Ringing in the New Year

There will be no bells -- dinner and a movie with friends will do it. I've enjoyed blogs and Christmas letters from friends whose homes were full of children and grandchildren over the holiday. We had our share of family too, but we broke with tradition this year. No Christmas Eve party. Instead Tom and I had a very enjoyably quiet Christmas eve day, a simple dinner followed by a car ride to look at Christmas lights, meandering into town to get a movie out of the Red Box at the local gas station. After the movie we warmed our toes by the fire.

Did I say we were alone? Silly me. We had our furry friends for company that night.

Cleo

Phoebe

It was a lovely evening. More about the New Year to come...

Christmas iPad

There are four iPads in this house, but mine is the newest. This is the coolest Christmas present ever...well I think so... That chainsaw I back in 1996 was a pretty cool gift. And I got so much work done with it. Not that I ever started it up, but I let Tom use it anytime he wanted, or anytime I wanted him to. He was surprised how much work a little chainsaw could do.

I'm actually just checking to see if I can blog from my iPad. My kids are here to give me pointers -- better than any tutorial. So that's the point of this post, learning and practicing. I'd really like to add a picture, but I have to go read up on how to do that. If all else fails, as I understand it, there's an app for that.

For now there are some other gifts waiting to be opened. I think I'm holding up the action.

Moving on...

Christmas Eve Morning

The house is quiet, except for the hum of the furnace and purr of the cat beside me. I don't often see this hour of the morning...but I'm thinking, what's to see anyway? It's very dark. Electric candles glow warm and soft in the windows. Each one has a double reflecting back. Cup of coffee in hand I've walked through the house plugging in lights, enjoying the ambiance, watching for the sky to lighten up.

All is peaceful, calm, dark...in spite of the dusting of snow. The presents are wrapped. House clean enough, ready for company tomorrow. (I know. I can't believe it either.) The mood is just right, a perfect time to blog...I thought. But then again... the glow of the computer screen kind of ruins the magic. So I'll close this out, close the lid. Looking toward the eastern sky, there's the first light of dawn. How marvelous, the start of a new day. Christmas eve day.

Merry Christmas friends. May you find Love, make peace, and bask in joy.

Happy Holidays!

There are a lot things to pick on in the world, but how you wish someone a happy holiday shouldn't be one of them. I applaud whoever wrote this...

Christmas is a very special time for me. I like the glitz and the holiday music. I like the presents, gathering together with family, the holiday foods, chestnuts roasting and stockings hung by the fire, and the cookies, I really like the cookies.  But I'm very aware that the trappings can distort and sully the meaning of the season. Sometimes I wish for a simpler Christmas celebration -- one where we don't exchange presents or prepare pageants. Then I remember that I love exchanging presents and those pageants...well they always help me see the reality of divine intervention. Kids who didn't know their parts, wouldn't speak up, pouted, fussed, carried on, suddenly become angelic presenters of the gospel. That's a miraculous happening in churches all over the world. It recurs every single year in the weeks and days before Christmas, children remembering their lines.

The best part about those pageants is that people who wouldn't otherwise grace the indoors of a church will watch, and laugh, and applaud the efforts of children. And who knows they might hear from God.

Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

December 4th

Well technically it's the 5th -- well past midnight of the 4th. We had nice visit with dear friends, coffee (!) and dessert, a lovely fire in the fireplace. After company left, I walked through the livingroom turning out lights, the fire was still glowing and the embers offered a pleasant hint of wood smoke, which mingled with the scent of our freshly cut fir tree. Ah yes, it's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas!

Candles in the windows and lights on the B-I-G tree on the back porch, thank you Nathan. Icicle lights on the overhang of the front porch, thank you Adam and Alicia. Decorating the dining room entrance was my contribution. Oh, and this delightful addition to my M.A. Hadley collection, thank you Barb and Gus.

The cute little Merry Christmas coaster is new, but each of these pieces were gifts from the Atlanta contingent.

Tomorrow I'll hang the stockings by the fireplace and decorate the tree that presently stands unadorned. And then it will really and truly look a lot like Christmas. Shop, bake, write the Christmas letter, address cards, wrap gifts, all that to do during this month of advent. It makes the waiting go faster while we anticipate something marvelous. The birthday of a King, the Messiah, our Savior, Emmanuel, God with us. Advent is the time to prepare for what is to come!

It's done

I won the race against myself. 50,000 words in one month -- One story badly in need of editing, revising, rewriting, but that's for another month. Couldn't have done it without the encouragement and competition from my writing friend Lisa.

We both made it -- she had 2 days to spare and I had 1.

A Dog's Life





You built this cozy fire for me?

Gee Thanks.

I'll call you if it goes out.

A Novel Idea

I'm thoroughly enjoying NaNoWriMo -- mostly because I'm on target and that's such a good feeling. Here's an excerpt from one of my early chapters.

Grace and Christophe -- No R

Grace said, “My parents trotted me off to confession where I’d stand in line waiting my turn to talk to the priest. Then I went into the dark little cubicle and knelt down, waiting again, until the priest opened his window. There was a dark screen and you could only hear him, not see him. I was so nervous all I could do was make things up. I remembered most of the Ten Commandments so I’d work my way through those. I told him things I never would have done…not in a million years, but they were the only sins I could think up. When I was eight, I confessed to adultery.”

Her husband burst out laughing, "You never told me that. Did you even know what it meant?”

“Of course not -- I was eight!" Grace said.

****

They say you should write what you know. I know church. For better or worse, I know church.

I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a word count to meet. 50,000 words by November 30th.

Nearing the 1/2 Way Point

I'm right on target with my NaNoWriMo novel. Almost 1/2 through the month, almost 1/2 to my goal. I'm really enjoying getting to know these characters, who are becoming like friends. And I'm surprised how they keep surprising me. Just found out one of them is a hoarder! "Really?" you ask. I know, I can't believe it either. This is such a nice diversion from the drama of real life. It leaves me wondering though, why would Alice have ever wanted to leave Wonderland. Beats me. But that's back where I'm headed. I'll post again when I resurface.

Still living off last Sunday/Monday getaway to Bedford Springs Resort:

We're saving up to go back there sometime.

It Snowed Last Night!

In the middle of the night it turned white and bright outside, snow...three, maybe four inches. While I was reveling in its beauty, Tom groaned. It's almost mid-November...an early start for what he deems bad weather. Snow makes Tom's job harder, more stressful. He worries about his school bus drivers, their safety, the safety of the children, yep it's stressful. I on the other hand  I am chastising myself for not cutting the mums back and getting them covered with pine branches so they'll be snug enough to winter-over safely and come back in the spring. I may still get a chance to do that...November snows often melt away before winter sets-in in earnest. Not always, but often.

We had beautiful weather this past week. It would have been perfect for outside chores, but alas, I'm sick. A tenacious cold virus going around got me. And it got me good. I thought I was handling it just fine until a secondary sinus infection sneaked up on me. But now that I'm on an antibiotic surely this won't hang on much longer, right? Right. Anyway with that, and snow outside, isn't this a great day to hang out in pajamas all morning? Maybe even all day long.

Last week, when I didn't think this cold was anything to worry about Tom and I went away for an overnight stay at Bedford Springs Resort -- belatedly taking a trip our kids got us for our 40th wedding anniversary. It was  spectacular and we had a fabulous time. Lots of history there...10 or more presidents used the Bedford Springs Hotel for their summer White House, back in the day. And by that I mean the 1800's. The place is beautifully refurbished, an indoor mineral springs pool was completely redone several years ago. We enjoyed the pool, the hiking trails, the porches, the fine dining experiences, and the over-the-top care and service. And I wasn't feeling miserable then. Hmmm, maybe I overdid? (But it was so worth it!)

The hike started by crossing the bridge that connects the hotel to the big woods... 

Into the woods

It was uphill no matter what trail you picked. We chose the drastically uphill one...unknowingly...you might say we chose poorly. No, not really, the hike was such fun. Which is what we said to each other later. Because while we were climbing, there was no breath to waste on talking.

There's the summit.

About half way up, looking down.

And back again.