Sunday, December 23, 2007

A Pause and a Blue Bird

Today is always an odd day for me. It's a brief lull between Winter Solstice and Christams Eve that stands as almost a day without time. It hangs in the air like that free-fall feeling you get just as you are about to take a huge plunge on a roller coast. I take a deep breath and hold on.
Presant!

The season will linger for us, with many lulls in between. We have a huge Christams Eve and Christmas day present orgy at the in-laws (LOL) followed by a visit somewhere around the 27th from my father (bearing more gifts) and then *hopefully* a visit from my mom for Ronan's birthday on the 8th. I feel like "normal" life will not gain a foot hold until somwhere in mid-January. Until then I'm content to hide in the creaveses of the day, snug and warm, in our little house in the big woods.
little house in the woods

It's no mistake we have these quiet spaces inbetween the rush of the holidays. If it weren't for a present-daze at the in-laws the holiday for us would be all quiet spaces with burts of merriment inbetween. Seth and I have delibertly carved things out this way with no mall trips, no huge packages at the post office, no mountians of holiday cards, no mad-buying dash.

We sent out an email a few weeks ago requesting addresses for those who wished to receive a holiday card. Only those who responded got a holiday card purchased at our local thrift shop. Seth and I exchanged one gift each (I got him a book light and he got me a we'moon planner). Other then that, we bought thrift shop toys for the kids and I made star babies as gifts for other people. We choose our social engagments carefully, a sparingly.

Simple, Peaceful

This morning when we woke up I looked out our bedroom window to see a blue bird stealing a spongue from our back yard (I had been out there cleaning the Thomas train set earlier in the week hence a spongue in our yard) He grabbed it and flew up to the top of our wooden fence, he paused picking at it for a moment while I urged my family to come to the glass door and look. After a moment he flew off with the yellow spongue no doubt to add it to his nest.
Blue Cardinal

What a wonderful time of year this is to nest. To tuck in, cuddle down, hibernate with the bears and move slowly like the bats. Here's wishing you a slow, warm and happy holiday season!