Dear Neighbor . . .

 

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 ESTATE LANE, NS
-1*C/30.2*F clear skies, dry

feels like -14*C/6.8*F (COLD!)

Dear Neighbor,

The temperatures have swung back cold again on the thermometer. All of our snow is gone, gone, gone, but it is cold enough to warrant wrapping up in cardigans and wooly socks. It is not supposed to get much warmer as the day goes on. Maybe just to zero, which is 32*F right at freezing.

When I was a child, we still used Fahrenheit in this country and then at some point everything moved to metric. Kilometers, Celsius, liters, etc. I still think very much in terms of cups and miles. You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.  I know that when the temperature dips below zero we are cold and when it gets above twenty, we are getting warmer.

England was an odd mix of the two. They used metric in temperatures, measures, etc. but they still used miles when it came to speed and distance.

I am not sure what the reasoning is behind any of it! I just go with the flow.

 

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I watched a cute film last night on Crave. It was called "A Christmas Star."  I was about an Astronomer who predicts that a tiny meteor shower will appear over a tiny town during the Christmas season. She goes up there to document this rare celestial event.  Love ensues. Very picturesque, very Christmassy, very cute. I did enjoy it.

I am enjoying all of these "Hallmark" types of movies this year.  I have moved past feeling sorrowful about the lack of romantic love in my own life and can now enjoy seeing others fall in love without feeling left out. In all the times I have been married, I have never really been afforded the pleasure of watching these types of films. They were never "manly" enough.  I had to sit through torturous hours of action films cloaked as Christmas films, so it is nice that I can now enjoy these sweet offerings.  

And yes, they are all a bit cheesy, but they are also a nice bit of fluff and quite entertaining. At least I think that they are, and who, really, have I got to please?  Myself. There is no-one to complain.  And the cats are not saying a word.

 

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I suppose this is the time of year that most of us focus on the holiday ahead, but also our thoughts tend to start turning to things we might like to do differently in the new year to come, especially as the days seem to start to slip away quickly on the old calendar. I am no different.  Cindy and I both would like to purge ourselves of sugar in the new year.  Not an easy task when most of what we have is loaded with that white demon. We do have a taste for the sweet. I believe it is an addiction.  I do confess to having a great liking for the sweet, as well as for the salty. And together? Well sweet and salty together is divine.

After a meal I do long to satisfy this sweet craving with a cookie or some such. Our father's eyes, at the age of 90, light up in anticipation of having something sweet at the end of every meal. He loves his whippy cream and would eat it on everything.  He especially loves a bowl of sugar free jelly topped with whippy cream, which is not so bad.  It is much lower in sugar than a piece of pie or cake would be. 

Not only do I want to purge my life of sugar in the next year, but I want to simplify things in my life much more. I want more time to do the things which really bring me joy, for reading and painting and crafting if possible. I want to exercise more and feel healthier. I want to be kinder and to do more for others than I do now. My life revolves so much around work it seems and that will always be a necessity, but I want to make more room for play in my life. 

I also have a deep longing to pare back everything and to get back to the basics.

 

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I have been doing the Advent study on the Hallow Ap.  I had ordered a study from the Good News Brand co. but they only sent them out to their customers on the week the Postal strike started, so I was not able to do that one. It is stuck in the post along with a few other bits and pieces.

 I have always enjoyed marking the days in the run up to Christmas in a way that doesn't involve eating chocolate.  (Don't get me wrong. I enjoy eating chocolate as well. 😁) There is a prayer that they pray at the end of each session of this study. The Litany of Let Love from the Sisters of Life.

It gets me every time. I am moved to tears when I say it. I feel the spirit very deeply when I ponder the words in my mind. I feel them in my heart.

I am a person who has always felt close to the spirit within me. I can remember as a child looking at my hand and seeing an aura around it . . . and thinking to myself, that is my spirit. The part of me that is Divine. I have not always lived in a way that honored that spirit.  Many times, in my life, it has gotten lost in the busyness and hectic nature of everyday activity.

One thing which I really love about my life now is that I have time to truly honor that spirit and to invite it to be more than just an accessory to my days. A vital and living part of my life. The heart-beat of my living space.

It started when I began setting up my new home. I decided that I wouldn't invite anything negative into my place, but that I would surround myself with messages of positivity and love, from the art I chose to hang on my walls, the books I allowed to enter, to the things I choose to watch on television. (I admit I could do better in that area.)

It has made a difference. My home has become Holy Ground. It is an oasis of peace. The outside world stops at my door and does not come in if I can help it, and I try not to invite it in. Not always possible for sure, but I do try my best to keep the spirit within the walls of my home as one of love, acceptance and peace.

I also took a course this past year by David Butler called Holy Envy. It was a course in the appreciation and study of other faiths and religions. I have really enjoyed this. It has helped to grow in me a love for God in all of His forms and the ways that different people choose to honor Him. It has helped me to have a deeper love and respect for others as well. We may not all choose to worship God in the same manner, but I do believe that we worship the same God, however differently we may choose to connect with Him. Peace in the world comes when we focus on our similarities rather than on our differences.

 

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This afternoon my sister and I are taking dad and picking up his friend MaryAnn so that they can go to the mall together. They used to go together three afternoons a week. MaryAnn is deaf and she has always really looked forward to these times they spend together.  They don't get to do it as often these days as they once did, but when they do it is always special.  We basically just pick up MaryAnn and then drop them both off at the mall.  We go off and do our own thing and then pick them up after and bring MaryAnn home.  Neither one of them hears very well, if at all and it is an easy companionship. MaryAnn is a very nice woman and incredibly healthy and fit for her age, other than being deaf.  She has been deaf all of her life I believe.

I am not sure where we will go while they are enjoying their time together. I think Cindy wants to go to Mark's Work Wearhouse. I am just going along for the ride and the change of scenery.  I will probably just relax in the car while she is in MWW as I cannot think of anything in there that might interest me. I do like to people watch however and will be perfectly happy just sitting in the car doing that.

I have always loved people watching. I find people fascinating. I used to make up stories in my head about them and what their lives might be like. I still do sometimes, although mostly now I just watch.

 

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Yesterday somebody left an asinine comment on a post from December 2020 on my food blog. I had spoken about the Covid Pandemic in the blog post.

covid rant - that aged well. probably still wearing a mask lol

Yes, that IS how ignorant some people are. We live in an unfiltered world where people have very much forgotten the arts of respect for others, compassion and kindness. In December of 2020 we were still very much in lockdown for the most part and masks were a mandate. Everyone was masked.  How very judgmental and ignorant this comment was. 

And so, what if I was still wearing a mask? I am not, but so what if I was? Surely it is my right to do so without judgement. There are still people out there with incredibly compromised immune systems that need to be careful.  Masks don't just help to protect you from Covid, but also other things, as does sanitizing, etc.  My sister and I still sanitize after being in the shops, touching carts, menus, etc.  and we still avoid really crowded areas as much as possible. Since when has self-care been a bad thing?

The ignorance and disrespect that some people have for others these days is really monumental.  It's a mark of selfishness I believe. All the more reason to make my home Holy Ground.

 

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So, what are your plans, if any, for the weekend?  I don't have a lot planned. I want to sort and organize things better for the upcoming holidays and to clean out the fridge. (An ongoing chore it seems.)  I try hard not to waste food, but I always end up having to throw things away. One of the by-products of living on your own, I guess. I am well intentioned, but I can never eat everything up. Inevitably there is some waste. I have started trying to buy the smallest containers of things that I can find. It has helped somewhat, but the manufacturers really need to provide us with more options for smaller families, I think. I know that smaller quantities cost more in the long run, but if it creates less waste, then I am all for it. I do take some of the excess next door to my neighbor when I can, but I don't like to do that all the time either. I don't want her to think that she owes me anything.  In taking them, she is really doing me a favor, but not everyone sees it that way I suppose.  I always tell her I don't want anything in return and that she is doing me a service in taking it because I won't end up having to throw it away. She is always most appreciative of what I give her as well, or at least she seems to be. But then much of the time she tries to give me something back. The other day it was a chocolate coin. She said, "This is your tip."  I thought that was cute.

And with that I best end this letter and get on with my day.  I hope this finds you well.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.Imagination is the only key

to the future.

Without it, none exists --

with it all things are possible.

~Ida Tarbell  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

Yesterday I made myself a treat. Easy Homemade Eggnog. I used to make this every year when I lived in the U.K. Commercial eggnog was not available there.  I enjoyed a cup of it with my lunch. I made myself some fancy cucumber Christmas Tree sandwiches and cracked open my Walker's festive shortbreads. I am worth it.

I do hope that you have a wonderful Friday. It's the 13th but try not to worry about that. I know I won't!  Whatever you get up to, don't forget!

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And I do too!