Quote of the Day - 12/25/2011

Because the gods are baking winter cakes

Powered sugar sifts over the yard

In slow motion, hushed as thought.

Bare trees resemble sticks of cinnamon.

-        Diane Ackerman in I Praise My Destroyer: Poems (Vintage)

~~~~~

The quote of the day is a snippet from a poem - a word picture of an idealized Christmas morning.

Not many of us actually achieve that ideal but it is nice to think about all the same. Powered sugar snows never cause traffic problems so their beauty on the grass and bushes can be easily appreciated as an essential of the season. Of course the bare trees that resemble cinnamon sticks may happen almost every year. Thinking about them that way reminds me how much a associate the smell of cinnamon with winter holiday cooking.

What if you don’t live in a place that any of this is in the scene from your window today? Just imagine….or embrace the beauty of the scene you have. This is a day to enjoy…be present for it.

Gleanings for the Week Ending December 17, 2011

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles I read this past week:

Materials-coating advance could lead to eyeglasses that shed fingerprints – Hope this is something that gets to market quickly.

Water Wonders Every Child Should Know (Little Studies of dew, frost, snow, ice and rain)– A free e-book available from Google, published in 1907. Many black and white pictures of ice and snow crystals by Wilson A. Bentley.

Peppermint Biscotti - What a great way to us candy canes!

Feathers in fillable glass or acrylic ornaments - I bought some of these already made but may try to make some myself for hanging in windows.

Peppermint Crunch Bark - This is a recipe for a homemade version of a holiday favorite I previously purchased already made. I think I’ll make a batch before Christmas!

Chipmunks - These little animals can be such fun to watch! Over the years we’ve had a small population around our house and seen them frequently when we go camping.

Molecule of the Month - I look at this page produced by the Chemistry Department at the University of Bristol every year in December to read through a year of postings. In 2011 there were postings about Deet, Musk, Bleach, and Warfarin. I like the history of the discovery and uses for the molecules.