The Rebirth Of The Light

Yesterday was the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, which means this morning the sun rose a teensy bit earlier and will set a teensy bit later.  It'll do that every day until the summer solstice when the days will begin to shorten up again.  It's a vicious cycle, especially the dark and cold part, but reliable nevertheless.



Yesterday morning it was snowing and this squirrel decided that suet was what it wanted for breakfast.  The drive to work was challenging, snowy and slick, because it was warming up.  It warmed up so much that all of the snow and ice melted off the birdbath.  I've been checking and rechecking my walk-in-fridge thermometer (in the back of Durwood's van) and this morning it was about 26 degrees.  Which means it's still 10 degrees colder than the kitchen fridge so we're good.
 







Last night the stockings were hung with Command Hooks with care, all around the picture of Saint Nicholas there.  (I had to make it rhyme, didn't I?)  I love the randomness of them, no two are alike and they mostly look like a conglomeration of ages and styles, some homemade, some store-bought, all loved.  Well, I hope the owners of the two newest stockings come to love them as much as the maker loves the grandsons.


Since DD, SIL1, and GC are reliably on the way and I'm fairly certain that she won't be checking the blog before Christmas day, I'm going to show you what I've been frantically knitting.  See, the fabric reclamation people felted the flip-top mittens I made for her years ago and she said that she was sad because she loved them.  Well, it just so happened that I had enough of the very same yarn to knit her another pair exactly like the first pair.  So I am.  I should be done by the time I get off work today since I only have about 10 rounds to go on the flip-top of the last one, then I'll just have to box them up and wrap them.  *dusts hands off*  Which reminds me, I need to throw the Anklet project bag into my basket in case I finish too early.  Can't be without knitting, now can I?

December 22--Julie Gang, Not in the Pool.  "Stay clean and stay away from the pool," Mom said as she shoved Jeremiah and me out of the condo.  Aunt Natalie was getting married to Uncle Sammy today and Mom was the Matron of Honor.  "Witch of Honor" is what Dad said after she flipped out when she caught him having a beer and a smoke with Uncle Ted and Grandpa Charlie behind the band bus.  Jeremiah went straight over to dip his hand in the pool.  I told him, "Mom said to stay away from there," but he just laughed.  "Look, Em, there's a snake on the bottom," he said pointing into the water.  I went over to look and he tripped me.  I fell in but not before I grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him in with me.  If I was going to be in trouble, he was too.


Brothers.  'Nuff said.  Gotta run.  Somehow I lost a whole hour this morning.  Oh, see the nest I made for GC?  It looks cozy and warm and welcoming, I think (I hope), and I am over the moon thrilled that the air mattress fits in the space I made for it.  Whew.
--Barbara