Soiree

We are actually having a night at home.  We didn't think this would happen when the keeper left us late afternoon for a holiday soiree  at some friends' House Beautiful home which was adorned to exquisite perfection.  She came home in time to feed us and share stories about all of the folks she met and those she already knew.  She even ran into young adults whom she knew as children in her old parish, as well as former parishioners who reminded her of events she had long forgotten. The centerpiece of the living room was a magnificently decorated tree with over 1000 ornaments, which had taken over 17 hours to decorate.

In the Spirit of the Season

So, we are wondering if she shouldn't go back to work soon.  We found her howling over a video version of the Twelve Days of Christmas which she got from The Jesuit Post blog, put out by some of the young men she met last spring at JSTB.  You tell us if you think it's funny. Okay, maybe it's a little funny.

http://thejesuitpost.org/site/2012/12/some-jesuits-singing-a-very-tjp-christmas/

Light and Seed Thief

Now we have two strands of Christmas lights not working.  Reminiscences of Halloween.  Except we thought that the white lights would be safe. Hah! We found the lights chewed off and deposited throughout Kittyrood below the feeder.  And then, we found the thief also ripping through a whole pack of new suet.  Mr. Squirrel, have you no shame?

Last 2012 Moon

When the keeper got home we all went out on this chilly clear night to greet the last moon of 2012.

The Whippet Dinner

We can tell you all a little about the dinner... an all ages event, from 9 to 63. There were spiritual directors, a principal, teachers, singers, violinists, equestriennes, and Irish step dancers there. They spoke of many things all through the night. St. James Children's Choir was a big topic. We were happy to stay home and play with our new glow in the dark toys. We know we would have been bored, and we wondered why they didn't bring up the fiscal cliff. We would have.

Those Whippets Again

We thought we were going to have a quiet evening at home singing Christmas carols by the tree with the keeper.  Surprise! NOT! She went off again to the home of those two whippets for a dinner. We watched her leave with her salad bowl and all the green things. Another lonely night at home for us. We hope she isn't thinking of bringing one of those dogs home anytime soon.

Feast of the Holy Innocents

We remember Bethlehem, El Mozote, Kabul, Hiroshima, Newtown, Seattle, Columbine, Kigali, Johannesberg, Auschwitz, San Salvador, Ciudad Juarez, and all the forgotten and unforgotten places stained with the innocent blood of children snatched from the nest.

Cat House

She came across a Sheridan Beach cat house.  They were all out sunning themselves.

Sandbagged

 She noted that Sheridan Beach was all decked out for the rainy season.  everyone had their own set of sandbags.

The Mountain

She sat for a while on her favorite bench admiring Mount Rainier.

The Walk

Today the keeper was supposed to spend most of the day reading. Well, just between friends,
it didn't happen.  We don't blame her.  The sun was out. So she headed off for a long long walk.
She came across the purple beauty berry bush growing in a neighbor's yard. She remembered that she had forgotten to buy this plant last year so we could have purple berries in our yard at Christmas.  So, she made a promise for 2013.  We will help her keep it.  You can also remind her if you all wish.

Shy, Shy Moon

The moon came out this evening.  It hid behind the clouds which  kept encasing it, it hid behind the trees that swayed.  But we saw it, and remembered our dear friend Prince Anastassi. Howl!

Sweet Flowers in December

The keeper came back from a lovely lunch with a lovely friend with a photo which was kind of blurry.  But she wanted us to see the flowers blooming in December.  We mentioned to her that they were blurry, otherwise we could help her identify them. We suggested she should have monitored her E-Z Elph Powershot  more closely.  She said she was trying to hang on to the door to prevent it from locking her out, and its the idea that counts...OK...she said they had a delicate fragrance. But we admit it's a delightful surprise on a mostly gray day. Only the winterberries are blooming here.

God Bless Us Everyone!

Merry Christmas from Alice and Cecil!

Cecil's Friend

Cecil loves to have male energy in the house.  He feels a little overwhelmed sometimes. So, he was very excited to see Ward.  It apears to be mutual. He made sure W liked his new sweater.

Santa Again

Santa came to each home last night.  They brought the gifts he left for their friends.   W was enchanted by his new Harper Collins Bible Commentary.

Mary Kay loved her Solar Queen. When you place Queen Elizabeth in the sun, she waves her gloved hand.  Not the purse hand, just the right hand.

J was excited about her Kiva donations so she can continue micro lending to people throughout the world.

and the keeper received books (what a surprise!) and a purse made out of an old book.

And they did not forget us.  We got a new bed. We will be able to sleep together comfortably now.  

Christmas Feast

We celebrated quite a feast this evening. As you may have heard, our oven doesn't work, and so our friends provided the things which needed a real oven...like the prime rib, which disappeared most quickly. We thought that by eating so many appetizers they would lose interest in eating any more.  But not so. But the conversation was lively, with post Mass evaluations and stories of other Christmases. We had to wait awhile for leftovers.

Merry Christmas!

"...by tender mercy our God

from on high will bring the rising Sun to visit us,

to give light to those who live

in darkness and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet 

into the way of peace." (Lk 1: 78-79)

Scout

Scout the whippet was having a hard time. He mostly sat on laps all night in a bit of a snit.  Our feline intuition says that he is a bit displaced by MG and her mother, and trying to find his place as the second youngest darling in the family.

Chaos Ensued

Note that Santa had eaten all the cookies and drank the whole glass of milk.

Waiting in an Upper Room and Singing

After one more call from the advance team, they all headed upstairs to sing Jingle Bells really loud so Santa could hear. Suddenly they heard sleigh bells and the front door slamming.  And everyone rushed downstairs.

Twas the Night Before. . .

Before the Midnight Mass the keeper had Christmas Eve dinner and Santa with her godson and his family.  The presence of MG, age 9, brought a whole new flavor to the celebration. First, MG received a call from the elf LeRoy who was now in the air from San Francisco checking her list for the final time. LeRoy had an Irish brogue. Hope he had his visa.

Patrick was checking the Santa app from NORAD to ascertain Santa's whereabouts.

 Patrick thought he heard sleighbells.  MG rushed to check. But...

false alarm.

For Marilyn

 We lost a bright light last eve.  As the keeper was out walking late morning she came across a rhododendron in bloom, a bit out of season, but truly blooming in the gray chill. "Marilyn," she thought. 

"On this mountain God will destroy

the veil which veils all peoples,

the web which is woven over all nations;

God will destroy death forever."

Isaiah 25

A Christmas Memory

"Blessed is she who trusts that the promises made to her by God would be fulfilled."

This Christmas Eve we remember the 8th anniversary of our mother's passing so silently into the arms of God on the day she loved the most. However, it has changed the way we celebrate Christmastime   Perhaps it has made us more thoughtful, compassionate, and childlike as we remember her sharp, sharp mind, her wee bit of anti-clericalism, her down to earth sensibility, and her refusal to be impressed by much of what others thought impressive. Yes, it was she who created all the stories starring the animals whose personality traits strongly resembled those of our neighbors! And yes, she did make a fuss over those little bottles of Evening in Paris cologne we would give her each Christmas. They seemed to disappear rapidly though.  We thought she had used it all up!

Touches of Kindness

As the keeper and her friends were walking back to the car, they encountered some folks standing behind a table piled with wrapped packages.  The woman on the left is the pastor of a Latino evangelical church in Burien, who with her son, husband, and other volunteers, brings Bibles in Spanish to the Center every weekend, and this weekend had laid out Christmas gifts for each of the children visiting a parent.  It was very impressive,and someone in the keeper's group whispered, "Perhaps this would be a better use of Catholics Come Home funds."

Early Morning Before the Dawn

Early this morning the keeper got up and left the house before 6 so she could meet some of the young adults to drive to the Tacoma Detention Center and look for Francisco. We know how important this is because she is not fond of spending early morning hours with anyone other than us. But the good news is that they found him, and got to spend 90 minutes with him separated by glass, talking to him by a phone.  They discovered all the particulars of his situation, and now know how to proceed with letters to the judge and how to communicate with him in the future.  He actually looks pretty good, is receiving his medications and a special diabetic diet. They replenished his account so he can make phone calls and buy little necessities. What a relief to find and see him.

She told us that the saddest part of the visit was not with Francisco but with all the families who were visiting fathers.  Mothers with babes in arms, a string of kids in tow, teenagers, girlfriends, all of them carrying deep sadness, so many tears, so much worry.

Praying for Francisco

This past week one of the young adult leaders was detained by immigration.  The keeper and her group for young adults are trying to locate him.  They are going to look for him at the Tacoma Detention Center tomorrow.  They are very worried about his welfare. He came to our house once and we liked him.  He is a gentle, cat loving spirit.

Sing, Choirs of Angels

Every year we wait to see who the keeper invites to the creche we set up.  This year we have a Babushka, several nuns, a storyteller, a Oaxacan angel, the woman of Samaria, fishermen leaving their nets, as well as a Sandinista  and many indigenous women carrying children on their backs.  Quite the choir. You should see the animal section. They all make quite a racket.

Favorite Christmas Stories

Every year the keeper reads us her three favorite Christmas stories...quite a range..The Small Miracle has no words, just heart wrenching illustrations, Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory  has many poignant recollections, and Barbara Berger, from the NW, tells a wonderfully symbolic tale through a Jungian trained donkey's eyes in The Donkey's Dream.