Sacred Art for the Season

 Last Christmas Eve, Rick and I enjoyed a remarkable art experience when we visited St. John the Evangelist Church in Jackson, Michigan, a small city about 30 miles away from Lansing. It was a temptation to write about it immediately, but the art itself was better fitted to explain during Holy Week, so I held off on this post till now.

 

Christmas Eve was the official "opening" of a magnificent mural at the church's altar. It's enormous -- 32 feet tall and 21 feet wide and was created by local artist Joseph Macklin. Father Chas Canoy told us that it took a year to complete. Jackson is part of Lansing's Archdiocese and its St. John the Evangelist is its oldest church, built in the 1850s and Gothic in style. The mural is a perfect addition, with the style of art and the painting's subject matter fitting the setting.

We Are Exhausted! And It Was Great!

We had a lovely and fun pre-Easter, birthday weekend with the grandboys -- and boy, did they tire us out! To be fair, both of us were running on limited sleep. But it was a fun weekend so no complaints!

 

Our weekend started off watching Michigan State lose to UConn in the Sweet Sixteen. The first half was grim and the boys were in bed by the second. The game ended up much closer than expected from "Act One" and if MSU had played as they did in the second half, they would have made it to at least the Elite Eight. Alas. 

Spring, Maybe? The Bunnies are Back!

The calendar tells us it is officially spring. I've got to go with that because otherwise, it's just too depressing! 

 

So, on a remarkably warm (60 degree) day, I headed down to the Ditch for a look around, For the most part, nothing had changed much since my last visit, but I did notice this unique pine. I'm guessing it survived the tornado but with definite scoliosis to its trunk. Still, it looks healthy, just odd. (NOTE: I stand corrected! Tom, who knows such things, says this is a spruce, not a pine!)

Finding Old Travel Photos: Japan Edition

Once again, life is a bit slow. Rick just returned from Florida this week, where he spent time with his dad and saw old friends. He got to travel -- now I am armchair traveling! It's time to share long-ago travel photos from the archive!

Lots more than 1,000 cranes -- taken in Hiroshima's peace park.

Belated Christmas and an Update!

My friend Suzanne, who lives in London, Ontario, came to visit this week. We were celebrating Belated Christmas. (And belated birthdays, too.) We decided to give up on presents for birthdays (being of an age where we really don't need anything and are or will be downsizing!) But we still like to shop for each other, so doing one big bash a year is perfect.

 

I was changing sheets on Suzanne's bed and on mine. I had an assistant. 

Princess Summerfall Winterspring

Our schizophrenic weather brought to mind a character from an old children's television show I watched as a child,  "The Howdy Doody Show." Princess Summerfall Winterspring was first played by actress Judy Tyler, then after her early death, by a marionette.  The character was one of Howdy's dear friends.

 

Summerfall Winterspring. That's what March is like in Michigan. When the temperature hits 60, drive by any fraternity house near the campus that has a sun roof and you'll see loads of young men in shorts. As for the women, on their way to the bar on a Friday night, tube tops and short skirts are in vogue -- often with no coat or a skimpy jacket. It is summer to them.

Reading in February

Three books this month. Is it the headaches that stopped me from doing more? Maybe. And I'm half through another that I'm not sure I can bring myself to finish. So, onward, to two mysteries and a truly delightful novel based on the life of a woman as remarkable as her fictional counterpart.

 

So Much for Spring!

In the last post I hopefully pointed to signs of spring -- melted snow, being the biggie. Well, I knew it would be back, and it was. Not a lot, so I'm not really complaining. I've seen what those in the East are going through. At least the sun has been out (sometimes!) so that's a plus. (And let's be honest -- since I started this post, it has pretty much melted again -- at this moment, it is 54, light snow predicted for today! February and March are always so erratic!)

So, What Else Is New?

It's been quite a couple of weeks. To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of it all! But the best part was Valentine's Day! Rick pulled out all the stops -- a terrific gift and a dinner to die for with wonderful wine!

 

The main course? My all-time favorite, shrimp and grits! He knows me well!

Great Grandpa Wood's Receipts

My great grandfather (my mother's maternal grandfather), William S. Wood, was born at sea in 1850 and raised in Buffalo, NY. By the 1880s he had cut out a career for himself in the booming confectionery business in the city.

 

Because of Buffalo's location and the advent of the Erie Canal, the city was known for its confectioneries, with more than 126 retailers and 13 wholesalers by 1888. William S. Wood started at the bottom in the 1870s and worked his way into a factory management position at Sibley and Holmwood. 

February -- The Longest Short Month of the Year

It's still mid February and while I don't want to wish time away, boy -- it seems like a long month! At least we've had some fun -- and fun things to look forward to! 

 

Rick was so desperate for good skiing that he headed north to spend some time with Greg, then kept going up to Sault Ste. Marie Canada, (aka The Soo). He found a spot he thought was heaven on earth.

Cork Poppers: Where Do YOU Want to Be?

It's time for another Cork Poppers post! This time we met at my house and our theme was "Where in the World Would You Like to Be Right Now." That opened up a lot of options for wines from about every country you could imagine and we had a few -- New Zealand, Spain and Italy!

January Books

I had high hopes for January reading and ended up with four books, three mysteries and one novel. I did clock in a lot of pages -- most were pretty big. But more important, they were good, too. 

Still Cold, But Who Isn't These Days?

It's been a full week, mostly good, and capped off on Saturday with a Cork Poppers gathering. More on that one later, but we had a wonderful afternoon sampling wines and devouring terrific food from places we'd rather be!

 

The Portrait Challenge

Today is Nicole's Friday Face-Off portrait challenge, in which we share portraits we have done of another. Now, if I was really doing this right, it would be something more recent than these. But, as they say, "it's been a month" (or two). So a couple of oldies. I'll kick it off with Rick. (All of these were done in watercolor on paper.)

Polar Vortex!

Greetings from the Polar Vortex. Chances are if you live most places in the US, you are in it, too. 

 

We are in the midst of a deep freeze here -- definitely not my favorite kind of weather but when you live in Michigan, you have to experience this now and then. But this is pretty extreme! When I was a kid, I don't remember them ever closing school because it was too cold. Even snow days were rare and it seemed we had more then than now. 

Life in January -- It's Good!

The past week has been mostly a "friend" week with several lunches and dinners out. I've been short of companionship during the past couple of months -- self-imposed, to be sure. But now feeling good enough to enjoy the company of others. And, on top of that, my weight-lifting and arm-raising instructions have been lifted so  can get back to doing things around the house I'd neglected.

 

I was so surprised and delighted when, on my "liberation day," Rick showed up with a dozen beautiful peachy roses. They've held up so well and I love them! 

Finding Old Photos: France Edition

Well, I've been here before. A slow month. I could write about a lot of health things or political topics but I don't want to and you probably don't want to read them. So, it's back to revisiting the travel photo archive!

The 2025 Book Wrap Up!

Finally -- an overview of the books I read in 2025. This was a far better reading year than I expected, with a grand total of 73 books read in 2025. Those books represented 20,573 pages. (The total books was a record since I started recording books in 2002, pages a bit short of 2022's 21,994.)

 

Last year's totals were 47 books and 4947 pages, so it was a great improvement!

I've listed my Top Ten (or so) below, all books by category/genre following. Please note that because something didn't get in the top ten, didn't mean it wasn't good. It might have just meant that it was part of a series and the series should be considered as a whole. 

Links under the titles of each book are to my book review posts from last year with more detail about each one. I didn't include many of the mystery series I love so much here because it felt a bit redundant, but many of those would be in my favorites!

Starting the New Year Right!

The calendar has turned over and I'm doing my best to turn over with it!  Some recent doc appointments have brought about some medication changes and I'm feeling much improved! What a relief! And nothing like a pretty fruit arrangement to really make your day!

 

I've been spending a lot of time at the computer lately, looking at old photos. No, not for blogging. Not even to delete the bad ones (of which there are plenty.) It is to add my own photos to the Aura photo frame that Kevin and Molly gave me for Christmas which is high on my "best gift ever" list. (Left: Covid days/egg hunt; Right: Good times in England)

Seven Reflection Questions that Made Me Think!

Recently, the New York Times had an article about seven reflection questions to ask yourself that might help you have a happier new year in 2026. I enjoyed these -- they were good food for thought. 

When did you feel the most joyful and carefree?

Being at the lake always makes me feel more joyful and carefree. There is usually no schedule and you can't beat the environment!

 

The December Books

I guess I read a bit more than anticipated in December, wrapping up the year with mostly mysteries, which are my "comfort food,"  along with one dearly loved re-read. (OK, I read that book one chapter a month but I finished this month!) Five books -- I'll take it. And they were all worth the time.

 

Memorable Moments of 2025 In (Mostly) Pictures

Happy New Year! 2025 was quite a year for us. We had a damaging ice storm at the lake and a tree fell down on Rick's house during a tornado in Lansing. Rick took two long bike hikes, including a month-long trip to Canada and New England. I stayed close to home or the lake! There was fun -- our Cork Poppers and other times with good friends, a good art sale and lots of art time. But I also dealt with afib issues, a cardioversion, pacemaker, tendonitis that laid me flat for a bit, and the usual MRSA, sinus and pseudomonas infections. Add to it the tension in the US and I will be glad to turn the calendar page to 2026.

Christmas -- The Merriment Continues

I think we were like many of you, who enjoyed multiple Christmases! As you saw in the last post, we had fun with the kids, decorating Rick's trees and doing the zoo walk. That was Monday. On Tuesday, it was our "Christmas Eve." I took the morning off so I could get a couple of things done at home (like sleep) and make cookies to decorate. But soon it was time for fun! (The clean-up would be later!)

 

We (I mean the collective "we") were going to build a gingerbread house. It started out well enough. 

Smile, and Keep On Tapping

The kids have moved on to their next Christmas after a good (and exhausting!) celebration. The tree is up and will be for a bit. I need the light and to be honest, have barely had time to sit with it and fully enjoy. I've had rough holidays before. This one has been overwhelming. But, as someone once said to me when I was doing theatre and we were all tired, not always sure of the steps, "Smile, and keep on tapping!" 

Friends and Fun at Holiday Time

We're closing in on Christmas and perhaps the best part is spending time with friends and doing some fun things, a bit out of the box. As I mentioned in the last post, my friend Suzanne came for a short visit and we did some Christmas shopping. The stores are looking good!

 

One spot we like offered snacks (they sell sauces and rubs and such, so it was good marketing!). It made for a nice treat on an impossibly frigid, windy day. They also had a couple of singers with an accordion come in and sing holiday songs. They were rather off key at times (but then, who isn't?) but very holly jolly and it was a nice touch.

More Hall Decking!

Things are on the upswing here as my friend Suzanne visits this weekend. But I thought I'd pop in the last of the home decorating pix. I'll start with this amaryllis from Trader Joe's. $7.95 and it has given me five huge blooms, still going after several weeks. I'd never seen a pink and white one before! Decorating and I didn't have to do a thing except put it on the table!

 

 And these flowers, sent by dear friends, are still going strong -- perfect Christmas colors!

Popping Corks with Cork Poppers!

It may be the December holidays now, but in late November, we were popping corks with Cork Poppers, celebrating fall and the upcoming "busy season" with some wonderful wines and delicious foods! This time, our hosts were Mike and Kate and the theme was Wines to See Us Through the Winter.

 

We started out with some festive Prosecco, because what is more festive than that?

Getting Up to Pace - and a Bit of Christmas Decorating!

Thanksgiving may be over but my personal season of gratitude extends to you. Thank you all for such kind, supportive words. I'm pleased to say the pacemaker implant surgery is over and while I'm still sore as all get out at the site, I'm back home, getting itchy to be back in holiday mode. I'm finding typing a bit challenging, between the sling and some soreness there, so if I don't visit as often or answer your comments directly (if I have contact info for you), I know you'll understand. And again, I am so grateful for you good thoughts.

 

That might take awhile to do well. Certain restrictions are for six weeks and I can't drive for at least two (or after my to-be-scheduled follow-up appointment.)The sling cramps my style! I may end up doing more shopping at the Evil Empire than I planned. I hate asking for rides to the grocery or having someone else shop for me, but I guess things like this humble us, so there you go. 

November Books and an Update

(If you're not into book chat, see the note at the bottom!) 

I'm not sure what I was doing in November. Yes, prepping for my art sale took a lot of time. Yes, there were three days of the sale. But that was over mid-November and let's be honest -- I didn't prep 24/7 for that. Somehow, I only managed to read two books, both mysteries. And both were worth my time.