My Christmas Playlist

 I've started listening to my Christmas playlist. A couple of years ago I searched out versions I liked of Christmas songs I like. For most of them, I bought the tracks from Amazon Music and downloaded them to my computer. So I have a file of 51 mp3 files and I just go there and click "Play All." The titles are sorted alphabetically, so usually that's how I listen to them. Here's the list:

1. Adeste Fideles (Latin)—Vienna Boys’ Choir
2. Adeste Fideles (English)—Londonderry Singers
3. All I Want for Christmas Is You—Mariah Carey
4. Angels from the Realms of Glory—Stephanie Hall Singers & the London Fox Players
5. Angels We Have Heard on High—Londonderry Singers
6. Away In a Manger—Joan Baez
7. Boar's Head Carol, The—The Robert de Cormier Singers and Ensemble
8. Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light—Not sure
9. Carol of the Bells (Choral)—Not sure
10. Christmas Song, The—Nat King Cole
11. Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental)—Vince Guaraldi Trio
12. Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal) —Vince Guaraldi Trio
13. Coventry Carol—Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles
14. Ding Dong Merrily on High—The Sixteen and Harry Christophers
15. Do You Hear What I Hear?—Bing Crosby
16. Ere Zij God—Dennie Christian
17. Feliz Navidad—José Feliciano
18. First Nowell, The—The Robert de Cormier Singers and Ensemble
19. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen—Londonderry Singers
20. Good King Wenceslas—Huddersfield Choral Society
21. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas—Judy Garland
22. Here We Come A-Wassailing—The Merrywood Singers
23. Holly and the Ivy, The—Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
24. Holly Jolly Christmas, A—Burl Ives
25. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day—Harry Belafonte
26. I Saw Three Ships—Ambrosian Singers
27. I Wonder as I Wander—Joan Baez
28. I'll Be Home for Christmas—Bing Crosby w/John Scott Trotter & his Orchestra 
29. In the Bleak Midwinter—Susan Boyle
30. Jesous Ahatonhia—Carolyn Sinclair
31. Jingle Bells—The Ray Conniff Singers
32. Joy to the World—Eugene Ormandy
33. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow—Dean Martin
34. Linus And Lucy—Vince Guaraldi Trio
35. Little Drummer Boy, The—The Harry Simeone Choir
36. Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming—Apollo’s Fire & Jeannette Sorrel
37. Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord—Boney M.
38. Mary's Boy Child—Harry Belafonte
39. O Holy Night—Samuel Ramsey
40. O Tannenbaum—Aeolian Kammerchor
41. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree—Brenda Lee
42. Silent Night, Holy Night—Julie Andrews
43. Silver Bells—Johnny Mathis
44. Sleigh Ride (Instrumental)—The Boston Pops Orchestra
45. Sleigh Ride (Vocal)—Johnny Mathis
46. Still, Still, Still—Libera 
47. We Three Kings—The Irish Tenors
48. What Child is This (Greensleeves)—Johnny Mathis
49. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks—Ambrosian Singers
50. White Christmas—Bing Crosby
51. Winter Wonderland—Frank Sinatra

Pains and tweets

Still no second flood—hooray.

Yesterday I received a package from Amazon. It's a cushion I ordered to sit on, specially designed to alleviate and prevent tailbone pain. I sit so much for work and leisure that I was starting to have that—a real pain in the a**, har har. The cushion has that little notch cut out so that when you sit on it, your tailbone is above empty space and so has no pressure to make it start aching. I don't find these kinds of cushions attractive. That little cutout notch seems to announce, "Here's where your butt crack goes," which I feel is ungenteel. But comfort before fashion for me. It also acts as kind of a booster seat and puts me at a better angle to my keyboard, I think, So, all kinds of advantages.

Now I'm going to listen to my favorite podcast, The Rest Is History. I like the banter of the two British hosts, as well as hearing about their topics. They also each have a Twitter account and the show itself has a Twitter account, so I re-opened my Twitter account after having shut it down a few years ago. Twitter can become a depressing place. But I just follow these guys and their show and a few family members. 

High water

Well, Benedict is much bigger now than when I first posted pictures of him. Here he is about a month ago:

And here is little Miss Beatrice:

They spend a lot of time play-fighting. At least, I assume it's play and not real fighting. They tire each other out and fall asleep for a while, then wake up to renew the battle. Beatrice has outgrown the stage of chewing everything all the time (she now just chews some things some of the time), but Benedict is still in full chomping and chewing mode. 

I have been to California and back since my last post. I visited my sister for a few days and got to see her family.

We've been having excessive rain the past couple weeks. When someone from western Washington says it's a lot of rain, it's a lot of rain. We're on our third "atmospheric river" in as many weeks. The nearby Nooksack River flooded several towns in my county: Sumas, Everson, and Ferndale. It flooded them twice and my do so a third time. 

I was confident my creek would not flood because it has different sources than the Nooksack. The Nooksack is fed by mountain streams and snow melt, which my creek just wanders over from Canada at a lower elevation. Generally, as my dad told me, it only floods if we first get a lot of snow, then a thaw with rain, to put a lot of melted snow plus rain into the creek all at once. We weren't getting any snow, so I figured the creek wouldn't flood. It didn't flood the first time that the Nooksack did, but this past weekend, during the second atmospheric river (meaning a lot of rain coming in from the Pacific Ocean), it did overflow. Color me surprised. And, as it continued to rise, a little nervous. I always say, and it's true, that the water has never come up to the house, but a silent voice always adds "yet."

Still not yet, though. My back yard is a flood plain. The creek flows over it about once every three years or so. This on Sunday was the highest I've ever seen it. 

There was still a foot or so before it would reach the retaining wall, and then there was the wall. But I kept picturing water seeping in under my door. Sunday night I kept going out and using the flashlight function of my phone to look at the water. I was freaking out a little bit. But finally I said to myself, "It's either going to happen or not, and probably not. You can't do anything either way, so go to sleep." And so to bed. In the morning, it had receded quite a bit, although still quite swampy, but it was good to see the grass again.

Now we'll see what happens overnight tonight, as it's raining again. This rainfall is not predicted to be as much as the last two, but the ground is saturated and the waterways are full. It's dark now, but I will not go outside and look. I'll wait until tomorrow morning and see what it's like out there.

Ice and Fire and Cold Comfort

Starks at Winterfell

I recently started reading the Game of Thrones books, or rather Song of Ice and Fire. I think I'm in the third book. I'm reading them on my Kindle, so when I finish one the next one pops up as a recommendation. It occurred to me to read them because of a frivolous conversation at work. My co-workers were speculating that I would be very good at Trivia, but I pointed out I don't know a lot of recent cultural references, like Game of Thrones characters. Those show up sometimes in the New York Times crossword puzzles. I don't subscribe to the NYT, but I do subscribe to their crossword. Anyway, the next time I was considering what to read, I thought, Why not? So I started them.

They're pretty good. They move very, very slowly. I think one year of narrative has gone by since the beginning of the first book, and they are long books. Each chapter or section is a third-person limited perspective of a different character. So when you go to the next chapter, you may not go forward in time from the last one, just to a different viewpoint and locale.

Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm

The story starts at a castle or fortress called Winterfell, belonging to the Stark family. Speaking of frivolity, that made me think of the Starkadder family at Cold Comfort Farm, in the amusing novel (and movie) of the same name. Later, when the Stark father left his son in charge of the place, he said something like, "There should be a Stark at Winterfell," which made me think: "There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm." I wonder if I'll come across something that will make me think, "I saw something nasty in the wood shed!" Funny only if you've read Cold Comfort Farm or watched the movie.

My growing family

When I adopted my mostly chihuahua puppy—her name is Beatrice, by the way—in August, I actually had wanted to get two puppies, but she was the only one available. So last month I went on Craigslist again and saw that a woman in Blaine had a litter of Chiweenies for sale. I did not have to look that up (as apparently some of my Facebook friends did) to know that meant a mix of Chihuahua and Dacshschund, aka Wiener dog. I texted her, made the deal, and that evening she brought him over.

Meet Benedict.

I wanted two dogs so they could be company for each other, especially while I'm away. My employer has recently told its employees that they plan to have us back in our offices by September y7. When I commute to and work in Bellingham, I'm out of the house for about nine hours.

My previous dog (rest in peace) had pretty severe separation anxiety. If left alone in the house, he chewed things, did his "business" in inappropriate places, and generally went crazy. For a while, I crated him while I went to work, but that was a sad thing to do. In 2017, when I had to live in a hotel for months on end while my home was repaired from water damage, I could not leave him in a hotel room for fear he'd howl and bark all day. I started bringing him to "doggy daycare" at Hyline Hotel for Dogs, and he loved it. When I moved back into my house, I did not have the heart to start crating him all day again, so I kept bringing him there every day. He was much happier, so it was worth it, but it was a bit spendy. When was had a financial advisor come to work, I told my co-workers that I was spending my retirement money on my dog's day care.

My theory is that dogs, because they are pack animals, are not hard-wired to cope with solitude. It freaks them out to be alone. So, now, when I go back to the 9 to 5 slog, my dogs will not be home alone.

They are still getting used to each other. It is Beatrice who has to make the biggest adjustment. Benedicts is quite placid. He waddles around cheerfully on his rather short legs, eats heartily of his puppy food, chews happily on chew sticks, and takes frequent naps. Beatrice's attitude toward him ranges from indifference to jealousy. She is not a placid dog. She is nervous and yappy, and she prances around Benedict on her long, slender legs, poking her nose at him. She has a hard time settling down with me if I want to hold both of them. She wants to be the only one in my arms. But I think eventually Benedict will come up as the alpha dog because he dominates at the food bowl. When I put it on the floor, he walks up and wades in, and if Beatrice comes up he leans over the bowl and she backs away. I've started putting two bowls down, at some distance from each other, so that if Benedict is at one Beatrice can be at the other.

When I'm busy working at my desk, they do play with each other, in puppy fashion, fake-biting each other and lunging and rolling around. Sometimes they scrap over a toy. They actually do play tug-of-war with the knotted-rope tug toys I've gotten for them.

So I think that as they grow up, they'll fight and play, like siblings, and eventually settle down to each other. They bring a lot of interest and enjoyment into my life.

The moment her world changed.

 

Adventure Dog

 This morning, I tried out Door Dash and ordered a breakfast sandwich to be delivered to my door. (Aside: it took longer than predicted, I suspect because I'm in a small town and probably there weren't a lot of drivers lined up waiting for jobs. So, while initially my order was supposed to arrive in about half an hour, it arrived in an hour. I had opted to receive text updates, so I wasn't left wondering.) When it arrived, I opened my door and picked it up.

An hour or so later, I happened to catch sight of movement on my deck outside and looked to see if it was a cat or a squirrel. To my astonishment, it was my dog! Speaking of door dash, she must have dashed out the door when I opened it momentarily to get my food. I can't imagine how I didn't see her, but I didn't.

I went and opened the door and made calling noises and she came trotting inside. All that time, I'd thought she was asleep under a quilt. I wonder where she was during that hour. I guess I'll never know.

I'm glad she returned safely.

Comfort

About a week and a half ago was the fourth anniversary of my dad’s death. A couple things were circling in my mind about this. One was how, after my father died, sometimes I would sit and close my eyes and remember what it felt like just to sit in the same room with him. I felt at peace with him. He knew me, he loved me, he was glad I was there. Unconditional love. I felt like I had to imagine he was there to get the feeling in my heart. I thought it was something he was giving off, but eventually I came to think it really came from inside me—it was the love I felt for him that filled me. Of course, my love for him was because of his love for me.

As time goes by, I do this imagining less often, and the feeling of what it was like to be with Dad is harder to remember. But I started to think that since it was love coming from me, going outward that was the feeling I sought, I did not necessarily need to imagine being specifically with Dad. Perhaps I could fill up with love for God and enjoy His presence.

I used to sometimes wonder why my dad liked me so much because I don’t seem all that likeable to myself. This feeling of unlikeableness (word?) was a barrier in my relationship to God, because why should He like me? If anyone knew all my flaws, it would be Him. My dad knew me well, including my flaws, and he liked me. I had to believe that because I saw it happen. I knew it for a certainty. So if I can sit with my eyes closed and feel what it’s like to be in the presence of my Father in Heaven, surely I can know that He likes (and loves) me and is glad to have me with Him. I can let that love well up in me for Him. Let [me] then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence. He. 4:16.

And the fruit of such love for God must be love for the people around me. The summary of God’s law is: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mt. 22:37-39. Love for God causes love for neighbors because, as the apostle John points out, God is love. I Jn. 4:16. Love is His command but also His consequence.

I’m so thankful to have an earthly father who has so well demonstrated the love of my Heavenly Father.

I hope what I’m writing doesn’t sound just like so much fake-pious jargon. My language is insufficient to the truth, although it also does suffice because God’s truth is simple enough to say simply—God is love—but so profound that our understanding of it can keep growing for a lifetime and never exhaust it.

May we be comfortable and at peace, loved and full of love in God's presence.

Still good

 Ah, well. We finally got the hard freeze that did in my calla lily.

I tell myself it’s no worse now than it would have been earlier, but it is a bit sad to see the bloom ruined.

So it goes.

At least my dog is still adorable. Here she is nestled in a quilt.

And here she burrowed into my sweater but didn't realize that part of her was still exposed to the open air.

Today is a bright, sunny day, though cold. We are predicted to have freezing nights for a number of days now, and some chances of snow flurries. I can't think the snow will stick, though, because the daytime temperatures will be in the 40s (Fahrenheit, of course). That's cold (to me) but it's not cold enough to keep snow from melting.

It feels like a good day to drink coffee. But then, every day feels like that to me.

Good times

My calla lily is in bloom. This is unusual. Every year that I plant flowers, I plant a calla lily in a ½-barrel near the southwestern corner of my deck. It is a shady spot. I usually plant trailing flowers around it, to cascade down the sides of the barrel. Lately those have been red begonias and white bacopa. All of these are annuals where I live. They die in the frost.

In the spring, I buy a calla lily that is in bloom. They stay in bloom a good while. Even after the bloom is gone, the plant continues to grow big green leaves, and is tall—to contrast with the trailing flowers. Then winter comes, and in a hard freeze the calla lily dies. The next spring I throw it out and plant a new one. In the many years I’ve lived her, one year I thought the calla lily had died and I planted a new one, then the old one rose from its ashes (its bulb or rhizome or whatever) and grew right by the new one.

This winter, the calla lily has not died, and now it’s in bloom in January already. We could still get more freezes and snow before spring, but right now it’s like early spring.

My sweet box is also blooming. That’s a bush with green leaves all year round. It’s other name is sarcococca, but sweet box sounds nicer, doesn’t it? It gets tiny white blooms that are sweetly fragrant. Just walking by, you get the heady scent. When I first moved here from California, I thought it must be some kind of jasmine, but it’s not. But if you know jasmine, then you have some idea what it’s like.

My dog is adorable. Generally, I’m not one to put clothes on a dog, but being so very chihuahua, my puppy feels the cold. She likes to burrow into quilts and sweaters that I have lying around. In fact, yeah, that’s why they’re lying around. (Ahem.) Anyway, I did buy her some clothes to shield her from the cold, and my favorite is a pink cable-knit sweater. 

The first time I put it on her, she kept shaking and shaking herself. Not trembling in the chihuahua fashion, which she does do fairly often, but shaking herself like all dogs do. After I stopped paying attention to her for a while, and then looked at her again, she had managed to remove it by herself. But the next time she wore it, she was more accepting.

Today is the birthday of a beloved family member. I won’t call her out by name because she might not like that, but my family knows who she is. She is a dear and loving person.

And those are the important happenings in my world on this January 20th, 2021.