Here bunny, bunny...

Here goes nothing: I was WRONG, the pet store was right: 100% right.

Close to two months ago when I clipped my white angora, Daisy, I put her in Spikerella's cage while I cleaned up. Next thing I knew there was a bit of "bronco riding" going on. Upon inspection, sure enough, there were Spike's family jewels, the size of small freakin' prunes. Yeah. And a month later there was Daisy building a nest followed by the birth of six bunnies, although one didn't survive. The others are thriving, thank you very much. No sign of being dwarfs, which is a good thing, but still much too early to tell how much angora is in them. The white one is albino, complete with pink eyes, just like its grandmother. They're too cute for words and my kids can't keep their hands off them. Ok, so I might spend an inordinate amount of time watching and patting the little fluff balls, too. So soft...

About Gifts

Confession time: not all the knit gifts made it under or on the tree. But the knitting gods didn't strike me down for taking time out from the craziness and let be what shall. I enjoyed time with family and friends Christmas eve. There was more food and drink than is possible to consume in a week let alone a night! And then I made that one extra dish in case there wasn't enough... At least there wasn't a cloud of flour hanging in the air once the guests started to arrive (yes, the kitchen fan did come into service). Lene isn't the only one that values tradition. When my husband and I married, we merged two very different sets of traditions. Him from Nova Scotia, born and bred; me from Poland. All food homemade, the rabbit pie held a place of honour beside the plate of pierogi (sauerkraut and mushroom), Solomon Gundy beside kopytka... There were Christmas carols playing and talk of Christmases past. Kids were perfectly behaved (a Christmas miracle in itself!!).

After the guests left, it was a mad (if slightly intoxicated) rush to get presents wrapped and under the tree. I must say that grandmothers that live far away (my kids' Babcia resides in Ontario) are sneaky. Sure, send money to the mother (that would be me) about a week before the DAY and say, "just buy something to put under the tree. You know them best. You know what they need/want..." A WEEK BEFORE? WHAT WAS SHE THINKING??? Getting back at me for something I did when I was three years old, no doubt about it. But all is well that ends well. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly all that work can be reduced to mountains of wrapping paper and the odd gift.

This is what arrived just in time:

My new Kromski Mazurka spinning wheel. Isn't it Beeeautiful?

Increasing the pace...

I thrive on pressure of a deadline. Honestly. What I get accomplished with the deadline looming over my head like a guillotine is nothing short of miraculous. But I must admit that with "THE DAY" getting closer even as I write this, the handknit Christmas (or more politically correct Holiday) might not have been such bright idea. I am feeling the pressure. I believe I am knitting faster. Will I achieve all my goals? Time will tell. After all, there are just under 2 weeks left. LOTS of time... Every year is pretty much the same, except this year I decided to put my foot down! Yes! It would be homemade gifts all around. Is there something really, truly wrong with that? How am I supposed to teach about the spirit of this season by running to the mall every available moment? The shops in Penhorn Mall in Dartmouth whined about the power being off after the snow storm last weekend. Yes, it might have cut into their profits a bit, but honestly, I wonder if any of them truly minded staying home and enjoying time with their families. So they had to shovel snow. We live in Canada. What else can be expected?? This is what my kids did to pass the time:
I like to think they had more fun doing that, than breathing recycled air in some mall.

After the Storm

A beautiful new day dawns outside. Inside, there is no power or water and the kids are getting on each other's nerves. Good time to escape to the barn and start the chores of feeding animals and breaking ice on what water may be left. Everything safe and sound.

Power was restored mid-morning. Priorities: put a pot of coffee on first and foremost, then get a fire going in the wood furnace. The sweet sound of the furnace fan kicking in!
And hubby plowing the driveway with newly functional tractor.

And kids getting along again. All is right with our world in the country once again.