Ice.

 We came home to a rainy Burlington and then a freezing Burlington.  This led to some gorgeous flooded and frozen fields.  We wandered, we explored, we slid, and we  enjoyed the sheer beauty of so much ice.  

The Owl and the Turkeys

Right alongside the driveway at Claes's we had the good fortune of some beautiful, feathered visitors.  First, a giant barred owl which sat there in a tree branch for two days, watching, watching, watching for prey.  Then, a congress of turkeys that found their way past the house pecking and preening the entire way. The turkeys came back each day.  

Lucky us.  Lucky birds.

 

Puzzle Me This

 

No Thelemarck Christmas would be complete without a ridiculously hard puzzle to complete. This year we did three. They kept getting harder. 

Five Cousins in New Hampshire for Christmas

 

Instead of matching pajamas for Christmas this year, we bought all of the kids matching red Swix hats.  They are the best group of cousins for sure, so we spent time photographing them. Kaj had a bit of a meltdown the day we wanted to get group shots, but he pulled through at the end. It's no fun at all keeping up with the older kids when you are the youngest of five!   

Thelemarck Christmas

We celebrated Christmas in New Hampshire this year.
Bjorn flew in from Arizona.  Barbro and Dave drove from Vermont, and of course all of the cousins and aunts and uncles were there too.  We ate a lot, had Swedish smorgesbord, made pasta for christmas dinner, sang lots of Swedish songs, drank Glug, and went walking and sliding in the beautiful the snowy woods. It was a lovely holiday this year.  

 

Solstice Eve

winter solstice hike 

up the snowy path with friends 

crunch crunch the cold snow

Christmas Images 2022

As always, Christmas was beautiful in our home.  I love the decorations and the time we take to make sure it looks festive.   Here are some simple snapshots of things around the house.  

 

Oklahoma

We know we belong to the land

And the land we belong to is grand!

and when we say

yeeow-a-yip-i-o-ee-ay!

We're only sayin'

You're doin' fine Oklahoma!

Oklahoma OK!

 

Big Tree Little Tree

For the first time in our lives, we had two Christmas trees up. 

One in the living room as usual, and one at the top of the stairs.

We loved them both.  

 

Oh Christmas Tree

The last couple of weeks have been a blur around here and we seriously could not find a second to go get our tree.  We had time between 4 and 6 pm tonight - and the tree farm closed at 5!  So, we shot out to Whites Tree Farm and picked one out in the dark. It took us about 5 minutes to find it and wouldn’t you know, we like it!  

 

Senior Photo

We found out that senior yearbook photos were due about 4 days before the deadline. We had no idea.  So we ran out early one windy morning before school and I snapped a bunch of photos of Anders hoping to get at least one good shot.   I liked a bunch.  Here are some of our favorites.

 

It’s Coming On Christmas

We’re cutting down trees.  

 

Veni Sancte Spiritus

Then Jesus said, 

"Did I not tell you that if you believe,

you will see the glory of God?"

John 11:40

It's absolutely true that my mother was a believer.  She had more faith than anyone I know.  It was her faith that pulled her through all 96 years of her life, especially at the end.  Soothing her through all of her aches and pains, her loneliness, her confusion, her loss - all of this was possible to bear because of her unshakable faith, love, and trust in God. I admire her belief; constant and unwavering.  I imagine that her ending was full of true happiness and light.  Father Richard Eneji, a Nigerian priest at the hospital, administered her last rights and ushered my mother across the threshold of life.  He was certainly a channel of the Holy Spirit and created a sacred passage.

Mom may your heart be at peace and your light shine on in us.  

This is the song that was playing as she passed from this world.  

Veni Sancte Spiritus (Taizé) [with lyrics for congregations] - YouTube

Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come Holy Spirit), known as the Golden Sequence.  It is commonly regarded as one of the greatest masterpieces of sacred Latin Poetry ever written.  

Veni Sancte Spiritus

Come, Holy Spirit,

From heaven shine forth 

With your glorious light.

Veni Sancte Spiritus.

Come, Father of the poor,

Come, generous Spirit,

Come, light of our hearts.

Veni Sancte Spiritus.

Come from the four winds 

Come breath of God

Disperse the shadows over us,

Renew and strengthen your people.

Veni Sancte Spiritus.

Most kindly warming light,

enter the inmost depths of our hearts

for we are faithful to you

without your presence

We have nothing worthy, nothing pure

Veni Sancte Spiritus.

You are our only comforter, 

Peace of the soul.

In the heat you shade us;

in our labor you refresh us,

and in trouble you are our strength.

Veni Sancte Spiritus.

On all who put their trust in you

And receive you in faith, 

Shower all your gifts.

Grant that they may grow in you

and persevere in the end. 

Give them lasting joy! 

Veni Sancte Spiritus.

 

Scallywag

We found this note outside Kuba's door the other morning.
It made Anna and I laugh. We found out later it was not written for us.  

Nope, it was left for his rascally brother. Kuba had stayed up all night at a sleepover, and he was exhausted, though not too tired to access his sense of humor.

My Mother

My mother, Adeline Francis Klima, was born in 1926, almost one hundred years ago, in Oil City, Pennsylvania. This was a beloved place and after she moved away, she returned summer after summer to be with her grandmother and aunts. We have many tales from her time spent there - stories about invisible yet visible ducks, invisible yet visible relatives, ie - ghosts, attack rabbits, aggressive roosters, and the sweetest, tiniest, grandmother in the whole wide world.  

My mother was born with flaming red hair. Her parents feared she would be full of the devil with hair like that, so they shaved her head and hoped it would grow back a bit less fiery.  Superstitious?  Absolutely, though I am certain it didn't help one bit, because my mother maintained her fabulous red mane and her feisty nature throughout her entire life.  

My mother was deeply religious.  So religious, in fact, that she considered becoming a nun in the Catholic Church. Instead, she chose to marry and raise a family, saying she picked the more difficult road. That was most likely true, because she married my dad, Leonard Klima, who was no saint! She also raised five children and we all know that is not easy to do. But she did it and she did it well.   

My mother was an artist.  She was always drawn to beauty, no matter where, no matter when.  On family drives when we were young, it was my mother who taught us to see, calling us to look, look out.  See the brilliant blue sky with those ice cream castle clouds, the bursting green leaves unfurling in the Spring, the golden red and orange hues of the Autumn landscape.  Look, see.  This is beauty.  

My mother was a learner, an eager and voracious learner.  She was always taking evening classes, learning how to hand-color black and white photographs, how to arrange flowers, how to decorate cakes, and most importantly how to paint.  She painted for years.  In fact, she painted her whole life.  She would put the children to bed, and then set up her easel in the kitchen, mastering oil painting, acrylic painting and watercolors. She was motivated and tenacious.  She exhibited her work many times and glowed when she won awards.  She was proud.  She painted until her eyes failed and she could no longer see.  

My mother was fashionable and always enjoyed looking good.  Her clothes needed to match, her lipstick needed to be on, and always, always she accessorized with coordinated earrings.  She cared about her lotions and perfume, and of course her copper red hair.  If you knew her, you knew this.  My mother was always beautiful.  

My mother grew up in a poor family during the Great Depression.  This framed her entire life. She told so many stories about not having enough as a child...enough food, enough clothing, enough money, enough heat, enough of anything really.  She was always concerned about not having enough and so she pinched pennies.  She searched for the best sales and created everything good out of almost nothing.  She was a remarkable alchemist. To her dying day she lusted after bargain shopping - Goodwill, resale shops, and trips to the dollar store brought her so much joy. Finding a steal at a garage sale made her even happier. It was unthinkable for her to spend money on anything expensive.  My brothers and sister and I got into the habit of hiding the true cost of anything from her, just so she would be able to enjoy the gifts we brought to her. We want to trust that in the end she had more than enough. 

My mother adored children.  All of them. She was a great role model for us. There was not one child that she didn't love, especially her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  She cherished them all.  In fact, some of them she helped raise. She laughed, played, painted, and comforted all of them. She even crawled around on the floor in her eighties with them, pretending to be a bear.  Her favorite thing to do was to race them to the phrase - "Did I tell you I love you today?" She almost always beat them to it. 

My mother was stubborn. Holy cow was she headstrong.  This was especially difficult near the end of her life when her dementia kicked in.  She was adamant about her visions, even when they made absolutely no sense at all.  Men climbing through her window on the third story, purring cats laying across her feet, and the sexual escapades in the nursing home!!  We just gave in, in the end, knowing that to argue with her was fruitless.  She was always like that.  

My mother was a clairvoyant.  She was intuitive, psychic and mystical.  At times it was downright scary.  There are too many stories to tell of her ability to read and sense things correctly.  Even towards the end of her life when her vision and hearing were severely impaired, her sixth sense picked up every emotional nuance.  Perhaps it was because she was so attuned to those around her.  

My mother was delightful. The older she got the more easily she laughed.  Laughter was the bridge she used whenever the space between what was spoken and what was heard became too big.  Her hearing was quite a challenge, and her bubbling laugh helped keep the speaker and listener connected until she finally understood what was spoken. Humor and delight became her approach to life. Her laugh was like the song of a bird, full of a rich emotional intelligence and there for anyone ready to listen. 

My mother was loving and kind.  In fact, this entire piece could be written about her kindness. This is her gift, and it gave her purpose. She was kind to her family, she was kind to her friends, but most importantly she was kind to strangers. This is something all of us know about her. This is what endeared her to so many. She was a champion of the underdog and a wee bit too liberal for my father. But this mission of hers, to offer compassion and solace in a sometimes-painful world, this was her legacy.  And ironically, this links us right back to her beginning when she was deciding between the convent or the conventional path.  Did it really matter which direction she chose?  In fact, it didn't, because wherever she went, there she was; kind, loving, gentle.  Selfishly though, I am so glad she chose this path, because here I am, and I was loved by her.       

BHS Rowing Season

It was a glorious end to the Fall rowing season. The team (and a bunch of parents) traveled to Boston for the finale.  A fabulously sunny day with a brilliantly clear sky set the stage for racing. The boys had a blast and Anders boat even won a first-place trophy!! His first rowing trophy!  

College Application Season

 

I would be remiss to not write about college application season.  Anna has been working furiously with Anders for months to prepare, finalize and submit his college applications.  It's been no small feat.  In fact, it's stressful to say the very least.  Anders applied to ten colleges with an early application in hopes to hear back from them with enough time to compare packages, visit other schools, and make a final decision.  Anna really has been phenomenal with her persistence, her timetable, and her passion for moving him along this path. I have done very little in fact, other than proofreading some essays and attending some college planning meetings with Anders.  It seems like his top choice is Paul Smith College in the Adirondacks, but there are other schools that also could be good choices. I cannot imagine life without him in this house and I am starting to have gnawing feelings of sadness and wondering what in the world life will be like without him here on a daily basis.

All the Light

 

These two images could not be more aligned, more right together.
The first is a snapshot of Kuba at a museum in Norway, and the second a snapshot of the sun shining on a group of trees at Sandy's cabin.  They are both so tall, so yellow, so filled with light. 

This is how Kuba is.  Full of light, of energy, of magic.

Shine Kuba, Shine!

 

When Away, the Cats Will Play

After my niece, Kaitlyn's baby shower in Syracuse, 

we happened upon some gorgeous, 

abandoned buildings in Utica, NY.  

With some encouragement from me, 

Sandy, Jamie and I frolicked away.   

BARN Movie Night

 We've had a run on movie nights in the barn lately.  Ander's Halloween gathering, Kuba's birthday, Zoe's movie night, and soon a holiday movie night.  Good thing it's been warmer out and we have that wood stove! It looks super cozy, right?

FIFTEEN & TWENTY MORE!

 

Happy Birthday to Kuba!

Happy Birthday to Jamie! 

 

Happiest of Birthdays to Kuba!!!!!!!!!!

A great 15th birthday on November 2 followed by another great birthday on November 3.

Happy birthday Jamie!

Halloween 2022

It was an arty Halloween this year!  The boys, Lea, and Jasper all chose to create these super cool costumes of famous paintings. Not my idea, but I love it, and I secretly hope that maybe an itty-bitty kernel of this brilliant idea was because they have me for a mom?!