Separate Realities

These kinds of nights happen to me periodically. Sleepless ones. Not forever sleepless; I'll get there eventually. Frequently, four o'clock represents some sort of turn-around point. If that holds, I'll be getting sleepy in less than a half hour.

I've read to Cuppa, read to myself, listened to a CD, listened to Real Live Preacher's version of the Christmas story on my iPod, and even practised a few line dances. I'd play the fiddle, but Cuppa advised me against those kinds of shenanigans on another night such as this several months ago. Oddly enough, I slept really well last night, and I'll probably be fine tomorrow night too. There's no telling when nights such as this will occur or why. It simply happens.

Sometimes, I ponder things when I'm in this state. Tonight, I pondered how my blog world and corporeal world are almost two separate entities, two circles with no overlap. It's not entirely true, of course. Some corporeal friends and kin do follow my musings, but, for example, I have (or had) a good email friend who lives in New England. We've got along quite well, even visited back and forth in body, so to speak.

But I got frustrated around the time of our move about a year and a half ago. I think the move was stressful and that was compounded by the back problems that I endured at the same time., and I didn't do very well with email for a while. I kept it up but found myself getting frustrated with having to say things that I had already said in my blog. I found it hard to fathom why she didn't read my blog, and I think my frustrations came though a few times. What can I say? I'm only human after all.

It's not as though I ever stopped writing emails, but I perhaps wrote shorter emails for a while with a greater interval between them. However, probably both before and after that period, I was then and have been now the more faithful emailer between the two of us. I tend to write soon and at some length and then wait and wait for her shorter replies. We continue to send Christmas cards and small Christmas gifts to New England but have received neither card nor gift from her either last Christmas or this. She used to send us a poinsettia — did so for a number of years. Not any more. Not even a card. I last wrote to her in mid-November and have yet to receive no a reply.

Relationships decline for various reasons. I understand and accept that. But I fuss over the blog thing. Why was she never interested in reading my thoughts and accounts in that forum? Why was it that only emails counted? It's not that I ever did or ever would stop writing emails, it's just that the blog would provide even more information for such friends.

She's not the only one. We have other friends and family who simply aren't interested. Don't get me wrong. We get along just fine and dandy when we meet and spend time together, but they care not a fig about what I or Cuppa have to say about ourselves or our thoughts in our blogs. I don't understand it. I don't say it's bad or that they're evil. I simply say that I don't understand.

I don't mean to say that I expect anyone to be held in thrall by my trenchant prose or be emotionally moved by the pictures that I post. But if I knew a friend who posted of their thoughts and doings, I rather think that I would be interested to keep up with them. What are they thinking about now? What's going on in their lives? I'd want to see their Christmas pictures. I'd just be interested.

We're all different, and it's not for me to understand everybody else, for goodness knows that I'm at pains to understand my own self. I'm simply saying that I don't understand this. I'm not condemning, just puzzling.

Are your experiences similar or otherwise? How do you explain such indifference? I welcome your thoughts.

Meanwhile, we're off to the country for New Years, but we won't be away long. And I will take the laptop, so there's even a possibility of hearing from me, even with the pathetic internet connection up there.

Harmony in the Bedroom

For years now, I have been reading to Cuppa at bedtime. However, there hasn't been much reading for the past few months: not since we finished Lord of the Rings for not the first time. Not every book is suitable for bedtime reading, and we couldn't seem to settle on anything for quite a while. Then, while browsing through the library recently, we discovered a new (for us) book by Philip Gulley, a Quaker minister who writes The Harmony series. We had previously read three or four books of this series, but we had mistakenly thought that we were up to date. Thankfully, there were three more in the series; we're now on the second one that we had missed (which is really the fifth in the series).

Harmony is a mythical town in Ohio. Gulley brings it to life in a series of anecdotes about its various inhabitants. Although there is continuity and plot development from one book to the next, each chapter of each book can also stand alone as a short story. That makes it great for bedtime reading. The length of each story also works well for us; we can usually read a chapter in one sitting er ... lying in twenty minutes, give or take. (I'm guesstimating; I've never timed it.) Presently, we are reading A Change of Heart. We've missed the one directly before that, but we're able to enjoy this book regardless, just as we'll be able to enjoy the missed one when we are able to procure it.

If you're a bedtime reader, either alone or otherwise, you might like to try this series. As I said, it works well for this purpose. Aside from the convenient structure, they're also feel good books that won't leave you feeling distressed at bedtime. Somehow, Gulley is able to achieve that while examining the reality of human foibles. Besides, Harmony in the bedroom is a most excellent thing. Is it not?

Harmony at Amazon
Philip Gulley's Website

Christmas II

I know that I've been flooding you with lots of pics lately. I promise to stop soon. Meanwhile, here are a few photos from Christmas 2 that was held on the proper days according to the calendar. Our first round of Christmas took place a week earlier when Bug and Puff were home. It was a little weird splitting Christmas into two parts, but you do what you have to do and make the best of it, and most of the time things turn out alright.





Above: two pics from Christmas Eve. SIL was in a fine mood both on the eve and on the day as you will see later. Family tradition holds that we lay out some nice snacks on Christmas Eve, so both photos were taken in the kitchen while the food was being prepared.

Below: Butterfly is pleasantly surprised to see that she has received a CD of the Trans Siberian orchestra in her stocking. SIL had already found a Superman T-shirt in his as well as a pair of gloves. You can see him wearing one in the photo.





Above: SIL clowns around while preparing breakfast on Christmas morning. We males don Santa hats in the morning, but we soon get too hot to keep them on.

Below: a photo op with daughter and parents.



Below: on Christmas afternoon, we settled in for the George C Scott version of A Christmas Carol (aka Scrooge). We had watched the older Alistair Sim version on Christmas Eve. The tv shows Scrooge standing on the grounds of his boyhood boarding school where the Spirit of Christmas Past first took him on the first leg of Scrooge's journey of reclamation. Even though we were without snow in Canada this year, apparently they had plenty of it in Victorian England. Sure sure.



So, I guess that's another Christmas in the record books which must be rather wonderful for my dear readers who have no doubt had quite enough of it and my family photo. But in case you haven't, Cuppa will soon post her choices as well.

Boxing Day Snow

Today is Boxing Day in the Canada. Although Wikipedia offers various explanations for its origin, it's first listed possibility is that "It was the day when people would give a present or Christmas 'box' to those who have worked for them throughout the year." I'll go with that one because it's pretty well the version that was passed on to me. The custom may actually have its origins in feudal times as an obligation of the lord to the serfs. After being served by his serfs on Christmas Day, the lord would provide them with a box full of "practical goods such as cloth, grains, and tools." It's still an official holiday in this and most countries of the Commonwealth, and it still has to do with merchandise as it is the biggest shopping day of the year.

We don't do Boxing Day that way. For us, it is a day of quiet relaxation after the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas, and we had two Christmases to hustle and bustle for this year. One year long ago, however, Cuppa had the insane notion to take the kids to downtown Toronto on Boxing Day. The crowds were incredibly dense, and we feared to lose our children in the crush. We held on very tight and extricated ourselves pretty darn quickly. Neither Cuppa nor I enjoy the push and jostle of the crowds very much. At the best of times we tend to eschew big malls in favour of smaller shops. Besides, I don't know about you, but we're always pretty broke after Christmas and can't really afford those incredible bargains for stuff that we don't need. Some people claim that they begin shopping for next Christmas on this day but that doesn't appeal to me either. Buying presents is part of the buildup, and I won't be ready to be start getting back into the process for about another eleven months, give or take.

What we do have to help us enjoy this Boxing Day is a modest covering of snow. Much too thin to be called a blanket, let's call it a sheet although that may be not be the best description either because it tends to connote a sheet of ice. Regardless, after several weeks of mild and/or rainy weather which produced a green Christmas for us yesterday, it's rather attractive to look out the window and see the white covering. And really, the snow did come in time for Christmas Day in a way, for it was falling when we left the kids' place at eleven o'clock last night.

I'll probably bore you with Christmas pictures at a later date, but right now I thought I'd share the sheet that covers our back yard . It's pretty enough, don't you think?

Christmas Eve

Here we are — Christmas Eve — although that always confuses me. Is it Christmas Eve for the whole day or just in the evening? It seems to me that it has become the whole day, but my memory informs me that it wasn't always that way. Regardless, due to the day that follows, it's a special day in the calendar for most of us whether for religious or social reasons.

In some traditions the faithful attend church on this eve and then open presents. I suppose that traditions are exactly that and that they always feel right to those who hold them. However, I'm rather glad to have had and still to have the anticipation of Christmas Morning and the excitement of both children and adults descending to unwrap their bounty. Bug, in particular and much to the consternation of Butterfly, used to get us up pretty darn early, but her excitement was both charming and contagious. Oddly enough, she now appears to be the family member who is least enthralled with the event.

In the spirit of traditions, may I also inform you that ours went well yesterday. The Christmas turkey got cooked to perfection, carved and made ready for tomorrow's feast. Our burgers and fries from the local and independent Katchups Grill were wonderful. At the Grill, when I confessed to be a first-timer, they proudly informed this new but not last-time patron that not only were their fries made fresh but their burgers were also done on-site and contained no fillers. From now on Katchups will be my burger joint of preference in this town.

For a number of years, I made my own Christmas cards, printed them on my own printer and sent them out. I'd even design and print the envelope as well. Some people told me that they even saved the envelopes. Well, I'm either getting lazy or it's a case of been there and done that for this is the second year that I have resisted that making that effort. Last year I did post a previous card on my blog when I also wrote about this very same day in Fine Turkey, Greasy Burgers, and Best Wishes, but I have nothing for you this year except my best wishes and a referral to this card that I found on Debra's blog, As I See It Now. It's from Ashland University and is quite wonderful. When you click here, read and follow the instructions to the bottom left in order to view the whole card as it is presented.

Meanwhile, once more I wish you a

Very Merry Christmas

I will try to visit as many of your blogs that I can get to and wish you the same there. Then, I think that I shall give you all a break for a few days. Be well. I appreciate both your posts and your comments. Keep up the fine work.

Photos from Christmas Part I

Christmas Part II is beginning to unfold. The turkey is roasting in the oven and beginning to permeate the house with its aroma. Cuppa put it in the oven this morning. I helped with what I could by chopping up various items such as the dried bread for the stuffing, but the lady is in control in her highly organized and efficient fashion. As I have said previously, in order to make Christmas Day more relaxing and pleasant, we pre-cook the turkey a day or two before and heat it up on Christmas Day. I highly recommend this method and assure you that no flavour is lost by cooking it ahead of time, or if it is we sure can't tell.

As we finished, I told Cuppa that I wanted to post more Christmas Part I photos before Part II transpired. (You may recall that we celebrated Christmas last weekend when Puff and Bug were home, but we have left the stockings and turkey for the 25th.) Of course, as soon as I mentioned the photos to Cuppa, she clamoured that she wanted some photos for her blog too. Naturally. So you'll remember to check there too, won't you?

So, I slightly processed eighteen photos and uploaded them to my Flickr account (you can view them all there) and then grabbed some of them to post below. It's been pleasant sitting here and doing that while listening to Christmas music from my iPod (on speakers). I have 182 Christmas songs uploaded, and there are a few more albums to process if I get around to it. Does that seem like enough to you? Can you tell that I like Christmas?

In a while, I'll go out and procure our annual burger and fries. I don't know when we started this tradition exactly, but for years we have done this on the day that we cook the turkey. Back in Sarnia, I chose Burger King for this meal, but since there are none in this town, I chose Harvey's (a Canadian chain) last year. However, there's another independent place in town that I think I'll try this year. Supposedly, they serve fries from freshly cut potatoes, and they're supposed to be rather good.

I'll try to post one more time and to visit many of your blogs, but in case things go awry, I'll take the opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas now. It's odd but rather grand that we all got connected like this, but I'm glad that we did.

Oh, some of the photos are from Butterfly's birthday. The two celebrations pretty well ran together.

Christmas Meme

... as seen on many blogs and, therefore, attributed to no one.

1. Hot Chocolate or Eggnog? Hot chocolate, possibly because I haven't had much eggnog in my life. If you were to say that eggnog can be spiked, I point you to Bailey's in hot chocolate.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrapped or placed in bags. Unwrapping is half the fun -- some of the fun anyway.

3.Colored lights on tree/house or white? Coloured. The occasional white house (so to speak) can be classy, but it got to be too much a few years ago when so many switched over.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No dammit! Unfortunately, it's a custom that we never latched onto. Daughter has some up though, and I try to take advantage by times.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Towards the end of November -- in time for the Santa Claus parade.

6. What is your favourite holiday dish? I like the whole package: turkey with Cuppa's fine stuffing; those wonderful cheesy potatoes etc.

7. Favorite Holiday memory? I never do well with favourite questions. My mind goes blank. I have not disliked many Christmases if any. Okay, my favourite is 1972. Butterfly came home from the hospital on Christmas Day. There was, however, a harrowing aspect to a having a screaming baby in the house. But grandma came and got her settled.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? From a neighbourhood French girl who was remarkably bilingual at five years of age. We were playing ay my house, and I pulled out a box of something or other from under a chair and must have claimed that it was an early gift from Santa. She advised me that there was no Santa. We soon agreed that even though most gifts came from parents that Santa brought one present, but in my heart of hearts, I knew that it wasn't true.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No, although there was a time when we permitted the kids to open one gift -- pyjamas.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? How else???

11. Snow! Love it or Hate it? Snow is pretty and wonderful in the right context, especially new-fallen or rural, still-pristine snow.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes but not well. In addition, I turn clockwise much better than counter but all public skating always goes the wrong way for me.

13. Do you remember your favourite gift? My first bicycle, I guess. I was nine (I think) and had only learned to ride the previous year on friends' bikes.

14. What's the most important thing? Family time.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Hmmm, we had apples pies at one point, and that would be it hands down. I can't remember my last homemade apple pie. Maybe I should learn to bake, eh?

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We always do a Christmas Eve get-together with various snacks. And I also like getting a greasy burger and fries the day that we make the turkey (we cook it a day or two before Christmas).

17. What tops your tree? A lighted star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Both giving or getting the right and appropriate surprise gift is most exellent. I don't want to say giving just to be politically correct, but I think I'd have to go with that answer.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? What did I say about favourites, eh? But how about Il est ne le divine Enfant (sorry about the missing accent) for this year?

20. Candy canes, Yuck or Yum? Neither: so so.