Category Archives: Weather, Seasons, & Celebrations

That Kind Of Day

Lunch: Two servings of bacon, and leftover whipped potatoes fried in the second round of bacon fat.

It was hard not to lick the plate. It was only a saucer, but still.

In other news, Gretchen Yanover’s Bow and Cello is absolutely exquisite. Lovely atmospheric, relaxing, meditative-y kind of stuff. She’s a brilliant musician who uses looping technology to enrich and deepen her already sensual music. Beautiful.

Also, hello annual February thaw. I have the heat turned off and windows cracked open to air out the winter-dead rooms.

Imbolc Poetry Web 2009!

Every year on February 2 a web of poetry winds its way through the Internet in honour of Brighid, the Celtic goddess associated with inspiration and poets. This year’s invitation is here, reproduced on blogs and journals across the world; the original blogger who began the annual tradition says of it, “Why? Some poetry is warming. It cracks the ice in the heart of the Earth to remind her that spring is just around the corner. Or … if you live south of the equator, choose poetry to cool the heart of the Earth so as to remind her fall is coming.” The blog that first introduced me to the poetry web and reminds me of it annually is Pandora’s Ephemera Ephemerae.

Brid is the goddess to whom I am sworn, and that’s probably not a surprise for those who know how much music, writing, and art mean to me. I figured she would be much too obvious and so I looked everywhere else when starting on my spiritual path, until I realised that Brid was bashing me on the head with the proverbial Divine clue by four. I love participating in this poetry web every year. The idea of poems, pictures in words that capture something emotional that prose handles very differently, twining throughout the Internet enchants me.

This is my poetry offering this year.

    It was a hard thing to undo this knot.
    The rainbow shines but only in the thought
    Of him that looks. Yet not in that alone,
    For who makes rainbows by invention?
    And many standing round a waterfall
    See one bow each, yet not the same to all,
    But each a hand’s breadth further than the next.
    The sun on falling waters writes the text
    Which yet is in the eye or in the thought.
    It was a hard thing to undo this knot.

    ~1862, Gerard Manley Hopkins
    “It was a hard thing to undo this knot”

Do you have a poem you’d like to share? A favourite? Something that speaks to your soul right now for some reason? Or perhaps something you’ve written yourself? Take the invitation and spread it far and wide, with joy. For the web of poetry to be connected in cyberspace as well as the world and our hearts, all I ask is that you link back to this post and to the original invitation to help others find it. If you post a poem, leave a comment here with a link to it (if you can, yes, I know there are issues with the comment box not being available off and on), and leave a comment with a link to it at the other poetry posts you read today, too, in order to help weave the web. Enjoy exploring the poetry by following the links you find.

Have a blessed and healing Imbolc, Gentle Readers. The flame in our hearts burns steadily against the coldness of the world. Every poem, every new word set down lights another candle against the darkness.

Friday!

Not that it makes much of a difference in my world, but it is.

I am feeling much, much better than yesterday. Eleven hours of good sleep count for a lot. The pain in the throat/sinus area has diminished to a much less distracting level without me having to throw ASA at it, although it is still somewhat swollen, and although I am achy (as usual) I don’t have to fight the yawning void of lassitude that was sucking at me yesterday. Or at least I don’t have to fight it as hard. So, back into the editorial fray! There is work to be done! Also, I get to invoice for some work today, which is always fun.

I have not knitted in a week. How odd. It occurs to me now that knitting is something I could have done yesterday afternoon when I dragged myself off to bed.

Oh look; it’s snowing again.

Sigh

Why, snow-clearing crews, why must you always plough a snowbank across the end of my driveway ten minutes before I plan to leave in the car?

ETA: Oh, hey, wow; the machines are actually going by and removing the pile of prepared snow like they’re supposed to. I’m positively stunned at the efficiency of today’s operation. Usually the pile of snow gets left for half an hour or so.

Five Random Things Make A Post

1. Yes, I know I haven’t done the monthly Liam post. They take up a stupid amount of of time and energy and brainpower, none of which I’ve had lately.

2. Why does every outing with the boy have to be ruined by the five minutes at the end between turning off the car and getting in the front door?

3. Liam pointed at the cedar tree by the front steps on our way to this morning and said, “Look, snow!” “That’s not snow,” I said, “that’s ice crystals that have formed because the very moisture in the air is freezing.” And then we had a talk about Frozone from The Incredibles and how he needs water in the air to make ice. Freaking cold, yes, but everything is white and strangely beautiful. Sun would make it even more beautiful, but not for long because the frost would melt. Also, I saw the seaway steaming on the way home from dropping him off yesterday morning. It’s that cold. (Yay for sublimation! Science is cool!)

4. Two inches into my garter stitch lap blanket, I want to rip it all back and do it in stockinette stitch instead.

5. There is an inch of ice on the bottom of the boy’s bedroom windows. And I don’t mean measured from the top to the bottom, I mean from the window out into the room. Also, there is frost forming on the inside of the back door. (I am Canadian; I talk about the weather a lot.)

And a bonus:

6. Irony is doing your errands in the West Island and driving right past the bank branch where you need to deposit (in person, therefore during business hours, therefore when the car it at your disposal) the US cheque that arrived in your mailbox while you were out.