Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas! I am looking out my attic window onto the street below - no rain or snow. Yes, here in Portland it is clear  - and cold, very cold. Last week's snow was perfection - beautiful to watch floating down, didn't stick to the road (to the car, yes, but not the driveway) and was soon gone. My kind of snow. I am thoroughly enjoying Christmas with a 3-year old. Wesley is enchanted with everything and adds his own spin to things.

Window decorations
Right before Thanksgiving Wesley and I traced our hands and turned them into colored-paper turkeys which we taped to the kitchen windows. He had done them at home (Stephanie was much more creative - she added legs and beaks in different colors - the Martha Stewart of turkey production!) and wanted to do them at my house as well. Last week I suggested we replace the turkeys with snow flakes. He was delighted. He is quite good with scissors (well, for a 3-year old) and we cut and snipped away. He taped all our creations to the window adjacent to the turkeys which he insisted must stay as well. We have, therefore, quite a seasonal display.

But then he asked to add something special. I wondered which Christmas addition - Santa? Stars? Trees? No, he wanted to add rocket ships. Of course. I drew a primitive one and then he told me who to put in the windows as passengers - Daddy, Mommy, Greg (visiting right now), Gramma, Grampa Tom (Dan's father), Wesley and in little windows above and below him, Matilda (his dog) and Divet and Newton (his cats). I was happy to oblige.

 So, if you are driving down SE 21st Avenue, look for the kitchen window with snowflakes, turkeys AND rocket ships.

Advent Calendar
I gave the Advent Calendar Christmas Tree I made when the children were young to Stephanie so Wesley happily adds a decoration to it each day. At my house I have a Noah's Ark Advent Calendar that Wesley played with last year. To him it was just a toy - I didn't try to use it to mark the march of days toward Christmas. This year, when I pulled it out, I wondered if he would remember it (nope, to him it was brand new) and if he would want to use it as a calendar. Again, nope - it was an interesting toy with lots of possibilities, none of which included a calendar.

Here it is as a possible calendar - one animal added for each day.

I told him the basic outline of Noah and the Ark. He liked the part about the animals marching on board two-by-two. He asked me to make a sign for the ark - can you read it?

It says Must have buddy to get on Ark

And so the play began. He would hide an animal (so that the buddy couldn't go on board), find it, put it in another "boat" (the basket that holds the TV remotes) and sail it over to the ark where the buddies were reunited.  They could then go on board together.

Can you see the "boat" on the floor to the right? The monkey, lion and dove are inside the basket waiting to be reunited with their buddies on the Ark's deck.

Later he decided that having a buddy wasn't enough. The animals must have tickets as well (this from a child who has already flown umpteen times so knows his boarding passes). We attached stickers to all the animals.

Yep, they are legitimate passengers - their stickers show they have the proper credentials. The elephant has a fairy, the lion a snake and the hippo a blue ribbon. Of course.

Then, love of scatology reared its head. What is happening in the photos below?  The animals are peeing off the side of the ark, of course. I blame Lee. Wesley is fascinated by the bathroom system on Lee and Michelle's sailboat - a bucket for those who wish it or, the more direct approach, peeing overboard. Wesley can't wait to be old enough to pee over the side but enjoys using the bucket in the meantime. Noah's animals have already advanced to the "over-the-edge" method.  Note that animals go all around the ark.

 Close up of one side, buddies hanging off the side.

This is an equal opportunity Ark - both sides can be used at once when peeing overboard.

Nativity Scene
The one I have is tiny - it was all we could afford when we were young parents and, of course, now I wouldn't think of changing it because of all the memories associated with it. I am a history teacher and I liked to place the nativity in an historic setting so I started Mary, Joseph and the donkey across the room and each day Stephanie and Lee would move them a bit forward until, on Dec 24th, they made it to the manger.  I started the kings several rooms away - after all, they came from much farther away.

I showed the set to Wesley and started to go over the basic story. Before I got much beyond "They were on their way to Bethleham" Wesley picked up Mary, Joseph and the donkey and deposited them inside the tea pot in the bookshelf. "They have to go to jail first," he said, "Then they can go back on the road." There they stayed for several days. In fact, when I went to move them back to the stable this morning I realized that Joseph has gone missing. I checked the neighboring "jail", the coffee pot, but it was empty as well.

When he is over next we will have to review other possible options for Joseph's location. For the time being the shepherd is sitting in for Joseph. I moved the kings into the photo - they are still in the kitchen, slowly working their way toward Bethleham, but wanted them to have their 5 minutes of fame in the photo.

Each figure is 1- 2 inches tall. 

Cookies
Wesley and I made a set of cookies and had the usual experience -  more frosting on his face and hands than made it onto the cookies. Much fun. I am missing Stephanie's girl friends from Carmel High. For years they came over today (Christmas Eve) to decorate cookies. As they grew older I loved listening to their chatter as they caught up with each other's lives while creating interesting frosting colors for cookies that became more sophisticated in their design. They had favorite cookie cutters and brought more to add to my collection. What good memories.

So Christmas 2012 is almost here and I am thinking of all of you - family and friends. I wish you all the happiest and most joyous of days tomorrow and right through the New Year into 2013.

December - What a Month!

So much to do, so little time - no, no longer true. My life in Oregon is so tiny compared to the life I led in Pacific Grove that I can no longer use that excuse. Not ever again. Not for anything. I now have plenty of time and love every non-busy second of it.

Right this minute my laptop is somewhat precariously balanced on my lap, my feet are propped on the coffee table, the gas fireplace is on, Christmas music is playing, the tree is lit and Wesley has added other decorations around the room in his own inimitable style. What more could I ask? 

I do love this time of year. The shortness of the days adds to their mystery. It's now almost dark by 4:30 and the air is quite crisp (and, often damp - who knew?)  Last night Stephanie, Dan and I took Wesley to watch the Christmas Express train in all its steaming glory set out on its once-per-hour trip around the surrounding neighborhoods, its decorated cars filled with excited children and parents. The 3 of them rode it this afternoon - much more to see in daylight, of course - but oh, it was magical to watch it depart, steam shooting up in the air in the darkness of last evening. Wesley was thrilled.

Thanksgiving was lovely - we gathered at Pattie's house in Novato. I, however, was the guest that no one wants at their table. What I thought was non-contagious food poisoning that I suffered through on the day before Thanksgiving ended up being quite contagious - I passed it on to many at the  celebration. Lovely. I hope that my role as Typhoid Mary will be forgotten when Thanksgiving rolls around next year.  

What was interesting was the very small article I spotted in The Oregonian the week after I returned. It stated that 3 schools in Oakland were closed because of a highly contagious intestinal sickness rapidly working its way through the schools. The description of the symptoms was exactly what I had experienced and - guess what? I had dinner with Lee in Oakland the evening I arrived in California. Ah, that is where I must have picked it up - or, dread thought, did I bring it down and end up infecting the whole school system? No, impossible . . . . yes?

I also spent a few days in Pacific Grove - it was lovely to visit with friends.  My house, rented to others, seems to be fine and, most importantly, survived a huge storm the evening I left (hmmm - is this a coincidence? Both disease and pestilence follow me.).

But now I am home enjoying the end-of-autum-almost-winter season. The first unusual activity was the marathon reading of Homer's The Iliad at the Portland Art Museum. It was in conjunction with it's latest exhibit, The Body Beautiful, a joint-effort with the British Museum that focuses on the Greek ideal of beauty. Lots of Greek pots and sculpture including The Discus Thrower. Magnificent exhibit and this particular event was lots of fun. 300+ volunteer readers read non-stop for 10 hours. I was reader #64. I was given a great section to read  - meaning no hard names to pronounce and it was somewhat exciting - a description of 2 rivals putting on their armor and then facing each other, enraged, spears raised. We were urged to read our 2-minute segments in another language if we wished (I wondered if pig latin would work? "Ehthay aisedray eirthay earspay . . ."). Most read in English but during the 3 hours that I stayed to listen several spoke in Greek, Latin, Russian, French, and Spanish. My favorites were the children who read. We received our sections a week early so clearly the students had practiced and each read perfectly. The girl pictured below (standing on a box) was probably 9 years old. An interesting way to spend a Sunday morning. While listening, I thought a lot about my husband who loved teaching The Iliad.

While we read, our section was projected on the screen behind so that all in the 
audience could follow along.

Yesterday afternoon I attended the 22nd Annual Tuba Christmas in downtown Portland. 283 musicians with a wide variety of tubas performed Christmas carols for 90 minutes. These included all the traditional ones and some quite untraditional - who knew Doe a Deer belonged in a Christmas program? Or the fight songs for both the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!) and Oregon State (Go Beavers!)?  

One section of the audience - it wound around half of the plaza. I sat near the front on cold brick steps.  Note to self - next time bring a padded seat cushion!

While waiting for the performance to start a group on a scavenger hunt needed people to play foosball on the plaza so they could take a video of it. About a dozen people volunteered and played for a few minutes while the crowd cheered them on.

The tuba player in the Santa outfit won best costume (and decorated tuba - although you can hardly see it. I know, I know -  horrid photographer!)

The only folks who were protected from the weather were the tuba players - and of course you can't see them in the tent.  Look at the very back - can you see the sousaphones?  Look closely, way back. They are behind the other 200+ tuba players.

It was amazing to hear only tubas play music - some of the songs were magical, some haunting, and some, I must admit, were almost unrecognizable (when the conductor asked us to sing along with Away in A Manger I thought, "THAT was what they were playing?") But the 2000 people gathered in Pioneer Square in the light misty rain (and not a single umbrella - I looked far and wide - lots of hoodies and caps, however, oh those Oregonians!) had a good time singing along. 

I am busy at my two volunteer jobs. It's not a good time for those who are unemployed so we are giving out lots of food boxes at the emergency service place where I answer the telephone. At the other end of the spectrum, the library gift store is hopping with lots of Christmas goodies added to the usual assortment of used books and related cards, notebooks, calendars etc. for sale. Much fun in that all visitors seem to be in a good mood, especially when they spot the perfect little something for someone on their Christmas list.

So all is well here and I hope you are all enjoying this lovely season. It only comes once a year, you know, so go grab a cup of eggnog and celebrate every second of this joyous time with friends and family.

Much love to you all and Merry Christmas!