Saturday, December 29, 2012

waiting for snow


The house is quiet. 
My oldest son left yesterday,
and my husband went to the Catskills this morning.



I decided to stay home with the other boys and the cats--
to enjoy a couple more days of the tree, 
and the first significant snow of the year, due later this afternoon. 


 I'm always melancholy around Christmas, and spent much of yesterday with my new Miss Havisham lap quilt made by dear Annette of Chasing Lightning Bugs--reading, napping, conversing, drinking tea, petting cats...  I'm reading Team of Rivals--it is 1861 and the Civil War is heating up. Oddly (or not) Great Expectations was published in 1861.



I've always loved Annette's quilts. Her most recent are inspired by classic novels she listens to in her studio while working. Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester, Madame Bovary, Pip--all have inspired quilts.


Today I'm listening to Bach, and thinking about things large and small. I've never been much for new year resolutions, but last year I decided to work on being a better friend. It went pretty well, choosing one thing, so I'll do it again. I'm not sure what--I have a lot to work on.


There are cottage roses on the back of the quilt, cats on the ottoman.
 Later it will snow.





21 comments:

  1. A blur of sleeping tortoise shell! Been listening to Yo Yo Ma's Bach suites for cello .. Perfect snow music!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You must mean the unaccompanied cello suites. I adore them--they are both melancholy and transcendent.

      Sometimes it's hard to see where one cat ends and the other begins...

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  2. Hello Jen, This post seems quite existential, waiting for that inevitable snowfall, seemingly neither with great anticipatory delight, nor with trepidation.

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    Replies
    1. Perhaps you subliminally heard Waiting for Godot instead of Waiting for Snow?

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  3. I love your quilt made by Annette.. she puts so much into her quilts.
    You will have a nice cosy quilt to cuddle up with , when the snow arrives.
    I think its always a little anticlimax when christmas ends and the family leave.
    I too feel a little sad.
    we can never loose, working to be better friend and in all we try to do..
    happy weekend
    all the best for 2013. Jen.
    Thank you for following me.
    val

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  4. Let it snow! as long as the fire inside is delightful... Happy New Year!

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  5. 30 plus years later, whenever I hear "Waiting for Godot," I can't help but say "Ah."

    I'm looking forward to our first snow. A quilt, a tree, a book, a cat...what else could you want?

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    Replies
    1. :)

      The only production I ever saw featured my mother's boyfriend, which was possible weirder than the play.

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  6. Well, the cats look happy and quite at home. And the quilt is beautiful.
    This coming year I am working on simply being kind, and not so simply, being kind to everyone. We'll see how that goes. :)
    I feel like a burden has been lifted with the passing of Christmas Jen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Compassion is the word I've been thinking about, but I like kindness better. It's active.

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  7. Your quilt by Annette looks lovely and warm as well as mine, Jen. My doog, daisy, loves to sleep on it, though I'm conscious about acquiring her hair on it. Your description conveys me the atomosphere around end of year a lot.

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    1. I want to see a picture of Daisy on the quilt!

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  8. Your last entry is rather haiku-sounding. You lucky woman, having three sons. Triple the pleasure of my having one.

    Having finished up a resounding eBay Christmas season, I will now turn slowly back to my novel-in-progress - where was I, anyway?

    Happy New Year, Jen.

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    Replies
    1. Triple the everything. :)
      Now get back to your book--I want to read it!

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  9. I don't have many real new year's resolutions. a couple of things I meant to be doing for years, but not much else. I rather give the year to come a theme. and for 2013 it's kindness... in a very selfish way. I think I have to learn to be kinder to myself. let's see where this leads me :)

    I'm wishing you a very happy and fulfilled 2013. may it bring many good books :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kindness. That's the word! (Books is good, too.)

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  10. Did you get your snow? We got a few flakes and the Hai and his girlfriend.

    No time for news here. I get my weather and stories from the blog channel.

    Your quilt is beautiful.

    I think many bloggers were born in the wrong century...

    xo Jane

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  11. Hope your snow was as pretty as ours, it's so beautiful when you don't need to go anywhere and just enjoy it. I personally think you succeeded with your resolution...I'm not much for them either. My tree has gone into major wilt and yesterday the lights on the bottom half went dark, I really want to take it down but would like to at least make the first. Pretty melancholy this year as well which isn't the norm for me. At least we survived the apocalypse...Your quilt is quite beautiful.

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  12. there is a subtle drama to waiting for snow. an unknown adventure on the horizon. your cats and books and quilt :) make it a cozy wait. i'm so glad you love miss havisham....and thank you for sharing her with your readers.
    we got hammered with a couple days of snow and it's been quite lovely. it seems we're shoveling all the time.
    happy happy new year, jen.

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