Wednesday
New Year's Day, 2020

Today I put away the lovely trappings of Christmas,

 - the angels and the Santa Claus my sister made so many years ago. 

 All the baubles, the garlands 

and so many of the candles...

I rehung the pictures that I had taken down,

 to make way for Christmas wreaths, 

the ones with red bows and pine and holly.

When I was finished, 

and everything was packed away

 lovingly for another year

 I looked around 

and was taken in by the stillness of the rooms,

and their readiness for the New Year

 that has come upon us this day....

I start off each year with a birthday, 

and this year the number of birthdays behind me

I find quite startling, 

but tomorrow I am ready for a celebration of the 95th.

   Gosh, just typing that number

 makes me extremely grateful 

for the years it represents, 

and for all the blessings of living -

 a wonderful childhood, 

a blessed marriage,

and now good health and a fairly active mind to accompany me

into the ancient years. 

 As I would say in Church, thanks be to God!

I spent a few hours today sleying the Glimakra

 with a lovely green linen warp -

all shades of green and different dents, 

so that the resulting cloth will be a nice springlike runner for a side table,

 - or maybe a summer scarf. 

 There is a gorgeous skein of olive green silk 

waiting to be a weft from heaven, 

and it seems to me that it has finally found its destiny.

It appears that January will be a great month, 

- nothing desultory about it but lots of challenges.

the amaryllis in full bloom

it brightens these misty January days...

A Happy New Year to all!!!

Sunday, December 29th, 2019

Well here I am, settled for the evening

and it's not quite seven o'clock.

The kitchen is clean

the coffee set for morning

and  Callie the cat has assumed her familiar

spot by my elbow, as I type,

where she can lick my wrist, when she is so attracted,

or put a paw out onto the back of my hand...

I have my hot cocolate with me.

It is in the big mug that my oldest son bought for me

in a breakfast spot, when I was travelling with them.

It says on the mug....

  "Age is Nothing but a State of Mind"

and on the other side it elaborates a little, stating that the writer

has no idea how old she/he is , - that nothing changes, - the

the past thirty years or so he/she has been masquerading as 

an adult, when in reality life is nothing but a state of mind,

and in that case it is best to stay lost in your happy bewilderment.

Well, that may be so, but in a few days

I will have a birthday (mid-nineties)

and THAT being the case I must pay attention

to my state of mind and keep it happy, happy, happy..

and somewhat contented!

Not hard to do with my wool and my weaving,

a little cotton and lots of silk......and most importantly

the constant and loving attention of our children.

To add to my delight, the amaryllis is in bloom.......

There were grandchildren here Christmas Eve....

and the New Year is about to enfold us....

bringing with it the opportunity for lots of

resolutions, plans, dreams

and hopefully sun shine and blue skies!!!

They will make up for the sweet melancholy

of New Year's Eve

which was so special for us......

And the kisses at midnight so tender,

And the friends so dear.

Still so, in my memories!

ah, I am off to listen to Hauser

and his passionate and heart tugging cello.