Shadows over Christmas

It’s been hard for me to participate in holiday festivities this year. My friend Ginny was felled by a mighty stroke on Thursday and never regained consciousness. Her body lived on for two more days, then ceased functioning altogether on Christmas Eve. Ginny’s family was keeping vigil at her bedside. Although I was many miles away, I was keeping vigil too.

Will Christmas ever be the same for Ginny’s family or for me or for her many other friends? Will every Christmas bring an acute sense of loss?

Too be honest, I haven’t cared much for Christmas for many years. I am not only repelled by the excessive materialism, but also have unpleasant memories of the season. They will always cast their dark shadows over the holiday. I do love to see little children’s excitement as Christmas approaches, but my participation has become more and more difficult.

Next year I think I’ll just celebrate the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice. December 22 marks the end of lengthening days and the sun’s return to dominance. Winter solstice celebrates the coming light. No more shadows for me.

Copyright 2016 by Shirley Domer

Time out for Organization

These are busy days. Christmas is coming up fast. There are planes to be met, cookies to be baked and English toffee to be made. The Bee House, our second casita, is almost completely renovated except for the bathroom fixtures selection and installation. Progress depends on our making some final choices, so I’m busy with collecting bids.

I need to stay focused, but yesterday I felt the urge to take a day off to concentrate on getting better organized. Our tiny house has two sheds attached to its back. One is for the water heater. The other is a precious storage space. It had become so disorganized I could barely get inside. Last winter I urged Dennis to get some shelving, but he hadn’t shown interest.

As it happened, yesterday was our 41^ST wedding anniversary. Knowing that Dennis loves giving gifts, I grabbed the chance to ask for shelving as an anniversary gift and right away we were off to purchase shelving. Logan, who is here from Madison for the holiday, offered to go along.

After lunch and a short nap, Logan and Dennis got busy on the shed project. They carried out all the stuff that was on the floor.

That didn’t leave much inside. (Yeah, I should have also asked that the shed be painted inside before moving in shelving, but I dared not press my luck.)

With two people working the shelving went together quickly. (That's the Bee House in the background, and its new side door.)

In about an hour the whole job was done.

Uh-ho, it now becomes clear that we have way too many coolers. Thrift store donations are in order. I’ll add that to my long, long to-do list, but right now I’m going to make those cookies.

Copyright 2015 by Shirley Domer

Back in Midtown Tucson

Whoopee! We’re back in midtown Tucson in our little casita ten steps away from the big house where the grown-up grandchildren live. That makes the four of us a multigenerational family. We share almost every evening meal, and sometimes breakfast or lunch. All of us notice how much more conversation there is than when just two people eat together.

Lots of things have changed since we left here last April. Late last winter Grant, with his brother’s help, planted little fruit trees ­– orange, fig, and lemon. The little orange now has a dozen oranges ripening on its lower branches.

Yesterday Blair harvested the season’s first figs. Others are still ripening on the little tree.

Grant and Blair did a lot of work on Casita Bee while we were away, in spite of Tucson’s blistering summer heat. Casita Bee will be for grandparents use. We envision it as our recreation/guesthouse.

Grant took the building down to its studs, and rebuilt it. No doubt I’ll be writing about the casita in more detail, but for now, the new entry door and windows give a glimpse of the inside, notably the brick wall with fireplace that fills the entire opposite wall. (To see the interior a little more clearly, double-click on the image.)

I have to stop now, because tonight we will see the Arizona Theater Company’s presentation of Fiddler on the Roof. That will keep me up way past my bedtime. I must gird myself with a long nap.

Copyright 2016 by Shirley Domer