Winter Solstice and beyond. . .

 

We had some remarkable weather in early December. Two rain storms devastated this part of Maine, including coastal towns. It was actually rain and wind during the worst storm. The wind was clocked at 65 mph. That might have been tolerable, except that we also got 5" of rain (unheard of here), and temperatures were in the 40's. So the earth was absolutely soaked and then the wind knocked trees down. We lost many many trees, and a good number of them took power lines with them. Our power was only out for 24 hours, but many people lost power for 5 days. We are still trying to clean up the devastation on our trail system, and I find myself writing proposals to get funding for said cleaning up and rebuilding. 

These things are unpredictable but they are hardly unexpected. It's what keeps me working for the Citizens Climate Lobby when it honestly feels so hopeless sometimes.

But! Things settled down, and by the time we had our Solstice Party, the weather had improved, but we were still without snow. Still. The cold clear weather and sunshine is hard to beat, even if the days are short. And frivolity and good will among our friends is a lovely antidote to the sadness in our world. Jam was made from berries from the garden (frozen in between), and John developed a new talent: Peanut Butter Blossoms!

 

I had a couple of poinsettias from last year (as you know from a previous post), and I took the opportunity to make pots for them. . .big pots. About 12" tall. I love the chance to make something unique. . .that most people will never even notice among the cacophony of my plants.

And then a friend's dinner party (16 people! I don't know if I could do that!), and then came Christmas Day. Our holidays are different when the kids don't visit, but we're happy to be together, and hate to see them try to travel during the holidays. We took one of our favorite hikes (Saunders Hill) with a picnic (including a nip of wine), and settled down to watch the stream rushing rushing rushing past us. All of that water falling from the sky heightens the stream and drama level. 

We had a great dinner, which was all small plates, but honestly I don't remember much except the Pecan Pie. That's the most important part for me. The celebratory Martini (thank you, Dad), and the wonderful company is pretty sweet too.

And for decoration, a be-ribboned Jasper and candlelight is nothing short of ethereal.

I'll close there, though I know I still need to talk a bit about January. It is almost February. Unbelievable.