Shine on

The moon has been so bright in the night sky as of late it’s been waking me up far earlier than usual, and I am by nature an early riser to begin with. It reminds me of an old cartoon, either a Disney or a Warner Brothers, where no matter what the guy does to block the light, the moonbeam manages to come into the room to wake him. I’ve searched all over youtube without success. I just don’t have enough to go on. Thinking on that cartoon now, I can hear the opera music too. I just can’t place it. Rats. It’s like a brain worm!

I read this the other day. How fitting.

The full moon of December is no summer serenader’s moon, no sentimental moon of silvery softness to match the rhyming of the ballad singer.It is a winter’s moon with more than fourteen hours of darkness to rule in cold splendor.

It is not a silvery moon at all. This is a moon of ice, cold and distant. But it shimmers the hills where there is a frosting of snow, and it makes the frozen valleys gleam. It dances on the dark surface of an up-country pond.
It weaves fantastic patterns on the snow in the woodland. It is the sharp edge of the night wind, the silent feather of the great horned owl’s wing, the death-scream of unwary rabbit when the red fox has made its pounce.

This winter’ moon is a silent companion for the nightwalker, a deceptive light that challenges the eye. It dims the huddled hemlocks on the hillside and it sharpens the hilltop horizon. It wreathes the walker’s head in the shimmer of his own breath, and it seems to whistle in his footsteps. It makes wreaths of chimney smoke and sweetens the smell of the hearth fire.

It is the long winter night in cold splendor, night wrapped in frost, spangled and sequined and remote as Arcturus.

~Hal Borland (1900-1978), Twelve Moons of The Year

More~
That fantastic moon image does not belong to me.  It was created by amazing concept artist Leonid Tishkov. Discover more of his surreal moon work and other projects here:
http://leonid-tishkov.blogspot.com/search/label/private%20moon

Here’s a list of works by American author and journalist Hal Borland. Very worthwhile and thoughtful readings on nature.  “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.”
http://www.naturewriting.com/hal.htm

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Vintage Greetings

As mentioned earlier this month, my husband and I are building a vintage postcard scrapbook — one postcard at a time. The album covers 100 years from 1860 to 1960 and has many slots yet to be filled. In the spirit of the season from now until New Year’s Day, I’ll share cards from my collection. Scroll down to see previous posts. Subscribe to get them in your inbox!

Here’s a fitting postcard. I do believe this card is Swedish. This too was pasted in a scrapbook. God Jul & Gott Nyar = Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

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Get your FREE ebooks in all formats
>>>Both are now at Barnes & Noble<<<
Exquisite Quills Holiday Anthology Vol 2.
Exquisite Quills Holiday Anthology Vol 1.

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Today is R. Ann Siracusa’s blog day.
http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Romance Books ‘4’ Us ~
The December contest is on at RB4U! The top prize this time is a $100 gift card to Amazon or B&N. The horde of remaining prizes will be split between two winners.
http://www.romancebooks4us.com

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