Seasonal Reading

The Christmas Book Collection

The little Christmas book collection sits on the same shelf all year long, adding a bit of color to the living room decor. In the summer heat of July or August I sometimes take a volume down and leaf through it, remembering that unique Christmasy magic, recalling cooler weather and the scent of cinnamon and cloves, and cookies baking in the oven. But usually it is not until mid-November that I truly begin to hear all those special stories and essays and poems start whispering softly, enticingly calling...."draw closer and take a look at what we have to offer....remember the treasures we hold? It's time to take another look..."

In yesterday's post I mentioned we were expecting a storm front to roll in. Well, if it did, I missed it! Actually, it did roll in but it rolled right past us here and today the skies were mostly a brilliant blue and the sun shone, as usual! Thunderclouds were piled white and high, like huge mounds of whipped cream, to the north and east of us, gathered along the mountain ranges there, most of which are about a 90-minute drive away. No doubt there is rain falling somewhere there and perhaps even snow! But here on the coast it is as dry as ever.

So....I never did get my hot chocolate yesterday afternoon, nor did I begin to decorate for Christmas. I did, however, as darkness fell and temperatures dropped, succumb to the siren call of my Christmas books! There is now a selection of two or three on the coffee table, awaiting my attention.



Alice Taylor's An Irish Country Christmas for example....it must be 6 or 8 years (I'm too lazy to check my book lists to find the exact date) since I read it and, to be honest, I cannot remember much about it except that I enjoyed it immensely. She treats us to "the joyful glow of a child's Yuletide celebration" drawn on memories of her childhood Christmases in a small Irish village. So reading it this week will be a special treat....I can't wait! Here's a little teaser....

The magic of Christmas was out in the moonlight haggard with the cattle and down the fields with the sheep but most of all it was here in the holly-filled kitchen with the little battered crib under the tree and the tall candle lighting in the window. The candle was the light of Christmas and the key that opened the door into the holy night.

And this book is the one I began reading just this morning. Joni Earekson Tada's A Christmas Longing, published in 1990 and featuring some of her beautiful paintings, is a new book for me; I found it at Acres of Books before that fabulous used book store disappeared from the scene a couple of years ago. Acres had an entire wall of Christmas books and I'd go there once or twice a year to see what I could find. A Christmas Longing has been sitting with its fellows on the Christmas shelf in my home, unread, since then. I never quite got around to opening its pages until today. I'm so glad I did! She begins the first chapter by speaking of her seven-year-old self and the inexpressible longing she felt for something more, beyond the gifts and the loving family gatherings, at Christmas time.

Why did I feel this mysterious pull to get away, go beyond, even "step into the other side" of Christmas? Bright red ribbons, scented pine branches, spices and candles, the joy and laughter—these things were warm and precious, but they also were inklings, hints and whispers of an even greater celebration. A celebration to come... It's a Christmas longing.

Best of all, as we begin Advent tomorrow, is a book I found at the One Dollar Bookstore, Watch for the Light, Readings for Advent and Christmas, including selections from the likes of C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, Philip Yancey, Madeleine L'Engle, Henri Nouwen, Kathleen Norris, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and many others. Clicking HERE will take you to a link at Ama*zon and you can read a selection yourself.

Not much reading got done today, however, despite this delightful richness of words to feast upon, as I spent the afternoon taking down all the autumn decor and exchanging it for a bit of red and green and gold in celebration of Advent and Christmas. Nothing big or fancy this year. The simple, rustic creche adorns its usual place of honor on the mantel....



...we won't have a tree this year, so I filled my trifle bowl with some pretty Christmas ornaments to brighten up the dining room table.



There's a cinnamon scented candle in a red ceramic container on the coffee table...and a few other Christmas tchotchkes here and there...



...and there must always be angels at Christmas. The little angel candy dish awaits some special Christmasy sweets.

And we all await Advent, the time of waiting for Christmas Eve and Day. And there is a bigger waiting too....Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it so well:

Christ is still knocking. It is not yet Christmas. But it is also not the great final Advent, the final coming of Christ. Through all the Advents of our life that we celebrate goes the longing for the final Advent, where it says: "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21:5). Advent is a time of waiting. Our whole life, however, is Advent—that is, a time of waiting for the ultimate, for the time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, when all people are brothers and sisters and one rejoices in the words of the angels: "On earth peace to those on whom God's favor rests." Learn to wait, because he has promised to come. "I stand at the door..." We however call to him: "Yes, come soon, Lord Jesus!" Amen

Five Miles....

It is a good morning for a long walk....the air is cool, not too cold, not too warm, and thin, wispy clouds float high above in the blue sky...



The sun is shining cheerfully, whenever the high, torn clouds moved aside to reveal his beaming face. On this Friday morning after Thanksgiving Day, the neighborhood I select for perambulation is quiet and serene. Not many humans are evident, except the occasional passing car, and I do not see any animals either, not even birds, though I hear the occasional song up above in the tall treetops.



A few gardens are still sporting wonderfully round and orange pumpkins. I am especially drawn to this welcoming arrangement. That door color is simply divine! Elsewhere on my five-mile walk I notice Christmas lights lining the roof edges and even a decorated Christmas tree in one of the front windows. Already!


Plenty of fall color still abounds, amidst all the green with its many tonal variations....and seeing this red and green as I stride at a constant but dignified pace down the sidewalks (I can't manage five miles unless I pace myself!) reminds me it's time to put away the fall decor in my home and bring out the Christmas boxes. Just the thing for a quiet Friday afternoon! A storm front is coming in and the skies will be gray and gloomy later today. Perhaps I'll make a cup of hot cocoa and set up the Nativity scene first of all.

Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving Day to you!

Jules-Alexandre Grun: The End of Dinner

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

* * *

If the only prayer you said
in your whole life
was "thank you,"
that would suffice.

~Meister Eckhart

Dear Diary

Dear Diary, today is Monday, November 23. Just one month until Winter officially arrives....the year is almost over. It has gone by awfully quickly!

...yes, and just one month until Christmas too!
The liquidamber tree
(also known as American sweetgum)
in front of my house
still has all its leaves,
but, as you can see,
most of them have now turned.
Finally....
It glows in the afternoon sun.

(PS: I don't know whose car that is,
but I've always hankered after a red car...)


Meanwhile....
in the northern reaches of our Globe
most of the brilliantly colored leaves have fallen,
and snow has begun to cover the landscape with a soft white blanket.

And yet....
down below in the other hemisphere
green is the predominant color
and they are gearing up for summer weather!



I think, Dear Diary, that this world is an amazing place.

A walk on Thursday

It's 1:15 pm as I sit down to write this post. The day is bright and sunny, the temperature is 70F. Such a nice day that this morning I decided to get out of the house and go for a real walk.....

Walking is more enjoyable, I find, when I go to the prettier neighborhoods in town, with quiet streets, well-kept homes, and lovely gardens. So, after 10 minutes in the car, I parked, got out, and hit the pavement!



The only wild creature I saw was this squirrel....

He had a big ball of cotton wool, or maybe it was fake spiderwebs left over from Halloween decorations, that he was teasing with his teeth. Perhaps it is destined as lining for his bed?



I was also on the look-out for garden ideas. Isn't this a pretty fence?
I don't know where I'd put such a fence; but I do like the latticework effect,
and the roses too.



And I've always loved trellises, or is this an arbor?
Or perhaps it is called a trellis arch?
Well, whatever it's called, I'd love to have one in my back garden...




...and someday, a real front porch, with room for a bench.
This one is appealing.

It was a pleasant day for walking. After 90 minutes, however, and 4 miles, it was time to return home and cool off. And have lunch....salmon salad on a bed of greens...mmmmm!

Well, now it is 1:35 pm, that didn't take long. Out the window I can see the liquidamber tree that is turning magenta and gold, and across the street my neighbor's lawn is ankle deep in autumn leaves....although his tree is still very green. Hmmm, maybe those are my leaves on his lawn? It's obvious that autumn is finally showing her face around here. The birds are chirping away and I can hear my DH practicing the piano down the hall. Life is good.

Window Views

In Coupeville on Whidbey Island my sister and I had a good time perusing the little shops along the main street. Some of them look out over the Puget Sound....

...and when I came across this particular window,
it sang its siren song to me, whispering,

"Look at me, replete with magical mermaids
and framing the silvery blue of the salty sea..."

Well, how could I ignore such an invitation!
I looked.
And the camera clicked.

* * *

For more window views...and doors too!, click HERE to visit Mary the Teach.

Their Royal Cat-nesses

Cats truly believe they are royalty...I'm convinced of it!

This one, Miss Kitty's cousin, is surveying his kingdom...



...and there is a lot to survey from his lofty perch....



...all of it gorgeous...
and no doubt full of intriguing little creatures to stalk and hunt!




He prefers his drinking water, however, straight from the tap...
and will sit there regally until you to turn on the flow just for him!




Miss Kitty, on the other hand, won't go anywhere near the tub or the sink...
...or any running water...
But she's not averse to the occasional shoe box,
even when it is on the table, where she knows she's not supposed to be!



Art by John William Godward


They can't help it really, being such beautiful creatures.
Being regal is part of their nature. That's one of the things I love about cats.


I found this amusing little tale at catquotes.com:

When God Made Cats

When God made the world, He chose to put animals in it, and decided to give each whatever it wanted. All the animals formed a long line before His throne, and the cat quietly went to the end of the line. To the elephant and the bear He gave strength, to the rabbit and the deer, swiftness; to the owl, the ability to see at night, to the birds and the butterflies, great beauty; to the fox, cunning; to the monkey, intelligence; to the dog, loyalty; to the lion, courage; to the otter, playfulness. And all these were things the animals begged of God. At last he came to the end of the line, and there sat the little cat, waiting patiently. "What will YOU have?" God asked the cat.

The cat shrugged modestly. "Oh, whatever scraps you have left over. I don't mind."

"But I'm God. I have everything left over."

"Then I'll have a little of everything, please."

And God gave a great shout of laughter at the cleverness of this small animal, and gave the cat everything she asked for, adding grace and elegance and, only for her, a gentle purr that would always attract humans and assure her a warm and comfortable home.

But he took away her false modesty.

...Lenore Fleischer