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I’m like a cat on a hot tin roof today. Alan is having a hernia operation in a couple of hours and even though I know it’s a very routine procedure, I’m still a bit on edge. I was yesterday too. I kept myself occupied by sewing a pillow cover with some ‘northern lights’ fabric I received for Christmas, and making a little doll that can sit on our nature table this summer. I like the little blue bird that’s perched on her forearm.
Because I’ll be acting as nursemaid for the next little while, I have made no plans for tonight. New Year’s Eve has never been a big celebration night for me anyway…I may not even make it to midnight! Nonetheless, for those of you who do celebrate, have fun and may the good guys win in 2008!
Well, here it is. I know – it was just supposed to be a pumpkin, but in our house a pumpkin is never just a pumpkin. I’m not totally happy with the faces…I didn’t have the right colour fleece for the proper skin tones, and the mother is wearing a pained expression like the last thing she wants to be doing is looking after that brat of a child. But nonetheless, I don’t think it’s a bad first attempt.
I’ve been interested in trying needle felting for some time. It’s a technique of using very sharp needles to ’stab’ at wool roving, which turns it into felt. I love the shading of colours that this method allows. Yesterday I went out and got myself a beginner’s kit and promptly started on my first project – a pumpkin. I’m still not finished but here’s how it’s turned out so far. Sorry – last photo is blurry. 
I couldn’t help but post this photo from The ExploreNorth Blog. Too, too funny!!
It’s standing room only at the manger today, the three wise men are on their way, and I am basking in the glow of Christmas aftermath. We visited, we played games, we ate and drank merrily, we re-connected with friends, family and neighbours (I still have more phone calls to make today); it really was a wonderful holiday.I am overwhelmed at the thoughtfullness and generosity of people. The presents I received were given with care and forethought…a beautiful handmade jewellry box from Jamie, a pottery gravy boat from an artist neighbour (one of her own pieces), ice candles set up on my front step by another neighbour, home cooked cabbage rolls (yet another neighbour), a donation to the Canadian Red Cross for mosquito nets for families in Africa, some wonderful teas with memories to go along with them (from one of my best friends and fellow tea lover), the gift of music in the form of a new sound system….I could go on and on. I am feeling very blessed this holiday season.
Remember this old fashioned candy? When I was a kid I could always count on finding some in my stocking. I especially loved the ribbon candy and was delighted when I discovered some at a corner store up here.
It’s been a week-end of debaucherous feasting around our place. Yesterday I was still full from our Indian meal of Saturday night (a friend’s birthday dinner) and this morning I’m still full from last night’s offering of crab legs, roast beast, risotto, salad, antipasto, Christmas cookies and stewed cloudberries. And Christmas hasn’t even officially started yet! I still need to get through tonight’s tourtiere and a multitude of other delights, and then of course there’s Christmas dinner. Yikes! I love it all though.
Merry Christmas and happy feasting everyone. And thanks be to the Gods that we have the fortune of being able to feast.
Typically on this night I go for a walk in the woods with a candle-lit lantern. But it’s really gusty here tonight, so that was out. For the same reason, Plan B was also out…dusting off the advent garden and decorating it with candles – one for each person who’s close to me who’s passed on. Enter Plan C: light the candles in a darkened livingroom instead.
Not sure if this attracted any spirits: if it did, there must have been quite a crowd in the house tonight.
The temperature was -30 as I trundled off to the bus stop this morning in my multiple layers. I was grumbling as I walked, because I had just purchased some Yukon grown rye from Aurora Mountain Farm and had cooked up my first batch for breakfast, mixed with oatmeal, wild cranberries, and topped with maple syrup and yoghurt. It was delicious, but took longer to cook than I had predicted, so I only got to eat half of it before I had to bolt out the door.
I hate wasting food…especially home grown food like that. But with busses coming 40 minutes apart, it’s not a matter of saying, “Ah, I’ll just catch the next bus”. Next time, I’ll give myself 15 extra minutes, although I already get up at around 5 to do my yoga, etc. and it’ll be tough to push myself out of bed any earlier than that.
Boy, I really am on a ‘memory’ kick, aren’t I? Nonetheless, I wanted to introduce you to our tree. Every ornament has a memory attached to it, or it doesn’t get to have a place on the tree. I’m posting photos of a few of them:
1) dough heart: made the year the four of us (Jamie wasn’t born yet; Alan was 3 and Iris 18 months) lived in Toronto while Joe worked on his Masters. Money was tight, so we made most of the ornaments. This is one of the few that survived.
2) elf: made by one of the women who takes part in our Advent Garden celebration each year. I loved it, and the following year made a number of them myself for friends.
3) papier mache bell: purchased in India and carried in my backpack over the Anapurnas in Nepal.
4) kitchen angel: accompanied a cookbook of special recipes that Lucca built for me during the 12 Days of Christmas. Seen close by is one of the many Nutcrackers that Iris has received over the years from all her roles in the ballet. She received that one the year she was Clara.
5) Alan’s reindeer, made during a decoration making evening at his elementary school. We’d go every year when the kids were young, bringing back a whole bag of delights each time.
6) Christmas in Newfoundland, from my friend Ted…
7) and Christmas in Australia, from my friend Faye.
cork reindeer, made for me by one of my piano students. Again, I stole the idea and made a whole herd of these one year for friends.
9) Iris’ feather angel, another of the ornaments made during decoration making night at her school.
10) Jamie’s “J”, made out of playdough in kindergarten. It’s gotten broken several times, but each year we patch it back together and hang it on the tree.
I guess it’s to be expected so close to Christmas, but holy smokes my week-end sped by in a blur! There was a friend’s birthday party to attend on Saturday night (my job was to bake the cake), Christmas shopping to do with Jamie, the tree to decorate, presents to wrap, more cookies to make, the last piano classes to teach before Christmas, and ‘The Golden Compass’ to take in with Jamie and Iris.
I’m almost ready….just need to do some grocery shopping and pick up a few more stocking stuffers.
There’s one delimma I’m wrestling with. As unbelievable as this might be to you, my 14 year still thinks Santa is real. Unlike any other child I know, he has never asked that life altering question, “Is there a Santa Claus?” As the years have gone by, I’ve thought, “Surely he must have figured it out by now.” But then he’ll make some comment that makes me realize that he actually still believes!
This year, I thought I should take the bull by the horns, so while in the middle of my cookie making I said to him, “Jamie, do you still believe in Santa?”
He hesitated for a minute, and then said, “Well, yeah.”
“Oh,” I said.
“It’s like God. Just because you can’t prove he’s real doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist,” Jamie said.
I took a deep breath. “So, do you believe that Santa is a guy in a red suit that leaves presents for people?”
“Yeah, kind of.”
I looked at him. He appeared to be in ernest. He really didn’t look like he was pulling my leg. In fact he looked a bit puzzled that we were having this conversation. What should I do? He’s 14 for Pete’s sake, and he’s not stupid. What’s going on here?
I said nothing more, but I’m still thinking about the right course of action. People have said to me that he really doesn’t believe in Santa…he’s just keeping it alive because he thinks he’ll get more presents if he pretends to believe. My gut is telling me that’s not it. Jamie isn’t greedy in that way. And he’s the most spiritual kid I know. Sometimes I think he’s not of this world.
What would you do?
By the way, I couldn’t help but post this photo from Michael’s Meanderings. I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this. Hope it helps to put you in the Christmas spirit!
