Winter Solstice (northern hemisphere)

 

Dec. 21 sunrise 8:28 am, sunset 3:51 pm

Today is the winter solstice (in the northern hemisphere).  It is the day when the sun stops its southward journey and begins to return.

In this year of The Covid, we have been plagued with a string of grey dreary days and rain with wind.  If ever there was a hint from Mother Nature to stay in and self-isolate, that was it for me.  I had been looking forward to walking again, trying to regain some of the physical fitness I'd lost over the previous couple of years of not being well enough to do much, but...best laid plans and all that.

With the arrival of the vaccines beginning, with stricter restrictions on people gathering, mandating masks, I had hope that 2021 would see a lessening of the things that have made 2020 challenging.  But the numbers are still not great, here and elsewhere.  In some ways, things are simply getting 'worse' as nature does what nature will do - and the virus begins to mutate.

However, early reports are indicating that the vaccine will protect against this latest mutation, so now it is up to us, us humans, who need to use the intellect god gave us, and come to the conclusion that we really need to stop moving about, stop meeting with others, stop spreading the disease.

Today marks the beginning of a new year (for me at least).  The returning of the sun promises that a new year is on it's way.  

Yesterday we packed up my stuff in the guild room and started to clear out the items that were for sale.  It wasn't an amazing success, but it wasn't a failure, either.  Some things did sell, the guild will make a bit of money from the commission it charges, and I think nearly everyone who offered something for sale, did sell something.  At least, I hope so.  That part isn't my job, thankfully.  The treasurer will be crunching numbers and issuing cheques when she can.  It is the holiday season, after all.

Registrations for the Sunday Seminar Series are going well enough, given the holiday season, the uncertainty of the future.  

I have finished marking another box of homework, with one more in transit any day.  I think that is the last for the 2019 level one students.  

I've heard that Olds College will begin sending out contracts in January.  I've agreed to teach level one at Fibre Week again (if we are able to run it and get sufficient numbers).  Time will tell.

There are two on line seminars booked with two guilds, one in Feb., one in Oct.  I need to work on those.  Now that the sale is over and the seminars ticking along, it is time to focus on those.

The latest warp is looking fine.  I'm nearly done the pale grey, have pulled together the darker blue and should be able to use up a fair number of nearly empty tubes.  And that's the goal, after all.

Doug is rearranging the pantry area in the laundry room.  We have been modestly stockpiling the things that I need because of my food allergies.  I can't just eat anything and the things I rely on might start getting scarce.  So Doug has been adding a few extra packages to our weekly grocery shopping.  Now we are running out of space to store it so he's adding shelves and I am trying to rearrange my fibre stash (by spinning it - what a concept!)  Fibres are bulky so I'm trying to convert it into yarn, which I can then knit and move on out of the house, one way or another.

My goals for the new year?  Keep doing what I have been doing.  Stay home as much as possible, wear a mask when I go out.  Keep weaving down my yarns, using up my fibres.  Keep cheerleading others to keep moving forward.  Forward towards their goals.  Forward into their new year.

The fridge magnet reminds me that "when you are going through hell...keep going."  (Winston Churchill)