SATURDAY, ORDINARY TIME 34: END OF THE CHURCH YEAR

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Winter is icumen in. In this photo you can see the bare branches across the way, and the peculiar brightness of a cold morning. This morning was, I think, our coldest yet --- 25F when I got up and went out to walk the dog, though it's 43F now, at just before lunchtime. 

We've been up and out to take the kids to the airport --- they should be taking off just about now. The week was all too short, but they'll be back soon. This is the last time, I realize, that I'll have this reassurance, and I think I will really miss the rhythms of the college year as they bring my children home to me. Next year: who knows? 

When we came home, I did a spot of cleaning and decorating, stripping sheets off progeny beds, collecting bath towels, banging all that into the washing machine, and dusting a little. I have put out some preliminary things for Advent: 





These aren't decorations so much as objects of devotion (well, okay, the gold tree on the mantel clearly is a decoration . . . and I just like the pottery), which I hope will remind me to pray in anticipation through the four weeks that unfold from sundown tonight until the beautiful Mass at Midnight on Christmas Eve.  

Eventually, close to Christmas Eve, as people start to arrive, I will put magnolia leaves and holly in the pottery jugs, and more candles on the mantel. For now I'll leave them empty, like the wintering trees. 

But that's all weeks in the future. Today I got dressed quickly and put my Day 4 hair in a ponytail, to be washed later. I will do that this afternoon, but for now I'm reasonably presentable, as well as warm. 

Wearing today: 






*Wool& Audrey dress (S) in Black Heather, bought November 2022, last worn November 23. Total wears this year to date: 28

*Thrifted cashmere sweater, with scissor work by me. Bought September 2023, last worn yesterday. 

*Secondhand Eileen Fisher merino cardigan coat, bought September 2024, last worn on Wednesday. 

*My grandmother's wool scarf, redyed by me in 2023 (?) or 2022 (?). Can't remember when I did this. Last year, I think. 

*Snag merino tights in Silver Lining, bought fall 2021. Feet cut off last year by me. 

*Devold wool socks, bought in Norway, summer 2023. 

*Secondhand Birkenstock Melrose boots in Graphite, bought summer 2023, last worn November 23. 

Layer up, layer down --- it's the way in this changeable weather. 

All these pieces are ones I can wear in Advent --- each individually will work with purple clothing items. But it'll be a while before I wear a whole combination in these colors, so I'm making the most of it today. 

I hung laundry out yesterday and need to see whether it's dry yet. The sun is so nice that I think I could dry a fair number of towels without having to use the dryer --- I still have a pile of linens and towels to wash, so it would be nice if drying were expedited. 

This afternoon I need to make headway on my MFA student's thesis and accompanying notes. 

Feeling a bit deflated, with some hours of the holiday weekend yet to go, but the holiday people already gone. But then, truly, I never mind the quiet too much. And it's not as though there's nothing to do. I simply must do it, that is all.