January 2004
First of all, I bought a new car a few weeks ago!
NO! Not JUST a car! I bought a new SAAB 9-3 AERO CONVERTIBLE in the greatest color you've ever seen. Saab calls it lime-yellow. Bob Hechtel, my assistant, calls it chartreuse. I call it LUSCIOUS!
Here's a photo of the car at Dean Hill Motors in White River Junction, Vermont. Left to right... Luscious Car, Keith Wallace (General Manager), me, Mark Peabody (Service Advisor), Lennie Veilleux (Service Manager). I've known Dean Hill Motors and these guys for decades!
I can't wait for the warm weather so I can put the top down. (I might not wait for the warm weather. I might put the top down on the first sunny day!)
Christmas-time is over. Most people have taken down their Christmas trees and their outside decorations. It is so dark at night. This is the darkest time of the year, although slowly, very slowly, the minutes of daylight are beginning to increase.
I don't take down my decorations, especially the outside lights on the trees and the electric candles in the windows until February 2, the Feast of Candlemas Day. In olden days, that was the end of Christmas-time.
I love turning on the outside lights during this dark time. It looks so cheerful and the lights seem to say "Don't worry, springtime and light are on the way!"
January isn't ALL dark. There is New Year's Day, of course. (You can read in my chapter books how I used to spend New Year's with my family. Some of those celebrations were funny!)
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Then, there is January the 6th which is known as Epiphany or the Feast of the Three Kings. In Italy, before the Italian children discovered Santa Claus, an old lady called "La Befana" would come and visit on the eve of January 6th and leave candies and small gifts in shoes laid out by beds. (Several years ago, I wrote and illustrated a book called THE LEGEND OF OLD BEFANA.) |
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In Latin America, including Mexico, on the eve of January 6th, "Los Tres Reyes," the Three Kings would come and leave gifts. A special cake called "A King's Cake" was served. In one piece, there would be a special doll of the Christ Child. Whoever gets the lucky piece wears a crown and is the king (even if it's a girl or woman) for the rest of the party.
In Mexico, the king then has to have a "TAMALES" party on February 2nd.
I once made a "Tres Reyes" cake. It was a little tough and I didn't have a little baby Jesus. I'll have to try it again. Maybe this year!
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January is a little about "waiting" for me. Waiting for the daylight to get longer, waiting for the snow to melt a little. (It NEVER does!) And waiting for February (our shortest month).
February 2nd is Groundhog Day. I have a lot of groundhogs (woodchucks) in my meadow. They DON'T come out in February. There's too much snow to dig out!!
And, of course, I have to start thinking about making and sending Valentine's Day cards. February 14th is St. Valentine's Day. (I've put some Valentine's Day card ideas on the Coloring Pages section of the website.)
I'm going to make some hot chocolate, look out the window at the lights on the trees in my yard - and WAIT!
Enough for now. |
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I'll continue my ramblings in a few weeks. |
