Days 20-22

Day 20 was a DVD of Ice Skating and Windham Hill. Day 20 Quote:

So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!

- Susan Cooper, The Shortest Day

Day 21 was simply several pieces of paper in various sizes, none more than about 3 inches either way, on which to write any problems, difficulties, frustrations of the past year that should be forgotten, left behind, let go of. After writing them down, the papers are burned and, hopefully, are released from your psyche and your life. We'll see if it works... A nice concept, nevertheless.

Day 21 Quote:

Do everything with a mind that lets go.
Do not expect any praise or reward.
If you let go a little, you will have a little peace.
If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.
If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom.
Your struggles with the world
will have come to an end.

insight meditation - achaan chah

Day 22 was the birthday. We were supposed to go out to eat with Chris and Amelia, but by the time he got home (he had been out of town the last few days--again), he was too tired and asked for a rain check. His birthday and Christmas gift (and mine, too) was supposed to be the new H D television he has been wanting. He has now decided to wait for the after Christmas sales.

Day 19

I love the way the Solstice and Christmas traditions blend. Frankincense and Myrrh belong to both; they are blended in jojoba oil and ready to use (and .5 oz. of this should go a long way). Frankincense says "Sanctifying" on the label, and Myrrh says "Comforting."

Yule, is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half.
Starting the next morning at sunrise,
the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day.
Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year,
much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life
that warmed the frozen Earth
and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb.
Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider.
- Yule Lore

Last Post for Today!

I've been making a few gift bags a la' Lazy Gal Tonya, but have only managed (in the general excitement related to the new grandbaby) to finish one so far. Of course, I still have several other projects in the works as well --that may or may not be finished in the near future. Such is life!

Here is the one I made for Day 16; it holds an initial decoration and a little lavender sachet I made for peaceful dreams. The bag itself has become a sachet and smells of lovely lavender. Somehow, things got ahead of me, and I failed to attach a quote to this one so "dream" was the only text to accompany this gift.



I'm going to get ahead on this one. Day 17, is potpourri poured into one of a set of nesting boxes I bought several years ago. The lovely seeds in the potpourri intrigue me almost as much as the smell. It is already set out for Fee when he comes home this evening. He knows where to look and makes a beeline to the top of the bookcase to see his latest surprise.

When I am liberated by silence, when I am no longer involved in the measurement of life, but in the living of it, I can discover a form of prayer in which there is effectively no distraction. My whole life becomes a prayer. My whole silence is full of prayer. The world of silence in which I am immersed contributes to my prayer.

thomas merton

Here are some wonderful gift tags -- funny and so true.

Fee's Gifts

Solstice traditions include wreaths and fresh greenery, so Day 13 was this wreath. The cardinal was supposed to have gone on the seeds for Day 12, but I forgot, so he got stuck on the wreath.The sun and the moon dance and blow the trumpets,

and a little child shall turn the Wheel of the Law.
Secret of the body, of the Word and Heart of God,
His innermost breath is the steed of the Bodhisattvas.

tibetan buddhist - marpa

Day 14 was a bell ornament. The bell, like the wreath, is associated both with the Winter Solstice and Christmas.

“Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true”

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Day 15 was a candle wrapped in a napkin of metallic gold (from several years ago...looked pretty, but totally impractical). Fee thought the package was so pretty and never recognized the "wrapping" as one of the napkins.

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

Buddha

Day 9

Fee came home this morning, feeling much better, which is a great relief. Today's gift was incense.

Better do a good deed near at home than go far away to burn incense.

Amelia Earhart

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I finished the baby quilt and washed it with Orvus. I'm pleased with it and will take a picture tomorrow, but it is ready now for the name, date, weight, etc. Amelia goes in at 5:00 A.M. on Tuesday unless Bryce decides to come tomorrow.

I have quite a lot to do tomorrow, but Christmas shopping is all done now and the baby quilt is finished so I can get everything else done without having those two (most) important items hanging over my head!

Day 7

Rosemary for remembrance. Every garden should have some; it is also one of the plants associated with the Winter Solstice, a time for remembering and evaluating.

If everyone wanted the same thing if everyone wanted whatever was super trendy

and wildly popular, or even if everyone wanted a garden, it wouldn't
change the fact that you could still have yours.

There is enough for everyone.

A Note from the Universe

I rooted the rosemary about 6 weeks ago, so it has a long way to go to look like much.
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Today was a full day. We took Laddie to the doctor to see about the rash. It isn't shingles; it is an allergic reaction to something, but they aren't sure what. We've removed all soaps, creams, etc. Laddie got two shots and loads more medications--3 more oral meds and two topical ones. The whole thing took over 5 hours from the time I picked up Marty until we had all the meds (part of the time was waiting for the prescriptions to be filled and going to two more pharmacies looking for one of the topical creams) --then we still had the party to attend...looking somewhat worse for wear!

Day 6, , quilt progress, & e-mail difficulties

Trimmed, squared up, and made the binding for the quilt. Whew! Now I know it will be finished. There may even be time for the embroidery, but I'm not sure I want to take the risk. A pillow would be a good way to use the poem I wanted to include and can be done later.

Today will be busy, but now that the baby quilt will be finished, maybe this weekend some of my other projects can get a little time. The "All shall be well" piece for the Winter Class with Tonya is just staring at me.

Yesterday's gift went back to the Winter Solstice feast foods -- fruits, berries, and nuts. Pistachios for Day 6.
A haiku and two quotes went with this one.


winter dusk
the rhythm of her knife
chopping fruit and nuts.

- Elizabeth St. Jacque


God gives the nuts, but he does not crack them.

Franz Kafka

The nut doesn't reveal the tree it contains.

- Proverb from ancient Egypt

This one had to go out through e-mail, too, as Fee is still out of town. I wait until he calls (to let me know whether or not he's finished), then if he isn't coming home, send the picture and the quotes. I'm going to have to make tags and wrap several more in advance so that when the baby comes, they will be ready and I won't have to worry.

Notifications about email comments are still not working, but I checked "Known Issues" and it said the problem was fixed. Mine isn't working, yet. Keep on it, Blogger!

Day 5

Day 5 Lemon Bath & Shower Gel

Let there be respect for the earth,
Peace for its people,
Love in our lives,
Delight in the good,
Forgiveness for past wrongs
And from now on, a new start.

millennium resolution - rev. peter trow - 1999

Day 4

Day 4: Fee received flowers, a cyclamen, because cyclamen comes from the Latin that means circle or wheel. The circle or wheel is one of the symbols of the Solstice, and red is one of the Solstice colors (believed to deflect evil) as well as a Christmas color. The poem is Welcome Morning by Anne Sexton, and I've posted it before here if you want to read the whole thing. It is a lovely poem.
Fee is going out of town again tomorrow and said he is taking his lap top so he doesn't miss any of his birthday/advent/Winter Solstice gifts.

Camille (Thimble Blossoms) is having a pattern give away on her blog. Her quilts are so fresh, vibrant, and fun!

I had to stop and clean up my sewing room today. The chaos finally got to me and functioning was no longer possible. Fabric had to be folded and put away, pieces of various projects sorted into baskets and plastic bags, notes gathered up in hopes of organizing them--although some notes are so brief, ambiguous, or illegible that it isn't entirely clear with which project they should go...

When the room was reasonably straight, pandemonium ensued once more. I have not forgotten the PIF gifts, but they must wait until after Christmas. My winter class quilt is also on hold at the moment. So much to do and our new grandbaby, according to Amelia's doctor will be arriving on the 11th, if not before. Everything is in place. Baby Bryce is ready, Amelia is ready. I have to see if I can get my doctor's appointment moved up a day so I will be ready.

Day 3

Fee's day 3 gift was a another simple one: one of his favorite meals with raspberry cobbler for desert. No pictures of the meal, but I did manage a picture of the quotes before he got home.

This was a difficult one for presentation, so a ribbon and an orange had to serve. The larger note mentions harvest foods that are associated with solstice feasts. One is fowl and another berries. So the meal included chicken topped with an artichoke sauce that Fee loves and raspberry cobbler from the lovely fresh berries. The orange pays homage to the fruits that are also part of solstice meals and certainly associated with Christmas.. That note ends with "Happy Birthday x 3"--

The quote, which works well with the solstice idea, reads:

May the long time sun Shine upon you,
All love surround you,
And the pure light within you
Guide your way on.
kundalini yoga--farewell blessing
I

In December as the Winter Solstice approaches, the days become shorter. Ancients feared the loss of the sun, and on the solstice celebrated the sun's rising and gaining strength. This is a time of saying farewell to the old year and preparing for the new for midwinter is the turning point of the year and a time for celebration.

How appropriate to celebrate a birthday, a beginning of a new year, at the solstice.

I had not originally planned a quote for each day, but have found quite a few good ones.

Lighting a Flame

Photo Courtesy of PDPhoto.org
For those of us who need it, a link to an article about The Art of Appreciation. Here is the quote that precedes the article:

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. - Albert Schweitzer
Isn't that a great point to remember? How many people have influenced your life for the better--both in the past and in the present? I like the words "have lighted the flame within us," because it leaves it so open.

I'd love to know some of the people who have lit the "creative flame" within you.

I have some errands and chores that must be done, but this afternoon, I'm going to sit down and list some of the people who have been responsible for lighting a flame within me--creative and otherwise. The idea goes so well with the Winter Solstice and Advent season that I can't resist.