Thursday, or Thereabouts - December 10, 2015

How GREEN is my Valley

Soft rays of warmth bid me come out and wander through grasslands...

...and forests.

No tuque. No scarf. No mitts. No boots.
Summer hiking shoes, fleece jacket, sunglasses.
And still I broke a sweat on our hike through the forest.

Even Sophie needed to cool off.

And she found a stick, of course.

If I didn't know for sure that it was December, I could well believe it was early Spring. Only in the early Spring do I see such vibrant greens.

A glance upward through the mighty oaks and poplars tells a more seasonally appropriate story.

Coming home, there is "don't make me get the lawn mower out" green.



And mint green...

And fresh lamium

Then...
 OMG yellow!

How green is my valley? More green than usual, more green than it should be in December.

But with a flourish of yellow life in my valley raises a triumphant shout, "Joy to the World."

©2015 April Hoeller

Monday Moanings - December 7, 2015

I'm not just at the bottom of Christmas mountain, I feel like I'm buried somewhere underneath it!


Not a single cookie has been baked, but there is Christmas fruitcake maturing in a cool dark place. Not a single bauble or trinket hangs in the house, but there is a creche flanked by an Advent wreath and menorah, and St. Nicholas parked outside.

And my orthodox icons keep watch over me from the bookshelf above my laptop.

Perhaps it's not as awful as it feels on this foggy morning. The basics are in place. There will be food, family and love when the big day comes whether all the ornaments are in place or not; whether there is snow or not. Christmas will come.

So while I actually do something about the baking and decorating today, instead of just fretting and whining, here are some images from past years.

December 11, 2014

December 6, 2011

©2015 April Hoeller

Thursday, or Thereabouts - December 3, 2015

Ambivalence and the Floodlights











A wet but soothing smattering of white decorates the world outside my door this morning.


It seems rather odd to these seasoned eyes to see the ground with so much green amongst the snow, yet framed by naked trees.


It is December! It should be sparkling white, not bright green! Perhaps this unseasonable weather explains my lack of enthusiasm for Christmas decorations. Until yesterday, there was not a single festive bit inside or outside the house. Yesterday I dragged myself outdoors to attend to our neighbourly contribution to the season, out of obligation not desire.








I love the dazzle and sparkle of Christmas lights. I love the magic of splendid outdoor displays that invite me to play and giggle and imagine. But please don't ask me to create them! I like to think that I come by my ambivalence honestly - I got it from my Father. His idea of outdoor decorations was floodlights; red and green splashed across the front of the house. Some years he went all out and in addition to the floodlight, strung 2m of coloured lights higgledy-piggledy along the awnings.

My mother on the other hand was the creative one. One year, she'd had enough of her husband's lacklustre efforts. She bought a kit that made a wall size Nativity scene to look like stained glass. For weeks my sister and I sat at the kitchen table colouring pieces of the tableau with wax crayons, then oiling it, while Mom cut and assembled the masterpiece.

No ordinary floodlight would do for this. Dad had to reach for this one. He bought a special light that rotated red, green, blue and yellow lights across the scene. It was stunning - one of those displays that the folks from all around the neighbourhood came to see.

Those were the days. And I am my father's daughter...

with just a bit of my mother's flare at critical moments.

And maybe just a little bit more...

©2015 April Hoeller

Monday Moanings - November 30, 2015

At the Bottom of Christmas Mountain, Again!

It may be the top of a new week, but from my wagon the ride ahead looks steep and long, and anything but even. I'm rocking back and forth way down at the bottom of Christmas mountain.

Kristen - 1988

A 25 day climb lies ahead and it zigzags through all kinds of hurdles: cookies to be baked, presents to be bought, decorations to be hauled out and put up, menu plans, food shopping and cleaning, lots and lots of cleaning.



The Christmas Magician in me is cringing just thinking about the number of feats of prestidigitation required to reach the top - pulling Yuletide out of my ordinary, everyday hat is no small thing. Good thing I have years of experience behind me to bolster my confidence. What I don't have on this Monday is the energy, but I do have a wagonload of apathy with which to begin the week.

Geoff - 1985

Why bother?
December 25 is just another day, isn't it?
It's just another family feast, isn't it?
It's just another holiday hijacked by the Big Box Stores, isn't it?










In the chilly early light of today my answer is a long whiny yes. But not to worry - this seasoned Wizard of Yule knows just how to turn that frown upside down. A little rest, some fragrant soothing tea with just a smackerel of something sweet, and lots and lots of great music can always coax even the most reluctant of Christmas spirits out of my woolly and tattered hat.

Catch up with you later - I'm off to find my wand. I bet it's in the kitchen...

If you yearn, as I do, for a moment of quiet along the mad dash to Christmas, a place away from all the hype and hurry, check out my daily Reflections for Advent 2015 blog. I post a little soothing something every day.


©2015 April Hoeller

Thursday, or Thereabouts - November 26, 2015

I Love a Parade!

Today is American Thanksgiving and that means only one thing - the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. It's a tradition of sorts for me to tune in to this mega event and if you love parades as much as I do, then this is the one for you! It is nothing short of an extravaganza of marching bands (sadly a tradition that never really caught on in Canada), eye-popping floats and those iconic flying balloons (also largely absent in Canadian parades). This parade is a stellar performance from start to finish, including song and dance from current Broadway plays.

Today with temperatures a balmy 10 C (50F) and gentle winds just high enough to get the flags wafting, and easily low enough to permit the flying balloons to do what they do best - lift eyes and hearts up, way up, the parade lead off with the NYPD motorcycle troop. I looked for Tom Selleck but - oh wait, that's another TV show.

The first float featured Pilgrims perched atop a mammoth Tom Turkey - well it is the Thanksgiving Day Parade and legend has it all began with the Pilgrims in 1621.

My favourites this year:
Scrat and his Acorn

Paddington Bear

The Big Apple

And it wouldn't be the Macy's Parade with out Snoopy and Woodstock, the characters with the longest history of appearances in the Macy's parade.
Yay Snoopy!

Some 10,000 volunteers brought us the music, song and dance acts, and the myriad of floats that all lead up to the grand finale, the entrance of emerald and golden sleigh bearing the jolly old elf himself, along with Mrs. Claus.

It's enough to make anyone shout, "I believe!"

This is New York City at her best - colourful, fun, spirited and proud with EVERYBODY working together. Now that really is something for which to very grateful, profoundly grateful.

And here's one more take-away from the parade: if you can step away from the obligations and duties of your life, especially the self-imposed ones; if you can leave behind the 'shoulds' and 'oughts' for a few hours to be amused and amazed, to be a kid again eyes wide with anticipation and bodies bubbling with joy, DO IT!

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all my American family, friends and writers.

text ©2015 April Hoeller
images courtesy of Macy's Inc.

Monday Moanings - November 23, 2015

Just for the Fun of It


Snookered by a nasty chest cold the other week and feeling very sorry for myself, I recalled that whenever I was sick, (which was quite frequent in my childhood), my Dad always bought me a colouring book. Often he splurged and included a brand new pack of Crayola® crayons!


Eight shiny, perfectly pointed red, green, blue, yellow, orange, purple, brown and black imagination sparklers and a brand new colouring book - always an invitation to have fun and when sick, a temporary escape from miserable. And all for the sum of maybe 50¢.


Plagued by cabin fever, I took myself out to the craft store. There was no shortage of colouring books, all under a banner declaring them to be "ADULT." My cold medicated brain, immediately conjured up images of ... well, you know, naked people ... A grin creased my pallid face and what began as a guffaw ended as a germ laden paroxysm of coughing.

Staff and other shoppers kept their distance as I perused the selection. Intricate cityscapes, elaborate gardens, convoluted mandalas - all made my eyes water. Most were just too complex, too demanding of time and clear-headed concentration. All cost $8 and up. But I was determined to spend and afternoon in the blanket fort, colouring. So I settled on a book of pleasing shapes.

Now I needed something to colour with. Not crayons this time, but coloured pencils would do the trick. The display boasted packs of 24 for $30 and up. Oh, I don't think so! After buying the book, I headed to the business supply store, where I found the tall slim cousins of crayons.

$4.39 for a pack of 12 pre-sharpened coloured pencils AND a sharpener - BONUS!

Back home in the fort I settled into an afternoon of simple mindless pleasure. Not art therapy, not meditation, not a creative exploration of colour and pattern but a tender escape from miserable.

The virus has left me now, but some afternoons I can be found sitting in the living room, lap desk on my knees, colouring.

Just for the fun of it.

Go have some fun this week!


©2015 April Hoeller

Thursday, or Thereabouts - November 19, 2015

While the sound and light show of Christmas already plays at any mall, big box store and even small box store in town, let me remind you of the rules of this house.

No outside lights,

No indoor decorations,

No Christmas baking

BEFORE the First Sunday in Advent!

with one small exception...

The Friut Cake

This old family gem needs time to mature, in a cool dark place where rich flavours develop in dark loaves that lie sealed within the oiled paper they were baked in. As I write, glace fruits, raisins, pecans, almonds, molasses, and honey are making merry with a generous pour of a dark Cuban rum. (Okay so maybe it's several generous pours of rum!) 

I will let them continue to mingle and mellow until Saturday morning. Then I'll mix together eggs, butter, flour and warm spices to make just enough batter to hold all that happy fruit together. For two hours or more, three loaves will take up centre stage in a low oven. 

My kitchen will swell with the fragrant incense of Christmas yet to be. 

And that's more than enough decoration for this old soul in November.

©2015 April Hoeller