What IS Normal, Anyway?

Though our Christmas has been a quiet one, with only one festive (rowdy) day of family get together, I find myself enjoying the one day of no obligations following that day.

I guess we are officially into "taking stock at the end of the year" mode.  Good Guy has kept track of his reading this year, and has cracked the 100 book mark.  I wanted to beat last year's number, but I'll have to read until midnight on the 31st to make it, I think.

So, after my day of leisure, I find myself with a LIST this morning.  Redo the mitten end you screwed up, send one more package,  order medicine, work on the binding of the quilt.  My sister brought me a quilt to bind, since I rather enjoy mindless, repetitive tasks-------which prompted the comment once that I'd make a good mental patient. ( Never mind, that's another story.  I don't want you to think I'd insult anyone.)
But this quilt is enormous.  It was to be a marriage gift, and the making of it has outlasted the marriage.  Honestly.

 I did one side yesterday, so I'll have something to do during the remaining Bowl Games. Except the Rose Bowl.  I have to knit during that one.  For good luck. 

Taking stock-----I am at Day 495 in my 1000 day project. (101 things to do in 1000 days.)  I am floundering and need to focus, and there's nothing like the New Year, to help you get back on track.  One of the directions for this project advises, "Get used to failing."   This is always good advice, for  I learn more from my failures than from my successes.

So soon we will return to "normal".  Alas, even when I'd prefer to change, I'll return to my default position.  That has been the experience of the past, anyway.  

But where there's life, there's hope.  Happy New year to you, and may one of your resolutions take hold.

Ready Enough

We have not been stressing here about Christmas "preparations".  I have been baking things and wrapping things, and watching for boxes to arrive, but we are not stressed. 

Today the writer of the first blog I started reading reflected on the reason why she'd had "enough".  No matter how much you give, wrap, or do, none of that stuff can tell the people you love how much you love them.  Even if you write them a wonderful letter, that won't do it either.  I am going to try to be present, not preoccupied, while I interact with my people this holiday season. My youngest son sent me a birthday card that said, This isn't just a birthday card, it's an I love you card.  I will be sure that they all know how welcome they are and how I enjoy them being here.

Yes, they love the food, (I hope) and they are happy if their favorites are around while they are home celebrating, but people remember how you made them feel while they were with you.  It is more important to be having a good time together than that everything be perfect.  Nobody in my relationship is accustomed to perfection anyway,  I'm pretty sure.  (I certainly didn't raise my clan that way.)

Christmas will come whether we stress about it or not. Honest. 

If this is the season of peace and good will, I'll do my best to make it true under our own roof, for myself and those I love.  I pray it's true for you, too.

Solstice Musings

I eagerly await the date and hour when I am assured the days will begin to gain in sunlight once again.  Alas, just when I should rejoice in the celebration on Midsummer, I get bummed out because the days are growing shorter. 

I can well understand the relief and celebration of primitive people when the days began growing longer.  I can't imagine sitting in a dark longhouse by the fire because it was dark for 18 hours a day, and freezing cold outdoors when it was light.  Talk about "cabin fever"! 

On a completely different subject, these guys gather together to celebrate and decorate a corner during the holidays.  One of them survived Good Guy's childhood and is in the same state as the Velveteen Rabbit.  Isn't he so bald and sweet? 

Well, today is a baking day which precedes a Swedish meatball making day.  We're down to the wire, folks!  Happy preparations!

Where's the Line?

Passing along a link from this morning's e-mails.

Where's the line?  Click here to hear the song.

We are minimalists in the decorating for Christmas department, but this makes the cut.  I love the image of Mary, reclining on one cheek.  She did just give birth, after all.

Merry Christmas!

Greetings from Savannah

Between us, Good Guy and I have seven kids.  They are adults, to be sure, but they're always your kids, right?  Anyway, even with such an abundance of offspring, we are a little light in the grandchild department.

But we have Granddogs galore.  At the latest count, we have eight granddogs, and they all have major personalities.  This one belongs to a professional photographer and sent us her own Christmas greetings.

I pass them along to you.

Have a great pre-Christmas weekend.

Four on Friday

The birthday celebration goes on and on.  Since we were snowed in on the original date for dinner, we made the trip to our favorite restaurant for a wonderful dinner last night.  And that would be Alice's restaurant in Iron River.  Read about it here  We had a delicious meal and drove home in new snow.  It didn't amount to much when all was said and done, though.  The snow, that is.

We finally got our tree up.  It's short enough to fit on our coffee table in front of the window.  I'm trying for "pretty" this year.  No cartoon mice, no black stars painted in kindergarten, no pickles.  We'll see how long I can hold out for that.

Baking began too.  I made half a batch of granola to send to the youngest who requested some.  Then I made a braided cardomom sweet bread for Good Guy, who wistfully told me about a package he'd get from a friend's mom every Christmas wherever he was, with this ethnic treat enclosed.  I have spritz mixed but not baked. 

And last but not least, I sported a "passenger" from 11 Am yesterday until the same time today.  It was monitoring my pounding heartbeat for 24 hours.  This weirdness had never happened to me before.  My labs drawn this week were all normal, so we'll see what the expert has to say about this 24 hour test.  (Actually it hadn't happened for 48 hours, so I almost scratched the appointment, but thought the better of it.)  As I used to tell my kids,  "It's probably nothing."  No kids have neglected health like the children of medical professionals.  At least the ones who grew up in our house.  In spite of us, they seem to be healthy and hardy. What if I have to give up real coffee for good!?

Wooly Wonders

I wonder if everyone who blogs is in the same boat during December.  Whenever I sit down with the computer and want to visit with you a bit, I think of all the other things I ought to be doing.  Oh, let me think.  Yes, it's almost always true-----amazing that we get it done at all.

This morning I got something cool in my e-mail from Knitting Daily though that cracked me up.  On Saville Row in London, where tailor made suits reside, they cordoned off the street and put down sod, and brought in sheep.  The object being to promote the wearing of wool. 

You can see the original and even a video, here.  Scroll down to "Sheep in the Street,  the campaign for wool."
 
Sheep in the Street Campaign for Wool


In October 11, sheep could be found grazing Savile Row, the street in central London synonymous with fine men's tailoring. Cars were removed to make space, turf was laid, and fences and a barn were built overnight in anticipation of the early morning arrival of the sheep. The organizers hoped to bring as much attention to the wool itself as the products made from it.






The sheep kicked off Wool Week (October 11-17) in the United Kingdom, which aimed to highlight the natural advantages of wool. Over ninety apparel and interior retailers, representing four hundred stores, took part. Wool Week offered the public the opportunity to interact with wool and sheep with events from Meet the Sheep (highlighting different breeds) and sheep parades to in-store events and specially organized knitting workshops.

This cracked me up, since I've become such a yarn snob.   I vastly prefer wearing wool---and since it is -10 degrees here at the moment.  (That's outdoors.  Inside it's a toasty 68 degrees.) I plan to wear as much wool as possible when I leave this house.