A rainy day. Still, one must walk. So I do my farmette morning spin.
And we eat breakfast.
And then I sit down to think about the upcoming holidays. The last weekend of October is the time I typically begin work on a holiday card. With good reason. I have more time then. November's Thanksgiving and December's pre-Christmas craziness leave little time for musings about holiday messages and designs. Too, there are sales now. What I might do today will cost me 10 or even 20% more if I wait until, say, Monday.
But how do you write a holiday card in these crazy times? I look at my past cards: Joy, Merry and Bright -- such themes just don't cut it this year given that just about no one I know will be spending the holidays in a manner that is likely to be very merry.
I look for suggestions on my previous year's card making website. There are the usual messages of Merry this, Joyous that, but I also see options that could only belong to this era: "What a Year!" and, amidst pictures of frolic and fun -- "Our Real Life Looks Nothing Like this!" Well, that's funny, but sort of sad at the same time. What if I played around some? Stick "Oh What Fun..." next to a photo of a Zoom meeting. Or, here's an idea -- "Cherish the Moment" -- with a bottle of wine and an empty glass. Maybe several bottles of wine, all empty. Not exactly a Ho Ho Ho. Not even a Ha Ha Ha.
And, too, working this far in advance makes me uneasy. What if someone I want to reach during the holiday season falls sick before then? What if we're in such a political and pandemic mess that anything cheerful is like a slap in the soul for us all?
And yet, would I not wish things to improve? Wont I want my beloved family and friends to find an ounce of holiday happiness, despite it all?
I go back to my search, looking at and rejecting dozens of formats and messages. Finally, when evening comes (it takes me that long!) I settle on something that may work, unless we're completely on another planet by then, but hey, then it wont matter, right?
In the evening, I visit with Primrose. I'm fixing dinner, she's eating dinner. The end of a week for her, for me. She sings for Ed, we talk about Halloween. FaceTime is a beautiful invention.
Late evening. Fish, broccoli, salad. A dumb movie, a few more steps on the treadmill. And a good night wish to all!
