Sandra Tayler

About 4 years ago I declared our six foot artificial tree “too small”. I wanted the tree to be in the front room and the six foot tree looked very undersized in front of our big arched window. So I went on a quest to buy a larger tree. I discovered that I could buy a 7 foot tree or a 9 foot tree. I opted for the 9 foot tree because I didn’t think one additional foot would be enough. What I did not realize is that I was not adding three feet to the top of the tree. I was adding three feet to the bottom. The volume of a 9 foot tree is MUCH larger than that of a 6 foot tree. I had to buy more lights and ornaments as well. Lots more. The 9 foot tree takes more time and effort to set up too. Lots more. And lots more space to store. Every year when we pull the tree out of storage and begin to set it up I wonder “What was I thinking?! This tree is HUGE!”

Fortunately in the past 4 years my children have grown and increased in number. This means that I have my very own Christmas Minions. I direct the tree assembly process, but most of the actual work is done by the kids. It is good for them. They’re building happy memories. Fortunately they’re entranced by the novelty and are willing minions. Once the tree is assembled and the lights are on, we really enjoy having the large tree. Putting on ornaments is fun and goes quickly and then we get to enjoy the richness of it. The kids love our tree unreservedly. I’m the only one with a weary voice in the back of my head which whispers “In one month you have to take it apart and put it all away again.” I love our Christmas tree. But it is huge.

After months of ignoring my empty birdfeeder, I refilled it on Wednesday afternoon. I’ve been amply rewarded by that small effort. This morning I got to watch a flock of chickadees, finches, juncos, and a pair of warblers all fluttering around in my back yard.

I’ll be keeping the feeder full until I run out of seed. The extra effort necessary to buy more seed could be a stumbling block, or not I’ll just have to see.

I stare at this empty box underneath the large, bold words “UPDATE JOURNAL”. So many things could go into that box. I could say something profound. I could say something funny. I could ramble. . . . hmm rambling seems to be the default choice. Oh well.

Today I made 5 loaves of pumpkin bread and a batch of candied walnuts. This is part of my preparations for Thanksgiving. Yesterday I made close-but-not-quite-fudge. Tomorrow I make spice cake and begin making pies. The turkey is already in the fridge beginning to thaw. I’m enjoying this gradual accumulation of yummy things to eat. I do not typically do this. In years past I took myself to Costco the day before the holiday to buy Fudge and candied nuts and sweetbreads and any other thing that caught my eye. But if I want those things this year I have to make them, so I’m venturing into the wilds of “Home-made” to see if I can find yummy there. Thursday is the culmination of all the cooking. Friday is usually the day to relax and play and eat leftovers. It is also the day that I usually put up our christmas tree.

This year Howard hops a plane Friday morning to go to Grandma’s funeral. The word “funeral” throws cold water ALL over the cozy picture I was building in my head. I’m still going to begin the Christmas decorating, but I don’t intend to have it all done in one day. I think instead Friday will be devoted to some kind of christmasy craft that the kids can all do. Maybe making new ornaments for the tree. Maybe I’ll make them help me sort through all the chrismas lights and find the ones that work BEFORE I haul out the tree. Maybe that will help avoid the hour where I mentally curse the strings of lights while fielding questions about “Can we put the ornaments on now?”

I feel like taking a more relaxed approach to the holidays. It isn’t about Getting Stuff Done. Or it should be anyway. It should be about building memories and connecting with people through traditions. It isn’t about shopping, or even giving. It is about loving.

“Ramble” seems to have segued into “sermon.” That probably means I should stop writing now.

I usually don’t post links to articles, but this article http://slate.com/id/2109937/
offers some very pertinent thoughts about pet ownership and responsibility. We do not have any pets. My kids would love to have a dog, but I refuse to have a dog unless it is a properly trained and socialized dog. I’m too busy training and socializing children to spend time on an animal right now.

There were several points in that article which I found interesting:

So called “dangerous” breeds are no more likely to attack than “friendly” breeds, but when they do attack they are far more likely to do serious damage.

The person most likely to be injured by a dog is not a burglur or stranger, but a child who simply acted unpredictably. Young children and dogs must always be supervised together even if there is never a problem.

A dog who has been traumatized and has become prone to violence has no business living around lots of people, particularly children. If you want to “rescue” an unpredictable dog, you’d best live someplace rural.

My neighbor across the cul-de-sac owns a traumatized and rescued dog. I have never seen that dog be anything but friendly. I still do not allow my children to run over and play with the dog unless I am standing right there. Another neighbor owns a big friend pony-size alaskan malamute. The kids love it, but I’m always right there because the big friendly pony could trample or squash a toddler without intending to. Chalain and Chaliren frequently bring their dog to our house. The kids love running with her in the yard. All the adults love watching, but we always WATCH.

Animals can add so much to the lives of people, but pet owners must be responsible and parents must also be responsible so that fun can be had, not tragedy.

Today I attempted my first batch of fudge from scratch. Fudge is a treat that is cheap in ingredients, but expensive in time. Fortunately it is quite easy to read while standing next to the stove and stirring for 20 minutes. Stirring is also a task that can be handed off to older children. And at the end of that effort is fudgy goodness that you’ve actually worked for.

In theory there is fudgy goodness. What I ended up with was fudgy crumbles. It tastes just like fudge, in powder form. It turns out that the thermometer I used is off by about 10 degrees. I cooked the fudge too long. Fortunately I can think of dozens of yummy uses for fudge powder. I may even make some more on purpose sometime. I’ll definitely be attempting fudge again so that I can perfect my technique.

This evening is feeling very Blah. I have projects I could be doing, scrapbooking, sorting christmas stuff, sewing, but I don’t want to. I have a book to read, but frankly it is boring me and I’m only finishing it so I know how it ends (Shame to see such a hash made out of russian folklore). I don’t want to read it right now unless I can read while luxuriating with a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Albertson’s sells a chocolate almond fudge which ranks as my current favorite ice cream. I can go through a half gallon of that stuff in two days or less. It is probably needless to say, but we don’t have any.

On an only marginally related subject, I’ve discovered a problem with my “Griping” icon. When I get ready to post a frustrated or whiney entry I slap that picture on it. Then I look at the picture and think how wonderful it was for Rowyn to make it for me. And I end up thinking happy thoughts about friends and I don’t feel so gripey anymore. This is usually a good thing unless I WANT to be gripey and whiney and then I feel grumpy about being made to feel better. I think my head is a strange place to live in sometimes.