Friday, December 9, 2011

A BRIEF REPORT…


I finished lunch an hour ago and have since been sitting by the hearth, enjoying the cozy warmth while reading bits from various Christmas books and trying to decide on quotes for upcoming posts. My lunch was so late because I got sidetracked when I finished the last of my desk work for the week after ambling into the kitchen to see what could be warmed up for a quick meal. I remembered the bags of sunflower seeds and cracked corn I'd bought on Wednesday were still in the back of the pickup. Along with the 9-foot Christmas tree, tied compactly in netting, which Myladylove and I had tracked down, claimed, and carried out from the most remote corner of the 500-acre farm where we always cut our own.

Lugging 50-pound bags of birdfood to their storage bins on the deck took awhile, especially if you stop every so often to listen to the sweet caroling of a Carolina wren. And of course I had to refill all the feeders before I got mobbed by chickadees and titmice. 

Then there was the tree to be brought around, de-netted, and shook a bit—a task which got interrupted by the need to chase Moon-the-Dog up the hill and across the road and back to this side of the road and through the neighbor's yard and back down the hill—where I finally caught up with her long enough to administer a well-deserved swat to the backquarters with a leafy branch for putting me through such an ordeal, unrepentant though she remained. In case you've been wondering how my fine old dog is doing since her surgery, let me just assure you her acts of truancy and misbehavior have increased dramatically—a sure sign of positive progress.

Anyway, all that required way more time than you might guess. At which point I decided to build the fire…so…wood and kindling was gathered, a fire was laid and lit, and then, finally, I got around to fixing something to eat.

Now, the day is winding down. The light is fading. A scattered snow is falling from a dim, gray sky. 

Myladylove will be home in a few hours and we'll spend the evening decorating the tree—pulling the familiar old ornaments from their tissue wrappings, worrying with the lights, disagreeing about the amount of tinsel and whether or not to add those silver icicles. Somewhere in there another meal will occur, probably a sort of extended snack with apples and oranges and cheese and sausage and crackers and nuts, then cookies and candy, or mugs of hot chocolate. The fire will be warm and glowing. The room will smell of woodsmoke and cut pine. I already have carols playing—lovely old tunes, ancient in their melodies and harmonics, which somehow capture so well the mood of today as well as of the season…gray skies, falling snow, the changing light.

And just now, outside my workroom window, a lady redbird has arrived to keep me company….
———————

10 comments:

Robin said...

Oh, how I envy the two (three) of you, for oh, so many reasons.

Grizz………… said...

Robin…

I—we—just try and live as simply and honestly and fully as we can, day by day. Trust me, there are good days and not-so-good days. Today was a good day.

Not to push or anything…but where did that post you started so well go? Just askin'. You are a real writer, you know.

Penny said...

I would love to be there with you, but at least with your post I have an idea of what it would be like to live on the other side of the world, here we are damp but warm and humid.

Grizz………… said...

Penny…

I bet you'd have a nice visit—and no doubt you would find Ohio in December a very different place. I'll try and and least give you an inkling with words and photos.

The Weaver of Grass said...

That bright yellow breast would cheer up the dullest day Grizz.

As for pulling out the old decs for the tree each year - I love it as each one holds such memories.

Do show us a photo when it is done.

Gail said...

HI GRIZZ - I love to read of all your blessings and how much you appreciate every one. Your world is precious and honest, natural and bountiful and all things good in this world. Hallelujah!
Love to you always
Gail
peace.....

Grizz………… said...

Weaver…

I almost hate to admit how big a kick I get opening the big storage boxes and pulling out the familiar old decorations—some of them from childhood.

I'll try and do a photo when the tree is finally trimmed.

Grizz………… said...

Gail…

You make me sound like a country parson. ;-)

I'm just a geezerish Irishman/fisherman with a glib tongue and an iMac, who lives in a little stone cottage beside a small Buckeye river (now up and discolored) who loves hearthfires, faithful dogs, books, peasant food, pickup trucks, birds, seasons, Myladylove, the wonder and beauty in the world round about, and laughing as much as possible. And Christmas…I LOVE Christmas!

Nance said...

With this post, you've turned the frustrating randomness of a day in the life of an elder into something charming and reassuring. As you said in your comment on KGMom's recent post...we are, after all, "...not looking for the profound, but the familiar."

That comment invited a visit and I am rewarded.

Grizz………… said...

Nance…

Welcome to Riverdaze! KGMom's blog is a good place to be coming from—she always sends us only the best folks. I'm glad you visited, glad you found something you liked. You're always welcome to drop by and add a comment.

The profound is, I'm coming to suspect, rather overrated. When life is cold and the fire burns low, I don't want the profound—I want a familiar, comfortable blanket to wrap around around me. I want to turn to old friends to keep me company—people, books, music, food, those sights and smells which offer solace and anchor. Newness has its place, but so does tradition. For me, Christmas is a time when I want to wallow in the traditional and the familiar—not so much in the nostalgic sense, though that's important, but in the sense of keeping to those touchstones which define who I am, where I come from, the man I want to be. Does that make sense?

Anyway, welcome. Hope you find reason aplenty to visit often.