News Trend Brain Food|Actual

It's not much to look at, but I'm telling you, this stuff works miracles.

On my busy teaching days, my brain gets quite a workout. Driving from house to house to house, I meet with my students for intensive sessions that cover a lot of material at an aggressive pace.

Fractional exponents

Abstract equations

Rationalizing denominators

Completing the square

Linear vectors

Circular permutations

Between delivering lectures, working examples, troubleshooting homework problems, and administering weekly quizzes, my cerebral cortex wears itself out pretty quickly.

In order to make it through the day, I need a lunch to nourish those overworked synapses, and I have found the perfect cure.

PCC's Perfect Protein Salad totally does the trick. Living up to its prideful name, one serving of this magical stuff - typically wolfed down with a compostable plastic spoon behind the wheel of my car in the store parking lot - restores my clarity and sets me right for my afternoon sessions.

And on the days when I am really feeling ruffled, I grab a second serving to eat - all calm and collected - when I'm back at home.

Both my brain and my stomach thank me for it.

News Trend Coming: Week 1|Actual

Festive lights peek through the trees and remind me what's coming.

What a wild Thanksgiving weekend.

I cooked and served a full turkey dinner twice: once for the family and again for friends.

Drove more than 150 miles for teriyaki and sushi.

Ferried my daughters back and forth to the mall all times of day and night for their Black Friday shifts.

Walked my shivering dog through windstorms and cold rain.

Watched the new Gilmore Girls. Twice.

Bit my nails through several football games and suffered as my teams lost more than they won.

Washed more dishes than you could shake a stick at.

Come Sunday night, I was thankful...But worn out.

It wasn't until everyone else went to bed and I had a few moments to rest and reflect that I remembered that this day - this night - is the first Sunday of Advent.

Christmas is coming.

Not the shopping-for-gifts, pictures-with-Santa, deck-the-halls kind of Christmas. Though that season is racing toward us at breakneck speed as well.

What I remembered is that God's gift of peace, power and majesty to all the world is coming, once again, Baby Jesus in the manger is whispering to me, "I'm coming," and my heart leaps with joy.

All the busy-ness of my Thanksgiving weekend disappears in a snap, and I am

refreshed

rejuvenated

resplendently excited

for the coming of Christmas.

News Trend Timeless Thanksgiving|Actual

Clockwise from the top: green bean casserole, acorn squash, dressing, turkey, cranberry sauce. I didn't grow the vegetables in my own garden, but otherwise, this is pretty much the same meal that Clara used to serve me.

As usual, during my Thanksgiving dinner today, I thought of my grandmother. She and my grandpa hosted most of our holiday meals as I was growing up, so her table set the benchmark in my brain for how Thanksgiving is supposed to look, taste, sound, smell, and feel.

Good food prepared in simple style.

A table set with pretty pieces.

Generous helpings and lots of plate passing.

Comfortable conversation.

And a hostess who puts everyone at ease.

I never realized before how much I try to walk in my grandmother's ways, but one look at my holiday table proves the depth of her impression on me. And I think that if, just once, my grandmother could join us, our Thanksgiving feast would make her feel right at home.

There's only one lebih jelasnya she would probably struggle to understand.

Let's call it...The Instagram effect.

News Trend Prince-ly Presents|Actual

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. -Newton's Third Law

My bookshelf is filling up with copies of the Prince.

The exchanges began almost two years ago

I had just restyled my family room bookcases and shared the story here in these pages.

You can read the original posthere.

In one of the photo captions, I mentioned that I'd love to have a copy of The Little Prince in Spanish, affectionately known by my high school self as El Principito.

Little did I know that a lovely Spanish lady would soon read those words. But so she did, and the kind and generous Mónica reached out to me and offered to send me a copy.

I said yes in a heartbeat.

Once I held that adorable muchacho in my very own hands, I wanted to return the favor. Monica had told me that her daughter collectedThe Little Prince books in different languages, and since I was soon on my way to Vietnam. I decided to make it my mission to find a copy for her there.

Alas, no Vietnamese Princes were to be found. So I settled for a TaiwanesePrince, which I discovered at an airport bookstore during my layover in Taipei. Off it went to Mónica's hija in Spain.

A few months later, on a shopping trip to Hoi An. my daughter came across a copy of the Vietnamese version and snatched him up for me. Eventually, that Prince made his way to España as well.

This past summer, Mónica and her family holidayed in the south of France, and thoughtfully purchased a copy of the French Prince for me.

If you would like to send me a book from your country too, just ask. I'll certainly say yes.

He arrived in my mailbox just this week, along with a gingerbread house ornament and a sweet Christmas greeting from my dear Spanish amiga.

I'm thrilled to add another volume to my rapidly expanding collection.

I'm delighted to have such a special friend and interesting, international ritual.

And since my third-born will soon be moving to South Korea, I'm already planning my next Prince-ly present for Mónica.

News Trend Fresh Air|Actual

I thank you god for most this amazing

day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees

and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything

which is natural which is infinite which is yes

- e e cummings

When your father dies

And he was a bad dad

You reflect, one more time, upon your hopes and dreams about what a father should be to his daughter, and you admit to yourself, with trembling finality, just how far he fell short.

And yes, you find a way to make your peace with that storm.

He did the best he could.

And now with his life finally over, you shudder one last sigh and acknowledge, for once and for all, what a futile, pathetic waste it all was.

No way to go back,

No way to dodge the damage.

No way to create a happy ending.

But at long last, the storm is over. The last waves of sadness and loss ripple away to the edge of the pond and the water settles. You have made your peace.

But then, most unexpectedly, a new breeze begins to blow across still waters.

There is a brother.

A new brother.

A secret brother.

A half-brother.

Who has borne his own losses in the sad wreckage of his father's life.

My father's life. Our father's life.

While nothing will take away from the gusts and gales of our pasts, there is hope that good might come in our future.

And that thought is a glimpse of clear blue sky and a beautiful breath of fresh air.

* * * * *

Stories about my less-than-perfect dad:

Father's Day Musings About A Bad Dad

My Mother And Me

Spinning God Out Of Straw

Fresh Air

Hockey Night In Canada

News Trend Christmas Tree-Hunting Blues|Actual

Red-Headed Soul Mates

2016

He's not one for laughing out loud, but I saw the hint of a smile on my husband's face as he gunned the accelerator for effect, scattering a satisfying spray of gravel across the pavement.

Our hunt for a Christmas tree had indeed assumed somewhat epic proportions. The first tree farm was sold out; the second one had a line-up of at least a hundred cars - no joke - waiting to get in. That's when we held an impromptu family pow wow, agreed to double down on one last farm, and conducted a quick roadside Yelp session to find another option and make our Christmas dreams come true.

We really were on a mission from God

And thankfully, He provided.

^ Finally we found ourselves in a field full of lovely options. But before we get into the delicate negotiations of selecting a tree, there's some Instagramming to be done.

^ There are advantages to late afternoon tree-shopping: sunlight filtered through the trees and brilliant highlights shimmered on each delicate needle.

^ Peace signs, hack saws, and two daughters happy to finally be out of the car.

^ Fish Creek Tree Farm did not disappoint. The Christmas tree of our dreams was soon harvested, paid for, and strapped to the top of our car.

Our mission from God was successfully completed.

Now, if only my daughters would catch up on their 1980s comedy so they could understand my clever reference.

And if you're up for a fascinating report on the making of the movie, read this.

* * * * *

More Christmas tree farm adventures:

2018 | Christmas Absurdities

2017 | Red-Headed Soul Mates

2016 | Christmas Tree-Hunting Blues

2015 - Tree Hunting

2014 | Hunting the Perfect Christmas Tree

2013 | A Vegan Murder

2012 | The Christmas Tree Farm Revisited

News Trend It's Snowing!|Actual

My climbing rose captures the first few flakes and sparkles in the light of Christmas.

It's snowing!

High in the dark night sky,

Clouds accumulate

Perfect six-sided snowflakes form within

And slowly, silently, begin their descent.

Down through the frigid air

Snowflakes fall

Blanketing the ground in their pure joy

And filling our hearts with inexplicable happiness.

It's snowing!

* * * * *

My first-ever post was all about snow and you can r ead it here.