December Days (And Low on Gardening Activities)

Winter light always gets to me. Gotta get out with the cameras more and more.

Willa has a new responsibility - filling up the bird feeder. The little ones really do love having a purpose and projects, right? {Sweeping is another fun 'chore' disguised as 'big girl responsibility'.} I like that she owns moments passionately and completely. {We are learning the names of the birds, too.} Speaking of passionately and completely - many of the photos of Willa, as of late, seem to include a little blurred appendage here and there. Hmm.

We will be making wreaths from scratch this weekend. I can't wait. With materials found on our land and wire hangers for the forms. Photos soon.

Recent things:

The new Kate Bush album - 50 Words for Snow. Just in time for winter! Also, PJ Harvey's Let England Shake and The Black Key's El Camino ('Little Black Submarines' 'specially).

I just finished reading The Complete Stories of Truman Capote. So very, very good. I grew up watching the Geraldine Page version of "The Christmas Memory" and was able to find it on You Tube. Such a favorite.

I ran the Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning and was really happy with my time for a crazily hilly course. Next, the New Year's Day 5K {which is much flatter}.

My pie crust endeavors are coming along - I actually brought an apple pie to Thanksgiving dinner and got all nutty with a lattice-top. I am still calibrating the correct ratio of running workouts to pie crust - as it seems to be a frustrating wash these days.

Outings to fend off the sleepiness induced by it getting dark at 5 p.m.:

:. Shirlee Grody's art opening of 'Bodies in Space' at Bikram Yoga
:. A dance and step competition at The Paramount
:. The UVa Art Museum (I got sucked in by Barbara Morgan's photos of Martha Graham dancers and Isabel Bishop's sketches of working ladies from the 1940's.)
:. Innisfree's Open House
:. 'Let There Be Light' at PVCC
:. The Blackfriars for The Twelve Dates of Christmas
:. UVa women's basketball
:. 1307 Mountain View!

{**Most of of these are free!}