Sorry, Doggie.

A little post-Christmas appology:

Christmas kitty is sorry

really sorry

for teasing Santa dog.
Who knew he'd take it so seriously?

Or carry it to such heights?

Ahhh, Christmas!

Like Santa, I made a list and checked it twice: Tree and mantle decorated?- check.

Presents wrapped ?- check.

Chirstmas music loaded into CD player? - check.

Cards made? - check. Cards sent? - mostly....

Shopping done? - check.

Wishes wished? - check.

Cookies baked and goodies bought? -check.

Christmas blog post?
Ahhh, the visiting Bloomingtonaut took care of that!

Check it out: http://bloomingtonautica.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-in-indiana.html

Time for a new list....new year....maybe resolutions?

To be gifted

To be truly gifted... is to be the school librarian at Christmas.
I am reminded why I love doing this. (NOT for the candy!)

Wednesday's Child is full of Woe

When the librarian has a bad day....

you bet they're sorry.

Just in time for the holidays

Long ago, back in the now-unimaginably hot summer, the vacationeers went shopping with us. Everyone tried out various chairs and seats
at a gallery of hand-made furniture.
We liked this chair, and after much debate and consultation, we ordered it.
So off in a workshop somewhere, wood workers went to work.
Apparently they worked slowly and carefully.
After about 12 weeks we began to wonder. Where was our chair?
A few more weeks went by.
T. took to calling the gallery once or twice a day.
Any word about the chair?
Finally....
here it is!
Just in time for the holidays.

The Bazaar

The annual UU Bazaar was this past weekend.

I was meeting Mimi there, and when she was late arriving I wandered around taking pictures. Here's a glass artist who makes lovely little vases.

And here's an interesting stained glass artist.
Somehow all the booths I photographed were all the glass ones.
Then around the corner I spotted yet another glass worker-
just look at the lovely things Abby is making!
Fun to see this former library kid calling her studio "Tweedle Beetle" (and you do remember which Dr. Seuss book that's from, don't you?)

Bye, bye Book Fair!

All last week regular library activities were suspended.

The sales racks for the school book fair covered our regular shelves.

Classes were wildly excited about the transformation of the library into a store. I spent the week trying to persuade children to buy books instead of bendy pencils, pointer fingers and smelly highlighters. And don't get me started on the rubber duckie erasers!

I carefully tried to teach every class that .99 really means you need another dollar.

I spent the week trying to help children understand why their clutch of quarters wouldn't buy the expensive book they wanted. And I only put a couple of dollars in to cover the little ones who just couldn't get it. I tried to explain that even though the book company promised they would restock anything in the promotional brochure, apparently they would not.
Now, many children did end up buying some great books. Lots of parents came to support their school library and took home wonderful presents for their families.
I myself took home several full bags of books, which some of you may unwrap later on this month. I kept a huge pile of books for the library as our profit. I had some fabulous parent volunteers every hour the fair was open and they had lovely conversations with each other and all their friends.
So it was considered a successful event, all in all.
But how satisfying it will be to open up on Monday as a library again.

Black - and green - Friday

The day after Thanksgiving we took ourselves off to shop, as is our wont. We rounded the square, ducking into various art galleries and little giftie shops.
We browsed through fascinating cooking utensils in two downtown cooking supply stores.

Mimi discovered impatiens still blooming down a sheltered alleyway.

Imagine that!

Impatiens after Thanksgiving!

I was not surprised.

I knew there was one last daisy blooming down by the pond.
Despite the frosts and the overnight below freezing temperatures our pots are still sporting blooms.

The borage and Queen Anne's lace that sowed themselves in the rock mulch are still flowering.

.
There are still princess lilies and million bells and a petunia or two

This is decidedly not due to my tender care of them, as I abandoned all outdoor plants more than a month ago.

Mild Autumn? Warming trends revealed in local flora?

Think anything will last until Christmas?

I'll keep you posted.

November celebrations

The season is here. Within the past week we've celebrated the Beaujolais Nouveau with a party and Thanksgiving with a feast.

It is that time of year again when I take far too many pictures of food

and not nearly enough of people.

What I'd like to take away...

The farm has been sold. The house is being emptied. Mimi asks if I want anything.

Yes, I do.

She means, do I want a table or a lamp? But that isn't what I want.

I want the driveway.

I want the walk up from the front gate to the house.I want the walk from the house down to the road and across it, over the pasture to the creek.

I want the cool creek on a hot summer day.

I want the sound of water flowing and insects singing.
I want the sunlight dappling the water.

I want the barn.

I want the dusty light slipping through the walls of the old hayloft.I want the dim shade inside and the bright green light outside.I want the autumn light and the long shadows of evening.

I want the early morning light on the spring house.I want the textures of stone and leaf and bark and moss.I want morels and bluebells in the spring.I want pears and persimmons in the fall.I want the steady springtime chant of frogs from the branch,

and the bawling of calves looking for their mothers.

I want the echo coming back from the barn of voices from the porch.

I want the honking of geese overhead

and the mysterious calls of owls far off in the hills.

I want the quiet still waters of the quarries.

I want the tickle of fish nibbling my toes as I float above the rocks.

I want the porch full of people,

and the picnic table full of food.

Yes, my list goes on and on.....

But since I can't have what I want, Mimi, I'll take the dresser and your grandmother's coasters.