Traditions…. many cultures have “winter solstice” or solstice-adjacent holidays. Our family draws on several different traditions this time of year, though most of them are less religious for us than cultural. Advent (yes, the root of the word adventure! see https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Advent for derivation) is a season of watchful waiting and preparation for Christians in many […]
Category: holidays
Testing and using new-to-me crochet patterns
One of the things that I think is lacking in today’s “fast everything” culture is handmade gifts. We have been too quick to abandon work that takes time in the interest of “saving time” when what we make may be not as perfect as mass-produced (and likely cheaper) goods. This deprives both ourselves and the […]
Garden Update: Winds of time
Here are a few pictures from around the yard over the last couple of weeks, starting with the 18 or so raspberry plants a friend let us take from her garden!
The lovely green…
The middle of March, one of my favorite times of the year. Spring is about to begin, according to the sun. Most years, for us, it is several weeks in. Although a few years ago, spring was still months away! Here are the latest updates from the garden.
Seasonal Song
Every December, Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia (SOGO) puts on a brass festival to showcase the talented young musicians in the organization. Brass instrument players from the Academy and Conservatory levels practice for several weeks, with a performance the next-to-last weekend before the winter break. We enjoy their performances, of course, and eagerly await this […]
A quick review of the last month…
I found the camera! Here are a few pics of the last month, beginning with supper in Portland with my grandfather and his partner, and a family friend. Oh yes, Tom and the boys were there too! a couple videos of December concerts, (hope they came through okay): the older stidkid enjoys a new book […]
Celebrating the Green!
My Irish heritage is a big part of my identity (So is the German, Dutch and then less and less French, Welsh, English, Scots…). So Fáilte (which means Welcome) to you! I will post a few pics as the actual day for wearin’ o’ th’ green (why do we clip the ends of the words […]
inauguration — tradition
Some families have long-standing get-togethers: summer reunions at the shore, grandmother’s birthday bash, even game night every Thursday with pizza and friends. Some cultures are filled with holy days: Eid al Fitr, Yom Kippur, Easter, Dia de los Muertos. Some countries are full of pomp and circumstance. The Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace, […]
Vacation in Victoria
Took the elder stidkid with me this past weekend to give him a chance to visit friends and see the sights of Victoria, British Columbia, in the winter. Unfortunately, the same snow that hit us hit them also. So we were unable to meet up with some of our friends. We did however get to […]
Solstice Greetings!
Our family tries to do something special for the solstice, and most years we manage something fun. Plans sometimes change, and this year due to the snow we won’t visit my parents. We’ll celebrate with them another day. Here’s what we are planning: Roast turkey, rice dressing and a fennel and potato side dish (inspired […]