christmas tree expedition and the fourth sunday of advent

we headed to connecticut at 10:30 this morning to get our christmas tree.

it was incredibly wet and snowy at the tree farm . . and cold!

we asked directions to the concolor fir section and i was surprised by the many firs when we found it. we have been directed there in the past, but we never went far enough. this year we did.

it was so cold with the snow coming down (i already wrote that, didn't i!)  and so icy. the roadway we had to take to the right section was slippery and i ended up wiping out. my toes were numb, my fingers were numb and i could barely see with my eyeglasses all wet.

there was the usual ages long process narrowing down the tree choices, but finally the decision was made and chanda cut it down . . rather quickly. i was surprised how fast it sawed through. i think the concolor firs have a little softer wood than the past trees we've picked out.

(this was the road i slipped on.)

we were all very wet, cold and hungry, so we persevered and had our picnic by the warm fire. (salami sandwiches on homemade sour dough bread with tea and french chocolates.)

one of the oxen, either dan or jake.

 

here are the palisades of new jersey in the distance, rising out of the hudson river.

and the george washington bridge . . 

the fourth light of advent is the light of you and i,

the light of love and thought, to give and understand.

the fourth sunday of advent

 

 the winter bird

 

thou sing'st alone on the bare wintry bough,

as if spring with its leaves were around thee now;

and its voice that was heard in the laughing rill,

and the breeze as it whispered o'er meadow and hill,

still fell on thine ear, as it murmured along

to join the sweet tide of thine own gushing song.

sing on-though its sweetness was lost on the blast,

and the storm has not heeded thy song as it passed,

yet its music awoke in a heart that was near

a thought whose remembrance will ever prove dear;

though the brook may be frozen, though silent its voice,

and the gales through the meadows no longer rejoice,

still i felt, as my ear caught thy glad note of glee,

that my heart in life's winter might carol like thee.

by jones very (1813 - 1880)

friday's snow pic

 

a snowman from today's walk .

snow day

pluto enjoyed watching the snow fall this morning . .

i went out to take photos by the river . .

 

 and met up with janet to walk to the east village and help her shovel the sidewalk in front of her building.

we then walked a few more blocks east to visit downtown yarns, where i needed to pick up two more skeins of galler cotton yarn.

by the time we started walking home janet's toes were very cold as she didn't have on the best snow shoes. it's been four years since we had such a big snowfall, and we've grown lax in making sure we have the appropriate footwear! my blundstone boots keep my feet warm and dry, but the treads are a little low and i have to be careful not to slip.

heading home . .

waiting for the snow

well, it's just pluto with me now, when it's time to make dinner. 

i listened to an audubon lecture on owls this afternoon . . 

i loved this photo the speaker took of a snowy owl she saw in a park near her house in upstate new york. he was just sitting on a park bench!

it started snowing in the late afternoon . . 

i made a simple chicken soup for dinner which i haven't made in awhile. into the big soup pot, i put a whole chicken with celery, carrots, potatoes, sprigs of thyme and rosemary, an onion and two cloves of garlic. (it makes enough broth for another soup recipe on a different night.) it was a perfect warming soup for such a snowy day.

and we played a round of apples to apples, which i won.

last night i watched one of my favorite christmas movies: it's a wonderful life.

i love how clarence is reading tom sawyer . . 

 

atlas' new family emailed several photos to me this evening . . 

it makes me happy to see him settling in so well with them.

i miss his loud purring and his little meows. (i don't miss how much of a pest he was when i was cooking, but he'll probably outgrow that.) they're calling him pikachu.

atlas goes to his new home

 

 morning time with atlas . . trying to make the bed . . (this is after i've let him out of the second bedroom where he would sleep every night).

 

a favorite part of the day for him . .

 

last playtime sessions . . i tried again to get pluto loping down the hall, chasing atlas, but again failed! i always think of it after he's sprinted away.

after the playtime, comes the grooming . .

 

relaxing in his carrier that will take him to his new place.

 

all packed with extra kitty litter, canned food and treats, and his last dose of medicine that he gets next week.

 

with his new family . . we wish them many fun, peaceful and loving times together.

and now i should go out to get the groceries i need while the weather is still nice.

cats at play

i tried to get pluto loping down the hallway when chasing atlas, but i missed it . .

 

the best-laid plans on the third sunday of advent

 

we were supposed to get our christmas tree today, but when greg pulled up in front of the apartment with the car he said, "there is a problem." the problem was a large screw stuck in the right back rear tire. instead, he took the car to be repaired and we made plans to go next sunday. i was disappointed, as i was looking forward to having the whole week to decorate and enjoy the tree . . but, oh well. when he returned, he mentioned that the mechanic said it was fortunate he had seen it, as it could have been a bad situation driving on the parkway. the screw was close to the wall of the tire, making a blow-out more likely (we ended up needing a new tire - and we had just bought new tires!) . . so, instead, greg and i decided to go for a walk along the river to 192 books on tenth avenue. i took my picnic lunch, which was supposed to have been consumed at the tree farm, to eat in clement c. moore park. greg ate his sandwich at home before we left, and chanda and emily took their sandwiches to have with a salad at a favorite cafe downtown.

 

sitting in the park after the bookstore . . where he found two books that will be his christmas gift . . 

 

it was such a warm day, and everyone was out enjoying it . . 

as you can see here, we were all set for the tree. we had worked diligently in the morning to ready the living room.

the bookshelf gets moved from between the windows to the wall beside the dining room table, and a lot of dust gets vacuumed up in the process. i was so tired from baking the buns and making french chocolates the night before that i fell asleep after our walk and almost slept through a dances patrelle documentary special i had wanted to see. luckily, my sister called to check on how to access it, and i woke in time. it was a sweet film about how mr. patrelle began the company and how the children have grown up throughout many years of performing in his nutcracker. afterwards, i made pasta with leftover marinara sauce and sauteed kale for dinner.

the third night of advent is the light of beasts, light of hope that shines in the greatest and the least.

 

greg and chanda chose to watch the peanuts movie this evening . . 

along with sweet atlas . . who will meet his forever (or fur-ever) mom tuesday afternoon . .