Quote of the Day: Henry Beston
“As I settle down in this familiar house, with the lamplight glowing from its windows and the great planets crossing the sky above its chimney tops, I find I am shaking off the strange oppression which came over me when I lived by an urban sense and understanding of time. In a world so convenient and artificial that there is scarcely day or night, and one is bulwarked against the seasons and the year, time, so to speak, having no natural landmarks, tends to stand still. The consequence is that life and time and history become unnaturally a part of some endless and unnatural present, and violence becomes for some the only remedy. Here in the country, it all moves ahead again. Spring is not only a landmark, but it looks ahead to autumn, and winter forever looks forward to spring.”
Hendry Beston in Northern Farm
The seasons, something I love about living in the northeast. Winter is here and I’m enjoying what it brings to my life, rest and peace.
What are you enjoying about this season?
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Learning Swedish
I speak Spanish fluently, the result of growing up in South America. Thankfully I never had to study it since I just learned it as a grew up. In high school I studied German and was able to hold my own when I traveled to Germany in high school. Mr Chiots and I are planning a trip to Sweden next fall, so we decided to learn Swedish. I found Duolingo, a free language program and we’ve been using it for a few weeks.
I even put the app on my phone and now I can do my 10 minute lesson when I’m out and about and have a few minutes to spare. One of these days I’m going to go through the Spanish lessons to keep up on that language.
Overall, I think this program is FANTASTIC! It’s a great way to learn a language for a trip or just to keep your brain active. I use both the desktop and the phone version because they are both different and I learn different things from each. I like the flexibility of being able to complete the lesson while I’m at my desk or when I’m out and about. The best part is that it’s FREE! So sign up, friend me (ChiotsRun) and start learning a new language or strengthening one you already know.
Do you know any other languages besides your native tongue? If you could study one language, which would it be?
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Busy, Busy, Busy
Even though we are busy around the holidays, we have a few traditions we maintain. Cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning, opening gifts on Christmas Eve. We go on a hike on Christmas day, this year we walked one of the property lines and went back to the wetlands in the back of the property. Did you know we have one of the headwaters to a river here in Maine and have our very own bridge?
One of our traditions is that we always try to watch as many James Bond movies between Christmas and New Years as we can. It helps us take time to relax, otherwise we often end up doing chores and working. This year we decided to start at the beginning and watch them on chronological order. So far we’ve managed to get in four movies.
What traditions do you maintain around the holidays?
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The Advent Calendar
Last year I purchased these old fashioned advent calendars for family & friends. I purchased one for myself, but since we travel to Ohio from Thanksgiving through the first week of December, I didn’t get ours out. This year I pulled it when we returned from Ohio and opened the first five windows.
These are great advent calendars, designed and printed in Germany by a family that has been doing it since the 40’s. This particular design was the first one published in 1946. You can buy this designs, along with many others, on their website.
We have really been loving this little calendar, it’s such a fun thing to do every evening. Next year we plan on adding an advent wreath to our table and will celebrate the tradition of lighting a candle every Sunday.
What are your family traditions that surround the holidays?
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Sending Holiday Cheer
I love sending and receiving Christmas cards. Each year I try to come up with something creative to send out and it’s funny because I always thing this will be the year I can’t think of anything…then inspiration hits.
I’ve been wanting to do a card like this for a few years, this year was finally the year. I printed them on some really nice Linen Coverstock and glued that to some brown kraft cover stock for a sturdier final product. Mine were 5″x7″, which required trimming, but if you make them half sheets then you only have to cut them in half. I had A7 brown kraft envelopes size so I chose to cut mine down, but you can get them in the half sheet size through the same link.
I’ve been going through my address book writing out addresses and thinking about family & friends near and far. I’m also super excited to head to the mailbox each day to see which friendly faces will appear from an envelope. Holiday cards are such a wonderful way to keep in touch.
Do you send out cards this time of year?
