea.

Now our little fawn is sitting happily on a shelf in the secretary.

sentiment on a Christmas card

This, inside a card we received yesterday:

   During this Holy Season, may your hearts be warmed with the golden memories of all the happy days you have ever known. 

   May every gift God has given you fill the hearts of all who are dear to you with its fragrance.

   And may the peace-giving smile of the Infant Jesus abide with you always, keeping you lovingly near to Him and to Mary, His Virgin Mother, and to St. Joseph.

And I also wish this for all my blogging friends.

incredible sunrise

Yes, it was the sun rise. I could hardly believe it. And then we had snow all day. "Sailors take warning."

perfect for a tablecloth

I used it last year for the tree skirt, but I suddenly realized how perfect it works on the table. A yarn-dyed cotton plaid in navy and "natural", it may be homespun but I'm not sure - the only homespun I've seen was heavier and stiffer than this.

The blue (plastic) and the patterned (plastic) placemats look well on it. Our red New England-y patterned dishware looks fine with it, as do the cheap (microwaveable) blue plates from the supermarket.

The china, too!

It also blends very well with the wallpaper. And looks as okay rumply as smooth. I'm thrilled!
It fits on the table with just a little to spare, and all I'm going to do is zigzag the cut edges.

"the most obvious reason we might think of cats as little people"

"Cynics often suggest that cats trick people into providing food and shelter through false displays of affection, and that cat owners project their own emotions onto their cats, imagining that the love they feel for their pet is reciprocated.

We cannot dismiss these claims lightly, but surely we feel such affection for cats with good reason. ..Our emotional bond with cats does not stem from gratitude for mere utility; in fact, many of today's cat owners find themselves disgusted by their cat's hunting prowess, while continuing to love them as pets. So it is indeed possible that we humans are somewhat credulous, drawn in by some quality cats possess that encourages us to anthropomorphize their behavior.

The most obvious reason we might think of cats as little people is the humanlike qualities of their facial features. Their eyes face forward, like ours and unlike those of most animals...Their heads are round and their foreheads are large, reminding us of a human baby's face."

                                  -   Cat Sense,   John Bradshaw

a handsome neighbor

Emily dropped by yesterday, and a neighborhood cat came along and sat on top of her warm hood.

He's a favorite of ours for some reason. I like his wide-eyed, frank gaze and his long nose, and the fur around his neck is longer, like a mane. I am assuming he's a he, but I don't know. He came along one day when I had Dolly outside, but when she started meowing in a funny way I brought her in. So, I think of him as her boyfriend.

There are several cats in the neighborhood, but we always comment when this guy comes around.

(no, we're not looking to take in another cat - we just like him!)

green mitts and cats

I am still enamored with knitting these hand warmers, and getting better at it, too.  Susan showed me where to learn how to avoid those holes you get near the thumbs.  Practice.  Here is the link.

I've been reading Cat Sense by John Bradshaw, been quoting it here and am still at it - it's detailed and my reading's been slacking off lately.   Cats seem incapable of forming alliances between family groups, unlike, for example, some primates; negotiation skills of this sophistication lie beyond their capabilities. It's all quite interesting.

joining Ginny for yarnalong.

Christmas baking

doesn't have to be all cookies. These cranberry-orange muffins just came out of the oven.

I think they'd be pretty good with a bit of orange-y icing, when the time comes.

the second Advent thing

the second thing I always want to do when Advent begins is hang up the gaudy wreath. It makes a big splash.

"The Advent liturgy builds up the excitement and anticipatory joy about the coming of the Lord. But is this not a preparation that can only lead to an anticlimax? I don't think so.

Advent does not lead to nervous tension stemming from expectation of something spectacular about to happen. Rather, it leads to a growing inner stillness and joy allowing me to realize that the One for whom I am waiting has already arrived and speaks to me in the silence of my heart."

                                                         -  Henri Nouwen

in the silence of prayer

"In this silence [of prayer] we find a new energy and a real unity. God's energy becomes ours, allowing us to perform things well. There is a unity of our thoughts with his thoughts, of our prayers with his prayers, of our actions with his actions, of our life with his life.

If we follow this way, our faith will grow, our conviction will grow, and the striving for holiness will become our daily task."

                                                -     Mother Theresa