Celebrating Candlemas

Yesterday we celebrated Candlemas for the first time.  This holiday has both Christian and Pagan roots, and it is the midpoint between winter solstice and spring equinox.

"If Candlemas Day be fair and bright

Winter will take another flight.

If Candlemas Day be cloud and rain

Winter is gone and will not come again"

                   --Festivals Family and Food

We took advantage of the good weather and spent time at the park in the morning and at the beach in the afternoon.  This good weather is apparently a sign of more winter to come, so we are outside every chance we get.

We visited a local honey farm and purchased some lovely blocks of beeswax.  We then melted the wax and poured it into molds to make ornaments, which we have hanging from our nature table tree.  (I used the instructions at The Magic Onions for how to make the wax ornaments.)

Dinner was eaten by candlelight, which was a special and memorable occasion for Little Man.

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Double Rainbow

Yesterday was an amazing day.  Little Man has waited a year to see a specialist.  At our long awaited appointment yesterday we were told great news -- what looked like a potential problem last year has turned out to have gone away.  No follow-up visits are necessary since everything looked good.

On the drive home, I saw the most brilliant rainbow.  I have never seen one with such intensity.  And then I realized there wasn't just one -- there were TWO rainbows!  I didn't even know that was possible.  I grabbed my phone and snapped some quick pictures while the car was moving (fortunately I wasn't driving).  Although I have cropped these photos, I have not altered the colours;  the main rainbow really was this brilliant.  I could only photograph a part of the rainbows as we moved through traffic, but we were able to see the full arc of both rainbows before I thought to get out the camera.  It is interesting to note that the outer rainbow has the colours in reverse order!

 

 

It was such an incredible sight, made even more special because the sky was echoing what was in my heart:  pure happiness and joy.

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Backyard Wildlife

Today we spent a nice quiet day at home, performing some spring cleaning and enjoying time together.  Every time we looked out the window we saw animals -- squirrels gathering leaves, birds flying overhead, and then two bucks travelling together.

Occasionally they would stop and lock horns for a minute or so, then separate and meander some more. 

 

 

 Such a beautiful sight to see without even leaving the house.

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Happy New Year!

2010.  It sounds like something from a science fiction novel rather than the here and now.  The discussions about 2000 (Y2K!) are still so recent.  And yet, it has really been quite the decade with so many events -- both good and bad -- that will weave their way into history.

My life has changed quite a lot over the last decade, but so much of the change has occurred within the last year.  Our family has experienced many challenges in discovering and dealing with Little Man's allergies.  For quite some time this consumed our entire lives -- doctor and hospital visits, finding and preparing special food, just getting by day-to-day.  We still spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but Little Man "helps" so it has become something we do together.  The allergies do not define us now.  They are always there, and we need to always be vigilant to avoid contact with his allergens, but we have the chance now to focus on other things through our day.

As far as resolutions go for this new year, I've decided not to set any.  Over the last few months I've found a path that I think I would like to follow.  So rather than start something new with the new year, I would like to continue to wander the path to see where this journey will go.  This isn't going to be a year of goals and achievements and checklists.  By meandering along I can take time to see little details, freeze moments in time, and truly revel in each experience.  And I plan to enjoy every bit of it.  Care to join me?

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