blessing the Christmas tree

this evening i walked next door to deliver some mail to my neighbor, Sister Vincentia. there were 2 Christmas cards addressed to her that had erroneously been put in my mailbox. she invited me in to look at her Christmas tree with the lights and ornaments in place. i'd seen it in its bare, naked state several days ago when she first got it. but this evening she had her living room lights turned out so that the lighted tree shone in all its glory. it's an unassuming little tree, sparse of branches, handcut in the Jemez Mountains by friends of Sr V. she said it's the kind of tree that's used for candles set on on the branches. i've seen pictures of candle trees, but have yet to see one in person.

Sr V even had me put on a special pair of glasses, similar to 3-D glasses, that made the mini lights look like multi-colored snowflakes!! awesome!

V was going to bless the tree and invited me to participate. i've never even heard of such a thing, although according to Google, it's a regular Catholic tradition. you'd think that with me being the good Catholic that i am, cough, cough, that i would be familiar with this. au contraire, mon frere. i asked V if participating meant i had to lift my leg to leave my mark. no, she responded in her best nunly demeanor, which really means she guffawed good-naturedly.

V read the lines of blessing, and i responded like a good church-going congregant would, except that i'm no such thing, as we all know. but i haven't completely forgotten congregant responsibilities so i spoke my lines on cue, with a nudge to the ribs here and there. i even got to sprinkle holy water on the tree!

the tree blessing was a very special, quiet moment in the midst of the holiday hubbub and folderol, and i am touched that Sr V invited me to participate in a tradition that obviously holds a lot of meaning for her. that's why she's the good Catholic and i'm the lapsed Catholic ;)

next up with V: the drinking of some of my new special holiday tea from Harney and Sons. date and time to be announced. invitations will be in the mail soon. if you don't receive one, blame the Post Office, or maybe Santa's elves. those little guys are always up to some kind of mischief!

tidings of comfort and joy

i LOVE Christmas music! there, i've said it. now it's written in stone and i can never go back on it.

the other day i was bragging to my Irish brother about my extensive collection of Christmas music. but when i went to find some of my cd's so i could actually play some festive holiday music, none were to be found. i searched high and low to no avail, so i gave up and moved on to other projects. projects? ok, ok, frittering away time on the computer.

but then as i sat in my computer chair, i thought to myself: "where would i be if i were a Christmas cd?"

lo and behold, as i glanced at the box of Irish travel books to my left, i realized there was a small carton under that box. i pulled it out, and voila, there was the label "Christmas music" ... huzzah!

so for the last few days i've been playing a great selection of music while frittering away my time, er-r, working on Christmas projects. i love the old, traditional music like you find on "Croon and Swoon" and "Croon and Swoon II" ... who doesn't remember Gene Autry's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Bing Crosby's It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas, Rosemary Clooney's White Christmas, Mel Torme's Christmas Song, Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby, Johnny Mathis's Winter Wonderland. This is the music I grew up with, and they're all sentimental favorites. Included in the mix, of course, are quite a few classical cd's, like the Three Tenors, Mannheim Steamroller, and a mix or two of opera stars singing the holiday classics. Really lovely music.

Every year I add 1 or 2, or 3, new cd's to my holiday collection. The last few days I've listened to James Taylor, Loreena McKennitt, Emily Lou Harris, Celine Dion, Yo-Yo Ma and Friends, Sting. Coming up soon will be Josh Groben, Linda Ronstadt, Bette Midler's Cool Yule, Asleep at the Wheel's Santa Loves to Boogie, and my new ones for this year, Annie Lennox and the Puppini Sisters.

i love to play my Christmas cd's while i'm working around my apartment, whether it's the mundane activity of washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, or holiday activities like wrapping gifts or making spiced walnuts and rum balls (yes, i've actually done that in past years, imagine that!), or fun activities like working in my holiday journal.

how about you? do you listen to holiday music? if so, what are your favorites? who knows, i might find a new favorite from YOUR list. feel free to share, no one will know, there's nobody here but just us chickens, having a private yuletide chat, slurping, er-r, sipping our Harney & Sons Holiday Tea. ain't life grand?!

never the twain shall meet

reverb prompt for December 12: Body Integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)


there is no cohesive me. my mind is still at about 35 and my body is at about 85. i'm somewhere in the middle and believe me, never the twain shall meet.

meanwhile, i'm still cogitating over the prompts for Dec 11 (11 things to dump in 2011) and Dec 10 (wisdom).

more later, my faithful readers ;)

speaking of party hearty ...

reverb10 prompt #9: Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

party? the invitation musta got lost in the mail. that darn Post Office.

addendum:
upon reflection, there actually have been a couple of parties this year. didn't think of them at first because i was focused on PARTY, as in big honkin' party where everyone dresses up and drinks champagne, LOL.

au contraire, mon frere. all year long there are little occasions that might actually constitute a party. obviously there's my own birthday party (November), but it was small, understated and tasteful. so of course i'd forgotten about it. except for the fantastic waiter who got into the party mode, instigated trouble, kept the vino flowing, and even composed his own special "mo" songs all during the repast. big, big tip.

and last August i was invited to an author's party by my friend, jami, who had just published her first book, A Kindred Spirit. some people dressed up, some people dressed down. i myself chose to wear mismatched sandals to celebrate the occasion. and a raucous good time was had by all. hors d'oeuvres were served, as was wine. and of course we toasted the author and her book with champagne in flutes, as one should upon such a momentous occasion ;)

in October there was the pre-NaNoWriMo party at the Frontier Restaurant. quite the crowd gathered, in all sundry of garb, to ramp up for the annual writing fest we all know and love that takes up the month of November with a flurry of writing, thinking about writing, thinking about thinking about writing, procrastinating, throwing up of hands in despair. some people actually manage to drag themselves across the 50k-finish line, only to collapse in a heap on December 1. yeah, buddy, let the good times roll.

and really, siriusly (nod to pkd), isn't almost any get-together with a friend or friends a party, a cause to celebrate? even some phone calls can be considered a party, especially the 3-hour ones from Ireland. ask my Irish brother. i think he wears his sweatpants with suspenders for these parties.

different, or more of the same?

reverb10 day 8 prompt: Beautifully Different. Thank about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different - you'll find they're what make you beautiful. (Prompt Author: Karen Walrond)

here are some quick thoughts about how i think of myself as different. hopefully some of these light people up in some way:

• sense of humor - i think i have a good sense of humor, quick, witty, droll. i find humor sometimes in the most mundane of circumstances and in the most average of comments people make. just a phrase or expression will trigger something in me, i'll let loose with some kind of witticism or observation, and most of the time people will catch it and laugh. can never have too much laughter, can we.
  

• calm exterior - even in the midst of chaos or extreme happenings, i tend to remain calm and appear to be in control and have a take charge mentality. i sense that this has helped people to calm down a bit so that they don't completely lose control and can handle the business at hand. most of the time, anyway.

• even temperament - i feel strongly, positively or negatively, about many things in my life. but i make an effort to not get too extreme with my anger. why? it only aggravates the situation and/or the person and gets us nowhere fast. and my calmness seems to be contagious and help the other person calm down quicker than they might otherwise. .
  

• jotting quick emails to people when something reminds me of them. my friends have indicated how much they enjoy these notes and how it sometimes makes their day, especially if they're having a bad time of it. the right word at the just the right time makes a big difference to most of us, doesn't it? i will say, however, that i could certainly do a lot better with this and make a more concerted and consistent effort in this area. i will absolutely work on this in 2011 ;)

• my ability to find new music and musical artists. my friends constantly express wonder at how i manage to do this, lol. it's great fun!

that's enough, eh? it's late and i'm tired. bonne nuit, mes amis.

reverb10 - daily prompt

just yesterday i finally committed to participate in this years reverb10 project. thought it would be a good way to blog every day and get me into the habit.

here's what their site says:
"Reverb 10 is an annual event and online initiative to reflect on your year and manifest what’s next. Use the end of your year as an opportunity to reflect on what's happened, and to send out reverberations for the year ahead. With Reverb 10 - and the 31 prompts our authors have created for you - you'll have support on your journey."

so, here we go with today's (day 7) prompt: Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

i would say i discovered a community of sorts with some of the online art journaling and journaling people whose blogs i follow on a regular basis. i've never met these talented people, but by reading their blogs, making comments, receiving responses ... it feels like a warm welcoming body of people who constantly amaze me with their creativity and who in turn generate enthusiasm and inspiration in me.

now, if i could just focus and refocus and buckle down and put these creative inspirations onto paper, i'd certainly be one happy camper. no journal page or art project or novel before its time, eh?

i'll make an effort to go back and blog the previous 6 days, but no promises. i'll be happy if i simply keep up with moving forward ;)

as for 2011, i think i'd like to cultivate the writing community, both online and in person.

memoirs: fiction or non-fiction

this is a good piece by Michael Larson about writing memoirs. i love the concept of writing your own history with some fiction thrown in for good measure. at my age, i certainly can't remember "exactly" what happened and when, i can only estimate some of the events based on the context of approximate periods in my life. aside from specific events that had a big impact on me, like November 22, 1963 and September 11, 2001, most life events tend to blur together. about 3-4 years ago, i was writing a story about our family Christmas morning tradition for an OASIS writing class. my description of the events was a conglomeration of many Christmases rolled into one, with some fictionalized descriptive passages thrown in for good measure. you know, the kind of verbiage that gives you a better sense of the surroundings. early, early in the morning on Christmas day, when the air is still frigid and it's still dark, how does snow sound when you're trudging thru it to get to the car to go to Christmas mass? what does your breath look like in the frosty air? are your nostrils frozen together yet?

there, do you feel cold yet? go have a cup of tea to warm up. Earl Grey. Hot.

dos and don'ts of NaNoWriMo

my friend jami sent this link to me and i just HAD to share: writing advice. it's the perfect combo of helpful, nonsensical advice mixed with humor and snarkiness. thanks, Chuck Wendig!

now, go forth and write.

blast from the past

so, i was on the phone the other night trying to resolve an issue with an order i had placed online with a scrapbooking vendor. the guy on the other end started chatting in a very friendly way, and the conversation just happened to turn to big city vs small town. and he just happens to mention Chicago and his time in the Navy. my ears perk up, and i say to him: "oh really? what years were you in the Navy?" he replies that it would have been 1964 or '65 to about 1967. i laugh, telling him those were the years i was a volunteer with the USO in Milwaukee. and how much fun i had when the guys would come to town from Great Lakes Naval Training Center. he said he, too, had come to Milwaukee and gone to the dances at .... i interrupt with "YWCA, Jewish Community Center, YMCA." i said i thought the Milwaukee USO was on Third Street just off of Wisconsin Avenue. He verbally nodded in agreement.

we chitchatted a few more minutes, and then ended the conversation. but those few minutes on the phone with a stranger brought back so many wonderful memories. because i practically lived at the USO during those years, i'm willing to bet he and i crossed paths at some point. small world, eh? the USO played a significant part in my life in the late 60's and early 70's, so i'll be talking more about it in future postings.

the name of the guy at the other end of the phone? Mark.

thanks for the memories, Mark.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

yup, that's right, it's almost November again and time for another month of attempting to write a novel or some semblance therein. every year i aim for 50k words so i can "win" the event. so far i've managed to only win once, in 2008. and that's only because i did a massive word dump, lol.

this year my intention was to continue with a wee project i started early last year, a travel journal for a fake trip to Ireland. the concept for that started back in the spring of 2009 when i ran across International Fake Journal Month (IFJM) over on Roz Stendahl's blog. but i happened across it too late in the month (April) to fully participate. i decided then that i would flesh out the story in November for NaNo, stocking up on a plethora of Irish tour guides and miscellaneous travel books. and i did make a feeble attempt at writing the travel journal, mapping out the itinerary, making notes of places to see and things to do. i did dump a lot of words into the book but the project felt overwhelming, and i didn't get very far with it.

i did think, however, that i had enough to work with to participate in the 2010 IFJM project. well, April 2010 came and went without any activity related to Ireland. le sigh.

ramping up for this year's NaNo, i thought for sure i'd write my Irish travel journal. and that's been my intention for weeks. but creeping into the back of my mind was the idea of capturing family memories. i had started writing family stories for my OASIS writing class a few years ago, and continued in the same vein when i took an online memoir writing class through Writer's Digest. and what has really brought it to the forefront is the flurry of family emails in the last week surrounding the birth of my first great-nephew, Jack.

i finally realized late in the day yesterday that the urge to write family stories is too strong to ignore. trying to focus on the Irish project felt forced, while the memoir kept poking through my awareness, demanding my attention. and because the memoir feels more natural, i think it will help keep my focus and my enthusiasm for the month of writing. i may even reach 50k again!!

there will be many more posts on this subject, so it's fair to say "to be continued."

that's me, techno-geek

well, finally, i managed to install the scanner/copier i picked up on eBay a couple of weeks ago. it arrived the day before i headed across town to dog-sit for my brother, so i was busy packing and trying to make sure i hadn't forgotten anything important. then when i got back it took several days to recoup my energy, and then ... and then ... and ... well, you know the story.

anyway, i bit the bullet this afternoon, installed the software and did a couple of trials. seems to work really well. the "true" test will be tomorrow when i try to copy my 3rd quarter taxes, LOL

fyi, it's a Canon CanoScan LIDO 80 and it's powered solely by the USB interface cable. no extra wires or any of that nonsense.

anyway, so far so good, knock on wood ... hey, i wrote a poem!

oh, and ps, here's the first test photo ... what? you expected a touching family photo?

woof, woof, i'm ba-a-ack!

well, ok, it took me long enough. but rest assured that all the while i've been plotting and planning all the sundry topics i might blog about. the list seems to grow with each passing day, lol.

so far here's what i've come up with, in no particular order, other than i'll be starting with the first one on the list since the Season 3 finale was just last night

• True Blood -- yep, just call me "bitten and smitten"
  
• movies
• television
  
• politics
  
• blogging
  
• family memories
  
• friendship
  
• writing
• journaling
• art journaling and creativity
  
• addictions and obsessions [no names, but initials are mlr]
  
• pens, pencils, art supplies, journals, books (oc/ar, anyone?)
  

that's all i can remember for now, but i'm sure i'll be adding to the list as the spirit moves and my mind kicks into gear.

so, i'm off now to work on my True Blood post, which will be up soon*

*soon in MY world means sometime in the next day or two or week or month ;)

it's a whole new world!

well, i started a blog 2 years ago over on Word Press, but it's been inactive ever since. so today i decided to start again, here on Blogger. i've also registered by own domain: www.moriley.com. i feel so powerful!!!

now, let's see how i can make this puppy work its magic for me ....

i'll be back ;)