Multiplying Amaryllis

 I so enjoyed watching the amaryllis grow and bloom last Christmas and winter. I told my husband that would be a good gift for me this year, too. He looked around but told me he could not find any like he had given me before.

As I entered Martin's yesterday and passed through the florist section, I spotted two amaryllis. I decided that if I really wanted one, I should buy one of these before they were all sold. Instead of sitting on a board, this little amaryllis wore a knitted "sweater". I set it on the table in the sunroom and left for an appointment in Fort Wayne. My husband was with a gentleman from Andrews University talking about some of the work he had done years ago with its archaeological digs. He was over on the main retirement campus.

While I was away, my husband returned and saw the plant I had purchased. He had finally found one on a board like last year and was hiding it in the garage. He decided he might as well let it join the one I had bought so it could get some light. I was totally surprised.

That white stuff on the ground and trees is snow. We got some early this morning and will see more throughout the day. Probably about an inch total. As long as it doesn't create travel problems for people coming for the big football game in South Bend tonight between Notre Dame and Indiana University, everybody is OK with a little snow today.

Christmas concert

The Grace Village choral choir presented its Christmas concert last night. The program is about an hour long.

To view it on a larger screen, you can use this link: 12/13/24-Friday GV Choir Concert

Two Surprises

We received a box of gourmet chocolates from my husband's sister. This gift was totally unexpected as we have not been exchanging Christmas gifts. This candy is made in Madison, Wisconsin, apparently at a little shop my sister-in-law passes frequently. Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier included a small pamphlet describing each chocolate which has a distinctive look. What a nice surprise.

 My second surprise today was not so nice. When I got up this morning, it was 7 degrees. With some wind blowing, it was going to be terribly cold going to the dentist office. I had a cavity to be drilled and filled. The last time I had a cavity was probably 30 years ago. The dental assistant told me that the filling material was some kind of resin. The numbing and anesthetic shot were not as painful as I was expecting. But as the numbness started wearing off while I ate lunch, I realized I had a fat lip; well to be precise, a swollen half lip. It may be that I injured it while eating. I did not notice it when I left the dental office, but I really did not look at myself in a mirror until it felt funny while eating.

(The purple spot on the bottom lip is a venous lake caused by sun damage to the capillary walls.) I hope the swelling goes down by 7 p.m. tomorrow. I do not consider myself a vain person, but I am going to feel self-conscious on the front row of the choir with a misshapen lip as we present our Christmas concert, especially when I go to the mic to read the words to one of the songs before we sing it. 

Once my mouth feels more normal, I am going to dive into one of those luscious dark chocolates.

Father Christmas

 When I lived in the Dallas area, one of my acquaintances had dozens of Santa Claus figures in her house. I had not a single one. If I were to have a gift giver character on display, it would be Father Christmas in his velvet robe not a red-suited Santa. I saw one at an estate sale attractively priced, but I decided to remain focused on the Christ child.

I was maybe 6 or 7 before I realized that my Christmas stocking was filled by my mom. That didn't keep me from putting out my stocking each year. Usually, a big orange or apple filled the toe. Most of the earlier years, there was a box of See's Molasses Chips, a "book" of life saver rolls in many flavors, a candy cane. Sometimes barrettes or socks or pencils. Later a tube of lipstick. Yes, I put the stocking out even in my teens.

The only stocking I remember was made by an aunt. I was pre-school which makes that item about 70 years old. It has faded some, lost a little watch that sat on the tree, and a few decades ago a hungry moth or cricket in Texas ate a hole, fortunately on the back side. I now store it in a cedar chest. I sewed the bell back on the deer, but it hangs a bit loosely. This felt stocking serves as a decoration, not a receptacle for gifts. It is full of memories though.