Poetry on Thursday

I haven't shared a poem for a long time, but the other day I saw a deer in the yard in MD. We have deer wandering through our backyard in NJ almost every day, but I haven't seen a deer in the three and a half years we've lived in MD. It felt like an occasion for a poem. 

Photo by Miriam Fischer from Pexels

Deer Descending
by Philip Terman

Perhaps she came down for the apples,
or was flushed out by the saws powering
the far woods, or was simply lost,
or was crossing one open space for another.

She was a figure approaching, a presence
outside a kitchen window, framed
by the leafless apple trees, the stiff blueberry bushes,
the after-harvest corn, the just-before-rain sky,

a shape only narrow bones could hold,
turning its full face upward, head tilted to one side, as if to speak.

I want my life back.

Morning settles around her like a silver coat.
Rustling branches, hooves in flight.

Berman, Philip. "Deer Descending". Our Portion, Autumn House Press, 2015. 

I wish you mindfulness, good health, the peacefulness of deer and maybe seeing an actual deer or two, along with some poetry as the week winds down. 

Unraveled Wednesday

I'm joining Kat and the Unravelers for Unraveled Wednesday, with a few more inches done on the body of my Antler cardigan. I've knit about eight inches, so only 11 or 12 inches more before I join the sleeves and the body. 

John has this real reverence for deer antlers, so let's not tell him that I borrowed this one from his desk for a photo. 

I was slightly concerned to see that today is December 1st. I haven't done any shopping, and more concerning than that, I don't have any ideas for gifts. It looks like I'll have to actually come up with some ideas and do some sort of shopping, but all I really want to do is sit and knit. (That's not a lot different from any other time of year.)

I did do some reading, and finished a great book but there was another that was not my cup of tea. These Precious Days is a wonderful book of essays by Ann Patchett. I've enjoyed several of her novels (especially The Dutch House) but I think her essays are even better. Many readers may have heard about the title essay, but in case you haven't, you can read it here in Harper's. It's about the author's friendship with Tom Hanks and ultimately his assistant Sooki Raphael. If there is anything worse than the pandemic, it may be having recurrent pancreatic cancer during a pandemic. Ann Patchett eventually offers her home to Sooki while she's being treated in Nashville, and this is the story of how it happened. As good as this piece is, there are several that I liked even more, like "Three Fathers", "How to Practice", and "How Knitting Saved My Life". Because of the essay entitled "Reading Kate DiCamillo", I am doing just that. I thought the essay about Snoopy was a bit weak, but the rest of the collection more than makes up for that. Patchett's writing is clear, honest, and personal. There were many times I felt almost as if I was having a conversation with her. She writes about the fear and inevitability of death, but she also offers hope and optimism. In the author's words, she was writing "about what I needed, whom I loved, what I could let go, and how much energy the letting go would take.” I highly recommend this collection for some excellent writing and clear thoughts on those questions.

The book that was just not for me was The Christmas Promise. There are too many good books available to spend time with something you are not enjoying at all. 

Because of one of the essays in These Precious Days, I'm reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo and re-read Ann Patchett's first essay collection, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. It's as good as I remembered. Books that I requested from the library are piling up, so I've also started the new Jodi Picoult novel, Wish You Were Here. It's a pandemic novel, but a female traveler gets stranded in the Galapagos, so it sounded interesting to me. 

What are you making and reading this week?

What's On the China Cupboard?

If you were following along last week with What's In the China Cupboard you may have noticed some things sitting on the china cupboard last Tuesday.

The boys' college graduation pictures are sitting on top, and there are a couple of woven oak leaves and copper star ornaments hanging on the knobs. The things I'm talking about today are the two possibly slightly-out-of-place hunks of lumber.

Shortly before we went to CO to help Ryan pack and move this summer, John went out to clean up his workshop. It's in the top floor of our barn, and the boys used to play out there a lot when they were young. I suspect that John didn't actually clean up much, but he did bring these two hunks of lumber back to the house. 

You'll see that this one lists the members of the very exclusive Ryan's Club House.

There is room for a third member, but I don't believe I've ever been considered for membership. Underlining and three exclamation points make it clear that it's for members only.

The other seems to be a scene at sea, or maybe a boatyard.

I like the smiling sun, that the boats are numbered for some reason, and the gently rolling ocean waves. I haven't been able to relegate them back to the woodpile in the shop, so they continue to elicit a smile from me whenever I pass through the dining room.

What's in the China Cupboard: Friday

I'll finish out this week with a few of my favorites from the china cupboard. One thing that I didn't have originally was a teapot. Both my mother and sister-in-law liked to gift me additional pieces for my birthday and Christmas. One year, I must have mentioned to both of them that I would like a teapot, and that was the year I got two teapots for Christmas. 

The teapot features Donnington Castle on the lid and Farnham castle on both sides. And if you have teapots, you also need cups and mugs. The original set had plenty of cups and saucers, and there was one year my mother gave me 12 demitasse cups and saucers. I've never served espresso in them, but they are adorably cute.

The cups are only 2 1/4" across and feature Nottingham Castle on one side and Ludlow castle on the other. There is a regular cup and saucer behind them, and I love the floral scroll inside the teacup.

I've got lots of regular teacups and demitasse cups, but I bought four mugs several years ago. They are newer pieces and don't feature castles at all, but I like the Christmas tree on them, and I use them often throughout the holiday season.

Thanks for reading this week as I looked at what's in the china cupboard. I wish we could share a cup or mug of tea together!

What's in the China Cupboard: Thursday

Today I'm featuring the platter that will be holding our turkey (and ham, too, because John really likes it). 

The platter features Stafford castle, complete with two large towers and crenellations. It's pretty hefty at slightly over 16 inches across, but that ensures that none of John's ham will accidentally touch my turkey.

Wishing all who are celebrating a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving, and a very happy and healthy Thursday to those who are not!

What's in the China Cupboard on Unraveled Wednesday

I don't want to miss linking up with Kat for Unraveled Wednesday, so I'll take a small break from the contents of the china cupboard, and return to it tomorrow. But wait, my china set did come complete with several different yarn bowls! 

The covered version even has Windsor Castle inside, for when you want a fancy yarn bowl. 

I finished the ribbing on the body of the sweater, and have just started the stockinette portion on larger needles. Only 18" to go before I join the sleeves! 

I only finished one book last week, but it was a good one - The Chancellor by Kati Marton. It's a biography of Angela Merkel who I have long admired. After reading the book, I have even more reasons to appreciate her accomplishments. Merkel is intensely private and didn't speak to the author for the book, but I give her a lot of credit for keeping her ego out of her leadership (and out of the news). It's certainly a stark contrast to what goes on in the United States! 

Several books that I had requested months ago came up on Overdrive, so I've started These Precious Days and The Christmas Promise. These Precious Days is a collection of essays from Ann Patchett, and they've been great listening so far while I've made pies, stuffing, side dishes, and cleaned. The Christmas Promise is the latest book by Richard Paul Evans. This isn't the type of book I usually read, but I was feeling a bit tender when I first saw it and thought it was a book my mother would have loved. It may be formulaic and schmaltzy, but I'm hoping it won't be the worst book I read this year. If it's too bad, I've got another book of essays that I need to read and review on my Kindle - Bomb Shelter. 

What are you making and reading this week?

What's in the China Cupboard: Tuesday

Before I take the rest of the week telling you about things in the china cupboard, I should probably tell you just a little about the china cupboard itself and how it came to be filled with china.

There's a little niche at one end of the dining room that is just the right size, so we bought the china cupboard at the same time we bought the dining room table after we moved into the house in NJ. For a long time, I didn't have anything to put in it.

For almost four years it was empty, but then John's grandmother passed away. She was called Mom-mom, and John's mother cleaned out her house, then called me wondering if I was interested in Mom-mom's china. Nobody else in the family wanted it, it was the last thing she needed to take care of, and she could bring it right over. Even though I'm not really a china person, I couldn't stand the thought of taking Mom-mom's china to Goodwill, and I did have this empty china cupboard. 

My mother-in-law did bring the box of china over, and my excitement grew as I unpacked the pieces. There were lots of dinner and salad plates, cups, saucers, two platters, bowls, a creamer and sugar bowl, and a gravy boat. The pattern is Old Britain Castles, and each piece features pictures of one or two (you guessed it) old British castles. I was thrilled to receive this, especially because it's a pattern I would have picked out for myself. 

It's still in production today, but the original pieces have a crown back stamp. These were produced in 1930 through World War II when production was stopped. Production resumed in the post-war period, and the pattern is still made today, but in China and without the crown back stamp. 

One piece I always make sure to use is the gravy boat. 

The gravy boat has Rochester Castle on one side and Runnymede on Magna Carta Island on the other. The underplate has Warwick Castle on it. My family enjoys gravy when I serve mashed potatoes, and the gravy boat needs to be refilled several times to make sure there is enough gravy for turkey. The boys were always careful when passing it at the table, especially because the underplate isn't attached. It's a bit more elegant than serving gravy from a measuring cup (which is what I often end up doing for regular weeknight dinners). 

I'll be back tomorrow with another piece from the china cupboard along with some knitting and reading.