A New Year Wish

As we prepare to ring in the New Year, I have a New Year Wish for you.

With all my

heart this

glad New

Year

I wish you

Plenty, Health

and Cheer

Happy New Year

A big thank you to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

Good Morning!

Reprint of photograph by Rachael Hale from Potpourri

Red Tea Pot

New little red teapot from TJ Maxx

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Thank you!!!

My Favorite Christmas Gift

From Mr. Dragon

 

He is my knight in shining armor.

Thank you, my love. 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Thank you so much for being part of the neighborhood here at Twisty Lane.

It's been a joy to get to know you.

I call you friend.

May you experience peaceful places,

 tranquil moments,

 quiet thoughts that nourish the soul.

Sparkle!

On a recent shopping trip, a dear friend and moi stopped by Anthropologie.

There, calling my name, was a collection of postcards.

Glitter Greetings, Joyeux Noel

Cavallini & Co.

Here is one of the postcards from the assortment of twelve.

I think you can see the glitter on the birds.

And, they were on sale!

The lovely Beth is the hostess for Postcard Friendship Friday.

Thank you, Beth!

Wishing all of you well, the happiest of holidays and a bright and glorious New Year!

Good Morning!

Winter Solstice

Yule, the winter solstice, is a time of great symbolism and power. 

It marks the return of the sun, when the days begin to get a little longer.

When Mr. Dragon and I first married, on the winter solstice we made a big pot of posole, invited friends over, decorated the tree, and shared a special ornament -- usually in the shape of an animal.

When we moved to Texas, we still made the big pot of posole, but didn't invite friends over.

I often wonder why we didn't continue that tradition.

We still share an animal ornament and our tree has been slowly over run with birds!

This year the excitement has been building for the winter solstice as there will also be a lunar eclipse.

It is a rare event. Historians at the US Naval Observatory only found one previous instance of a lunar eclipse matching the same calendar date as that of the solstice and that was December 21, 1638.

Image from Space Weather

We will feast and make merry this evening.

There is a wonderful stew simmering on the stove and a warm glass of cider has our name on it.

We'll also make sure our feathered friends have plenty of food and water

as we make a conscious connection with Mother Earth.

Image from jksalescompany.com

Have a cool Yule!

Christmas Wreaths

Each year different departments at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

make Christmas wreaths for auction.

The wreaths are displayed on the walk-way between the main building and the Mays building.

The auction goes on for two weeks with the proceeds going to family programs.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Please excuse the quality of the images.

The reflections were horrible, the lighting terrible and there was a lot of pedestrian traffic to shoot around.

I loved the pink "Ride 'em Cowgirl" wreath with its boa like feathers.

Curious George was a hit with the kids as was

the Mickey and Minnie Mouse wreath.

Then there was the "My Fair Lady" wreath with it's fancy feathers, fabric roses, ribbons, pearls and

plenty of lace.

It was the "Happy Texas Gulf Coast Holiday" wreath that really captured my attention.

Photos of the gulf coast, fishing lures, weights, shells, lighthouse.

You name it. If it had to do with fishing, it was on the wreath.

There was even part of a fishing pole hanging off the side!

Love the jingle bells, too.

A big thank you to Mary for being our hostess for Mosaic Monday.

Christmas is less than a week away.

Wishing you well, a JOY filled week, and many blessings this holiday season.

African Forest

One of our good baseball buddies joined me for breakfast and a members only tour of the new

African Forest at the Houston Zoo.

It was a beautiful morning.

Chimps have returned to the Houston Zoo with a family of ten.

The chimps have a half acre to explore. Fun!!!

Have you heard of Koolookamba?

From the mythical unicorns to the more modern day Yeti and Bigfoot, humans have a long history of fascination with animal legends and lore.

In Gabon today, there is a belief among the human population in a chimpanzee-gorilla hybrid, which they call the "Kooloo-kamba".

Fact or fiction, as visitors move through the African forest, they can find faces of the Koolookamba -- fun for the kids.

Be on the lookout! 

The journey through the African Forest continues next week.

A big thank you to Misty for being our hostess for Camera Critters.

Wishing you well and JOY filled weekend!

Postcard Friendship Friday

Seven days until Christmas!

Time is flying by.

All the packages have been mailed -- yeehaw!

Time to sit, cuddle under a blanket with the kitties, have some eggnog, enjoy some old movies.

Rest, relax, read, dream.

Here's Santa on his rocking horse.

As the horse rocks, you can see more of the village behind Santa.

This is my favorite of the reproduction postcards I found on Galveston Island.

A big thank you to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

Wishing you well and a JOY filled weekend.

Good Morning!

Kuan Yin

Image from Dharma Crafts

Kuan Yin is the Bodhisattva of compassion. Her name means "she who hears the cries of the world". Depicted here in three aspects, she holds a lotus flower symbolizing the innate purity of the Buddha nature, a sutra symbolizing the enlightened wisdom of the Dharma, and a mala, or rosary, symbolizing the vow of the Bodhisattva to save all beings from suffering.

When Mr. Dragon and I started on this journey called cancer, we knew the odds were stacked against us with a 30% survivor rate at three years. The latest news is not good and after much thought, Mr. Dragon has decided against further therapy. So now we enter the final journey for him. From the stars we come and to the stars we will return. We ask, once again, to send your prayers, good thoughts, white light as we complete this journey.

Wishing you well.

Tea Tuesday

How about a wreath titled Christmas Tea for Tea Tuesday?

I thought it was perfect for Christmas and Tuesday tea.

I 'd like to thank  Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday

and Teacup Tuesday for hosting Tea on Tuesday!

Wishing you well and a yummy cup of tea!

Pass the Yarn Please!

I've been catching up with my email and look what I found.

Crochet patterns from Lily using their Sugar N Cream cotton yarn.

Aren't they wonderful?

Images from Sugar N Cream

The Elf is named Lily, the coaster has a wonderful candy cane pattern and the Santa holds a tag.

Images from Sugar N Cream

My favorite pattern is the one for the reindeer ornament.

I have a thing for reindeer!

One of the stockings is knit and the other crochet.

I almost forgot the Santa ornament.

Pass the Yarn Please! I'm all ready for some more fun hooking!

A big thank you to Mary for being our hostess for Mosaic Monday.

***

Mr. Dragon has an appointment with his oncologist Monday and we'll see what the word is on further treatment. 

Thank you again for all your prayers, white light, juju, vibes, hugs, emails.

We really do appreciate all your support.

Wishing you well and a JOY filled week.

Postcard Friendship Friday

We lived on Galveston Island for many years.

 Dickens on The Strand is held there in December .

I remember it as a lovely Victorian celebration of Christmas and found this post card at one of the shops along The Strand.

This is a reproduction moving action Santa greeting postcard.

His arm with the paint brush moves.

There's nothing Santa

more enjoys

Than making toys for

girls and boy,

And in his way he's 

wondrous wise,

For he knows just

what'll please

your eyes.

Fun!

A big thank you to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

***

Mr. Dragon is home with his oxygen.

We learned a very sad lesson ... never believe your doctor until the FINAL path report is in.

Cancer cells were found in the fluid that has collected around his lungs.

We have an appointment on Monday to see what is next for treatment.

Thank you for your support, your prayers, your emails.

It means a great deal to both of us.

As Thich Nhat Hanh says:

"Smile, breathe and go slowly."

Wishing you well and a JOY filled weekend!

Good Morning!

(Image from Paragon.com)

***

Sorry I haven't visited or posted recently.

Mr. Dragon has been in the hospital since Sunday.

The good news, all tests negative for cancer.

The bad news, he needs help breathing and has some other problems.

He may be home today.

Keep those good vibes, juju, prayers, thoughts, white light and all coming!

Thank you!

I promise I'll visit -- hopefully soon!

Medicine Buddha

Image from Dharma Crafts

This is the Medicine Buddha (Bhaisajyaguru in Sanskrit). He is invoked for healing physical illness as well as to pacify the inner afflictions of attachment, hatred and ignorance. His right hand, extended in the gesture of giving, holds the stem of a healing plant. His left hand holds a jar of healing nectar.

Once again we are asking for your good thoughts, prayers, white light, good juju as Mr. Dragon once again is going to M.D. Anderson for more tests next week. He has had a rough time the last two months, continues to lose weight and because of an injury during the surgery has trouble breathing.

Thank all of you so very much.

Wishing you well.

Postcard Friendship Friday

It's December.

The Winter Solstice is just around the corner.

Christmas! Twenty one days away! Oh, My!

The hurrier I go the more behind I get ... or something like that! 

Two postcards to celebrate winter 

and Christmas.

The postcards were made by Current, Inc. I've had them for years and love the art work.

A big thank you to Beth for being our hostess for PFF!

Wishing you well and a fun weekend!

Edit: Current Inc is still in business!

Good Morning!

Image from Paragon.com

I Cooked!

Not only did I hook on my blog break, but I cooked, too.

Mr. Dragon was hungry for Brunswick Stew and suggested I add dumplings.

So I did!

This recipe comes from Campbell's Great American Cookbook.

It's one of my favorite cookbooks with a copyright of 1984.

It is a fun cookbook. Good, down home recipes, with a little culinary history and I've only found one recipe that mentions using soup -- and that as a short cut.

Here is the recipe straight from the cookbook.

Brunswick Stew

Everyone agrees that Brunswick Stew is the most Southern of dishes, whether it originated in Brunswick, Georgia, Brunswick County, North Carolina, or Brunswick County, Virginia. Some purists insist that it is not authentic without rabbit or squirrel meat, but most of today's cooks use chicken. The vegetables are certain to include tomatoes, lima beans and corn.

Begin: 3 hours ahead                                                                          12 Servings

1/2 cup diced salt pork

2 pounds chicken parts

8 cups water

3 medium potatoes, diced

3 medium onions, chopped

1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes, chopped

2 cups corn kernels or 1 can (16 ounces) whole kernel golden corn

1 package (10 ounces) frozen lima beans

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In 6-quart Dutch oven over high heat, heat salt pork, chicken and water to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 45 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender.

2. Remove chicken; cool until easy to handle. Cut chicken from bones, discard bones and skin. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces; return to soup.

3. Stir in remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered. 1 hour or until flavors are blended. Yields 16 cups.

Okra Soup: Prepare as above but add 1 pound okra,sliced, to the vegetables.

Enjoy!

Wishing you well and a JOY filled day!