On the 12th Day ....

... the partridge is about to come down from the (Christmas) tree, as the holiday comes to its inevitable end .... sigh ....
But we still have Twelfth Night (Epiphany)! So this evening we plan to light all the candles as darkness draws in around our little cottage, and illuminate the tree, and toast the end of our first Christmas season in our new home, with a cup of Wassail (hot spiced wine, you know) – and we'll pour a bit on the garden soil in back of our deck, as a libation to Mother Earth – to ensure a good flowering and greening in our forest, come springtime.
I have a Venison Stew bubbling in the crockpot this afternoon, which shall be the filling for a Renaissance Meat Pie for dinner, accompanied by fresh pear halves filled with cranberry relish -- and a good bottle of red vino, of course.
This first of (we hope) many holidays to come in our forest enclave was very peaceful and lovely. My own quiet times in front of the fire alight in our wood stove on cold rainy days, as I fought off my annual cough with warm wraps and hot tea, were very comfortable; the illness provided a perfect excuse to stay indoors and do nothing, while not really making me feel too sick. Lovely!
John kindly ran errands and cooked, and brought me tea and meds; and we both enjoyed the long dark evenings, watching the tree lights twinkle and our candles glowing, listening to all our Christmas albums on the stereo.
We have had our share of visitors (and visiting, once I felt better); Joe and Kathie came with Josh for a nice pasta dinner before Christmas; Julie and her family shared Christmas Day dinner with us here; my young friend Janelle came up from Berkeley for an overnight stay; and after New Year 2009 dawned, we joined Joe & Co. in Marina for a fabulous Mexican feast, and we all met with Julie for a delicious lunch in Capitola the next day.
And now, we are about to settle in for a long winter's quiet time, getting back to a daily routine of writing and music – and household chores when needed. It should be very quiet for the next two months, as visitors don't want to cope with the icy cold and the rains that will mark January and February. We won't stray far afield, either, for the same reasons! It's a time for cocooning.
When Spring begins to bud forth, in March and April, we expect to have many guests: Teri and Tris are coming in March for a week in California; Kathy, Dave and Rowan will follow them a bit later in that month; and then as Lent concludes, we will be in Santa Barbara for the Holy Week observances at our Trinity parish, Easter dinner with my siblings, and a welcome to California as Eileen and Greg arrive for Easter Week at the Rincon Beach cottage. And after we get home again, the "Brits" are coming up here for their first look at their homestead, as guests of us Homesteaders!
I'm sure that 2009 will bring many more pilgrims on their way to us; and our Sanctuary here in the mountains will welcome them all.
We now await the first big event of the new year: the Presidential Inauguration on January 20. Even more avidly do we await the events that follow that historic day, as we watch to see what President Obama and the US lawmakers can do to restore hope, peace, and justice to a world so sorely in need.
May this year bring to us all those three gifts! Amen.