Tag: Christmas

The no-man’s land, between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning…

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There are a few hours each year that belong to no day. The no-man’s land, between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning…

Morning kneels quietly at our feet, opening its pale palms out to us.

Merry Christmas, lovely, he says, so gently…

Look outside! The daughter is practically screaming. During the no-man’s hours, it has snowed. It is not that thick, muzzle-clean snow, but it is enough to glaze the landscape with a pure sheet of ivory light. Enough to give us all the sense that time has paused, just for today. We decide that seeing something for the first time is much the same as seeing it for the last.

Let it snow

Let it snow

Let it snow

— Maddie Mortimer, Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies (Picador; March 31, 2022)

Portrait of Maddie Mortimer from The Times

Walking. ’tis the season.

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955 consecutive (almost) days. Like in a row. Forecast is for rain, and more rain. I can hear it tapping on the gutters and the hood of the car. Wally is sleeping, he looks up out of the corner of his eye, no chance i’m going out in this, no chance. You’re on your own dad.

We’re now 45 days from 1,000, and duty calls. I trudge downstairs out the door, and drive to Cove Island Park.

I’m sitting in the parking lot, car is running, heater blows. Wind gusts up to 44 mph splash buckets of rain against the car, the wipers slapping from side to side struggle to chase it all off the windshield.

I need to find something, anything to record that I was here. You did it. You were here. But, it’s not letting up and there’s no chance I’m going out in this.

I cue up George Winston’s December, and like the magic of the season, it turns the soul to a softer place.

I turn the heat up to 71° F and sit and listen, to the heater blowing, the music, and the wind and rain. Krouse: “Nothing is more comforting than the sound of rain when you’re not in it.”

Continue reading “Walking. ’tis the season.” →

Wally’s Great Adventures (20)

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hello peeps, wally here. Laila, love her name, suggested that we re-name my handle to “Wally The Adventure Doggo.” i like it, a lot, and this is coming from a PhD student who reads Dostoevsky and Woolf in her spare time, and is way smarter than dad, so i pay attention, i’m noodling it.

anyhoo, re: video. volume up and stick to the end. mom said that its holiday baking time, so i helped her bake oatmeal cookies…she said that i must keep my little tongue in my mouth as i cant drool in the mixing bowl. dad said i cant talk about mom in my posts because she’s banned from limiting free speech.

oh, there’s more. rachel says i look like a large baked potato. name calling like that, that’s just not right. dad said she keeps it up, she’ll be on the banned list too.

i helped dad unwrap, yes, you heard it right, unwrap eric’s xmas present, because dad couldn’t wait, yes, dad couldn’t wait to open eric’s xmas present. mom yelled at dad calling him a man-child. oops, now dad is yelling at me because mom is banned from mention on this site.

finally, i am very good at finding sunlight on the floor and then taking naps in it. that last shot is of me laying in what eric calls the sunbox. I love the sunbox, it is warm like mom. oops, there i go mentioning mom again, need to be careful or i could be banned too. it’s nap time. good night everyone. Wally.

T.G.I.F.

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A humble Christmas tree in a New South Wales town has gone viral for being lauded as the worst display of festive spirit ever.

The dishevelled tree – which looks like it arrived home after a 24-hour bender, slapped on some makeup and covered itself in tinsel – was erected in the main square of Port Macquarie to cries of dismay and horror.

Port Macquarie’s council initially took it all in their stride, with mayor Peta Pinson declaring “any publicity is good publicity”. But that was before the lights had to be removed when they were deemed a safety risk due to slowly slipping from the tree.

“I have a great sense of humour, just like our wonderful community has,” Pinson said. “All you can do is laugh.”

The council has now reportedly replaced the tree with a more traditional option – a smaller, artificial tree that was decorated by council staff…

—  Caitlin Cassidy, from “Tinsel travesties: the worst Christmas tree displays across Australia.” A safety risk in Port Macquarie, an inappropriately spiky star and a literal coat rack are among the nation’s least-accomplished examples of festive spirit. (The Guardian, December 7, 2022)

Holiday Ride

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Thank you Susan.