Boxing Day and Beyond

We had the warmest Christmas on record here in NB Canada! Rains dominated the day and winds howled. We Zoomed two hours with our kids in Montreal and then two more hours with my parents and fam in NC. All are distanced purposefully. 

My hubby and family treated me very well, as I got many cozy mysteries and Mary Berry cookbooks too.

I had made our pie and cranberry sauce Christmas Eve which was good because our power went out from the wind between 5:30 and 9:15 pm, effectively stalling the baking ham.

Hubby loaded it in the truck and drove it to a friends’ to continue cooking whilst I lit candles and tried not to grumble.

But the above gift was wonderful—After a wait of 16 months!! my Bolivar cutter arrived with double 8 cut shear heads. Tis a thing of beauty. The only thing missing was the number 6 cut heads and I despair of ever having them. The Bolivar is a Canadian Cadillac of wool cutters, unfortunately the small production is not well run. 

I liked hearing the Pope’s message and watching a YouTube of four kirks in Scotland sharing Christmas—my father has preached at three of them and it made it really quite special. 

Happy Christmas week!!!

         

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas and a Glad Boxing Day to all!

After a gorgeous champagne brunch with friends and a walk in the woods 

we are ready to settle in with a book and a glass of wine by the tree.

Ramblings in the Dark month

I think the fact that hubby and I will be alone for Christmas is finally setting in. We know we are just some among many and we count ourselves fortunate to be healthy— as is our family.

 If you and yours are not heathy you have my heart. We have two friends in hospital and we are unable to visit.

I finished the last hooked pet ornament! Whew! Who knew I’d be hooking full time in December? Here are a few more pieces:

Fun fun fun.

Our Christmas stuff is in storage but we cut a tiny tree and hung 100 fairy lights from it. I miss my Tasha Tudor Christmas book and video—parts of my traditions. I also miss the box of kids’. Christmas books containing jewels from my hubby and my growing up years as well as our kids’. I saw one of the books at the market yesterday. It’s called The Sweet Smells of Christmas and is a scratch and sniff from Golden books. A bear family welcomes Christmas with holiday scents. Then there is Mr. Willoughby’s Christmas Tree and Tasha Tudor’s Night Before Christmas and on and on....

If you read my last post you’ll know I’ve changed my Christmas expectations. It’s rather a relief. In the past I’ve felt guilty if I don’t experience the feeling of  holy wonder at the Lord’s birth. Now I’m embracing that He embraces where I am. Because He came humbly too. And if the religious stuff isn’t in your wheelhouse well I thank you and welcome you and appreciate your reading this. 

Have a super week

Christmas Thoughts

I know I normally post physical creations and photos,  but today I created my thoughts on my God relationship during this season. Maybe some of you will relate.

My thoughts:

 Christmas 2020

I do not want a pristine Christmas this year. I want Mary, Joseph, and Jesus completely surrounded by the absence of family. I want the scent of blood and afterbirth, and animal sweat and manure ( heavy and dank from a hotelier who had to prepare rooms for an onslaught of  census guests, not to muck out a shed for the birth of the king of kings).I want shepherds with sand and grass clinging to the haste of their sandals, perspiration staining the arms of rough cloaks. And later, I want kings, diminished by an arduous journey, resembling more mendicants than one-percenters. I want the moan of Mary in the cramping  pain of the spent uterus, the dumbness of Joseph, struck by his paternal uselessness, the fumbling mutters of the shepherds still reeling from those loud, blinding angels, and kings, struggling to apologize for gifts not  befitting the scene. I want Jesus, wailing at being dislodged from his throne and embryonic bliss.I want the creator of the world wrapped in ragged strips of cloth, now stained with urine and stool. I do not want a pristine Christmas this year. I want one I know. Come, Emmanuel. l. 

 KKS Moore, December 2020

 

Hooked Birds and Forest Bathing

 Happy December?!

I cannot imagine living in the States right now.There would be tremendous stress and you all have my thoughts and prayers. 

Hubby posted my hooked bird ornaments  on Facebook.

These are Christmas presents for friends mind you.

Well I’ve been inundated with orders, including personal pet ornaments. 

This is keeping me busy as my decluttering for seniors has been on hold (virus threats).

So here are some of my creations:

There are wool strips and glue drips all over 

our tiny apartment.

Walks in the woods continue to feed my soul and keep me on sort of an even keel.

These are my talk to Jesus moments.

Why those pics are dangling at the top and not here is anyone’s guess.

Willie dog is always on those walks though you don’t see him here.

Yesterday we were pretty deep in the brush when Willie got very excited over a scent he picked up.

As this is moose country I decided we needed to head back.

And I tried my hand at dilly carrots.

I wouldn’t parboil them again as the recipe suggested.

They are too soft for my liking. 

And the salt is heavy even for pickles.

Our sad news this week is that we decided against gathering with our kids (26 and 30 year old) for Christmas.

They live 7 hours away in another province and it is too stressful and risky.

I’m making big batches of granola today to put in their gift boxes.

My never-fail recipe is from Tightwad Gazette.

May your weekend be full of fibre scraps and glue drips!

The Waiting

Everyone is waiting for this election outcome

Democracy takes patience.

My big prayer is for peace and love to reign.

In the meantime I am hooking up birds

for friends for Christmas.

Because so much of my wool is in storage

I pulled from a small bag.

The limited colour choices have forced me to 

be more creative. 

My other outlet is cooking and baking.

A big pot of carrot parsnip soup and a loaf 

of gingerbread did the trick.

A few days ago I met a friend at an area lake.

Walking for a good hour on trails through the woods

we inhaled the cold clean air and watched for bear.

Do you see the dusting of snow?

Soon this path will be groomed for skis.

Following the hike we sat in my truck,

sipping coffee from her handy thermos

 and munching croissants.

Do you need a re-focus too? 

Happy Friday

Thrift Deals and things

October is simply skipping along!

I scored some lovely transfer ware at a local thrift.

I planned to resell it but it’s too sweet.

(From G&W Late Mayers, Melbourne)

The tureen is in nice shape, no chips.

The platter is good too.

I adore the owl on the platter.

The tureen and platter were $50 Canadian total.

My other purchase was a numbered photo 

of Bette Davis:

My pregnant onion plants look awful.

How come my outdoor gardens thrive 

but my indoor plants die?

I give up.

Our rug hooking meetings have re-started for Fall

with lots of precautions in place. 

I’m working on my son’s 30th birthday rug.

Our covid numbers are climbing for the first

time since March. 

My face masks are just a part of my wardrobe now.

May your weekend be wonder-filled.

Thanksgiving Time in Canada

Autumn has long been the season when

my spirits get an infusion of life.

It prepares me for the long winter ahead.

Some years I need the lift more than others.

My father just broke his pelvis (fell from his bike)

 and my mom is struggling to cope.

I’m in another country and my siblings are 

shuffling work to help them.

Frustrating to the extreme.

So this weekend gave my spirits a lift.

I did things that I love.

Friday evening: a potluck, wine, and crafting

with two dear friends. 

Here is the result.

My food contribution was my Harvest 

pumpkin chocolate chip bread.

It has long been an autumnal tradition but it’s so

addictive I only make it to share with a larger group.

Saturday we woke to a warmer than normal day

and news that a small community nearby was hosting 

an outdoor craft market. 

The colours of the trees provided the perfect 

backdrop for the vendors.

I was tempted by pottery but 

we came away with honey and goat milk soap

and bellies full of wood fired pizza.

  

After the market we stopped by Johnny Appleseed

to pick Macs and Lobos 

(which I used later for apple butter).

Beside this dear little orchard is a cemetery with

some interesting stones.

There must have been disease or flu mid

1800s in NB as siblings died within days

of one another.

I wrote a paper in university on this stone art,

such beautiful motifs.

To top off a good weekend

I found this gorgeous cupboard on kijiji (similar to craig's list).

I paid $75!

I adore the squiggly old paint.

The piece was from a rural one room schoolhouse which

held classes until the early 20th century.

Hubby doesn't see the beauty of it but

being the sweetheart that he is, agreed to cram it into

our tiny apartment kitchen until we find a house.

And last night I was part of what makes me alive-

praying for and sitting with a friend who lives with

anxiety and cancer.

May you pause to reflect on things you 

are thankful for this coming weekend.

For us here in Canada, it is Thankgiving.

September Flying

September is flying

The leaves are beginning to turn

here on the town walking trails of New Brunswick.

I have decluttering jobs here and there

but for the most part my time is mine right now.

I framed two cross stitches which I finished in August:

They will go on the walls of our rv

which are pitifully bare.

I’m trying to locate all of my rug hooking supplies;

since the move to our temporary apartment the

boxes are in chaos.

I’m also stitching a small piece from 

Modern folk on Etsy.

It’s a Japanese alphabet for my daughter who

loves Japan and speaks a little Japanese.

The highlight of my week was seeing 

two special friends visit at a nursing home.

The 81 and 94 year old besties have been apart since

February!

They communicate using 

Two handed British Manual language because

one of them is deaf AND blind. 

Words are spelled into the hand using specific points 

on the hand.

As the time drew to a close, the 94 year old said,

“I wish we could all get good and drunk.”

I had debated bringing gin, but their current medication 

wouldn’t jive with it.

They both endure painfully lonely times.

There are three cases in the province now so we 

need to take advantage before the numbers rise.

Happy Fall to All.

Kings Landing visit

My favourite place in New Brunswick 

is Kings Landing!

The collection of homes from different

eras of NB life is magical.

Being a feeler of history (I sense age and am enraptured)

I become a kid when I go there.

This particular trip was a treat from friend Teresa.

Including lunch: a spectacular pheasant stew,

molasses brown bread, cider and gingerbread.

Take a gander at some of the sights we enjoyed:

 

From the open hearth cooking and harvested

fields to the worker making molasses 

cookies and the animals in their pens—

we had entered a different time!

After gaining permission, Teresa and I picked 

globe amaranth for dried bouquets.

A farm hand and actor then invited us to 

glean the fields for any squash and veg left over.

We filled a huge bag and topped them with their apples!

I call this kind of day a “soul feeder.”

The cares of the world were put on hold while

we indulged in an escape.

May your weekend have soul feeder moments...