What we're up to; solstice 2010

I haven't posted much about what we're up to lately, largely because it's been a very busy few weeks. (When isn't it, though?)

The cards are made and mailed, and since I have heard that one of the last ones has arrived, I assume most of them have.

We got the house pulled together and feast foods prepared for our solstice ritual last weekend. It went beautifully. Oddly enough, of the 17 people we started out expecting, only four made it and yet it was perfect. My old teacher and HP used to say that "the people who need to be there, will be there." Yet again, he is proven right.

Life was so busy going into the holiday, though, that we had no time to prepare for our private solstice celebration, so now we're dashing around finding each other some gifts to exchange and planning our feast meal together. Since I get off work on Thursday, we're thinking we'll celebrate this weekend, whenever we get finished all the preparations. There won't be any decorations or stockings this year, though. There has been no time to decorate before now and I just can't see making the effort just for a few days.

Last night, Jack and I went out shopping. One of my presents to him was his very own scrapbooking paper stack with mats -- but he had to choose that. As he said "Knowing me, whatever you had gotten, I'd have used and been happy with, but I'm glad I got to choose."

While we were out, Jack picked up his gifts for Rod, and my goodness wasn't he squirrelly this year! I had to talk him out of a number of completely inappropriate gifts because he kept cracking himself up imagining his father playing with them. (A huge beach ball, a dog's chew toy stuffed puppy, etc.) Eventually he made some good choices, but my goodness the silliness!

Two more days of work and then I get to hang out with my fellas for a week. I sure am looking forward to that!!

Happy solstice everyone!

BTW: The photo is my grandfather, Narcisse (Nelson) Earl Harold Durocher (to the left), and his brothers with their grandfather Alexandre Francis Xavier Durocher. The photo was taken around 1900. This one of my favorite family photos. I just love Grandpa Alexandre's face -- doesn't he look like a man full of mischief!