Friday: At Times Thick Snowflakes Fall Beautifully Past the Window

I did as I said and found myself awake at nearly 10 AM with a nightmare of being in a room with kids and a bunch of boxes staked high in the middle next to a tall chimney (a surreal dream obviously) that lit fire to the top of the boxes and I began rushing confused kids out to the hallway, urging them to "GO" and went back in the smoking filling room for more, pulling the fire alarm in the hall by the door just before rushing back in.  

My Husband commented about my being a sleepy head; I merely knew I needed to sleep and rest today.  There is, however, a sense of loss when one does sleep in, the loss of time to do other than rest. 

A typical dialogue my Husband teases me and we say, in some form, that we love each other and he ends with 'I know, you love you too' ... I asked him if he remembered exactly what we say when he does this line. But he, as I, forgot.  He says "we have a compatible sense of humour; that is, weird'... and that his humour is done like performance art is - on the spot, fitting the situation as it is unfolding. 

It is interesting reading the book on the bookshop in Scotland (I would to read the second one he published recently) and the absolute devastation that amazon has done to the bookstore trade.  He's well versed in it and if I had not already been trying to use Amazon less and less, I would start now.  

I got an email via informed delivery that our package had been 'Delivered/Left with Individual' and sure enough, it was on our landing downstairs.  Laughingly, I told my Husband that it was labeled 'time sensitive material' when all it is are cotton face masks.  Too funny.   

As you see in the last picture, they are many colours.  I wish the pink though was not so bright a pink.  But no matter...

I wish the time sensitive meant that soon we would not need the masks, but, at least for us by NYC, I agree with my Husband.  We both hope the pandemic will end soon (whatever that really means) but wearing masks on public transit when things are safer, that may not end.  I was telling my Mother how we read an article this past week about how the Christopher Street Station of the PATH train (which runs between NJ and NYC for commuters) is one of the worst stations for air quality in the country.

I just finished the Scottish Booksellers's Dairy.  A book, at least in large part, an ending with a lot of sad poignancy to it; and in someways it felt like being in Narnia under the white witch where it is 'winter, never Christmas' as the author was beyond damp in his enthusiasm for the Christmas time that I love so much.   Still, I know more about a section of the world and the difficulties in being a bookseller.  And the unlikely cast of characters he is writing about captured my sympathetic attention.  So much so (sympathetic attention that is) that I wish I could give light and comfort that I sense is missing there, but one has to be open to it and of this, I would not know how to help, other than by prayer, which I did a bit tonight...

I told my Husband (as I often do, about books I read) that I wish I could show the author that true sunshine, true goodness, found in Christ, is there; all I could say is I know it is there but how to convince really much of the lost Western world is trying to convince a world without sunshine that true sunshine actually exists... 

We watched Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.  I am not a huge film person so had never seen it.  I quite enjoyed it and the cinematography was well done.  I would love to watch it again.

I did not go outside yesterday or today and I need to change this as it is not good for me at all.  Tomorrow, I plan on going out.  

It is just so hard, the pandemic going on, feeling a bit like I am going from day to day only doing the same thing (of course having the same meal so many times does not help but there was nothing I could do about that today).  I need to do what DE Stevenson's books speaks of, making happiness in my own home and fighting both complaining and selfishness.  If a pandemic can teach us, those of who are fortunate to not have deep suffering from it, to not do that, well, that at least is something.  Granny Marigold, you are right, the book is Vittoria Cottage, not Victoria.  I listened to more of it today...

I plan on ordering some plain dried cherries for baking and for my Husband who loves them on his cereal. 

I read John chapter 6 this week.  I found myself thinking, this must be one of my most favourite chapters in all of the Bible.  It is really incredible, that chapter.  Really, the true meaning of my life, what there really is to live for, it's right there. 

February is a hard month but mercifully, it is short and is flying by, as I knew it would.  I feel like we are all holding our breath, waiting for that time when we can breath out, in relief... 

Next week, God willing, we go to NYC.  By car. Masks etc.  I want to visit Tea and Sympathy but we will see if it is possible with the time frame I have.... 

May God bless each of you.  Thank you all who have commented on my blog this week, I enjoy your comments and thoughts very much!  May Christ have mercy on us and save us!