Saturday, December 30, 2006

New Year's Eve Eve

It is so beautiful here today on Ocracoke. The winds are balmy, the sky is blue, the temperatures are just cool enough for a jacket and just warm enough for a jacket.

It is a busy day here as there is an all you can eat oyster fest to benefit the Fish House. Tonight is a storytelling performance by Donald Davis at the Community Center. Everyone is abuzz over these activities. In between we are cleaning and packing as we leave for Indiana in the morning. Philip is driving me back and staying a couple of weeks. The shop is closed. I am glad that he wants to spend his vacation in my little town in Indiana. He can write during the day...evenings we can read or walk or go to the movies or the coffee house. If we are lucky we will have a blizzard and he can shovel!!

Until back home again, Happy New Year's Day!

Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Pumpkin soup and family ties....

Last night we spend the evening with Amy and David. (Philip's daughter and son in law.) He cooked down the Halloween pumpkin (I don't think it was the one that was lit on the front porch!, added leftover Christmas ham, sprinkled toasted pecans on top and pumpkin soup was born. All the family gathered as we sat around their small table knocking knees together sharing homemade bread, drinking wine. At one point Philip said we looked like a European family all sharing around the table.

We played games til the wee hours, then traveled home through the dark streets of the island. It was a wonderful night!

Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

A Sand Angel...

Yesterday afternoon, Philip and I bundled up for the beach. We wore scarves and winter jackets, although it was not quite that cold and not as windy as the day before. Philip commented on how crowded the beach was, but I did not seem to mind the two folks we passed as we strolled our half hour walk. The water was smooth and inviting with the winter colors of gray and dark blue clearly evident.

We talked about shadows as we walked, they were so prominent in the late afternoon. As we were about to leave and ascend the ramp, we noticed a sand angel. She was perfectly formed and looked as if a friend had helped her up so that she wouldn't smear. It was a nice ending to a lovely walk, and a little like home.

As an added note, we stopped by the Post Office on the way home to gather mail. We were there close to 45 minutes as neighbors just visited on the steps sharing local gossip!

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Boxing Day

Actually it is post Boxing Day, but nonetheless it is still being celebrated here at Ocracoke. This morning a steaming tray of sticky buns arrived on our doorstep compliments of Al and Linda. I invited them in to share as I would be on fresh pot of coffee, but they had baskets of treats and still places to go.

What a lovely old custom. There are many theories for the origin of Boxing Day. Most say it is from the United Kingdom and was the day after Christmas that the boss, or the King gave gifts to those who worked for him or to the serfs. There are even wonderful old songs which celebrate this day. One such song talks about putting a wren in a box on boxing day as well! This is from Old England.

Where are you going ? said Milder to Malder,
Oh where are you going ? said Fessel to Foe,
I'm going to hunt the cutty wren said Milder to Malder,
I'm going to hunt the cutty wren said John the Rednose.
And what will you do wi' it ? said Milder to Malder,
And what will you do wi' it ? said Fessel to Foe,
I'll put it in a box said Milder to Malder,
I'll put it in a box said John the Rednose.

A beautiful day and a walk on the beach will compose the rest of our post Boxing Day. It is actually cool enough to sit by the fire this evening with hot chocolate, and oh yes, a plate of sticky buns!

Wish you a Merry Boxing Day!

Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

The scent of cedar...

Just a few hours on a plane and life changes for me...from gray and cold and rain to live oaks and cedars with air smelling like a cedar closet. It is intoxicating to step out into the sunshine as well.

Christmas with Philip is a lovely place to be...family, friends, a house full at any given moment. I like the winter here...it is quieter and dark...but not desolate or lonely. There is much more time for pot lucks and card games and just visiting.

Philip's house was so beautiful the night we drove in. (His brother, Buddy, met me at the Norfolk airport driving throught the dark and fog, we arrived just before midnight on Christmas Eve, Eve.) Candles were in all of the windows, the wreath on the door, and a right fine, scrubby tree in the corner adorned with lights. It was like stepping into a different century.

On Christmas Eve, Philip hosted a pot luck dinner with his house overflowing with family and friend. Late that same evening, he again hosted an open house for Christmas Eve egg nog. Christmas Day found us hosting lunch for family and friends as well. Gift unwrapping was progressive as we meandered through the village.

To you and yours a very Merry Christmas, one day late!

Merry Christmas, one day late!!

Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Two Nights...two stories.

Last night Aaron and Karen, Jonah and Matthew came for our annual Christmas party. Yes, it is a few days early, but I will be leaving to visit Philip over Christmas so we needed to carve the turkey, share in the cookies, and open gifts before I went.

The house was indeed filled with the scent of evergreen and peppermint (along with the turkey and trimmings) as we all gathered in my dining room. How blessed I am to have Aaron and his family in my life. Karen has become my good friend as well as daughter in law. (She also is amazingly gifted in the gifting department.) Matthew and Jonah were happy over trucks and tractors and things that bump in the night. I was thrilled over the artistically designed tea kettle for my kitchen..a striking black and white retro design with a red wooden top. We all had a wonderful evening.

Today, after a full day of school and rehearsals for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, I found myself (along with the V-Day committee) at the home of the Women in Transition. This organization will become the recipient of our work at the end of February. Already we have worked a couple of months putting together our V-Day celebration here in Angola. The women at the house cooked dinner for us. We sat around the kitchen table all evening talking about the home...what caused to women to come there...how they are recovering. I left knowing that we had chosen the right recipient for all of our hard work.

Two nights..two stories.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Please check Macy's....

The other evening I was strolling about town picking up a few more odds and ends for Christmas...you know my car pool buddy, Alia...Mary, my 'what would I do without my hairdresser Mary'.....

I like to pride myself in doing all of my shopping (OK, as much as possible) in my town...so I opened the door to Calico's and Collectibles. I have been a long time patron of Traceys's shop. However, on this particular evening, she didn't have exactly what I wanted in the way of candles. Much to my delight she substituted something equally wonderful at a 10 per cent discount...

Ahh...life in a small town.

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

How many V-Day women does it take????

On Monday evening the new V-Day board, Jamie and Erin and I, set out to find our recipient, Women in Transition.

We have already been meeting for a couple of months on Monday evenings for coffee and planning at Rachael's coffee shop...but this was the night to speak to the board of our recipient.

We needed to be professional, we needed to be passionate, we needed to be straight forward, we needed to be knowledgeable, we needed to be on time.

We were all of the above, well, almost...we were late.

We started out leaving my house ten minutes early (ten til six.) It's a small town, what can I say? However, we could not find the meeting...we had an address, but it was on the other side of town (again five minuts away!) We found a vacant lot. It should make a nice home some day...but on this rainy, foggy night we weren't impressed. We continued our journey...where was this meeting? We called Jamie's husband, he knew, of course, he and Jamie both write for the newspaper. Wrong. He sent us on another chase...now we were now two blocks from my house. We did meet a very nice young man and his dog, however. We continued on. Yes, this is it...we were sure. We knocked and knocked. Curiously I looked at the mail..is that illegal? We didn't open anything, just wanted to know if it was addressed to Women in Transition. Wrong again. It was from the prosecuting atorney. Oops. We left quickly. Next I met a nice couple smoking on their porch..I got out of the car and chatted a while. (OK, a good long while!) However, found out that we were on the right street just the wrong side of town...again five minutes away.

This will be our last stop, we said, if we can't find it we are going back to my house for supper and a bottle or two of nice wine.

An hour later, we were there..on the doorstop of the meeting. They were glad to see us. They thought we had forgotten. Forgotten? Not us. We are passionate, straight forward, knowledgeable...just not on time.

Everything went well..we found our way home to my house in the dark fog. (We were actually only a few blocks away.)

We did our job, and ended up with a great story as well!!

Monday, December 11, 2006

Drizzle...

After days of record breaking cold...the warmer winds have begun to blow...what little snow we had has now melted off and a cold drizzle has replaced the early hopes of ice fishing and skating.

The gray dawn of morning combined with drizzle made for a slow start on a Monday morning. I feel like I am in a cocoon in my warm house with Christmas lights and the fog and drizzle encasing it...but alas, alas...meetings and luncheons and work to be done awaits for me in the grayness.

I am so reminded of Carl Sandburg's poem this morning.

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Fog

Carl Sandburg 1878-1967

Friday, December 08, 2006

The Cold of December....

I do think about this blog every day...it doesn't appear that way through the failure of writing...maybe after this one?

It is cold here in Northern Indiana as it is in most of the country. The snow is dry and as lacy as a grandmother's tablecloth. With the coming of Winter so many programs are taking place in my little town. Programs at the library.... at Wing Haven... at the University. I have gone to most of the them..and most of them I just put on my winter boots and everything warm I can find and walk.

I met a couple the other night who had just moved to Angola. They actually chose it to retire to. They were impressed with all that we have to offer so such a small community.

But my community is slow moving today...cars are creaky and the woolen blankets have not just come out of the cedar chests, but are spread across the beds. I still needed one more last night, but was too cold to get up to get one!!

So, with The Nutcracker on the CD player, candles lit, and snowflakes still powdering the earth, it is a lovely day for me to do "office" work in my p.j.'s with no where to go...except to the ktichen to refill my coffee cup!


Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana. When she is home at the White Picket Gardens you can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

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