(We interrupt the Adventures of Mom’s Visit to update what’s been happening in Sycamore Canyon)
It’s 5 a.m. and I can’t sleep. I awoke from a dream of being on a secret mission in Africa that was so real I was surprised to wake up in my own bed! Yet in my dream all I could think about was getting back to my blog and, would I be able to write about this. That shows you how much blogging has taken over my life!
I haven’t been able to get on the computer for days, partly due to the activities of the holiday and partly due to a malfunction with the keyboard. I could turn the computer on but I couldn’t type! Gus fussed with it yesterday morning and I’m finally back in business.
I stepped outside for a few minutes this morning with my steaming cup of tea. A crescent moon hangs brightly over Mt. Fagan in a star studded sky. The air is cool but not cold. I am comfortable in my bathrobe. A shooting star crosses the eastern horizon before burning out. Overhead the big dipper is upended and spilling stardust across the velvet sky.
A few Christmas lights are still on, outlining the roofs of neighboring homes. I am a sucker for Christmas lights, though I have none displayed outside my own house. Still, I love to see them. Inside the house my new artificial tree is glowing, along with my lighted Christmas Village. Though I profess to love the west the best, my Christmas village belies my New England Heritage. Complete with a steepled white church, a gazebo and stone bridge, I bought the pieces a few years ago where they adorned the mantel over my fireplace in Utah. It always reminds me of my Nana’s house on the green in Colchester.
When we moved here we downsized and, as a result, I have no ledges or mantels to arrange my little New England village on. I didn’t even pull it out this year until last Thursday night, when I decided to see if it would look right atop my kitchen cupboards. Amazingly, it did, and when I was done, I was quite please with the result, though I paid for it with bruises when I misjudged the step down onto the step ladder from off the counter-top. My bifocals had slid down my nose and, as a result, the step appeared closer than it actually was. I now have a nice scrap atop my right foot and a bruise the length and half the width of a dollar bill on the inside of my right knee. I could take a photo to show you, but some things are best left to the imagination.
This will be my first Christmas without any of my children around. It has made me a bit melancholy and nostalgic. I am amazed at the memories that rush to my brain when I stop long enough to let them come. As a result, I’ve written a Christmas story to be posted here on Christmas Eve. I hope you will come back and enjoy reading it. For now, it’s time to get on with the Adventures of Mom and our visit to Butterfly Magic!
11 comments:
I will look forward to your story on Christmas Eve.
Sorry about the fall. When something like that happens to me I get so mad at myself.
It must be odd to be away from your family for the first time. Change and new traditions can be tough.
I look forward to your story and thanks for sharing the cup of tea.
I hope that you and Gus find your won new Arizona Christmas traditions to celebrate. Meanwhile, I'm here in New England having a very traditional (and snowy) Christmas. A merry one to you and Gus.
Boy, I tell you, trying to get all the posts about Mom's visit done is a BIG jOB! Almost done though. Butterflies arrive tomorrow for MY World! Meanwhile, I'm taking a break form posting and coming to visit all of you!
bobbie and Lynne, thanks for stopping by to say Hi!
Doug, I'm counting on you to help ID some of these butterflies. They didn't have a list and there are too many to remember, plus the volunteers didn't even know the names of them all! Thanks for the Christmas Wishes. I hope you enjoy your Christmas in New England. Does my Christmas village look like anything you are seeing there?
I enjoyed the read.
It is about -7 here now and the wind is blowing hard so the wind chill is way down in the minus 20s or was. Not bathrobe weather. In fact some friends stopped to drop something off and warned us not to go outside.
I am not allowed to go outside anyway so will set here in the house and watch things like the cold and the wind. I sure do not want to end up back in the hospital.
Abe! So glad to hear that you are home! I'm on my way to vist you right now!
On my - I certainly hope you have smooth sailing from here on in!! Looking forward to the Christmas story, too.
Hi Kathie
I am Doug T's little sister- I feel I know you through Gossamer Tapestry- I take it you are from New England originally-Doug tells me you are a birder- so am I- I am LOVING all my birds at my feeders during all this snow! My favorite is a red bellied woodpecker that we have named Big Red! Happy Holidays-and look forward to your Christmas Eve posting.
I look forward to reading your story too. You can go outside in just a bathrobe? I wouldn't last long out there ine a bathrobe tonight! It's -4 out there! BRRRR!
Enjoy your time with Mom. My mom just left after a weekend stay.
I think your Christmas village looks just perfect in its new spot :) Be careful with the step ladder though!
Deborah, I am so busy with Christmas preperations that it's not even funny! Of course, I fell right after Gus said "Be careful."
Chilmarkgirl, how nice to meet you! You have a very nice and helpful big brother! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you come back again. Glad to know we share a similar interest! Yes, I am from New England but now live in the west. I love it here but I do wax nostalgic at times.
Amy, so good to see you. I hope you had a good time with your Mom. I'm still getting use to this warm winter but I do have to say that I am enjoying it!
Celeste, thank you! Now that it's up I am enjoying looking at it every day!
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