*che-wink* *che-wink* *che-wink*
I opened my eyes and listened to the cheery *che-wink* of an Eastern Towhee rummaging around in the leaves and lower branches of the flowering quince on the creek bank outside the open window. Yes…it was cold. But I had a pile of blankets on me and slept like a stone in the chilly air coming down the holler. I stretched and opened my eyes, rolling over and squinting without my glasses, trying to catch a glimpse of the beautiful bird with the black jacket and russet vest. I saw a flash of the showy “V” of black and white on his tail feathers as he fluttered off to another resting place.
As I laid there, gazing up at the ceiling, I took stock of what was hurting today. This parathyroid thing makes pain of some level a nearly every day ordeal. It’s just something I deal with and pray they can fix when they find and remove the offending glands. What I was most interested in yesterday was how my back felt. I was disappointed that it was more sore than the day before. Time to give in and see someone about it.
I made an appointment with the chiropractor for the afternoon and started gathering up my things to leave the farm once again. My sweet husband called to check in. He was on his way to pick up a deer someone gave his daughter. She had a full day of work ahead of her cutting up and packaging the meat for the freezer. He also drove all over town trying to find a new Christmas Angel tree topper. The lights finally went out in ours and it couldn’t be fixed, but…after a good twenty years of service, it was time to get a new one.
Mr. FixIt went to every store in town and finally found one. He tried to find an outlet in the store to plug it in but there wasn’t one to be had. So, he brought her home and hoped for the best. He plugged her in last night and we neither one liked her. This wasn’t a “well, maybe she’ll grow on us” thing. This was oh, heck no. She had colored lights, where we wanted white. Not only was she multi-colored, the lights changed colors every two seconds. You couldn’t even see the angel…just the lights. And she had fiber optics which for some odd reason just gives me the creeps. It’s like a hairy spider or caterpillar to me.
Since this was the only one to be found in town, we resorted to the internet and found one from Penney’s. She’s exactly what we both were looking for. She won’t be here until well after the tree is decorated so the old gal can keep her place of honor til the new angel shows up. Mr. FixIt moved the furniture out of the way while I was at the farm so we can set up the tree in front of the living room windows.
The chiropractor did x-rays and gave me a gentle adjustment. A lot of icing over the weekend and I’ll see him again Monday. He smiled as I left and said, “We can fix this.” That is always reassuring. I told him we need to because I’m a busy woman and I have stuff to do!
I’m really looking forward to setting the tree up today. I have so many wonderful ornaments that bring back warm memories. Some belonged to my parents, a couple to my grandparents. There are several I collected over the years at my friend Judy’s epic Christmas ornament exchange parties. Some I made myself. Some were gifts. And there are the special hand painted Ne Qwa ornaments I’ve been collecting for the last fifteen years. I am always so happy to see the decorations every year. It’s like running into old friends on the street and telling a story of how we met.
Hopefully I’ll have beautiful pictures to show you tomorrow. I took today’s snap of the barn out at the farm yesterday as I was heading to my truck. I love the way the naked fingers of the tree are reaching up for that azure sky. I love the weathered wood of the barn and old smoke house. I love the carpet of leaves the color of a well worn saddle. Everything about that farm is enchanting to me. This was just another example. I’ll be back again!
❄️
“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”
Psalm 8:3-5 ESV