...The Chance for Snow

I am glad that Erin and Jamie are still blogging away.
I have no real excuse for not keeping up with my intentions to redeem my youthful diary deficit, maybe it is because King is home and therefore I have someone to talk to, but that is silly, there's still a lot to say.
Let's see, hmmm...
The winter coldness has finally arrived in the middle of January. I am happy about this but in a somewhat depleted condition after 6 weeks of a head full of debris, I sighed as I lit the morning fire in the studio wood stove - to raise the temp from 45 degrees to a more welcoming clime - thinking well it was a late start to this chill so it won't be too much longer... I prefer my normal enthusiasm for the adventure of lighting the morning fire.
In an effort to reclaim my health I have taken to napping when I can. I set the timer for an hour and grab a hot water bottle and begin the therapy. Today I had an annoying dream towards wake up time. There was a little device of some kind that would beep when someone was at the door. Well it wouldn't stop beeping even after being reset, and finding there was noone at the door. In the dream I tried to figure out how to stop it and every time I thought I had it, a few seconds later it would sound again. I thought this was an interesting clue about how time is not the same in dreams... I finally got up (15 real minutes later) and ambled to the kitchen to turn off the timer.

The Actual Party

Well the party was a huge success. There were some sad folks whose email invites didn't reach them but my role was not to butt in or try to pick up any pieces so... As a result I have decided that we should have parties more often. Who needs a 60th birthday as the excuse? I hope I can keep that spark of an intention alive and really have a great new year of social energy.
Jamie turned out to be more than a consultant. She came over the night before and spent the day making chile and THE cake (black forest from scratch). She was well pleased with herself and rightly so. King had a job to finish by the 1st so he was busy with that in the morning. After lunch the two of them moved furniture, vacuumed, put out the dishes and silverware, and did a fabulous job of preparing. There was a moment when I had to absent myself so that I wouldn't interfere - I went to return the bag of moldy dog food and gather in a few more supplies on their list, and then take a nap. I was well satisfied with my "letting go" efforts.
At around 6:00 the perfect mix of people arrived with the perfect amount of salad, hors d'oeuvres and a generous oversupply of desserts. Everybody seemed to mingle well and enjoy each other. King was in charge of timing and food placement announcing the main meal, dessert, etc, while I got to circulate without the distractions of any party duties - the place I often hide. He was johnny on the spot with dish doing to the point where I had to beg him to come hang out with us towards the end. I promised to help when people left if he would give up his post in favor of a little conversation. People left by about midnight and as Jamie remarked, Justin my former student, friend and a divine human being, was the first to arrive and the last to leave. I told him he could rent himself out as the life of the party as he is so interesting and has something to contribute to every conversation. The evening had been a full one. There were self guided tours of the cob-studio-by-night and new admirers introduced to the wonders of natural building. We met my neice Katy's mystery man (none of us had met him and he's been in the picture for over a year). Relatives and friends alike were gathered and I felt celebrated with wonderful cards and the best food and conversation. I even felt the presence of relatives who live at a distance with emails, cards and phone calls. What a lucky girl I am! I asked and it was given! It's the deal that is always waiting for us when we know what we want - that last part is the trick.