December 21: Solstice

wren on the suet

all the Christmas lights plugged in

Winter Solstice

December 2: Complicit

The 2017 Word of the Year, according to Dictionary.com, is “complicit.” 

Complicit: 

hands perfumed with balsam

from selling Christmas trees.

December 29: End of the holidays

After the tree's down,

Christmas packed away,

I'm suddenly very tired.

Posted with Blogsy

December 17: O Tannenbaum

Snow falling all day.

After selling Christmas trees

my gloves smell like sap.

Posted with Blogsy

December 16: Festive

Cocktail with a friend.

Twin Christmas trees reflecting

in her glasses.

Posted with Blogsy

December 10: Dark at 4:30

Waxing moon shining back in

at the newly lit

Christmas tree. And me.

Posted with Blogsy

December 28: Year-end

Holiday's over--

sweeping up fir needles

after he takes out the tree.

Posted with Blogsy

December 16: Advent

Tree lights plugged in, candles lit,

December moon waxing--

each night a gift.

December 6: O Tannenbaum

Selling Christmas trees--

hands smelling like balsam sap

the rest of the day.

Posted with Blogsy

December 5: Christmas-by-the-Sea

Harborside tree
full of yellow apples--
thought they were ornaments.

December 28: Taking down the Christmas tree

Holiday's packed up.

Fir needles will resurface

for the next twelve months.

Posted with Blogsy

December 7: Christmas lights

In Portland this afternoon to see the Nutcracker and enjoy some dumplings at Empire. The Christmas tree in Monument Square is lit; the sign on the Time & Temperature building is flashing: 20 (degrees) / BUY / LOCL; holiday lights festoon Congress St. A season of lights in the darkness.

 

Street lights, Christmas lights...

Moon rising over the bay

makes us say, "Oh! Look!"

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

November 29: Selling Christmas trees

• Christmas trees' past lives--

• sometimes we find a bird's nest

• or a vine garland.

 

Posted with Blogsy

December 29: Taking down the Christmas tree

Inside, newly cleaned
space. Outside,
tree in a snow bank.

December 26: Boxing Day

Fir needles underfoot.

Cat chases

an origami crane.

Posted with Blogsy

December 9: Getting there

Boxes of ornaments
stacked in the hall.
Tree leans on the porch.

December 4: Christmas lights make the long night easier to bear

Through the darkness,
haze of red and green lights--
neighbor's tree.

April 1: Transition

First day of April, Opening Day for the fishing and baseball seasons. Hopefully the last ragged remnants of snow will soon be washed clean by April showers.

First day of April.
Snowy owl lawn sculpture poses
next to rusting Christmas tree.

December 14: Tree

I have no words with which to appropriately address today's tragic shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut, yet that's what was on my mind most of the afternoon. Distracted ourselves this evening by getting our Christmas tree, now standing in our living room waiting to be decorated.

Christmas tree up
but boughs still bare,
waiting for lights.

December 31: New Year's Eve

We rang out the old year today by taking down the Christmas tree, carefully removing each beloved ornament, packing it away for another year. The process is always a bittersweet one for me. I love seeing the soft glow of the tree's white lights (and one string of red cardinal lights) each evening. And I enjoy the balsam fragrance of the live tree here in our living room. But it's time. Christmas has passed, needles are everywhere, and I like to begin the new year with a fresh, clean house. So down it came, and then the house-cleaning happened, and little things like filling the bird feeder. We showered and shaved. My husband is now making a salad to take to our friends' house for dinner. I've even paid my current bills, so I can start the new year debt free.

A dear friend has a ritual that the first thing that passes her lips in the new year is smoked salmon. Other friends have posted things on Facebook about grapes and black-eyed peas. The peas are lucky in some way, and apparently you're supposed to stuff your mouth with 12 grapes and then spit out the seeds. For me, I guess my ritual is to start the year in good shape, with a clean house and a clean slate.

Hard rain washes clean
yard, house, cars... washes away
the last of the year.