Christmas 🎄

My knee is feeling much better. I resorted to buying Aleve last Thursday and by Saturday the pain had diminished. I don't know whether to credit the naproxen, post hoc, or if it was just time healing as it usually does. Jay's back is also getting better. So in spite of the fact that we are both missing the Christmases we shared, this year's wishes were answered.

A young couple on my street invited me to Christmas Eve dinner at their house. There were small children, moms and dads, some grandparents and friends. It was a lively, warm gathering and the meal was delicious. It wasn't the traditional Eve with Jay and the Pollock's, but to paraphrase the Stones, "If you can't be with the ones you love,
Love the ones you're with."

When I got home, Jay and I sent a few Kakaotalk messages back and forth and then I went to bed, fortunately early. Because I was wakened before 7:00am Christmas morning by the cheery ring of Kakaotalk, almost as welcome as the giggle of a child. It was May wishing me Merry Christmas just as they were heading to sleep. This is the sweet little mime she included in her message:



I was happy to receive it but not ready to get out of bed. Sweetness and giggles have their limit, and I was glad that it was all virtual reality for me and I could drop my iPhone under my bed, roll over and sleep some more. When I did wake up it was to a crazy coincidence. I reached up and turned on the radio to hear, "It's a marshmallow world in the winter...". I didn't have sweet dreams but I had two sweet awakenings, not that I like that song so much, but the coincidence pleased me.



Violets and a sprig of lavender in the back yard. Other than the year we spent in Puerto Vallarta, this is the first time I haven't had a white Christmas.

It's sunny and 7c this afternoon. The bit of snow we had in town has melted, but I was skiing yesterday in lots of it. However, I didn't ski on the weekend and am going to take a couple of days off again because I danced too much at the VOC Christmas party. I resurrected a pair of red heels and some black mesh nylons I haven't worn in years and when the less than terrific sound system in the hall blared a tune that moved me I rose and joined the other women boogieing it up with or without men. It was great until it wasn't. The shoes and nylons made it through the night admirably, but my knees don't appear to be made of the stuff of resurrection. I'll never dance in heals again. One of the mixed blessings of getting old is that never's not as long as it was. Or is it? Ay, there's the rub.

I had a KakaoTalk with Jay on Sunday, and he too was levelled on the weekend. He'd been trying to pace himself in the gym but a muscle in his back went out nonetheless.

So we both will be singing to Santa for body parts, not two front teeth, but backs and knees.






Carrying on to Christmas

As I sit here in the dark with the lights on the Christmas tree and in the window bright and blurry around me I wonder if Van Gogh was myopic. I'm thumbing through this post with my glasses off so that I can read the iPhone screen, and when I look up the aura surrounding each little light reminds me of his painting, The Starry Night.

The temperature has been in the minuses but not really low and still no snow in town. Barbara Steers and I are well into the planning of our trip to Mexico City and a one week Spanish course in Querétaro. After that, we will fly from Leon to Puerto Vallarta. I have already booked a dental appointment for January 21, the same day that Carolyn Baughan has an appointment with Dr. Adan. I know this because we've emailed each other a bit about meeting in PV. They've invited me to stay with them while I'm in PV. After that, I will spend a bit of time in La Penita with Barb and then return to Vernon. This Christmas will be quiet, and I will miss Jay and the gang, but Miriam and I are going to make Christmas dinner together at their place. With a couple of other outings and this trip in the offing, the future looks about as bright as and less blurry than these lights that surround me now.

Jay now has an apartment with May, a gym membership and one teaching job. It's not full time, but with the visa he has this time he will be able to put together a few different things.



The Starry Tree


Miriam and other CFUW friends on the snowshoe trail last Friday


A quail on the trail, I think 🤔 💭