Swapping heirlooms...

One of the things that makes me proud to be related to my siblings is this; when my parents died and it was time to split up the possessions that represented the memories of our home and childhood, there was no fighting.

My brother took our dad's funky old typewriter, the one he typed thousands of business letters on, (always in green capital letters, with impossible abbreviations.) I was a little sad that it didn't come to me, but never said a word. Years later my brother packed that trusty machine up and shipped it me.

I took a large pewter rooster that hung on the wall in our family room. It looked fine in my farm house. One day my visiting sister gave it a fond glance and said, "I wish I'd taken that." I wrapped it up and gave it to her for her birthday that year. So it goes, we happily enjoy the things we treasured from our parents, then share them if the opportunity arises.



This wonderful shelf was one of our mom's favorite things. She changed out the items inside it often, and it was a fine showcase for little treasures. It stayed in the family house when my sister Debra bought the place. Until now. She brought it to me last month and my brother in law carefully hung it for me. I love to see it now, hanging in my living room.

I think our parents would be pleased to know that not only did their brood refrain from squabbling over the things they left behind, but that we continue to actively enjoy those items and share them amongst ourselves. Maybe they wouldn't be surprised, though. I'm sure it has a lot to do with how they raised us.

Decking the "halls..."

I had a funny Jewish friend when I lived in Memphis. Every year around this time she would look around my home and wryly say, "It looks like Christmas came and just thew up all over your house." I think of her every year when I "deck the halls."

Daughter Rachel wanted to help select and put up the tree, so we did that while she was home over Thanksgiving weekend. She voted to do a "theme" tree this year, and we went with white lights, crystal and prism drops, white snow flakes and little white ice cycle ornaments. It is quite simple and lovely. Chris says it needs more color.


Our illuminated star tree topper refused to work this year, so we put a little fabric angel on the top, then I found this wonderful thing on sale cheap and snapped it right up.



When Rachel was in grade school one of her teachers made these wonderful elves. They were expensive, but I scraped up the money to get one and he is a favorite of mine. I hate to pack him away each year, but am delighted every December when I get to find him a spot to perch through the holidays.



It seems I have acquired a bit of a Santa collection. This year I put them all on my sweet baking cabinet, and they will supervise cookie baking.


One of the things that I love best about decorating for Christmas is the memories that come tumbling out of the bins and boxes as I unwrap each treasure. When we moved to Memphis, the very first friend I made was a woman named Kathy who lived one street over. She made me this wonderful ceramic nativity set and precious singing angels one year. I treasure the memory of that first sweet friend, and the times we had together as much as I cherish this lovely set. (And check out that sleeping baby angel. So dear!)




And then there are these... Rachel made them in high school for a history class or something. It was originally a mobile, but I took that apart and turned these lovely figures into Christmas decorations. I love that she put little roses around Jesus' manger, and the colors she chose are wonderful.


There is so much magic this time of year. The house is filled with memories of all the Christmas' past and the people that made each one special. I play my favorite music,evoking even more happy thoughts of the past. There are the efforts made to be a little kinder, more caring, more thoughtful of those around us. And then there are the comforts of the fire in the wood stove and delicious winter foods and long,warm cozy nights here in the place that I love the best. I believe!

Of preparation and feasting...

On Thanksgiving my family always comes here to Fair Winds farm for the feast. It is by far the "biggest" holiday of the year for me, as Christmas tends to be just the three of us here alone. So for weeks before Thanksgiving I am in preparation mode. I wash curtains and slip covers, I polish silver and wash china dishes and bowls and platters. I clean things that I normally ignore. I plot and plan and decorate. My husband helps with big projects, too, and our focused energy gets a lot of things done that we tend to put off. More to be thankful for!


With a little luck everything comes together and on the day before Thanksgiving I am able to spend the day arranging flowers and cooking and happily checking things off my "to do" list.

When the big day arrives I love to look around and see everything in order. The pantry full, dishes laden with delicious food covered and ready to be heated up and served. I get up early, as always, and take care of the animals, then pop the turkey in the oven and tend to all the little details of putting the meal together. Soon enough people begin to arrive, and the driveway is filled with cars. There are warm greetings and hugs, and pile of coats begins to mound up by the door. Sometime after that is when the magic happens for me. I stop and listen... and hear the walls of this old house echoing with happy voices and laughter. This year there seemed to be extra laughs, and it filled me with great joy to hear it. This is the moment that makes the cleaning and shining and cooking so worth it. It is the sound of love all around me.


I have lots of help in the kitchen, and everyone brings something to share for the meal. This year niece Aimee made me beautiful napkins, adding different patterns of stitching on each one. They were the frosting on the cake of our pretty table!



We have two turkeys most years, I roast one and Chris smokes one. His comes out the most amazing shade of mahogany!

When the feast is over some people go for a walk, some drape themselves about and some even nap, but through it all there is still happy chatter, and soon they rouse themselves to check out the dessert table.



Some guests spend the night, and others disperse to go home, still more go to local hotels. In the morning most come back to heap a plate with left overs. Some of us entertain ourselves by decorating ginger bread structures.


And then the holiday is over and we are left with turkey for days and a pile of happy memories. Much to be thankful for, indeed.

Decorating with dead stuff... (and invisible cracks.)

The top of the armoire where our television set and stereo equipment live begs to be decorated with the seasons. Since I am fickle and change the mood of the thing often, I don't like to spend much, (or any!) money on the effort.

So, as Thanksgiving and a whole lot of company approach, I enlisted my pal Megan to help. I propped her up on a ladder, handed her a bunch of dried flowers that were gifted to me, a few bundles of dried wheat, an old cornucopia basket, some battery operated remote control candles, (love those suckers!) and about 5 seconds later she created this rather lovely tableau.

Funny, I don't notice the cracks in the ceiling during my daily existence. That is probably a good character trait. I do notice how pretty the old dead things look.

The moon is just shy of being full. This evening it rose large and with slow magnificence. I didn't have a tripod handy so the images are a bit blurry, but you can catch a glimpse of the beauty I witnessed in the cold air on our deck.

Did you know the full moon each month has its own name? The November full moon is known as the "Frosty Moon," or, more commonly, "The full beaver moon."

The Farmers Almanac says, "Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred. There was some variation in the Moon names, but in general, the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England to Lake Superior. European settlers followed that custom and created some of their own names. Since the lunar month is only 29 days long on the average, the full Moon dates shift from year to year."

Later tonight when I make last rounds to check on the animals, I won't need my flash light. I'll take a moment to gaze in wonder at the night sky, the bowl of stars as far as my eye can see, and that wondrous moon. Perhaps I'll hear a owl call. That would be the frosting on the cake of this day.

The goat room...

Chris and our friend Fred worked diligently to create a cozy space for the goats. It is nearly done, we only need to put up a few trim pieces.


Here is the view of what used to be the back of the shed, and is now the lovely face of the goat room.



Wood has been added to the front of the shed as a wind block. The top area will have a sheet of clear fiberglass to let light in.



We put a rope across the doorway, so the goats can trip in and out, but the horse cannot enter the goat area. This means the goats food will be out of reach of the ever hungry pony!


So now the goats have a wonderful, safe space, and I am so grateful for this. We may get our first snow tonight, and if we do I will rest well knowing the hooved members of the family have sturdy shelter.

November time...

I know people who dread November. Most of the lovely fall colors have gone, and tree branches are barren against the cold sky. There tends to be more gray days than blue.

But then there are these vivid skies at dusk and dawn, that somehow seem richer than they do at other times.


Here in Maine the sun sets very early, and this makes for long, cozy evenings. We often have friends over to enjoy a meal. I met Megan 11 years ago when we first moved to Maine. She was a teen age bather at Yankee Clipper. I got to watch her grow up, go to college, move to another country, start and run a successful grooming business. Now she is back for a visit before she starts a new chapter and we have been able to spend some lovely time together. Here she and Chris are making Cajun Shrimp Scampi. It was delicious!

There is a stillness to this month that I enjoy, time to slow down a bit and reflect on the gifts that decorate our lives.

Every Sunday morning while I do chores I talk to my oldest sister on the phone. We chat about the week past, and plans for the week ahead. Today as we wrapped up our call she said, "I love you, Daryl, and I am glad that my sisters are my best friends." Those words are something to treasure and be thankful for indeed.