Last day 08

We are having ANOTHER snowstorm! It is 17 degrees, blowing like stink and snowing heavily. Supposed to accumulate 7" or more. I was "planning" on going to Glens Falls to have my car serviced and pick up a couple cans of black eyed peas for tomorrow. I don't have any black eyed peas in my pantry and I am just superstitious enough to believe we need a serving or two on New Year's Day for good luck in the coming year. The way I see it, anything we can do to help is appropriate. Needless to say, I am not going anywhere.

Pete and I are invited to his son's home for a Eve supper and then tomorrow to two parties at two other family locations. Pete's family is very active in their group get togethers and are always ready to celebrate en masse. In this area, the community formed by these families is almost a necessity to stay sane in the winter months.

I did make it to the gym yesterday. I planned on rewarding my effort with a dip in the hot tub but it was out of order. I think I will slide into my bath tub this morning instead.

I am making Carmelized Onion Focaccia for our contribution to tomorrow's feast. I received a new Focaccia cookbook for Christmas and have been eager to try it. I'll let you know the results.

Here is a quote for me and for you -
"Never falter, go forward so boldly, so unafraid. I am beside you to help and strengthen you."

May prayerful peace flow outward from here, touching with grace all those whom you love and all the earth as well. Amen

Monday the 29th

I have been re-reading my inspirational and spiritual books. This seems an appropriate time to review our lives, our inner landscape and our philosophy on all aspects of life on Earth. Then we can revise and renew who we have become. Here are a few passages that resonate with me. Perhaps they will do so with you too.

If Man is Divine, as Christ has described us, then let us proceed to express that Divinity and claim our birthright. We have been too much occupied with material and selfish interests. But this has been a needed stage. ...time for us to blend and unify the deeper elements of the world of reality with the outer life. The disintegration in the world at this time is right and good, provided we understand why it is taking place and by what it should be succeeded. Destruction which is carried on with a view to eventual construction is right and proper, but the plans for the coming building must be somewhere understood, and some idea must exist as to subsequent reconstruction.
These words are from Alice Bailey written in 1937. Yes, we had begun the slide down this slippery slope we are on now way back then. Nothing is stagnant and everything has a polar opposite - death and rebirth; destruction and construction; darkness and light etc. There is always hope but we need to participate.

This afternoon I am going to drive to Fair Haven, VT for a basketball tourney. My granddaughter who attends Burr and Burton Academy is playing. I rarely see her play since the games are usually too far away for me to drive in the dark. They are unbeaten thus far.

Yesterday the temp went up in the 50's so I started the MH and the generator too. Started right up without a hesitation. How I wanted to just drive out of the yard and down the road south. South is the operative word in case you didn't pick up on that. It seems like it has been winter forever and yet it is just beginning.

A time of review and a time of resolutions. Good luck to you as you go through your polar opposites - end of the year and beginning of the new. Death of the old, integration of what we have learned this past year, that which serves us and rebirth of all that will support us in the coming days of ascension.

Blessed Be

enjoy the shots of Bashey opening his stocking Christmas morning and grandaughter Grace, her giraffe and me.

Christmas Day 08

Happy Christmas Day to all my blessed readers.

"Love, laugh, make the world happy. Your joy-making shall spread in ever-widening circles, beyond all your knowledge. Centuries after, it still bears precious fruit."

I hope you all are enjoying the comfort and joy that comes with sharing in a family group or a group of friends. I just returned from a wonderfully rowdy afternoon with my family in Florence, Vermont. It snowed off and on all day. This morning on the drive up there which takes about 45 mins., I came around a steep turn and there were three vehicles all over the road and down over the banks on both sides. Black ice shone omniously. There was no way I could stop or even apply the brakes so I drove through it like an obstacle course praying my wheels would stick to the pavement. Whew! The ride most of the way was enlivened with periodic patches of the deadly Black Ice. But coming back tonight, the roads were dry.

One of my grandson's received three Nerf guns for Christmas. We ended up having a shooting match. It was a lot of fun. I had the orange "darts" stuck all over me. I have pictures which I will post. I can't begin to tell you my joy at being embraced by (or shot at) my big boistrous family. The kids are beautiful loving beings. We then enjoyed a scrumtuous brunch together.

Now I am home awaiting my brother and his daughter who will spend the night and the day with me tomorrow. Bashey wore his antlers this morning while he opened his stocking which contained a squeeky toy and a few different kinds of cookies.

Goodnight for now -

the 23rd

Ah! Minus 17 degrees this a.m. folks. Bashey and I are toasty though. What a day I picked for him to go for a clip. I may have to buy or make him a warm coat. Poor guy but he does smell better and looks wonderful. I hope these pictures will post of the snow and of Bash pre haircut.

Winter Solstice 08

Yes, it is the first day of winter and I can prove it. Check out the "hot" off the press photos of - let me see - Blizzard number 4 I think. I am snowed in. Have been for 2 days. How I wish I knitted but I make cookies and I read while listening to lovely music. Bashey doesn't know how to cope with the deep snow over his shoulders. He doesn't leap well anymore so I stomp paths for him. The snow is over my knees up to mid-thigh. We went out awile to go to shovel the barn doors out where the car is stowed. Then we shoveled the cellar doors out on the house and I moved all the baked goodies I had for the party yesterday, which I didn't get to, to the freezer down below. Yesterday was a day of sad reflection but we must move on. I had so looked forward to spending some quality time with all my family. The storm of 12" and then never stopped snowing caused my two ride options to decline going. It is still snowing going on 48 hours. We have a total of more than 20" and it is still coming down. Tonight the wind is to blow 40 and the temp to drop into the minus digits. I am anxious about the severe cold.

As of this writing though, I am drinking a strong cup of coffee laced with brandy. I pray my loved ones who did make the trip to MA travel safely home this morning. This is the day we must bring in the Light since it is the darkest day of the year. It is the fourth sunday of Advent for Christian worshippers everywhere. I will not make it to church this morning but have candles lit all over my house in honor of the Light. Our Pagan ancesters built huge fires outside where they sang and danced hoping to hold onto the diminishing Light that seemed to be failing them. Then, of course, in the next few weeks following Solstice they would begin to notice that their ministrations had worked and the Light was increasing gradually. As God tells me everyday I live, "Trust In Me".

Excerpt from Born Of Fire

Here is the excerpt from my book, Born Of Fire: A Yearlong diary of Transition:

I lie awake early in the predawn darkness contemplating if I should get out of my warm nest to meditate or continue to snuggle in with my thoughts. I sense the raw November cold outside the window overlooking the sweeping lawn and on down to the shore of Lake Bomoseen, Vermont. There is a good chance that I will catch a glimpse of the small deer herd browsing on the downed acorns that were shed by the ancient oaks a few weeks ago. I especially like to watch the deer in the moonlight. But the moon is dark now. My thoughts roll on through my mind like ocean waves rolling in on a sandy shore. Gently they roll in, wash up on the beach of my consciousness, and then wash back out disappearing into the vast sea of thought.
Just yesterday, I walked with my dog, Duffy, a Welsh Terrier, along the lakeshore. There were large holes of open water especially on the north shore. The ducks have gathered here for their last watering hole until they are forced to leave to seek open water elsewhere. They cling to each last oasis of open water in the vast pool of frozen whiteness. They fly to a hole, then swim to the icy edge, which is just slush right now. Then they push their way through the mushy ice to the next hole leaving behind a trail, which will freeze in intricate lacy patterns like follow-the-dot drawings.

I hope you like it. I will post some parts of it from time to time.
Cio

Friday night

Blizzard! Started snowing at mid-day, 2-3" per hour. About 10" so far. It is only 11 degrees and windy. Bash and I are snug as bugs in a rug. My car is tucked into the barn for the night. I had to ram it through the snow to get in the barn since it had not been plowed yet from the last storm. This is wild to say the least. Sunday there is to be another storm. Pete and I are supposed to motor to Mass. tomorrow for an overnight at Kate's for a Christmas celebration. I hope we can go since it has been several years since I have been able to be with my family for Christmas. We are watching the storms closely to see if we will be able to get back towards home before the next storm comes in. I wish I were in Naples. It is 80 degrees there now with all the holiday celebrations. Depressing but I cannot dwell on it.

I hope come January, the winter will be gentler. I didn't work today. Apparently, many people don't take off the last day before a 2 week vacation. Now I am officially on vacation. Something I really don't want right now. But there are things that need doing. Bashey needs a grooming. I need to work out at the gym. I hope to do some cross country skiing. I still have my skiis which are 40 yrs. old. I do need some wax though. Found some at REI but like most things, it is much more expensive than it was 40 yrs. ago.

Not much more to report since being snowed in is rather boring unless you have someone to be romantic with. I will write about our weekend.

Thursday afternoon

I am back home after only working half a day in Fort Edward ES. It was a hectic morning. The classrooms there are terribly overcrowded. I don't know how the teachers do it. I just went from class to class trying to help out. It was only a half day job so I am off to the gym. I haven't been able to get there for over a week and I badly need some exercise. More pics of the storm --

You snowbirds eat your hearts out. I know you wish you were here.

Love, Lame Duck

More Snow

Here are the pics of the recent ice storm. My church is shown as well as my yard and a shot of the Hudson River. It was very beautiful with the sun out but a deadly storm. Many have died from carbon monoxide poisoning from their generators not being vented properly.

Today I turned down a half day job in Glens Falls since we had another 8" of snow on the roads and my driveway was not plowed. My car would go through the snow but I could not get out on shine hill road since the town had plowed me in. Bash and I have been doing some needed bonding while I have been baking Christmas goodies all day. It is 4 p.m. and I just sat down for a break. I am tired - Pumpernickel Bread, Sourdough English cranberry muffins, Snickers cookies, Date/coconut balls, Rum balls and chicken with rice for supper. Whew! Cupcakes will be made Friday after work. I already have a job for tomorrow in Fort Ann Elem. School as a teaching assistant in special ed. Friday, I don't know where I will be. We are supposed to get a larger snow storm then.

Saturday, Pete and I will drive to Wellsley,MA to join my family for a Christmas celebration at Kate's big house. Pete's grandson's are taking care of Bashey. We return on Sunday (another storm due in) I hope we can navigate all these storms. Dodgeing snowflakes!

I met my daughter Theresa and her son Colin for lunch in Saratoga on the weekend. I watched him play hockey with LaSalle Academy. They lost but it was great to see him. He is very tall and thin. Big boned and beautiful at 16 years. He resembles his grandfather Waite's family.

Enlarge the photos to see them fully.

More Snow

Here are the pics of the recent ice storm. It was very beautiful with the sun out but a deadly storm. Many have died from carbon monoxide poisoning from their generators not being vented properly.

Snowed in Friday

What a night! The 3rd picture was taken the other night before the big storm. I wanted to capture the mountains in the background but don't think you can make them out. I worked yesterday at Hudson Falls Elem. School as an aide for 16 kindergarten students. About 9 a.m. we began to watch the early morning rain turn to big fat snow flakes and then the accumulation began. By 1:30, we suited up and went outside to romp in it. Those with appropriate clothing made snow angels. The first few inches were very dry and fluffy and wouldn't allow any snowmen to be built. After 35 mins. we trouped back inside shedding all that wet clothing. We adults kinda figured we would not be coming back Friday. Sure enough, no school today. The main roads are always kept very well up here but the side roads and driveways are terrible. My steps and porch are a sheet of ice. The sun just peaked through for 5 mins. and lit up the icey trees. It is like magic. But very difficult to shovel or walk on since it very crusty. A foot of snow topped by an inch of ice. I am grateful my power has stayed on but many are without. My snow plower came but I called him back to plow out the barn yard. After working on my car for an hour to open the doors and scrap the thick ice off, I decided to put it in the barn. There are few cars on the roads just huge plows and pickups with plows.
I have made split pea and ham soup this morning. I hope to bake some bread or english muffins this afternoon. I would like to go to the gym but don't dare drive. It is now in the 20's so everything is frozen.

We are safe and tucked in for a long weekend. The following is a message that I focus on constantly and I hope you find it helpful as well.

You must trust me wholly. This lesson must be learned. Doubt always delays. Are you trusting all to me or not? From Two Listeners

Snowy Sunday

Bashey and I both sat up straight in bed just before dawn this morning when the snowplow went through. A very loud scraping sound totally unfamiliar to us. I am amazed that the County plows when there is just a dusting of snow on the roads. It seems like a waste of tax-payer money. It wouldn't hurt people to slow down, drive through the little snow on the roads and have the plows wait until there was heavier accumulation. But this area is known for keeping the roads open.

the birds have been eating voraciously for the last two days so I suspected there was a storm coming. I also have a fat red squirrel (hawk food)who runs a zig-zag pattern across the lawn from the evergreen hedgerow. He goes as fast as he can to avoid the hawk. He climbs inside my feeders and eats until he can barely climb out. My feelings will not be hurt when he evolves to be food for hawk. I was pleased to see the large red-bellied woodpecker at the feeder this morning. they were here all summer but I hadn't seen them in a long while.

Yesterday, as I walked Bash in my yard, my ankles kept turning over and it was difficult walking. I realized I was walking on frozen ground for the first time in 22 years. Certainly Virginia and North Carolina have some freezing temps, snow and ice but the ground really never freezes. If it does, it is just a surface freezing. The Earth remains warmer. Not here in the north country. We are frozen tundra.

Sebastian likes the cold temps and the snow. He has very long thick fur right now. I want to have him shampooed and trimmed but haven't been able to do so yet. When I do, I may have to provide him with a jacket. He is right now cuddled on the sofa on his blanket sound asleep. He looks like an oversize whitish mop with a large black nose.

The snow falls and the darkness deepens as we roll on to the winter solstice in a couple of weeks. I wish you Light and warmth, music and dancing.

Wednesday night

Faith Hill is singing Joy To The World at Rockefeller Ctr.in NYC for the lighting of the Christmas Tree. A lovely touch at a time when many are depressed. I love much of this time of year but the pressure of gifts for everyone on my list is daunting and nerve wracking. Once again, I just don't have the money. This year many have joined me on this weary path. I will bake and make kissing balls but I will not put Christmas gifts for the 26 people on my list on my credit card. I enjoy giving gifts to those I love and cherish memories of years past when money was freely there
to buy or sew a gift for everyone in my family. It seems people have given up on the special gifts of Christmas such as sending greeting cards, baking cookies and making candies to purchase large expensive gifts for a few people in their family and for themselves. Christmas has become an excuse to purchase that expensive item. The real reason for the season is no longer clear. I have a hand full of rustic hand painted wooden ornaments for the tree that I was able to salvage from the floods of my home in NC in '98. They remind me of a time many years ago, 1972 actually, when my children and I were alone for our first Christmas. We didn't have any extra money then for decorations. The kids painted the wooden cutout ornaments, strung popcorn, cranberries and made paper chains for our tree that year. I hang these few old ornaments each year to remind me of where we have come from.

I have been working all week long in the Glens Falls schools. The work is steady but not terribly creative or challenging. It just is and I remain grateful to have it. Many of the little children have much pain in their lives. Their bravery and stoicism is impressive. I want to gather them all around me to love and protect them like a mother hen and her chicks. But touching is frowned upon in these times. I am sad for them and frustrated by the society of fear we have created.

Now I listen to David Cook singing Happy Christmas. Beautiful words. Double click on the photos to enlarge.

May you be blessed where you are....