Happy New Year

My friend Carole sent an Artist Trading Card.
She is a delight!

I am looking forward to 2012.
I am looking forward to the Year of the Water Dragon.
I am a Water Dragon! I am a Rain Dragon!

I have begun another serious study.

I am very interested in the Divine Feminine.
I want to know the history of the Goddess.

I have fallen in love with Maat.
Ancient Egyptians had remarkable myths.

I also love Kuan Yin.

The more I learn the more I want to know.

Soon I will pack up the Christmas decorations.
Soon I will bring out my Asian things.

January is almost here.

The Christmas waxing crescent moon is keeping me company
as I wait for the New Year.
May you have a very Happy New Year.

St. Lucia Day

In Sweden the Christmas Holiday begins on December 13th,
 St. Lucia Day.

I have been reading about St. Lucia today.
I have been learning her story and how her day is celebrated.

Gingerbread is part of the celebration as is a lovely bread that is
served in the morning.

Making gluten free gingerbread is on my list to do.
We had thought we would bake some today but
after we baked our yeast bread we decided to do up
the gingerbread another time.
Our bread turned out great.

It rained all day. I looked back at the photographs from last December 13th and saw we had snow.

It is so pretty when it snows.

I am wishing for snow.

I want to go walking in the snow.

St. Nicholas Day

When I awoke this morning it was snowing.

I made a wish.

This is our first snow of the season.

It is St. Nicholas Day.
A joyful day.
A magical day for our first snow.

I am cutting out large snowflakes
to use on our dining room table.

The kale held handfuls of snow.

The cone flower heads caught just a dusting.

Our first white tulip bloomed this morning.
I have 83 more scattered about the house.
I hope to have white tulips all of December.

The geraniums are blooming

as are the yellow mums I brought in last week.

The white Butterfly bushes are also in bloom.
If any of the 14 Black Swallowtail Butterflies emerge from their chrysalis I have food!

The rosemary continues to grow.

We began baking Christmas cookies this afternoon.

Three dozen Raisin Oatmeal

and four dozen Peanut Butter.

Both are gluten free and delicious!

I have a collection of Christmas copper molds

that I hang in the kitchen every year.

I was so pleased when I found a couple more at the second hand shop. They take 50% off on Tuesdays for 55 and older!
I qualify.

Next Tuesday we plan on baking Gingerbread.

After cleaning up the kitchen I went outside.
I bundled up since it was only 25 degrees.

I wanted to be with the birds
for a little while.

The sun was warm
and the wind from the north was a gentle breeze.

Happy St. Nicholas Day!