Merry Meet and Merry Part, and Merry Meet again

Monday, December 31, 2012

Dammit!

My sweet husband has been pretty ill since just before Christmas. We thought he was better, but now he is down again, and being admitted to the hospital this afternoon.

Wish us luck. 2012 is giving us one last kick in the keister! But still, I have high hopes for 2013.

Happy New Year. Be safe, happy, and HEALTHY!!

Hugs and love from Robin.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Eve of The Eve

The snow continues to fall on us, icicles are forming around the roof and the snowpiles on either side of the driveway are getting higher. Winter Wonderland!

We have been watching movies, playing with kittens and dogs and even done some decluttering and furniture rearranging. I seem to always want to make the men of the house move stuff at this time of year. To start the New Year with a different view, so to speak. The Christmas stuff comes down on New Year's Day. Usually sort of blah and blech for a couple of days after.

No big plans for New Year's Eve, as usual. It is a night for popcorn, movies, board games. Sometimes we make it to midnight, sometimes not. I know, how boring is that, right? But it's how we like it.

After a very very quiet Christmas, I am looking forward to a fresh, bright New Year. 2012 was a little rough going for our family, so I am expecting good things from 2013.

I wish the same for everyone!


Our front porch and steps

Friday, December 28, 2012

Winter White

Well, we got a bunch of this:

And my son did a lot of this:






Watching all the snowblowing wore somebody out:





Someone else was very tired too:




 And the thought of some Christmas leftovers made someone do this:


Looks like a certain sparrow family need to get their shovels out:


Hoping this time in between Christmas and New Year's is happy, healthy and safe. Hugs from Robin.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas to All!

Hoping the day is happy and healthy, filled with good food, fun, family, friends and furry kids, if you've got 'em.

White Christmas here which is cozy and bright. It starting snowing late Christmas Eve, so perfect.

Hugs to all and wishing you merry blessings of the Season!!


Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Eve

From my house to yours, enjoy the Season!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Hello, Winter!

On the second day of Winter, my true love Mother Nature gave to me; 12 inches of snow overnight.

Through a glass darkly
Gwennie sheltering under the covered porch
Snowing and blowing
Kittens investigating their first snow (brought in by dogs)
Today is the perfect day for baking, playing great music, sipping hot chocolate and enjoying the comforts of a cozy home in winter.


Friday, December 21, 2012

Yule



Wishing you and yours a warm and heartfelt Celebration of Light and Love.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Sleep Blogging

I am so not awake. A terrible night of no sleep. Who knows why. I think the best thing for me to do is post some pictures and be done with it! See you sooner than later.

Two kittens plotting, one dog sleeping
Pyewacket thinks Lexie has slept long enough
"Uh, did something just step on me?"
"No, no, just go back to sleep, only innocent cats here"
Pixie hiding out in boxes
Tools of the Season
"Here, Mom, I will hold the ribbon while you tie the bow"

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Old Fashioned Comfort

This rainy dreary Sunday fits the mood, I think, of most people still reeling from the horror and shock of the event in Connecticut this past Friday.  My thoughts seldom stray from the families of the victims.

It seems frivolous to think about wrapping gifts, baking and decorating. To laugh and chatter, singing along with favorite music. Saying that "life goes on" sounds heartless. But life does go on, the sun rises and sets, the stars shine, we breathe and we grieve. Focusing on the "whys" is pointless. Evil exists and crosses the paths of innocents daily.

Today I am wrapping presents, decorating and singing along with some great music. My heart and mind and spirit are sad. Centering on old-fashioned, comforting tasks, hugging my family, spoiling the pets and being thankful and appreciative of every small moment is my way of coping with situations beyond my understanding.

Sending thoughts of comfort and love out into the Universe. Blessed be.

Image source



Friday, December 14, 2012

Connecticut


There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go. 
 ~Author Unknown



There are no words to describe the pain one feels upon hearing of such a heinous act. Whatever the reason behind it; mental illness, substance abuse or some other cause...perhaps an evil nature or hatred, this horrific event is not the first of its kind and most likely not the last.  I truly do not know what I would say to these families who lost their beloved children. As a Wiccan, I do not believe in "Hell".  This is one time I wish I did.

For the victims and their families

Frosty Friday--Yule Plans & Kitten Feet

Very bright sunshine this morning which makes the frost everywhere shine like diamonds. Blinding for driving, of course, but still very beautiful  I love how everything shimmers and can't help but think we are living in a faery world Truly magickal!

Meanwhile, in the mundane world, my lists of things to do is ever-growing as I negotiate this Yuletide season. Some things get done, but the lists don't grow any shorter! I am excited though, that next week is the Winter Solstice and our family will be having our delightful celebration.
Image Source

At this moment, the kittens are racing through the house, up and down, over boxes and bags of secret purchases. There is no pitter-patter of little feet by any means. These two little cats sound like a heard of elephants as they run up and down the stairs, through the kitchen, a quick stop to look at the patio door, then, with tails in the air, they zoom into the living room, up to their window perch, down the stairs to the family room where they begin again. Pixie throws her catnip mouse in the air, pouncing on it, attacking it and rolling around the floor clutching the thing in her mouth. Pyewacket isn't enthralled with the mouse the way Pixie is. He pounces on Pixie as if she were a catnip mouse.. Thank goodness for those surgeries they had last month, is all I can say!!!

On the agenda today: wrapping and packing up gifts to mail (yes, I am behind schedule), making out the shopping list for Yule Dinner (Cornish hens as the main course) and all kinds of little tasks that have waited this week. I am thriving in orderly chaos!
Image Source

Big item on the to-do list: Find a beautiful oak log for our Yule fire ritual. We always have a small piece of the Yule log from last year which we use to light this year's fire. The new log is decorated and adorned with holly, evergreen branches, paper garland, pine cones, sage, rosemary, cedar. A special part of our ritual involves each of us writing our wishes on paper for the New Year and then throwing these wishes on the Yule log, to be taken up the chimney in smoke, out into the Universe. With proper intent, we know these wishes will come to fruition.
One of our Yule fires

Just one of the things I am looking forward to. Family time in sacred space on Yule.

Now off to the races, kitten ones that is!! Have a wonderful day!!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Monday, December 10, 2012

And Now For Something Completely Different

Firstly, Hanukkah Blessings to those that observe this wonderful Festival of Light! May you experience peace and joy during this celebration!

It is less than two weeks away from Yule, the Winter Solstice, the Wiccan/Pagan celebration of Light. And then Christmas a few days later. These are times of preparation, baking, cooking, gift-giving, fun, and observance. Sometimes a bit hectic, time-consuming, wearying (if you let it). Try to find some peaceful moments to reflect on simple things.


Here is something different that I saw in today's paper. Birds-of-Paradise. Not the tropical flower, real birds. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is launching a website in January, 2013 all about these magnificent birds. I visited the link this morning and was astounded by the short video there that shows a few of the 39 species of Birds-of-Paradise that inhabit New Guinea. If you watched the "Planet Earth" series a few years ago you may have seen some of these birds. There are not enough adjectives to describe these creatures.

If you would like to have a little respite from holiday havoc, here is the link to this 5 minute video. It will "wow" you. Nature is awesome! Have a great Monday!!

Birds of Paradise

(and one of these days I am going to figure out how to imbed a video on my blog!)

Friday, December 7, 2012

Kittens, Hobbits and Alberta Dwarf

A bright sunny Friday. Kittens are running around the house enraptured with the big bags of wreaths, garlands and other holiday accoutrement that I have brought home from the stores. My husband says not to buy these kittens any more toys...just bags and boxes, crumpled paper and twisty ties.

Speaking of kittens, my poor neglected blog, PurrrrSnicKitty, has been sitting alone and unloved for a while. I apologize to my kittens and my readers. Part of the fault lies with the kittens, though. I have been unable to get any good photos lately. I don't want to post without photos. I will make a concerted effort over the next few days, honestly. They are thriving, silly, funny, sweet; a real joy.

I am wondering how many "Hobbit" fans are out there? The new movie opens on December 14th here, and though I won't attempt to face the crowds for the first week or so, I am thrilled to be planning on seeing it. I spent many a happy hour reading The Hobbit in my youth. I loved Bilbo Baggins. In fact, when I started reading  the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy I was very upset that Bilbo wasn't the main character. Frodo? No!!! I want Bilbo!  Of course that changed and I do still believe that "Frodo Lives!"

Well, naturally the weekend will be fraught with countless tasks including putting lights on our 5 dwarf Alberta spruce trees in front of the house. Yes, little Alberta will be spruced up with lights, Christer!

Have a fabulous weekend, won't you?!! Be safe out there!




Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Seasonal Remarks

I love traditional Christmas carols. Singing them with a bunch of people is fun. Even though I am not Christian, I did grow up that way, and Christmas music was always my favorite at church way back when dinosaurs walked the earth!

However, Christmas music has been playing non-stop in stores and restaurants for days and days now. There are so many versions of the same songs, and to hear most of them over and over is a bit of a downer. A peppy, rocky version of "O Holy Night" is a bit much, don't you think?

Even my favorite Sirius radio, a classical music channel, started playing Christmas music non-stop yesterday. Sigh.

Am I sounding like a Scrooge? Don't mean to. Just a seasonal complaint, kind of like the flu.

Cooler, rain mixed with snow today. So much for the fabulous weather of yesterday. But that is okay; it is weird to have warm weather here in December. It should be snowy! The fire will be so delightful!!

Once again, I would like to recommend this wonderful book by the beloved author, Dorothy Morrison, "Yule A Celebration of Light & Warmth".  Filled with so much good information about this important Sabbat; history and customs, rituals, crafts, recipes and other ideas to observe the Winter Solstice. I love this book.

Thinking about Yule really makes me smile.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Turn Off the Heat, Open the Windows!

Apologies to dear friends in snowy, frigid Sweden and blizzardy prairies of Canada. Here in Syracuse today we have bright sunny skies and it is almost 70 degrees F. I am blissful. Though I do like cold snowy weather around Yule, it is lovely to have a day like this to throw open the windows and let the balmy breezes blow through the house. This gives me an opportunity to do a special ritual for cleansing. Working with the wind can be a little iffy, because it is so fickle. Blowing first one way, than another, then ceasing all together. But grab the opportunity when you can. I love how the house feels after a windy day ritual. It smells divine too!

One of the craft stores I go to is having a special 50% sale on all their Christmas supplies. Boy, howdy did I go a little nuts!! Decking the halls is a little challenging this year with kittens amongst us. So I am looking vertically and high for decorating. These little cats are jumpers...leapers...climbers. We shall see! I will keep you posted. I did buy a small artificial tree to put on a table top. It will have soft or wooden ornaments. I am sure they will be fascinated by it. I just don't want to risk our usual big fresh tree; worried about the kittens ingesting needles, drinking up the tree water, climbing up and inside and all around.

The next few days will be busy with decorating, crafting and other Yule-themed activities. I think I have gotten a bit of the Spirit of the Season simmering. That's a good thing!

How is December treating you so far?

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Fun Start to December!

Well, I have been silent on the blog this week. Still a bit under the weather, busy with doctor appointments with my brother, and just a bit blue. But that is neither here nor there, as I am back today, a rainy Sunday to say happy December!

Last night, my husband, son Nicarus and I went to see my most very favorite comedian of all time. She was at the Palace Theater in Syracuse, we had great seats and, as always she was fabulous. This is the second time we have seen her live performance. Years ago, in southern California we saw her in Ventura. She is as fresh and funny now as she was then. I am talking about Paula Poundstone, of course.
A little blurry, but here is Paula Poundstone
She interacts with the audience in hilarious ways
At some point, Paula ends up lying on the stage. Here her feet are propped up on the stool.

Laughter is, indeed, great medicine. A fun way to start the month of December!!!