FRIDAY, December 5th, 2025
Estate Lane, Nova Scotia
-13*C/8.6*F feels like -32*C/-25.6 (Yikes!)
Mostly cloudy but will have some sun today
The high will be -7*C/19.4
Dear Neighbor,
Hello on this very chilly early December morning. We did have some more snow overnight, but thankfully it was clear enough to drive safely to and from the Optometrist yesterday afternoon, and we are not expected to get any snow today.
My appointment went well at the Optometrist. My eyes have not changed overly much. Still no need to have the cataract operated on according to the Dr. A slight change, but I have to go back in six months for my diabetic appointment, etc. so I will wait until then to get new eyeglasses as it really isn't necessary yet.
(source)
I love how pristine the snow looks right after it falls. So clean and so white. It doesn't take very long for it to get all sullied from the traffic passing, etc. But until then, so beautiful.
I always really enjoy the first heavy snowfall of the season. A few tranquil flakes floating down, coming faster and faster, and with purpose. Walls begin to silver over and the pond across the way wears a mantle whiter than foam. The pine trees begin to cast feathers of snow from their branches, and inside the house there is a curious luminous look to everything as the sharp etchings of November begin to blur.
Sweaters, hats and scarves, and wooly mittens find their way from the recesses of the cupboard to the hall table in readiness. Our Winter costumes . . . appear like magic as our world takes on the image of an old-fashioned Christmas card.
(source)
In December the sun burns like white fire on the snow. Ice glitters on the cold side of the sugar maples, melts on the warm side and then falls to the ground with a soft sound. I do not know why white seems to be more pure as a color than green or blue, but so it is, and when the snow falls the countryside has a purity that we never see in any other season.
I love it when it is untouched save by the prints of small bird's feet. I got very excited at Cindy's the other day thinking that the deer had been in the yard, but it was squirrels. I do not know why the presence of squirrels should be any less enchanting that that of deer, but there it is . . . perhaps it is because the deer don't empty bird feeders as quickly as the squirrels do. In fact, they don't touch them at all, although the same thing cannot be said of the tulips in the spring. The deer love to pinch off the blooms and trim them to the ground. But, that is a long ways off yet.
(source)
I got all the cards sent off yesterday, at least the postal ones I send to special friends. I still have family cards to do. I will need to get more stamps. Again, I did not get the letters written that I had wanted to put inside the cards. It is the same thing every year, but hope springs eternal.
Cindy and I popped into the Cinnamon Creek store that is closing its doors in just a few weeks' time after my appointment yesterday. There is not a lot left now, but everything is marked down by 50%. There was a Snowman mug I kind of liked, and of course the wind chimes. I love wind chimes. Their table linens are lovely as well, but I did not buy anything.
I am not sure why, but when a store is closing down, I always feel a bit like a pillager to buy things . . . guilty in some way. I wonder does anyone else feel like this. It is a store that I always enjoyed browsing in and I will be sad to see it go.
It is my church's Christmas get-together tomorrow evening beginning at 5:30. I will probably not go. First of all, it will be dark by then and I don't really like to travel in the dark. Secondly, it is a turkey dinner, but, again, I don't like to eat a heavy meal that late in the day. Plus, add to that the fact that I am totally uncomfortable in large groups of people.
I don't know why I am that way. Perhaps it is because I am not good at mingling and chit chat. Small talk evades me. I just don't do it. It is not my forte.
I can write quite lyrically, but when it comes to speaking out loud, the words evade me. I never seem to be able to find the right thing to say in social situations. I am much better one on one than in a group.
(source)
Darn it, now I am wanting pie.
When we were on our way out to dinner with dad the other night, the man from next door was out shoveling, clearing up a bit of the mess left from the snowplow. Dad made the comment that we were related to him. I will have to investigate that. Their last name is Gaul, and there are Gaul's in my family tree on mom's side. I do remember the lady saying when they were first moving in that they were both originally from Inglisville which is where my mother was born. I will have to bake some Christmas cookies and bring them over with a card and find out more.
Mind you, this valley is a very small place. If you have a family that has been here for any length of time, then it is probably a sure bet that you are related to each other in some way. I believe it is much the same for any rural or small area, historically speaking.
(source)
"Ripple" is a new emotional drama series on Netflix that follows four strangers in New York City whose lives intertwine after a single moment changes everything.
I also started watching Love is Blind Italy. I have exhausted all of the episodes available at the moment and am waiting for the next ones to drop, so I think it safe to say that I am also enjoying it. It is in Italian with English voice-overs. Normally that kind of thing drives me mad, but this time it is not bothering me in the least. I have tried in the past to watch LIB Germany and LIB France, and never kept up with those. I did however like the Japanese version and the Swedish version, of which there have been two series. Oh yes, and the U.K. version.
I do not know if love is really blind or not. I do believe that love will "blind" you to a loved one's faults to a degree, but I think that in most cases it is probably unwise to marry someone after knowing them for such a short time and with so little contact. It does make for interesting viewing, however.
I am also enjoying Squid Game, the challenge. I am almost to the end of that one. I also started watching "The Dwelling Place" on Prime. It is a series based on Catherine Cookson's book of the same name. I have seen it in the past several times, but I do enjoy it. It is a series I do not mind revisiting from time to time.
I took out my writing exercise books the other day to do some practice. My handwriting has gotten terrible in these past years. I suppose it is because I do more typewriting than I do handwriting. If you don't use it, you lose it. When I was a child I had terrible handwriting. In Grade five my teacher, Mrs. Folk, told my mother that she refused to accept and mark any more of my work it was so bad. My mother went out and bought exercise books, "The MacLean Method of Writing." Every night I was made to sit at the table for what seemed like hours to practice from these books. As laborious and boring as it seemed, it was an exercise that worked, and I got much better when it came to handwriting. And so, I have these own exercise books of my own that I take out from time to time for practice. I need to be much more diligent in working in them, however. A bit every now and then just doesn't cut it.
I have heard, I don't know how true it is, that children are not taught cursive writing in schools anymore? I suppose with keyboards and such the need really isn't there.
Oh, and if you haven't already watched it, Kirsten and Joerg have a new video up of them decorating their home for Christmas, highlighting some new decorations they purchased on a recent trip to Germany. I really enjoy watching their videos. Another one I enjoy is Rich and Jen's Adventures.
Just in case you have not already discovered these two channels.
Well, I have exhausted about everything I have to talk about for this missive and so I will end it here with a thought for you to carry with you.
A thought to carry with you . . .
☾ ° ★° * 。
• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
*"Every act of kindness
grows the spirit
and strengthens the soul.
~unknown • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
A bit of a Vegetarian entree in The English Kitchen today. Gnocchi with Spinach and Roasted Butternut Squash. This was quite good. If I made it again, I would have sauteed the gnocchi in some butter to gild them a bit and give additional flavor. But overall, it was quite tasty!
I hope you have a beautiful Friday. I will not be roaming too far from home myself today. It is snowing again, although it said it was going to be clear. In any case I hope you have a great day! Stay safe and warm. Don't forget!
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And I do too!
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