Christmas Shopping

Today was an errand day--bank, birdseed store, get glasses adjusted, a tiny bit of shopping,

pharmacy, and grocery store.  As much as I detest the whole idea of Christmas galloping my way I knew that if I wanted to get snowshoes for LC and OJ at Play It Again Sports for a decent price I had to go NOW.  So I did and look what I found.  Two pairs, a boyish pair and a girlish pair, the only child/youth snowshoes that weren't toys they have, well, had.  They're probably going to be way too big for the kids for a couple years but I predict that they'll figure them out pretty quickly.  I can't wait for snow (what am I saying???) so I can take them to the park where we will tromp around and have fun.  DIL1's family are skiers so LC is learning to ski and OJ will start learning this winter.  I don't ski but I love to snowshoe so guess what they're getting for Christmas.

The knowledge that winter is, indeed, on the way came home to roost yesterday when I realized that over the week I was gone the juncos had arrived from the Arctic to their winter home in the warmth of Green Bay, WI.  The thought that those little black and gray birds come here to overwinter in a warmer place just boggles my mind.  It's not warm here, birdies, not warm at all.  And yet they come and thrive to go back to the icy expanse of the Arctic to nest in spring.  Crazy.





It was cold and very windy up at The Clearing last week but as I stepped on the first step up to the Lodge I spied this tiny pink flower.  It's an itty bitty geranium, believe it or not.  It's name is Herb Robert.  It was the only one I saw, brave little thing sheltered in the lee of the railing post.



 

There were two boxes of craft books on the piano bench last week with a sign between them offering the books for free (but just in case you had a crisis of conscience there was a donation envelope too) so I flipped through them and found this book of crewel embroidery.  I used to love doing that when I was a teen so I brought the book home and, yes, I did make a donation for it.  I'm not a complete philistine, not yet anyway.



Even though it was cold and windy last week I managed to walk along the bluff a couple times.  The trees sighed in the wind and the waves crashed on shore but it wasn't appreciably colder there than on the Schoolhouse path and I got to see good old Cabin #12, my home for the week, from a different angle.  I think this picture gives the feeling I get being at The Clearing.  It's just an "away" place, away from home, away from the world, away from everyday life.  So serene and calm.  Is it any wonder that for the past 17 years I've saved all year for that one week away?

Aren't rose hips pretty?  I think they look like persimmons.  I noticed these yesterday when I was trimming off a couple rose canes that had broken in the wind.  The thorns tangled in my hair and in my sweatshirt but I managed to extricate myself with a minimum of damage to skin and clothing and got an up-close-and-personal view of the rose hips.

October 23--Lucas van Leyden, The Engagement.  She looks at him with expectation in her eyes and a small smile playing on her lips.  He looks scared out of his wits.  Her right hand rests on his left shoulder as if her touch will help keep him from running away.  They must be in love.  The understanding on her face acknowledging his fear, accepting it, and working to allay it isn't something common to a marriage of convenience.  Once the ring is on her finger will he be brave enough to kiss her?

Seven years ago today Mom went off to that big sewing room in the sky.  I'd say bridge table but I don't play and I use some of her sewing things every time I sew so that's what I think of when I think "Mom."  LC said she wants an American Girl doll for Christmas.  I need to talk to her parents to see if I should pull out Mom's AG doll and clothes for her.  I'm glad I kept them.
--Barbara