In all the years I've lived in the northern hemisphere, February's been the longest month to get through. Lucky it's the shortest, hey?We've been looking at a white landscape since the beginning of December, and that's likely to continue for at least another six weeks. Strangely enough, this year I'm not finding the lack of bright colours so difficult. I'm enjoying the shades of blue in the sky, mauve shadows on the snow. And even if it seems as if spring is a country that'll never come, I hear birds twittering in the spruce outside my bedroom window when I wake; the morning's not so dark and in the evening the sun lingers longer.
The interesting thing I find about February is that brings me a good amount of creative energy. And I wonder if that's not perhaps a general principle. My dear artist friend who lives on an ostrich farm has completed no less than four wonderful pastels this month... So I guess all times and seasons have their positive and helpful aspects.
Still, I'm looking forward to getting away for a week in March!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
split post
#1. Chocolate, I believe, is a popular Valentine's gift. Hey, I got some myself, from the little person.
Now, chocolate is a popular item to give up for Lent. Me myself, I'm trying not to eat it, but more from my health point of view. But it did strike me as ironic, this year, that the time coincided.
I still haven't quite decided what to give up for Lent. I do believe giving up some habit is a good exercise for the soul. I'd better hurry up and fix on something.
#2. "OW!" says the little person each time he notices the plaster on the tip of my index finger, left hand. Yes, I cut myself the other afternoon. This happened with a very sharp knife my dear husband gave me for Christmas. The knife is one of those special ones, often used for cutting up veg for stir fries. Mostly, when we have stir fries, it's the d.h. who does them. Anyway, the knife already has a history because of the tilted handle which I decided was a bit uncomfortable for me to use. I suffer from a touch of carpal tunnel. The store wouldn't take it back because we no longer had the receipt and thus... I decided I'd better make use of it and whoooops.
Afterwards, I wondered if this happened because I hadn't given my d.h. a copper coin in return. It's not me, but my mother who insists on bowing to this superstition. If someone gives you a pair of scissors or a knife, you need to pay a penny or else you'd cut your friendship. Hmm. Well, I guess that's metaphorical and doesn't apply to the reality level, but nevertheless...
The other superstition she has is that if you cut your nails on a Monday morning, you'll get a present. I really liked this when I was a child because it always came true! This idea must have some kind of base to it, although it sounds crazy. Monday is moon day after all, and the moon has an influence on the growth of our hair and nails. Where the present bit came in, I'm not sure, but for sure I'm okay with it.
Now, chocolate is a popular item to give up for Lent. Me myself, I'm trying not to eat it, but more from my health point of view. But it did strike me as ironic, this year, that the time coincided.
I still haven't quite decided what to give up for Lent. I do believe giving up some habit is a good exercise for the soul. I'd better hurry up and fix on something.
#2. "OW!" says the little person each time he notices the plaster on the tip of my index finger, left hand. Yes, I cut myself the other afternoon. This happened with a very sharp knife my dear husband gave me for Christmas. The knife is one of those special ones, often used for cutting up veg for stir fries. Mostly, when we have stir fries, it's the d.h. who does them. Anyway, the knife already has a history because of the tilted handle which I decided was a bit uncomfortable for me to use. I suffer from a touch of carpal tunnel. The store wouldn't take it back because we no longer had the receipt and thus... I decided I'd better make use of it and whoooops.
Afterwards, I wondered if this happened because I hadn't given my d.h. a copper coin in return. It's not me, but my mother who insists on bowing to this superstition. If someone gives you a pair of scissors or a knife, you need to pay a penny or else you'd cut your friendship. Hmm. Well, I guess that's metaphorical and doesn't apply to the reality level, but nevertheless...
The other superstition she has is that if you cut your nails on a Monday morning, you'll get a present. I really liked this when I was a child because it always came true! This idea must have some kind of base to it, although it sounds crazy. Monday is moon day after all, and the moon has an influence on the growth of our hair and nails. Where the present bit came in, I'm not sure, but for sure I'm okay with it.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Comin' up roses
Ah, Valentine's. I've never had a good relationship with it, and it remains a somewhat problematic festival for me. During my teenage years it was my best friend with the big boobs who used to get cards, not me. In those days they were always anonymous too, supposed to be from a secret admirer. I never had any, which actually didn't bother me tooooo much.
Now in this deep winter, when I look out on spiky icicles that hang like fangs from our eaves, I think maybe a little heart warmth, some fire of desire might be a good thing. But there's the rub. For me, Valentine's shouldn't be about expectations, but rather about romance. Which begs the question, what exactly is that? Hmm, I suspect it has an illusory quality, more seductive to our minds than our bodies, and more difficult to capture. The only place I really can grasp it is in the romantic composers like Chopin and Brahms. So maybe listening to them might be a good place for me to start, and I'll see if I can manage something more by Thursday.
Now in this deep winter, when I look out on spiky icicles that hang like fangs from our eaves, I think maybe a little heart warmth, some fire of desire might be a good thing. But there's the rub. For me, Valentine's shouldn't be about expectations, but rather about romance. Which begs the question, what exactly is that? Hmm, I suspect it has an illusory quality, more seductive to our minds than our bodies, and more difficult to capture. The only place I really can grasp it is in the romantic composers like Chopin and Brahms. So maybe listening to them might be a good place for me to start, and I'll see if I can manage something more by Thursday.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
too long no post
Uh oh, apologies, dear Readers. I slid slowly through January or, more like, trudged through it. Yeah, we had lots of snow so that's my excuse. I did actually handwrite some thoughts, and I'd type them out... if I could only find that particular notebook!
Anyhow, I'm going Chinese now and will take February for a good start. As a snake, I'm going to take hold of the Year of the Rat, swallow it, and plan to post once a weekend.
Meantime, faute de mieux, here's a poem for you to take or leave.
Spring is still seven snow fields away
while ice-cutting winter light
slices through the cramping windows
like cross-country ski trails
forging freely across the white
breathing the miracle of pale azure air
and blood pumping with exhilaration.
Anyhow, I'm going Chinese now and will take February for a good start. As a snake, I'm going to take hold of the Year of the Rat, swallow it, and plan to post once a weekend.
Meantime, faute de mieux, here's a poem for you to take or leave.
Spring is still seven snow fields away
while ice-cutting winter light
slices through the cramping windows
like cross-country ski trails
forging freely across the white
breathing the miracle of pale azure air
and blood pumping with exhilaration.
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