231219 december and the hill

 I was looking for magic, in Toronto. Felt adrift in the flow of life these days. K continues to gain strength. He was back at #48 from rehab and we were adjusting to life withTamar's family. It was a struggle to move through my days without a compass, without knowing where the next month or year would see us. It is a challenge, too, living in the midst of a city after months on a hill by ourselves .

I found magic, but I had to look carefully, because it was sometimes in small things. It was in the sunrises and settings too. The skies were always lovely and full of cloud and sun and moon. There are birds there too, as numerous as in the country. There were friends and neighbours too, which was very pleasant. We live a sheltered and hermit life in Quebec. So, yes, there were angels to be seen if you kept your eyes open. 

Winter colours on bush and bramble.

  

  

On the sidewalk a print, from rain on a fallen leaf.

Sunrises.

The morning sun on the pylons.

The sun going down.

The moon, caught in an excellent tree!

A sedge of sandhill cranes flying over was making a burble of calls that I have never heard. It took me several seconds to realize where it was coming from!

Rocky has made several friends at last, in the field.

*****

I am sitting at my desk at the vineyard! We decided to come here, made our plans and arrived, all in a few days. We drove a day, in light rain, to Cornwall to spend the night, and this morning finished our journey by noon in heavy rain, and traffic was heavy compared to the 401, which yesterday was empty and easy.. We stopped at the town grocery store for a few things, so that I would not need to venture out again for a few days. The cashier (also the fruit and veg person) at the store, and the owner, who is there every day, were kind in their welcome. The road up from town is not paved and has turned to slurry, with great potholes to swerve around, if you can. 

When we arrived, after I'd emptied the car, I left lunch on the table and walked over to the ridge. There was a wam wind from the south. The thermometer read 8 degrees. The temperature in town is registering 14! The water is rushing down the meadow. The ground is frozen so the water cannot sink in before it runs away. Soon the weather turned and a cold rainy wind blew from the west. The water in the air is fog and snow and rain, all at once. 

It is amazing that when I arrive here, I feel as if I am seeing it for the first time, and yet it is like an old map in my mind; a distinct difference between the experience right now, and the memory.

There are moose tracks across the meadow near us. I sometimes see them in the forest up the hill, but not this near to us. Perhaps we will see the moose himself!

The fall, usually a trickle, from the upper pond to the lower.

Darkness fell early and fast. We are nearing the solstice.

Oh, how glad I am to be here. Somehow, being here, in the middle of December, feels entirely magical, between worlds. These days of December always feel different. The approach of Christmas , the solstice, end of year. Christmas is felt in its absence as much as in its presence through these two weeks of the year.

Rocky is very happy to be here, too.

Mumma Yaga