Monday, December 30, 2013

people look east...

This morning's sunrise, 14 degrees below zero. 


on the edge of this year's closing I will look back in wonder and gratitude.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

4th day of Christmas

Mild air, exquisitely warm sunshine. The chickens delight in the out of doors.




Big Guy's tail feathers are beginning to return!

Thanks to Jerome for clearing the deep snow from their chicken yard.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

on the second day of Christmas...

Christmas is not a day, but a season. For me it has just begun and I refuse to let go of it so soon. Sweet memories of preparations...





and of days with loved ones, of good food and sharing gifts that came in packages and in hugs, smiles, laughter. Don't be in too much of a rush to move on. I, too, look forward to the blessings of 2014, but will savor the few days remaining til then.

Wishing you simple gifts: love, joy, peace.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

mid December

With a trace, a dusting, nearly an inch of snow every day, it's looking wintry here. Some high winds earlier in the week and very cold temperatures had me worrying after the chickens. They seem to have taken it in stride, safely tucked away from the winds inside their unheated but well insulated house. They aren't tempted to wander about outside these days, and so we keep their doors firmly closed against the ridge top gales.
After tomorrow,  a bit of a warm up and some sun! are predicted before the next chance of snow by week's end. Wintry weather this December! And very little sun. Sometimes the only sun we see is at its rising (here amid flurries)


 or setting.


Yesterday, braving the cold and wind and with no sun to warm us, Anne, Jerome and I trekked across our road to our "other" property and cut a little red wagon load of greens, sumac heads, milkweed pods, and this and that to fill the urns at the front porch and for Anne to build a swag for her little house. While hiking in the snowy wildness there we kept an eye out for baby pines. And we spied lots! We'll have to go back and tie some bright red ribbons on them so they can be found come spring.  They'll be hard to spot once the vegetation begins to grow again and we would dearly love to bring them to the new bit of land we added to the farm last May so they'll have room to grow and grow.


Always have to stop in the middle of things and look at the camera while Jerome is taking photos.  I have to say this is one time I was happy to oblige.


Can you see the joy in our faces for sharing such a day??


Tuesday, December 3, 2013

advent day 3

Heavy, wet snow gave way to dense fog.
Couldn't be a better day to stay indoors and organize. Time to pack up the autumn decorations. 
With courage and strong will I now have just 2 totes instead of 3. Stopping at GoodWill tomorrow, sharing the bounty.

Now for the real challenge: thinning out 42 years of collecting for Christmas. Little house, little needs, right? I WILL do this. You bet.
But not today. 
Right now it's time for a sip of Tazo mint with lemongrass and a bit of QI Gong before I prepare dinner.

Monday, December 2, 2013

advent day two

This is the house gift I bought for myself soon after I moved to the farm.


It was to be a reminder of New Testament advice not to worry (Matt: 6). When all the city house "stuff" got here,  I  moved it to a room where I rarely spend time. Today it has been shifted again and its light fills me with both comfort and joy.
I wish these for each of you as you move through your own days of advent.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

december first


Advent: capital "A"
usually thought of as the days leading to the coming of the babe to the manger.
Today, the first of four Sundays before Dec. 25, the first day of the Advent season. Over the years I've participated in many discussions about Christ's birth. Not an easy concept to get your mind around. Did Mary really have a choice? Was it "natural"? Was it painful? Did she look forward to the ways her life would forever change? Did Joseph ever understand or trust her, I mean, really??

advent
lower case "a": advent: a coming into being.



A metamorphosis of some magnitude has been turning in my soul these past several weeks. One that has been by turns frustrating, uncomfortable, frightening. Suddenly I'm an insomniac. I'm crabby or moody, or just plain lethargic too much of the time. Why does my very skin feel alien?
However...
My faith encourages that this is exactly as it should be at this precise period of my life. I choose to believe.