the ever turning wheel...

 we watched the longest night turn by,
the winter's night.

watching the sun set in her winter place, and start the journey back east on the horizon.

 

some decorations are better than others. link has really been enjoying life in the sparkling suburb this winter. "Lie lie!!" (that means -lights-)

it's not really snowing in our swamp, but i like this.

my spinning/fiber raising friends conrad and renee got married! 

at heather's hello, baby! party. j and e loving their very own baby.

too sweet. it was so much fun to spend the cozy afternoon with such lovely people. 

i was feeling grumpy walking through a packed neighborhood to see the lights, crowded sidewalks and the gutters filled with Styrofoam cups and backed up traffic. why was i subjecting myself to this? and then i saw him, quasi moto. and then i was reminded of the true reason for the season.  (not.)

our winter

gathering treasures.

nibbled cattail.

coyote: the opportunist. 

sandwiched by my own shadows. dock, gone to seed.

did you know that our favorite go-to swamp is really a narrow swath of land, unpaved, surrounded on either side by: a Surewest operating facility, a housing tract, train tracks, and a lot, plowed over, waiting for the next developer?  i feel like we're the only ones who know it's there, besides the killdeers, red-wing blackbirds, jack rabbits coyote, etc... and of course, because we have no where else to go.

and it's lovely. we collect redbud blossoms and cattail shoots in the spring, acorns and buckeyes in the fall, and my boys climb the stubby oaks.

remember when the moon rose over the carl's jr sign in placerville? it was magical.

and we tracked mountain lion prints in my in-laws back yard.

(the eagle picture my dad painted, which he hung for my birthday. posted, finally, as promised.)

book shelf at teddy's school

roseville

we spent the solstice eve wandering with dear friends who live in the northern foothills.

i may think i pine for pines ;), but what really soothes my heart is greening pastures on rolling hills, dotted with ancient oaks.

hidden in the hills is a kindred spirit. whipped raw egg, kale and parsley juice, a little hot pepper. the new grass grows under the oaks like a emerald green carpet.

i find myself in her winter mantle. we make dinner together, the children play. we watch the sun set from her house perched atop a hill overlooking the valley.

i had the pleasure of watching teddy in his very first school holiday show. the ornaments he's made in class add the missing element to our tree.

it is now christmas afternoon as i finish up this post, and what a merry wintry time it has been!
my love for winter and darkness is deepening.
xoxo