Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

The snow started here about 7:00 am and has been intermittent since then.  About 4-6" has fallen in the first 8 hours of our "winter storm warning" that is predicted to end around 6:00 pm tomorrow night.  Areas to the south of our Philadelphia-vacinity location have gotten upwards of 8-12" and Washington, DC is slated for 25" or so.

Why the weather report?  It reminded me of a winter ice storm long ago that coated everything with a thick layer of ice that I captured with a 35 mm SLR I bought while working in the photographic industry, another one of my former lives.  The next day the sun blazed, sparkling the ice into a magical wonderland before melting it all away. 

 Over the years, my lens was directed towards my children's athletic endeavors and objects less animated such as architecture, sculpture, landscapes, and perhaps wild life.  Reviewing old photographs has given me a treasure-trove of film material to work with while adding new images in digital format.

 Two outstanding black and white photographs taken, developed and enlarged by my brother  some 30 years ago, were recently reframed, becoming the focal points of an ongoing project - a two story, four wall, stair well gallery of all black and white media.  Since most of my photographs are in color, it was necessary to convert them to black and white with the help of a Kodak Kiosk.  Photographs, needlework, fabric, paper - any medium could be used as long as it fit the black and white criteria.  Its been a fun project and every item tells a story.

 Like the blackwork ship that was worked on when keeping my son company during hospital confinement for a broken leg.  He was young and he was happy to know his Mommy was there while he watched cartoons to pass the time.  I was occupied as well and had a nice bonus when it was finished and he was home again.   Antique and modern silhouettes of family.  Pen and ink drawings from a trip to Williamsburg, VA.  A triptych of pin hole camera photos taken for a class project illustrates the artistic eye of my daughter.  A cross-stitched sampler came from my sister that was done specifically for the wall

Hard to believe just two pictures started it all.  There's room to grow although I like how it has that "work in progress" look.  Will post pictures soon.

It's Christmas Time...

Is everyone engaged in the business of decorating, food preparation, gift buying, gift wrapping, etc. this holiday season?  This year, I vowed to get my decorating and shopping done before December 1st and  not go near a mall from December 1st to December 31st.  Both vows were broken within five days.  Who needs to wait until the new year to make resolutions; I'm still not able to adhere to this year's.

The decorating got delayed until the 6th and the mall, well...a visit with my sister who was taking her daughter and several of her friends to the mall, squashed that vow as well.  It was a Saturday and I felt sure it would surely be mobbed.  Surprisingly, it wasn't!  Apparently, the economy has affected everyone's spending habits and traffic was light for a Saturday.  Perhaps the anticipated first snow of the year was a deterrent...we may never know.

Was able to leave the mall with "empty hands" having curbed the urge to splurge.  Rather nice feeling since much of my shopping had already been done on the internet and the rest has been manufactured in my version of Santa's Workshop.  I've harkened back to a time when gifts came from one's imagination, were made with TLC and given in the truest sense of the season.  I have baked batches of cookies for my neighbors, wrapped all the presents, planned an open house for after Christmas, designed and constructed most of the decorations that festoon my home and have planned every menu between December 20 through to New Year's Eve.  Of course, the best laid plans can surely go awry...as they say.  I'm sure there will be some glitch that arises to dislodge the delicate balance of these holiday plans.  No matter; all will come right in the end.  Won't it?  The holidays are what you make of them.

Which brings me to the crux of this post:  As I reflect this year on Christmases past, I have found that the hardest thing for me to do was to recapture the Christmas traditions of my childhood for my children.  Decorating a certain way or at a certain time, holiday baking, special meals, planning Christmas Day activities, etc. somehow didn't always meet the expectations I placed on these traditions.   My children are now adults and the holidays have evolved for them in such different ways than for me.  So slowly I change, which allows me to let go of the past and move forward into the future and create new traditions that replace the old.   I've stopped  trying to duplicate those events that foster special memories.  Instead, I'm concentrating on the enjoyment of the season and its true meaning and not trying [and failing] to make everything 'perfect'.  Now that's a vow that can easily be kept!

May everyone share the season with those they love both near and far.  Happy Holidays, all.