A dollar store clock was purchased for Grace the trailer, but it wasn’t left in Grace over the winter, it came home to Mist Cottage. It was sitting in the bookcase in the living room at the time that Terra, Sunny, Sky, and Willow dropped in for a visit. Sky took a shine to it, it needed rescuing, so it ended up safe and sound, hung on the wall. Now it ticks away in unison with the clock that already sits on the wall in the living room. Time is a chorus.
We moved from our country house, to Mist Cottage, which was 1/3 the size. Downsizing has been an ongoing project, even after three years. One of the cornerstones of downsizing is that if a memento doesn’t bring you joy, you are better off letting it go.
Why am I bringing up downsizing? Like downsizing our living space, our Christmas celebrations and expectations have downsized considerably over the years They were meager indeed to begin with. For instance, Attila and I ceased to expect that any of our children would spend Christmas Day in our company, with the exception of one Christmas, from the day they left home. That was unexpected, and a difficult adjustment.
This Christmas is another change in expectations. For many years Attila and I have visited my birth family, usually at some point before Christmas, in December. This has required dedicated vacation time for the visit, considerable planning and preparation, and a great deal of stress in Canadian winter driving conditions on bad roads, and in busy traffic. This year I am giving it up, I just can’t face that horrendous drive on winter roads and in holiday traffic. The specter of that journey does not bring me joy, quite the opposite. Turning down the warm invitations of loved ones is oh so difficult. I will be thinking of them with a lot of love on Christmas Day.
Attila has been spending his weekend working on the basement. In the process a few large spiders have abandoned the basement for the main floor of the house. I don’t rescue spiders, so they were dispatched upon discovery. The project involves insulating the rim joists around the perimeter of the house, and it is very slow going. Today his efforts are focused on the section along the wall underneath the back door. In the summer, during the heat of the day, when the sun hit the bottom of the door, there was a strong smell of rodent. Sure enough, there were copious ancient droppings in that area, on a sheet of wood that was nailed across the floor joists. It took most of the day to clean out the debris, which was sprayed with aqueous oxygen, and remove the wood. That should take care of the smell.
Worldly
Weather
0°C
Date: 2:00 PM EST Sunday 9 December 2018
Condition: Mostly Cloudy
Pressure: 102.3 kPa
Tendency: Falling
Temperature: 0.3°C
Dew point: -4.8°C
Humidity: 69%
Wind: WSW 32 gust 46 km/h
Visibility: 24 km
Quote
“When everyone is somebody, then no one’s anybody.”
W. S. Gilbert
1836 – 1911
Hmmm… your post is titled ACV, which I thought was apple cider vinegar, but nothing about ACV in your post. It ended without a period, is some of the post missing?
So sorry to hear you won’t be visiting your family. The winter drives are daunting, though.
Teri, 🙂 you are correct! Human error. I added the title first, intending to discuss my homemade ACV, apple cider vinegar, but got sidetracked and forgot about that when I had returned to the computer. Then I forgot about the title. It is edited now. The missing period is another human error, Attila called me into the kitchen because the Instant Pot button had dropped, and he was waiting on the contents to go forward with his recipe, dropped the ball on that one too. I’d complain about the distractions, but I kinda like them. I guess it is a weekend thing. I have a weekend thing!!
Hopefully, you can visit your family when the weather is better and roads are clear? ….Joan
Joan, thank goodness for the summer season! The internet makes the situation much easier, messaging is a great way to keep in touch with my Mom and sisters.
I have given up so many things I used to think were desirable or necessary during the Christmas season: 1. buying gifts for the entire extended family, 2. baking half-a-dozen seasonal treats to have and to give away, 3. making a big Christmas meal, 4. spending the day visiting family or having them visit us.
Things change. I’ve changed. And that’s okay.
-Kate
Kate, I agree change is okay. Change we chose is much easier to adjust to than change we don’t choose. On baking treats… my problem is if I bake them, I will eat them, all of them, and then I’ll want more. I do love a Christmas turkey dinner, and if Attila didn’t enjoy preparing it, I would do it myself. The thing about the Christmas feast is that the leftovers last until the end of the year! One big dinner and then sit back and just heat up leftovers for the rest of the holiday season, works for me.