We didn't have extravagant well-laid plans, to be sure. While I always hope to create a little more pull towards the Solstice in our family, it often comes before I am ready, and we wing it, to the best of our ability. Well, my ability was much diminished by a night full of really yucky sickness, leaving me on the couch until my family greeted me quietly with whispers of "I'll be her nurse!" and "I'll just sit here and watch over her"...So, it was Dan who salvaged the day for us all, jumping in to guide and nurture and give me much needed space and time to sleep...He took the girls on numerous errands and when I awoke (at 3:00!!) I called them to see how they were doing, and he said, well, we're in the barn! I knew they were going to the farm to get milk, but we didn't realize they'd arrive at milking time! The girls got to watch their favorite cow, and provider of all our milk, Daisy, get milked by Farmer Dan. So they arrived home, cheerful and carrying a gallon of warm fresh milk to drink with a little solstice snack of gingerbread stars and clementines.
We talked about how much the sun does for us all year, and completed some little ornaments we'd made earlier, with phrases of thanks to the sun - for our garden, for all green things, for warming everything, even for eggs (that was ani's). We lit all our candles, and basked for a moment. Solstice.
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The rest of the week has swung between mellow - sitting and knitting or watching some David Attenborough, or, the current favorite, listening to Dan read from The Hobbit for hours - and happily busy - lantern-lit caroling with friends, sledding with Papa, hosting potluck, painting, and attending a Hobbit-themed birthday party, which was dress-up, of course...
Gloin, the dwarf, and some distant relative of Gandalf's. Without her hat.
Oh, I didn't mention that the party was Hobbit and Pirate-themed. Here we have Bilbo and a dastardly and dashingly handsome Pirate.
Aside from all that, things have been colorful...
And Christmas just can't come soon enough for this poor girl, who must not have enough toys to play with*...
Anyway! Hopefully your Solstice was mysteriously dark and wonderful and maybe you even got to glimpse the lunar eclipse? One can hope.
*HA!
Debbie, I love these updates. Just recently started reading them after Dan told me about them when he was here. We miss you!
ReplyDeleteLovely. I can just imagine Dan reading The Hobbit...the voices of the hobbits, Gandalf, Smaug...oh boy.
ReplyDeleteWe had one of the best locations in North America to see the eclipse but it was raining and looked like any other wet northwestern night:)
I hope you're feeling better.