fairyland, and other dreams

 Well, everybody was praising the "mildness" of the day - it was above freezing. 

Last Sunday night, it snowed. We woke up to a fairyland.

It was so cold all week, the four inches stayed. It's been in the single digits at night. Today was a pleasant reprieve, even though just around forty.

I finished the Star of Bethlehem book; the author's conclusion was it was probably a planetary conjunction. Would that really be so bright? I am no astronomer. The most interesting thing in the book turned out to be a quote from Franz Kafka:

"The Messiah will come as soon as the most unbridled individualism of faith becomes possible - when there is no one to destroy this possibility and no one to suffer its destruction.....The Messiah will come only when he is no longer necessary; he will come only on the day after his arrival; he will come, not on the last day, but on the very last."

                                                            

That was written in 1935. I think we're almost there.

There was a very loud bang yesterday, like a bird hitting a window, only louder. We looked out to see a hawk, resting a way off from the house. He didn't stay long, and didn't seem hurt. 

The other day, Suzy Q, the library director mentioned the 250th "birthday" of Jane Austen. She said we should celebrate - well, her birthday's in December, so there's plenty of time to plan. But I went to the basement to get my regency dress. And I don't believe I've ever mentioned it here.  

I don't remember how many years ago, but I had discovered Jennie Chancey's website, Sense & Sensibility. She made period sewing patterns, and I bought this one.

I made it in a black watch plaid cotton flannel, with a black lining of - not sure I remember correctly. A broadcloth of some kind, probably a cotton/poly. The buttons are plain black plastic and there's a bit of cheap black nylon lace at the sleeve edge. I put black piping along the bodice seams!  (What has happened to my sewing mojo?)  I'll have to take a photo of it. Well, it doesn't fit me now, but I would never get rid of it. It must be the best thing I ever made! I had also made this pattern from a pretty quilting cotton in a soft green with a gentle dragonfly design over all and a bit of gold metallic shine here and there. I don't have that one anymore, but I found a photo on her site of me in it! Here it is.  I made it a little shorter so I could actually wear it. It's modeled after a dress Kate Winslet wore in Sense and Sensibility, here.  

Should I sew another Regency dress? 

following

 The reading at Mass today was Jesus' first recorded miracle, at the Cana wedding. It indicates that the mother of Jesus was the one who was invited, and because of her, Jesus and disciples were also there. It may have been someone she was rather close to, because of her concern when the wine was running out.

Anyway, we know the story, but it struck me today that the text says afterward, "his disciples began to believe in him."  So, they were going around with him before they saw any miracle, or manifestation of who he might be. That's interesting. 

Have you seen this recent AI image of Jesus floating around online?

Very compelling, isn't it? It was derived from examining the Shroud of Turin. Imagine a man, two thousand years ago, looking even half as alive (intense?) as this man, going around to certain humble "blue-collar" workers, saying, "Come, follow me." He wasn't known yet, there were no public miracles yet - it's not as if he showed them one or two to convince them - but they went with him. Very, very interesting.

His intensity is rather scary. He couldn't have been scary, though - that would be counter-productive, wouldn't it? He didn't come to scare us. The opposite! But still, I do like this image. He is beautiful and very alive. Does he look like a Prince of Peace? Maybe not, but he doesn't look like anything could scare him, or deter him from his purpose. What may be lacking in this picture would be a look of love in his eyes, which AI would be incapable of (in my opinion). 

There was a cry, "Behold, the bridegroom!

Come out to meet him!"

-  Matthew 25:6

four Ruth Pitter poems

 I mentioned to Gretchen, in a comment, that I was reading a little book of Ruth Pitter's poetry. And that I couldn't really find one I actively like.

This book was published in 1953, so I guess it's safe to put a few here. 

                 The Ermine

I know this Ermine. He is small,
Keen-biting, very quick withal.

He dies of soil. He is the snow.
I marvel anyone can know

This Ermine: he is delicate.
Yes, maculate immaculate,

He is well seen and known by me,

Rough-handed homespun though I be.

I muse on him. His little eye
Reflects no beam I do not spy.

I through his snowy silence hear

Beyond the labyrinthine ear.

Royal he is. What makes him so?

Why, that too is a thing I know:

It is his blame, his black, his blot;

The badge of kings, the sable spot.

O subtle, royal Ermine, tell

Me how to wear my black as well.

Okay - now, I have no problem with this poem; I don't think it's gloomy. What is it about? If a real ermine, why is the word capitalized? Does it matter why? Is it really about something else?  I have no problem with this poem. But I move along through the book.

The Great Winter, 1946-1947

The leaves die, fall and go.
They lie all under the snow.

In the great snow the grass dies;

Still the deep clouds fill the skies.

Summer wept, and now the east

Roaring falls on man and beast.

And man and beast die, fall and go;

Under the sky's pall, rain or snow;

Neither hut nor palace stays

The sure ending of their days;

Age and sickness and the wars

Stretch them stiff beneath the stars.

And the stars die, fall and go.

Eye by eye, they cease to glow;

Orb by orb, the storm of suns

To its end in glory runs;

The great wheels, the galaxies,

Shall turn no more about the skies.

Since all must die, fall and go,

Why do we mourn that it is so?

All mourn, lament and weep

That creation falls asleep?

This was given us to make

Our spirits homeless for His sake.

Okay, this poem is sound theology - she's a believer.  Next:

The Other

Like a bird in the rainy cover
When song is fallen still,

It dwells apart, and over

Blue hill upon blue hill.

As a bird in the green places

When summer days are long,

Falls weary, and embraces

Silence instead of song,

Far and apart it muses

In the obscure and dim,

Forgetting the sweet uses

Of voice and feather and limb.

Small, small and slender,

Crowned with its faint gold crown,

It dwells where the light is tender,

Like fair hair falling down.

Swiftness and song were moulded

Into that wing, that breast;

But now the wing is folded,

The throbbing throat at rest.

When from that bosom narrow

The fiery singing flew,

Like a sharp secret arrow

It pierced my armour through.

But its great silence haunts me

In the solemn summer gloom;

The voiceless thing enchants me

As with a sense of doom.

A monument, a token

Of all we have betrayed,

Of all that we have broken -

It makes my soul afraid.

Far from the tumult fleeing,

The shrines that we destroy,

Is it my own grieved being

Mourning its unborn joy,

Or some indignant spirit

Whose power can afford

To give us what we merit -

A silence like a sword? 

All right. Now we are getting to what I complaining of to Gretchen: these poems seem kind of gloomy. Well, this one does. To continue:

The Neophyte

Something I see and feel,

But I must not speak.

It lives, O it is real,

But cold and weak

As a far light in a cave,

As the faint glow

That the green glow-worms have,

As stars of snow;

As tenuous jellies small,

Knotted, turned in,

That you may see on a wall

Where the tide has been;

Whence the great swinging deep,

With its bell-mouthed roar,

Has gone, and left them asleep,

Flowers no more;

Has gone, falling away

Far to the main:

But with the day, with the new day,

Shall come again.

Alright, I think they are not really gloomy, but they seem to be. She has faith in God, in the next life, and her poems all seem to be about that. I think it's just her way of saying it. I have no problem with her ability! I cannot write poetry! I told Gretchen that I missed Christina Rossetti in comparison. But, Christina wrote a lot about love: lost love, unrequited love, hopeless love, etc.. So that's where she was coming from and that's what she had to write about. And this woman can only tell things in her own way, too. It's just that she is saying true things, but there seems a heavy-air hanging about them. (in my opinion)

I can't say I dislike these poems; they are well-crafted. Maybe I'm just nit-picking.

moving along

 

I'd forgotten about this Star of Bethlehem book; it tries to figure out what it was that shone so brightly to guide the three magi to Bethlehem. I had found it on the sale table at the library, and then it got buried under a stack at home. Of course. The author has all sorts of ideas about it. The green cover of the Niall Williams has called to me for years, every time I came across it at work, so I finally took it home. It's the second in his memoirs of life in Ireland after moving from New York. I remember that many years ago his first one was serialized in the newspaper, and was very popular. It's about time I picked it up, I guess.

Plodding along with my dress, I am now ready for the sleeves. Except, like the skirt, the pattern piece is nowhere to be found. But that's okay, because I'm not that keen on the sleeves, anyway. And then I got a catalog from Poetry, and there is this dress in corduroy that's just like the one I'm making, but with sleeves I like a whole lot better. I don't know how long that link will last, so maybe I can take a photo from my catalog another day. Anyway, I went through my patterns and found this blouse one from years ago. I never made it, but it's similar - if I can take out some of the volume it might do. 

It'll be a starting point.

I bundled up and ran outside before it got dark, longing for some fresh air. 

The grass is in its dried-up winter state. I just ran around and breathed the cold air for a bit.

This is what winter looks like where I live. Unless there's snow to make it all pretty. Although I was trying to see the beauty. 

The warped ramp to the shed. 

"A supremely powerful man and a keen politician, Herod usually acted quickly and decisively. Outlaws who threatened his borders on the Syrian frontier were put to death. So were rivals suspected of conspiracy. And, after siding with Antony, who lost to Caesar int he dominant Roman politics of the era, Herod courted Caesar's favor so astutely, his own crown in hand, that he became the Roman emperor's trusted governor and friend."

                                                 - The Star of Bethlehem, Jeanne K. Hanson

I'm curious to see what her conclusion will be.

paying attention

 "It turns out that attention - what we pay attention to, and how we attend - is the most important part of the mindset needed for re-enchantment.

It's like this: if enchantment involves establishing a meaningful, reciprocal, and resonant connection with God and creation, then to sequester ourselves in the self-exile of abstraction is to be the authors of our own alienation.
'Attention changes the world,' says Iain McGilchrist. 'How you attend to it changes what it is you find there. What you find then governs the kind of attention you will think it appropriate to pay in the future. And so it is that the world you recognize (which will not be exactly the same as my world) is firmed up - and brought into being.'

Matthew Crawford writes that living in a world in which we are encouraged to embrace the freedom of following our own desires - which entails paying attention only to what interests us in a given moment - actually renders us impotent. He writes, 'The paradox is that the idea of autonomy seems to work against the development and flourishing of any rich ecology of attention - the sort in which minds may become powerful and achieve genuine independence.'"

                                                        -  Rod Dreher, Living in Wonder

keeping it going

 A bunch of parishioners stayed after Mass today to get all the Christmas decorations put away; all that's left are the poinsettias. There are a lot of them, red and white, and they're bright and cheery. But all that beauty, with the wonderful Italian nativity we have, the lights, the sparkly ornaments, the greenery on every windowsill - all away. It's the only way to do it, of course, with a disparate group all living in different places, together to perform a task.

But how strange it all is - here one moment and gone the next. In our homes we don't have to be so "complete" about it. We can let it wind down gradually for a little while longer. But then we will have to be like Scrooge, honoring Christmas in our hearts and trying to keep it all year. Because it's been born, and it wants to keep living. 

"In the English calendar, Twelfth Night was for many centuries a time of more riotous festivity than Christmas Day - a last hurrah of feasting before the return to work. During the Middle Ages the Christmas season lasted forty days, until Candlemas on 2 February, and January was supposed to be a month of feasting*, not fasting - the exact opposite of the modern 'Dry January'."

                           -  from Winters in the World: a journey through the Anglo-Saxon year, by Eleanor Parker

*I'm all in with that. 

three good things

 It was supposed to snow lightly this morning, from five till ten. But it didn't stop, and it's been snowing all day. With no accumulation! Still, there is something about snow falling, even if it doesn't mount up. 

I made a wonderful discovery yesterday! I diligently use the little defuzzing machine on my sweaters, which works excellently, but I had the idea to try it on my opaque tights. They're made from recycled nylon and get pilly after a while, so that I have to toss them. I mostly wear longer skirts, so it doesn't show much, but eventually..........well, this worked like a charm!! My tights are like new - try it!

Rather exciting, to extend the life of your clothes.

The wrens are often found at the bird feeder, which is a new thing this year. It can't be that they suddenly have a taste for black sunflower seeds; they must be increasing in our area. I find them very cute. 

feeding the birds

It's been very cold here, in the twenties for a few days. But after a warm breakfast I went out to see what's going on outside. I couldn't see too well, because for the past month I've been going around with one contact lens, but I just wanted some sunshine and briskness. 

I looked at the state of my garden beds. They seem well, and the overabundance of dried leaves has settled, and that's a relief.

Over in the corner near the new little cherry tree, some birds fluttered up when I drew near. I thought I saw some white stripes - was it a mockingbird? I suddenly remembered many years back in a cold, windy winter, when I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a mockingbird living in the brush at the brook's edge. I'd throw it through the kitchen window, and he'd see me and come over. It's been so cold - I should go in and make a sandwich for the birds! I went back to the house. I made a nice sandwich, brought it out, broke it up and scattered it around.

I never saw anyone near there. Then it was time to go to the eye doctor. When I returned - (I can see, I can see!) - I thought I'd go over while I had my coat on. The pieces were gone! Hurrah!, said Fred, Scrooge's nephew. I agree with him. I'll have to keep it up. 

the twelfth day of Christmas

 Our priest has been saying some thought-provoking things lately - well, at least to me. (I guess that's what they're supposed to do, anyway) On Christmas he said if we want to benefit from the great event of God becoming human, we need an appreciation of humanity. He gave as an example the expression we often hear/say: "I'm only human". But it is an important part of us; we are not Gnostics. 

I am copying this from chatgpt.com:

Gnosticism was a diverse religious and philosophical movement in the early centuries of Christianity (primarily in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD) that emphasized esoteric knowledge (gnosis) as the path to salvation. Gnostics generally believed that the material world, created by a lower or flawed deity (often identified with the God of the Old Testament), was corrupt, imperfect, and should be transcended. They often taught that true spiritual enlightenment involved the escape from the material realm and union with a higher, divine, and pure realm of spirit.

For Gnostics, the physical world was not the focus; rather, the inner, spiritual knowledge was considered the key to salvation. They viewed the body and the material world as prisons for the soul, and they often promoted asceticism or other practices to distance oneself from the physical realm.

This view was in sharp contrast to the orthodox Christian belief that the material world, including the body, was created good by God and that it had a role in God's redemptive plan, including the incarnation of Jesus Christ, who took on a physical body.

To go off the subject a little, (the "subject" being the thought-provoking things Father has been saying lately), there is a movement that is gaining traction lately called transhumanism that basically believes we can raise ourselves up to a godlike state, via technology of various sorts. From chatgpt:

Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement that advocates for the use of advanced technology to enhance the human condition, particularly by transcending the limitations of the human body and mind. The central idea behind transhumanism is that human beings can and should use science and technology to improve their physical and cognitive abilities, potentially leading to a post-human future where humans surpass their biological constraints.

Where have we heard this speech before? "You shall be like god", from Genesis, chapter three. We haven't learned much, have we? 

these figures are at the Met, in New York

Today in the U.S. we observe Epiphany, which is really tomorrow, but it isn't given the attention over here as it is in Europe. Epiphany is when the three kings, or magi, or wise men arrived to worship the child Jesus. They represent the first non-Jews who acknowledged Jesus as King, above themselves. So, it's kind of our feast day. What Father said was that "Epiphany was when God made himself known. He has no hidden agenda." He wants to be known.  And this is something we can learn from in our dealings with others. He pointed out that when Satan approached Eve, he did not introduce himself. When he tempted Jesus in the desert, he didn't introduce himself first.

I just found the whole thing very interesting.

Happy New Year!

 I changed all the calendars. I like wall calendars, and we have several around the place. Some are for writing on, some not - the pretty ones. 

It was the strangest day - sunny, but at the same time, snowing. No accumulation, and no dark cloud above that I saw, but the flurries, again and again, with the sun shining, in the early afternoon. I could hear it, so it must have been sleety for a while. I was snug inside with my Christmas carols.

It seems once I started reading about enchantment, I find it in all sorts of places. 

"Yes, Samuel, dragons are real. So are angels and demons. So are high priests over heaven and mighty kings and great queens and a Savior with a face like fire and a heart as gentle as a lamb's. So much is real that is beyond our sight. The things of the earth that we understand as absolute are rooted in a reality much greater, subtler, and lovelier than we have ever experienced. But sometimes we can imagine it. When we step aside into the spacious halls of hush, when we enter a story or sojourn with a song, when we look into the heart of the beauty and drama cramming the world at our fingers, we enter that inmost room from which many doors lead onward to a world we have only begun to share."

                                             -  Sarah Clarkson, Reclaiming Quiet

Speaking of enchantment, I bought myself one of those alpine Christmas trees for a corner of my bedroom, but never got around to opening the box till yesterday. It's perfect! Five feet high and nice and narrow. It looks real to the eye, but to the camera it's lacking something. I'll keep trying. It has no lights, but I'm working on that, too.

sunning

 

She managed to insert herself on the rocker, amidst the pillow and books.

only simple shepherds

 When came in flesh th' Incarnate Word,
The heedless world slept on,
And only simple shepherds heard
That God had sent his Son.

time of wonder

 I was reading in chapter fourteen of Revelation; there are angels overseeing the elements - it spoke of one who has authority over fire. It would be handy to remember that, in case of a fire! I find this kind of information very interesting. Which brings me to a book I got for Christmas, Living in Wonder, by Rod Dreher. He speaks of how and why we’ve come to a point of being totally unaware, or even ignorant of anything beyond what we can apprehend with our senses. It’s a big interest of mine. You know I love fairy tales and such.

"We... are proud of our mastery of the material world, but it has made us miserable, because we no longer feel at home here." 

There was snow on the ground, and then we got a little more on Christmas Eve morning. Everyone seemed pleased about it. We went to our cousins at the shore on Christmas Day, and they had none, but it was still here when we came back home. :)  Now, it's gone; we are going to be in the fifties for three days. A varied closet is a must around here. 

It's the fourth day of Christmas. I've got to find the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on the BBC, since I was working when it was live. I never want to miss it! 

I was thinking the other day about the garlands of popcorn and cranberries some people make in the winter, but it seems so tedious. And I've never known anyone who actually did it, so I don't know if the creatures actually like it. So I popped some corn, and stirred it around with peanut butter, then threw it out on the snow on a cold day. It was after the squirrels had been dining, and nobody seemed to notice it. I'm not sure they want it. 

Rod Dreher's book has many examples of different individuals which he hopes will illustrate his point. Marshall McLuhan (if you're my age, you'll know the name):

"I never came into the church as a person who was being taught. I came in on my knees. That is the only way in. When people start praying, they need truths, that's all. You don't come into the church by ideas and concepts, and you cannot leave by mere disagreement. It has to be a loss of faith, a loss of participation. We can tell when people leave the church: they have quit praying."

                                                                     -  from Living in Wonder

Merry Christmas!

 "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone. For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace."

                                  -  Isaiah, 9:1, 5

the little King

 Come to be born, to bear us to our birth,
To touch a dying world with new-made hands
And make the rags of time our swaddling bands.

-  Malcolm Guite, Waiting on the Word

last Sunday of Advent

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid thou our sad divisions cease,
And be thyself our King of Peace.

mercies

 I think I need to stop relying on Accuweather for my forecasts - they said we'd maybe have a dusting of snow yesterday morning, by eleven o'clock. There was nothing when I went to work, and it didn't look like snow. I brought my boots anyway. Mid-afternoon it began to snow and snowed all day. Although there was little accumulation. But it's cold out now, so it isn't going to melt yet, so it's pretty out for a while.

I awoke with a headache, and the Exedrin didn't do the job, so I had to take some more. I sipped my lavender tea, and it got better, but didn't go away. So I had to go grocery shopping with the headache in addition to only being able to see half as well as I usually do. Some Twinings tea caught my eye; it was on sale. There was something called Winter Spice which looked nice, and even though it was mainly chamomile, I bought it. I'm not keen on chamomile, but it was Christmas-y - can you buy Christmas? Because a lot of things which seem to have the proper aura do appeal to us, don't they? We buy them, thinking this it it.

Anyway. I got home, put away the food, fed the cats, started some laundry, and decided I would sit quietly for an hour, then get busy doing whatever. I made a cup of my new tea, sat down with some books, and promptly feeling tired, dozed off. It wasn't for long, and I awoke to find my tea lukewarm. I took a few sips, and realized the pain over my left eye and near my left ear was diminishing. I drank the rest. My headache was finally (almost) gone. I need to take another look at chamomile as a help for my headaches. I also have felt rather too relaxed for the rest of the day, but I've learned a new thing about herbs and I'm grateful!

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

just when you think things are going well

 I had an appointment today at the eye doctor; I had to go two days without my contacts! I managed around the house, but it was weird. You can easily fall into your own little world, if you're as near-sighted as I am. I had to go without the lenses to allow my eyes to go back into their normal shape. Well, I had the days off; I was able to cook, wash dishes, do laundry, read. I cleaned, but at times it felt like going through the motions, since I couldn't always tell if I was getting the result I wanted. :D I made cookies today. I worked on my dress - that was strange. Bringing it up to my face so I could see it, but it was a strange perspective. Still, I managed. But I'm behind with the Christmas cards now, since you really need to see what you're doing for something like that. And, type - I tried writing a blog post, but it was too awkward. 

There is a lesson in all this. 

Even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.*

Meanwhile, Annie got a couple of non-adjuvant vaccines yesterday, and was a bit off. Daisy seemed to realize this, and when Annie went to sleep in the spare room, Daisy stayed nearby on the bed. What a nice little buddy.

*from People Look East

Christmas card prayer

 

new doors at last

Right after I took this picture she reached over and flipped that tree onto the floor. For the second time. I moved it.

The snow is gone. That's okay - we had it! Once it comes, the season takes on a new aura, and winter feels like it's really here. And after a dreary and very rainy and warm day, today was bright sun and chilly. And tomorrow will be around the freezing mark. 

We now have new storm doors! My brother found a fellow who could install them, and he did the front door this morning. They are easy for me to clean! I can remove the glass myself!

The glass part goes way down, and it is going to take some getting used to. I feel exposed, and Daisy didn't feel the same when I put the chair there. If they can get accustomed to sitting on the floor, then both of them could enjoy the view at the same time. But I'll keep on the lookout for a low bench, lower than the chair. 

It affords a better view of the brave little cherry tree.

That is one deep split. I suppose eventually the left hand part will just crack and fall onto the driveway. 

Frodo and Sam have achieved Mount Doom, and the ring has been destroyed. 

I'm at a bit of a standstill with my dress; the back keyhole facing is not laying flat, and I'm going to put in a few handstitches to do the job. And so I plod along, decorating a little, sewing a little, cleaning a little, reading a little, preparing for the Child to come.

Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.

the time is near

 I had a birthday, and there was snow! That always makes it ten times better. 

Winter has started early, which has been a topic of conversation around here every day, but it's going to be more temperate this week, and maybe up near sixty on Wednesday. The snow is melting, even as I type. 

We sang People Look East this morning at church; I think I always mention this in December, but the melody, the lyrics, the sprightly and hopeful air it has -

People look East, the time is near
Of the crowning of the year.

I love to sing it. 

I haven't done any cards yet, and it's practically two weeks away. We will see what happens, and what doesn't. 

From Isaiah 30:  ...the Lord will make the glory of his voice heard in the joy of your heart.

rocking the Advent cradle

 “The way to begin healing the wounds of the world is to treasure the Infant Christ in us; to be not the castle but the cradle of Christ; and in rocking that cradle to the rhythm of love, to swing the whole world back into the beat of the Music of Eternal Life.”

                                              -   Caryll Houselander     

trouble and pain (but not really)

 The Thanksgiving dinner came out very well. We had leftovers once, and I had to put what remained into the freezer - we will appreciate it better after a bit of distance.

I'm taking a different approach to Christmas decorations this year, and I spent part of the day working on the living room. 

A red bow would be nicer, but this is good for now; I may change this picture anyway, but I love this one, with the warm colored flowers of late summer, something discovered at a rummage sale.

I want to start making cookies, but may have to do it piecemeal: mixing up dry ingredients ahead, mixing up the dough the day before, baking one or two batches at a time, etc.. Whatever will work. It seems I do lots of things like that. It's another way of going forward. 

I ran out at the blue hour, just to get some air. Very briefly.

Some leaves hanging on.  I keep forgetting the bulbs I just bought - will I be able to get them in before the ground freezes? It's in the twenties at night, and will only reach into the thirties much of this week! Why can't I remember these bulbs??

"On the first weekday of Advent, we are reminded that the full coming of the reign of God through Christ, for whom we long, will bring trouble and pain to all of us in whatever sinfulness we are engaged in, but only to cleanse us to dwell in justice and peace in his presence."

- Magnificat, December 2024

season of expectation

Thanksgiving was very nice, and now it's Advent.                                                      

When you shall come, O Lord,
Wrapped in your glory bright,
Then shall the earth in terror quake,
The sun withhold his light.

When you shall come, O Lord,
Then shall the books be spread,
And from their secrets you shall judge
The living and the dead.

O Lord of justice, your coming overthrows all that is not ruled by you. Fill us with expectation and transform our hearts and lives, so that we may welcome you when you come. 

Readings from Magnificat.

with thanks

 For life and love, for rest and food,
For daily help and nightly care,
Sing to the Lord for he is good,
And praise his name, for it is fair.

For life below with all its bliss,
And for the life, more pure and high,
That nobler life which after this
Shall ever shine and never die.

-  from Magnificat, November 2024

ready enough

 My brother: Tomorrow's going to be rainy, rainy all day.

Me: That's all right; we'll be cozy, cozy all day.

It has been gloomy every other day, it seems, but we need the rain. So it's all right. 

I was busy, busy all day. The squash pie is made, the bumbleberry pie my brother bought from a customer is cooked. I made the gravy from a very nice recipe through pinterest. The beds are changed, the laundry is done and things are clean enough, I suppose. 

We are ready, ready for Thanksgiving.

gluten-free ginger cookies

 The recipe for yesterday's ginger cookies is here. But I'll write it up, anyway.

2 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

Stir together the first six ingredients, then mix the rest well with the mixer, to ensure all lumps are gone from the brown sugar. Add the dry ingredients, then roll into one-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and bake at 375 for 9 - 10 minutes. 

The original recipe says bake till the tops are cracked, but mine didn't crack, or get ginger-snappy. They are really tasty, but seem kind of dry-ish, so I wouldn't want to bake any longer than I did. I used the lesser amount of brown sugar. 

from bungalowofblessing.com

in a day's work

 Today, I made some cookies, roasted the butternut squash for the pie, and mixed up the pie dough. With cleaning and laundry in-between, and dishes, oh, so many dishes it seemed. The cookies are a buckwheat gingerbread, called gingersnaps but they are soft. The squash - well, that's a story. A blogger I like just puts hers whole in the oven, so I did. It took an hour and a quarter on three seventy-five and it was perfect. But I forgot about the seeds and didn't cut it in half afterward. So, when it was cool I began peeling the skin off and there everything got mushy and the seeds were embedded in everything and oh what a mess, trying to pick them out, so many of them!

I then got the idea to put it all through a sieve. Well, I've never done that before; it was a bit of work and I was tired. But on the other hand, now the seeds are out, and it's all smooth as can be from the sieving. 

Time to rest.

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.

yesterday, next week and tomorrow

 I went to put away the conditioner and there was a stink bug on it - the nerve! And he didn't want to get flicked outside. Well, it is raining. Thank God!! I think it's been dry for two months. This two-day rain we'll have probably won't do enough, but it's blessed, all the same.

I got an intestinal bout of something or other, and was wanting some soup. Then I saw a recipe from a youtuber with pumpkin, wild rice, and chicken broth and I got an idea. I made it my way.

Onion, and celery, chicken stock and pumpkin, wild rice mix, marjoram, thyme and parsley, and some leftover chicken. Just what I needed, easy to make, and I was able to resist the box of chicken soup with all the additives.

The stomach issue caused me to rethink the Thanksgiving menu, though. I was going to make a gratin. But, a week before the feast, I can't stand to think of that. Simply flavored vegetables are what call to me. I did a grocery order, and got some packaged green beans, and some whole frozen ones. The problem with green beans often is the strings. Hopefully, more than one option will solve the problem. I'll cook one batch at a time, of two different brands on Wednesday and see how they are. I'd rather not use the frozen ones.

Here you can see number 5, my missing skirt piece; it's slightly a-line. I will measure the bodice from side seam to side seam, and two seam allowances ( 1 1/4" total), and 4" for the tucks. I will be cutting the pieces in half lengthwise and adding another seam allowance to each (5/8").  I'll angle the pieces out a couple of inches on the way down to the bottom, and that should settle it. Maybe I'll cut it tomorrow.

"As the season turns toward December, we are settling in. ,,,as I watch the still, cold night sky deepening, and see the quiet brilliance of the stars, I like the feeling of impending change."  - Gladys Taber. And we might have a few flakes fall on Saturday.