Easing into the New Year

Winter is the Best Time by David Budbill from While We've Still Got Feet (Copper Canyon Press)
Winter is the best time
to find out who you are.

Quiet, contemplation time,
away from the rushing world,

cold time, dark time, holed-up
pulled-in time and space

to see that inner landscape,
that place hidden and within.


I love soup and sweaters, long books and even longer nights, the way the stars sparkle like ice in a winter sky and the blinding sun reflecting off a crusty layer of newly fallen snow.  Winter is the best time.  And in this threshold time between the first day of Christmas and the last, I often find myself  quiet contemplation time that David Budbill mentions in his poem. 

Often the occasion for my contemplation is the turning of the year.  My days of making resolutions and indulging in too much champagne are behind me.  Now I prefer to spend the days leading up to New Year's Eve reflecting on the year that has past and looking forward to the year that is on the horizon. 

This year, I'm leading my first ever "virtual" New Year's Eve retreat.  It's a way for people who are looking to move mindfully into the new year to do just that . . . reflect upon 2012, take some time to be open to the present moment, and vision for the future.  There are reflection exercises, questions to ponder and of course, plenty of poetry to guide you on the journey.  I'll also be sending periodic e-mails to participants Sunday morning through Tuesday afternoon with additional poems/prayers/questions and we'll have a virtual check-in/sharing time on Facebook at 2 pm on Sunday and Monday for any who want to share their experiences in community. 

If you're looking for a different way to begin this year, I invite you to join us!  Click here for more information or to register. 

Things I do when I should be working on my NaNoWriMo novel . . .

1. Check e-mail
2. Check Facebook and like a link
3. Check the BBC news home page to see if any top stories have changed in the fifteen minutes since I last checked it
4. Surf the Internet looking for information on nineteenth century American children's fashions/whaling ships/plumbing/popular novels.
5. Make a winter reading list, including the books Winter and Cold
6. Drink lukewarm Earl Grey tea
7. Scrape  wax off the inside of the glass container so my eucalyptus spruce candle lasts a smidge longer
8. Stare at my vision board and think about redoing it since it's obviously not inspiring me to write
9. Clean out and reorganize my computer files
10. Read a few poems by David Budbill
11. Bake vegan apple spice scones

 In case you need to procrastinate as well, here's the recipe for the latter.

Apple Spice Drop Scones
2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
5 Tbsp. shortening (I used Earth's Balance)
1/3 cup apple sauce
1/3 cup nondairy milk (I used coconut almond)
1-2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves (yes Jeff, ground)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 450 and put cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in oven to heat.  Mix dry ingredients together.  Dice shortening and rub it in the dry ingredients with your fingers, a fork, or a pastry blender until crumbly.  Stir in the apple sauce then add enough milk to make a sticky dough that still holds its shape.  Add spices to taste.  Stir in walnuts.  Take the cookie sheet out of the oven and drop dough by spoonfuls onto the hot baking sheet.  Bake for about 12 -15 minutes (will depend on how big they are how long they take) until golden brown on the edges.  This should make anywhere from 8 - 12 scones depending on how big a spoon you use.