December Fun!

We are having fun this month. It is our first time to be at the House on the Cove in December. As we are here without our accumulation of decorations of Christmases past (they are packed and stored at the House on the Creek), we are taking a slow approach to adorning this home. We have acquired a string of solar-powered lights, and have put them on a tree near the cove. They work really well! During the day, the solar panel collects energy. At dusk, a sensor activates the LED lights, which shine brightly for about six hours, when they go out. If the day is sunny, we get all the lights shining brightly - the reds, the blues, the yellows, the greens. If the day is cloudy, we have fewer lights shining - the reds seem to need more power than others and often do not shine after a cloudy day. The lights also shine for fewer hours after a cloudy day. It makes me wonder how well a solar-powered home would work in this environment. The a picture is one Papa Bear took of our tree, at sunset one day, with the mouth of the cove in the background.

We also have a wreath near the door we use to exit to our vehicles. Some of the women who are in the parish of St. Andrew and St. John the Divine in Seal Cove and Southwest Harbor, Maine, spend the month of November collecting evergreen cones, berries of assorted colors (mostly red and white) and lovely mosses. In December, they make wreathes and centerpieces and sell them, contributing their earnings to the Church. We purchased one of their wreathes, and hung it beneath the light next to the door on the side of the house that faces the road. It is so lovely hanging next to our lovely sunshine yellow door! I have volunteered to help with this endeavor next year if we are here. As I know nothing about the wreath-making process, this may be a learning experience for us all!

We also have purchased stockings. As we lack a fireplace, we have hung them in a window that overlooks the cove. Somehow it just seems right to have our sailboat-stockings there!

Lastly, we have this wonderful ornament sent from some friends who live near the House on the Creek. It has a blue background - the very color of our furniture, and fossil coral used to make a schooner. It was made by the Modern Lady of Leisure's brother and will likely be a permanent decoration for our home here.

We attended the retirement celebration of one of our new friends last Friday evening at the Common Good Cafe. It was a gathering of many people from all aspects of the retiree's life - his family, his friends, his colleagues, his church, his children's friends ... you get the idea. The hosts provided lasagna - meat, vegetarian and vegan (though how you can use the words "lasagna" and "vegan" together is a bit more than Mama Bear can comprehend - she went with the meat lasagna for the evening - it was yummy!) and mulled cider. The guests were encouraged to bring a dish to share. We took one of our favorite green salads (romaine and spinach, dried cranberries, sliced green onions, glazed sliced almonds and freshly grated parmesana reggiano cheese, dressed with an olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sugar combo). The food was great, the fellowship fun, and the retiree is a member of a bluegrass band (The Dog Mountain Bluegrass Band), so there was great music. The core members of the band were joined by musician friends - there were banjos, an accordian, guitars, a recorder, a harp, violins, a mandolin, etc. and there was singing and sing-a-longs. One of the violinists (Ruth) did not look at any music all evening, the other violinist (a teenager of great talent - Emma Walsh) also did not need music. It was lively, it was friendly, and it was fun.

There is more music in Mama Bear's future (caroling tomorrow, a gathering to sing more Christmas carols tomorrow evening in Somesville, Lessons and Carols at St. Saviour's in Bar Harbor (a planned joint service between St. John's and St. Saviour's) on Sunday), some more work with the Westside Food Pantry Sunday, and Papa Bear and Mama Bear will attend a Christmas Party on Sunday evening. There are thank you letters to write for gifts and for the Westside Food Pantry, preparations we need to complete before we travel to see Baby Bear and Boo Boo for the holidays (The Cat has her own personal sitter who will be in attendance while Mama Bear and Papa Bear are away), and who knows what else may crop up?

We were also excited to learn this week that we have been enrolled in all the classes we had selected for the Acadia Senior College's winter term that begins in January. Colder weather is suppose to arrive this weekend. We have been enjoying the warm weather from the south that has been keeping the temperatures in the 40's of late, but this is Maine so we should have some cold weather. While some parts of Maine are sporting a white covering of snow, there is no snow here at the House on the Cove, and some of the locals are lamenting that the possibility of a non-white Christmas looms. On the other hand, it is too early to predict the weather for all of the days between now and Christmas Day, so who knows what will happen?