Sunday Stroll: Snow and Pageantry

Yesterday the Wise Man's wife (the Wise Woman?) and wardrobe mistress made him a bling-y blue turban to wear in today's parish Christmas Pageant.



New Hampshire has already had its fair share (and them some) of snowfall. So we didn't mind that the blizzard was mostly played out by the time it arrived this morning. We're expecting only a few inches out of it, unlike areas to the south of us.

It was a snowy drive to church.



The Wise Man in the bling-y blue turban was accompanied by his brown dog--who took her camera along.



There were cats in the stable at Bethlehem.



The shepherds have a sheepdog, too. (Three guesses which dog-loving parishioners donated it...the first two don't count!)



The pageant cast assembles in the foyer.



The pageant was a spectacular success.

Here's the road home.



Farmhouse and barn buildings in our neighbourhood.



Farther down the road...just a little bit closer to home.



Back at the Lodge, the snow has flocked the bird feeder ornament. And the suet block always has a customer!



Thanks for strolling along with me today. To see who else is strolling, visit Aisling's blog.

Ahead we have a combination of a busy and a peaceful week. Overnight company and special dinner and possibly a cribbage match tomorrow. Picking up the secret main course for Christmas dinner on Tuesday. Meeting with the Bishop and mandolin lesson and last minute shop on Wednesday....Then Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! More snow coming, they say, so our holidays will be utterly white.

Good luck digging yourselves out, if you live in the path of the storm!

Baby, It's More than Cold Outside

Nowadays, after over 15 years in New England, preceded by 11 years in Colorado, I define cold as something in the 30's, descending to the 20's. The teens--worse than cold. Single digits? Ouch. Single digits with gale force winds and massive wind chill?

That would be today.

This morning, in about an hour's time, I watched the temperature double.

It rose from 3 degrees Fahreinheit all the way to 6.

I'm hoping the winds die down a bit before my mandolin lesson. I was planning to do some shopping for a certain special person. More likely I shall wait till tomorrow when maybe it won't be so much beyond mere cold, or so blustery.

Today's great achievement will be dropping off all our Christmas cards at the Post Office.

Chilly & Busy

Gifts are wrapped and tagged and shipped and on their way to the recipients!

Cards should be finished and in the post sometime in the next 2 to 3 days.

I had "Christmas time out" yesterday because of a nearly all-day Continuing Education session for legislators. Good attendance, great information, excellent questions and discussion. Oh--and then we had a party!

One of today's various activities was taking Jewel to our vet for her annual wellness exam. She seemed oblivious to the great honour of riding in my posh car. She's a dog who lets her opinions be known, so she softly moaned her dismay during much of the 10-minute drive. I turned on the seat warmer, knowing that when she gets warm she gets drowsy. It did not quite have the desired effect. She wasn't agitated, and I have to say her funny moan-y noises made me laugh.

We were early for our appointment. She met a dog in the waiting area that she was pretty sure needed killing, and he felt the same about her. The vet and the tech were mopping up after him in the exam room, so I think he was a little stressed by whatever had occurred in there. I know Jewel was stressed--her moans had turned into yowls.

But she was a champ throughout her exam, maintainig her dignity through all the prodding and poking and needle jabs and blood draw--even the dreaded pedicure (toenail clipping.) Her weight is stable at 40 lbs. We heard a lot of "Good girl!" which made me proud. We emerged to find no dogs in need of extermination, checked out, and got back in the car.

She immediately curled up on passenger side, calm as could be. (Again, the seat warmer was cranked up!) Pulling into our garage is usually the cue for much excitement about homecoming. But she was so comfy that she just lay there looking up at me like, "Do I have to get up?" I said yes, because Ruth had been alone for a while which she isn't at all used to, and she'd be anxious to know how everything went.

Says Ruth, "It's all right, you can tell me all the humiliating things the vet did to you. I understand, I've been through it, too."



Jewel responds, "I am the picture of health!"



Out on the deck, the nuthatch is more interested in the suet than the festive Christmas decoration. But we're enjoying it!



We still have lots of snow cover. The little lake and nearby ponds shine like sheets of glass in the sun. We also have high winds which, coupled with frigid temperatures, makes for a nasty and shocking wind chill. My afternoon excursion--relating to County government--will take me to a very windy, high ridge above the river. I hope I'm able to park close to the door!

There's a fantastic smokehouse/Southern barbecue place that I pass by going and coming. So I'm definitely picking up some takeaway pulled pork and spicy sauce and hush puppies for supper! That'll warm us up!

Sunday Stroll: Tree & Church & Water

'Tis the season of parties. On our way to one last night there was a Christmas Tree Photo Op.



Our tree has many, many birds on it, from a flamingo to a blue jay and everything in between. A few weeks ago this snowy owl followed me home from London.



We have lots of other interesting critters hanging--many pigs, several moose, lobsters, a beaver, a Highland cow, flocks of sheep. Somebody who knows about my sock monkey fetish sent me this one.



There are people ornaments, too. Including actual characters from my novel!



Lower down on the tree, curious Ruth finds an object of interest. Not a real apple.



When this one approaches the tree, I get nervous. She has a way of finding trouble...but no mishaps so far.



This morning at church--the not-so-Little Town of Bethlehem.



The Bethlehem-ites are still in their boxes, soon to be displayed.



Our potluck Christmas party was delicious--as always--and a great success.

On our way home, we stopped to wash all the post-blizzard muck from the Honorable Vice Chair's car, using water in its liquid form.



And back at the little lake...water in a more solid form. The ice is coming in!



I think some ice might fall from the sky later. This Sunday started out sunny, and now is grey and raw. Perfect for a lovely big log fire in the downstairs sitting room!

Thanks for coming by. To keep strolling, head over to Aisling's blog.

Don We Now Our Gay

I have many friends and a few relatives who are gay or lesbian. Recently I examined my Facebook list and found that about 10% of all my FB friends fall into that category. I thought it might be more. I grew up among theatre folk and what's euphemistically referred to as "creative types." Oh, and I'm an Episcopalian. In New Hampshire.

I must add that not all my real life friends and relatives participate in social networking media, so by extension only a minority of my gay friends and rels are represented on FB.

My gay friends and rels weren't always able to be so open about their sexual orientation, either because they were a long time realising it or coming to terms with it or comfortably telling me about it. (Which they shouldn't have been, but I completely understand the vulnerabilities they felt at the time.) I've witnessed joyous coming outs (comings out?) and wrenching ones.

When I think back--way back--to some of these earliest revelations, I contrast those times with current times. In some respects, things seem easier, better, more hopeful overall. Mind you, I live in a state where full marriage equality comes into effect in a little more than a fortnight. I belong to a religious denomination that, this past summer, affirmed the baptismal and ordained ministries of all persons irrespective of orientation. And my own diocese is noted for having the only openly gay consecrated bishop...all of a sudden I need to be very specific, because earlier this month another, far larger diocese elected a lesbian as their suffragan bishop.

I've spent countless hours in Bible study, informal and formal, but on so many levels my theology is simple and unsophisticated. I believe in God and always have done. Whatever God creates is of God and therefore I value it. When bad things happen in life--wars, famines, plagues, diasasters, losses--I am thankful for my religious convictions, which support me in hard times as well as good times.

I especially honour loving, committed, faithful relationships. I don't dishonour people who can't accept that such relationships are appropriate for same sex partners. They have their reasons, I respect them and don't attempt to alter their beliefs.

But I don't accept that Biblical interpretations or outright prejudice should infringe upon the state's or the government's determination of what legally constitutes a marriage relationship. Government is meant to be representative.

I feel blessed that I'm conditioned to accept and affirm people as I find them. People are people are people. Some I love, some I like, some I don't like. It doesn't seem fair or even right that certain people have to be defined and/or labelled by their sexuality. I'm doing it myself, right now. I don't commonly refer to "my heterosexual relatives and friends." I, too, marginalise people dear to me--inadvertently--by regularly relying on the convenient labels.

I love sinners...I forgive those who commit sins. But it's certainly not my job to define sinfulness for God. To rely on cliche, that's above my pay grade. I do know what sin looks like--in myself. I recognise when other people break commandments or do immoral or heinous things. I don't feel compelled to be judgmental (much) about their failings. I sympathise with and pray for the all who are damaged as a result. Including the perpetrator. Unless I ever sit on a jury (please, God, no!) I'm not responsible for meting out punishment, either.

Lots of people profess to know exactly what the Bible says and mandates. They point to certain Old Testament verses and take them to heart and apply them--selectively. I don't and I won't and I can't. Perfect clarity about Scripture, which I do believe was inspired by God and the Spirit, seems to me far beyond ordinary human capabilities and understanding.

Nobody presided at the union of Adam and Eve. We are told that God put them together. Even so, what with that business involving Adam's rib, by church canon any Pope or priest would probably be required to annul that "marriage" because of consanguinty. No matter. Times were different when the world was young.

I definitely don't know the author of Leviticus, or what he meant when outlining sexual prohibitions and holiness codes. It was a different time and place.

Jesus didn't perform any marriage ceremonies that I know of, he provided the wine at a single wedding. I'm not sure why he never specifically mentioned same gender relations, or whether he did and nobody remembered it afterwards or wrote down what he said. Or why Paul (it was Paul, wasn't it?) decided he needed to put his oar in. You know, way back in the 1st Century. What other 1st Century customs are we following in the 21st Century? Anyone?

At some point the early Christian church took upon itself the blessing of the existing ritual of marriage and eventually decided it should be a sacrament.

Non-Christian cultures have forms and customs of marriage. Other cultures recognise them as valid.

From ancient times up to the present day the state and governments have made and upheld and applied the laws of marriage. Or divorce. Only the state has actual authority and power--derived from the governed--to protect the interests of individuals, whether spouses or children or other dependents.

I wish I could know what the Creator, God, Yaweh, Allah, the Guy Upstairs, Our Father, Mother Earth, the Big Kahuna, the Great Spirit actually thinks--about everything. Since I can't, I'll just muddle on through each day, trying my best to be good and honourable and honest and faithful. I'll continue to love and cherish and affirm all my relatives and my friends, doing anything I can to ensure that each one of them has an equal chance to pursue happiness in this life.

I've been thinking along these lines a lot lately, for all kinds of reasons. And I always come to the conclusion that the "Judge not, lest ye be judged" guy, who consorted with lepers and the lame, absolved adulteresses and tax collectors, and hung out with every type of marginalised person or minority within his culture and context, just doesn't seem the type to condemn my relatives and my friends. Probably not back in the 1st Century. Probably not now in the 21st Century.

Gifts, Parties, Decor, Light & Warmth

Yesterday I met a friend in Portsmouth for breakfast. It was a lovely ride across a snowy landscape. Arriving at the Great Bay bridge I found the line of demarcation for snow and no snow--on the other side lay Newington and the Port City, and it was green grass everywhere!

My meet-up location was Cafe Espresso, famous as the place where Hilary Clinton got choked up and teary on the eve of the 2008 NH Primary, which she proceeded to win. And the campaign went on and on and on.

From the cafe I went to Fox Run Mall, where I found many bargains (and lots of other shoppers) and successfully ticked all remaining the boxes on my shopping list. I also walked off the delicious Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict that I'd eaten earlier.

December 11 was a red-letter day--actually, a black-letter day: the 1-year anniversary of the never-to-be-forgotten Worst Ice Storm Ever. Two inches of ice coated all surfaces, trees snapped, power lines broke, electricity was out for days or weeks, depending on your location. Oh, and we then had single-digit temperatures. And no furnace.



I don't really like remembering how I lay in bed under mountains of blankets for 5 days, watching the flames dance in the bedroom fireplace, getting up to feed the fire or light candles or (while shivering) heat a can of soup over the stovetop (gas-fueled, thank God, and not electric!) or boil water for a sponge bath and shampoo. I proved my hardiness--just barely--but now know that I'm not enthusiastic about 17th or 18th or 19th century New England living. December days are short. It gets dark early. Really, really dark. And cold--did I mention the cold? Let me illustrate.

Before the storm hit, as a precaution I'd filled our Jacuzzi tub with water, assuming if we lost power it would quickly be restored. I never imagined how long we'd be deprived. Or that the mercury would plunge. Or how extremely cold the inside temperatures would get. Cold enough to kill houseplants. Cold enough to freeze the water in the tub!



Although these days mark an unpleasant anniversary I mean to make the most of the luxuries of light, heat and water. I've turned on the tree upstairs. The furnace is humming. And I plan to fill that tub all the way up today and enjoy a good long soak with the jets on. Because I can!

I'm also celebrating the fact that we now have a generator:



This is a quiet work day for me, a prelude to days of parties. Two tomorrow, one in our neighbourhood and one at a friend's farmhouse. Two more on Sunday--one church and one state, and I think we'll only do the church one. Some are casual. For some I will Dress Up. On Tuesday, after a continuing education session, the House of Representatives has its holiday party.

The temperature was in the teens this morning but indoors it's spring-like. My white azalea is about to bloom. I've probably had it for a decade at least. It survived the ice storm.



So did this little camellia, sporting a single flower bud and new leaf buds.



A traditional holiday gift we send to others is a wreath of partridge berry. Growing up in a very different part of the country I'd see elderly black women selling the berries on a downtown street at Christmas time, and my mother always bought some to decorate the house. There's a florist here in NH who has created partridge berry Christmas wreaths for many years. A New England relative sent one to us on our first married Christmas in Colorado. Eventually we bought more for ourselves and also sent them. As we did this year.

Partridge berry grows here on our property, but I've only ever pulled it to use in terrariums (terraria?). Back in September, while walking the dogs at the lake cottage, I came upon a huge patch of it, and the vines were loaded with red berries. I was inspired to pull up enough to make a wreath myself to decorate the Lodge. Which it has been doing for almost 3 months now.



It's not as beautifully done as the ones the florist makes, but I love it because it's my own handiwork and a reminder of the other house and the many lakeside strolls during other seasons.

The dogs and I are hibernating in our downstairs sitting room this morning. The sofa faces the big fireplace and mantel...where our stockings have been hung with care!



I hope you and yours have a happy, festive, warm and bright weekend!

#1001: Live-Action Snow Monsters

I knew my M.A. in Radio-TV-Film would come in handy someday. Mind you, this isn't the sort of documentary filmmaking I had in mind!

Snow Day

Scary snow monsters racing round our backyard.



Obscene amounts of snow on our decks.



I'm fairly sure we've exceeded our expected snow totals. I say that because I've periodically shovelled the steps for us and the dogs, and cleared paths across the main deck. Of course, at the bottom of the deck, on ground level, is a wall of snow...which our snowplow guy has made even more impenetrable.

I've had a pleasant snowbound day. Have places to go tomorrow. The storm is supposed to end tonight.

This event probably increases our odds of having a White Christmas.

According to Blogger, this completes my 1000th blog post. Not quite all of them have been posted for public consumption...but that's how many I've written.

Hallelujah!

My annual video of the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Sunday evening's performance of Messiah. This year I got caught up in the moment and sort of forgot to zoom in like I did last year.

It was spectacular and spine-tingling. Which probably doesn't translate.



Today I had a legislative committee Chairs & Vice Chairs meeting, my Chair and I received the bills headed our way and scheduled our public hearing and executive session days. Then I went Christmas shopping--along with just about everybody in the Capitol region. I've never seen stores so crowded at 11:15 in the morning! I didn't get the memo--is the recession now over?

Blizzard arriving tomorrow morning, should be an interesting event. I only have one outing, and I have every intention of cancelling. Will the storm live up to the hype? Stay tuned!

Friends & Tree & Snow & Concert

Recent days have been so full...I'm afraid online activity wasn't high on my priority list.

On Friday evening a good friend and his daughters came over for dinner. Ruth and Jewel were ecstatic having so much attention. Lots of pats and scratches and tickles and rolling around on the floor together and treats (cooked spaghetti noodles, their favourite!) The grown-ups enjoyed wine and conversation and watching the scrum of girls and doggie girls.

The Chap and I had identified Saturday as Tree Day. We knew some snow was heading our way in the afternoon, so we hastened to a local tree farm before lunch. We found a lot of choice.



Here's the one we liked.



Moment of "Timberrrrrrrrrrr!!!"



My Christmas tree wrangler wrestled the tree out of the car and into the tree stand and up the stairs. Using a very tall ladder and a yardstick (I won't get more specific) he also positioned the angel on her perch. From that point the tree became my responsibility. And my great frustration.... Parts of two strands of lights died on me, so I abdicated my responsibility until we could buy more lights and made some Christmas cookies.



Oh, and I got overly excited by the First Official Snow here at the Lodge.

The girls definitely noticed.



The "Back 21"--acres, that is--by mid-afternoon.



By Sunday morning, the snow depth was good for romping.



We got at least five inches of nice, clingy snow.





The bird bath mermaid is wearing a snow bouffant and looking chilly.



On our way to church we stopped just long enough for me to shoot the little lake from the car window. Usually by the time we get snow the ice is in and the snow lies on top of it. We don't normally have a snow scene with the mirror-effect.



Beautiful sunny blue-sky drive to church, past snowy fields and hills and forests.

After church we picked up new strings of lights for the tree. Soon as we got home I decorated. And decorated. And decorated.

I had a deadline to finish. And I did!



I think our ceiling is 13 feet. Whatever it is, the angel's head is grazing the rafters.

At 4:30 I dropped off my Christmas cookies at a Historical Association party that I couldn't attend because I was meeting a Friend From The North Country in Concord for a bite to eat and the annual performance of Handel's Messiah--the same one I attend every year (winter weather permitting) on the first weekend of December. As usual, it was an outstanding musical event and I saw several friends (and constituents) in the audience. And my FFTNC was glad she travelled so far to see it...and came home with me for slumber party and dog cuddling. Ruth and Jewel are spoilt rotten by all the recent company. They are such attention magnets!

It was a Concord morning for my friend and me. I dropped her at the diocesan offices, where we'd left her car, then headed to my doctor's office. It was a routine visit. I explained that I'd already had my seasonal flu shot (and a terrible reaction to it) and asked about the H1N1 vaccine. They had some, and they were giving it to patients. "I'm not high-risk," I said. "Doesn't matter," I was told. So for the second time in recent weeks I stuck out my arm. Here's hoping this flu juice doesn't mess me over. I'm thrilled to report that my arm doesn't hurt as much as it did after the other shot, and in fact hardly at all. Let this be a sign of a non-reaction reaction!

Will post video from last night's concert when I've uploaded it.

Back to Concord tomorrow. And Wednesday. Thursday's outing--purely social--will take me in a different direction.

7-Loves

Thomas at My Porch tagged me on this meme. I'm especially grateful because I wanted to blog today but wasn't sure what to say, since an exhaustive report of my 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM Tuesday would be an uninteresting recitation of a crowded church-and-state (not in that order) schedule. Although it ended in dinner with a friend at Barley House on music night...all good! I think there were 2 bodhrans and about 10 fiddlers and a couple of banjos and some guitars. No mandolins, but there wouldn't have been room!

My Seven Loves fall into fairly easy categories. People, Animals, Flowers, Food, Places, Books, Music.

People: my husband, my immediate family, my various BFFs (hometown, English, author, priestly, legislative, local, etc.). This category also includes the clergy and lay people I know and work with. For a long time I wasn't really sure I was a "people" person because I so enjoy living like a hermit in complete seclusion. But I'm quite sure now that maturity has made me gregarious, and my life is richer for it.





Animals: I know you know who goes at the top of this list--Ruth and Jewel.



Dogs have always been important to me. I was raised by one.



Growing up, I had a horse. We were riders. My family kept dairy goats. And I like rodents--chipmunks best of all, and especially the ones that eat from my hand. I'm a birdwatcher. I have a pet toad in my rose garden. I get excited about newts. And all the local wildlife--bears, deer, ruffed grouse, turkeys. I have a pet fish at the lake cottage.

Flowers: My mother is a rosarian and my paternal grandfather, too, and I've definitely got that gene.



Passion flower, jasmine, gardenia, primrose and cowslips, hyacinths, foxgloves, hellebore, violas--well, really, I have too many favourite flowers to name and grow as many as I can.

Food: I'm a big fan of regional food. All kinds of Southern cooking (fried green tomatoes, pulled pork barbeque, crab cakes, collard greens, cornbread.) New England: chowder, lobster, fried clams (the real, full-bodied kind), quahogs and steamers, baked beans. Ethnic (Lebanese, Mexican, Thai, Indian, Chinese.) European: French, Italian, traditional and nouveau British. And pizza, especially with anchovies.



I really enjoy cookery, so long as I'm in the mood. But I'm always happy to dine out in restaurants. I've virtually eliminated fast food from my life, and while it's not exactly a guilty pleasure, once in a while it hits the spot.

I have to add that losing 30 pounds and keeping it off didn't mean eradicating fantastic or favourite foods from my life. In case you were wondering.

Places. I married my husband without really understanding that a shingled cottage beside Lake Winnipesaukee was part of the deal. If you've been to this blog between the months of April and October, you already know my love for the place.

I've visited Britain between 30 and 40 times. Returned a few weeks ago. Already planning the next trip....

Going "home"--to the place where I grew up--is always special. I'm planning one of those trips, too. My other home-like place is Washington, DC, my mother's home-town and a place where I usually have family and even a convenient pied-a-terre just north of DuPont Circle.

Other places I can't get enough of: Montreal, Ireland (especially Dublin & County Clare), Venice, Belgium, Paris, New York, the Isle of Man, Jersey in the Channel Islands.

And other types of places I love...Churches and cathedrals. Cemeteries. Libraries. Historic houses and castle. Islands, all kinds of islands.

Books: It's hard for me to say whether I most like old favourites or new discoveries! I still read my Winnie-the-Pooh books every year, and from time to time I dip into the books I've been dragging around with me since childhood. But I'm always on the hunt for a new fave author, especially a prolific one who will provide me with lots and lots of entertainment.

Significant authors/playwrights/poets in my life (this includes their letters and diaries and memoirs as well where relevant): The Bible, Chaucer, Sir Thomas Wyatt, Shakespeare, Moliere, Dryden, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Edith Wharton, Chekhov, P.G. Wodehouse, Nancy Mitford, Evelyn Waugh, J.D. Salinger, Anya Seton, Norah Lofts, Margaret Mitchell, Richard Ellmann, Richard Holmes, Meredith Daneman.

And a whole lot more. I read tons of history and biography, for fun and research. I love historical fiction (duh). I don't read romantic novels to the extent that I once did, unless it's chick-lit or wom-fic.

Some of my own books represent important phases of my life. I think I even have a favourite. Or two.

Music: Eclectic doesn't begin to describe it. The other day I posted the contents of my 6-disc player in my car as my Facebook status. Lady Gaga, Mark Knopfler, Henry Purcell, Dar Williams, R.E.M., The Killers. Somebody's about to get kicked out to make room for Handel's Messiah and I only know it won't be Lady Gaga.

Let it be said now, if it hasn't been before, that Dire Straits was my Beatles. I'll add that I believe Knopfler's solo work is as strong if not stronger than what he accomplished with the band.

The Chap and I already have our tickets to his Montreal show, by the way. An announcement combining People, a Place, Music, and Food.

My fondness for Celtic, Gaelic, Acadian music and traditional fiddle tunes is partly what inspired me to take up the mandolin couple of years ago. The other reason was that after years of saying, "I wish I could play the mandolin," I decided to do what was necessary to fulfill that wish. In the past I've played the violin, piano, and 12-string guitar. I regard myself more as a music lover who plays an instrument than as a real musician. Maybe that will change.

Overnight company tonight. Dinner guests on Friday. See--this hermit is sociable! The Sociable Hermit. That's me.

I feel guilty--like when breaking a chain letter, which I regularly do--about not tagging anybody. If you blog and you stopped by, consider yourself tagged. And if you play along, you could let me know in the Comments because I'd love to read about
your Seven Loves!