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Christmas was fine, but I'm not sorry it's over. This was one of those years when it seemed repetitive, more work than pleasure. I decorated, had fun at parties (though got the date wrong and missed my favorite one), gave and got nice presents (a wonderful pair of silver napkin rings that are actually little figures--Toad of Toad Hall and Tom Kitten, Two Lives by Vikram Seth, a fleece pullover, a great bottle of wine, etc., etc) cooked the Eve meal (repeated the sauerbraten and linzertorte, now getting boring to me), saw my sister and her family, etc.
My best time was phone calls from my sons. Maybe that was the tarnish on the shiny day--they weren't here. I just saw them two months ago, and will again in spring, and none of us love holiday travel cross-country, so I was fine with the plan. Just a little less shiny, I guess. Second best time was Lydia and Laurie's visit--I cooked Chinese as best I can (jiaozi, baby bok choy, stirfried beansprouts with egg and garlic shoots, mapo dofu) and we went to the kid's museum, but mostly just hung out and played. Mop was very sweet with Lydia, and vice-versa. A picture will come--on the other computer right now.
And a very nice day yesterday--went with some others from my Dharma Center to visit the teacher in Charleston. We talked about how to get the visa for our new teacher here, and went to lunch at a nice little French restaurant when the teacher's niece works. Then on the way home, we went by the land our groups are buying jointly for a retreat center. It was beautiful--28 acres, mostly regrowth pine (we'll clear some, thin the rest) and a little Carolina bay (small round wetland formation, of mysterious origin). The day was cool, bright, and clear, and the trees and grass and sky almost glowed in the new light. I thought about Judy Collins' "Winter Sky":
Out under the winter sky,
Stars come trembling on my eye,
And I feel like something’s going to die,
Hand me wings for to fly.
High is heaven in early morn,
Men sleeping in beds that are warm.
And I feel like something’s being born,
Tells my soul not to mourn.
My best time was phone calls from my sons. Maybe that was the tarnish on the shiny day--they weren't here. I just saw them two months ago, and will again in spring, and none of us love holiday travel cross-country, so I was fine with the plan. Just a little less shiny, I guess. Second best time was Lydia and Laurie's visit--I cooked Chinese as best I can (jiaozi, baby bok choy, stirfried beansprouts with egg and garlic shoots, mapo dofu) and we went to the kid's museum, but mostly just hung out and played. Mop was very sweet with Lydia, and vice-versa. A picture will come--on the other computer right now.
And a very nice day yesterday--went with some others from my Dharma Center to visit the teacher in Charleston. We talked about how to get the visa for our new teacher here, and went to lunch at a nice little French restaurant when the teacher's niece works. Then on the way home, we went by the land our groups are buying jointly for a retreat center. It was beautiful--28 acres, mostly regrowth pine (we'll clear some, thin the rest) and a little Carolina bay (small round wetland formation, of mysterious origin). The day was cool, bright, and clear, and the trees and grass and sky almost glowed in the new light. I thought about Judy Collins' "Winter Sky":
Out under the winter sky,
Stars come trembling on my eye,
And I feel like something’s going to die,
Hand me wings for to fly.
High is heaven in early morn,
Men sleeping in beds that are warm.
And I feel like something’s being born,
Tells my soul not to mourn.