Silver Linings

I was particularly pleased with what I accomplished yesterday. I had hired a young woman to help me with the task of putting away my spring and summer clothes. My closet is not large enough to accommodate everything simultaneously, so this is a necessary rite of season.
Silver Lining: I spent 2 1/2 hours with a perfectly lovely 23 year-old woman who is excited about life and what the future holds for her. She is earning her master’s degree in occupational therapy. By nature, she is a compassionate person, but she was also organized, and fashion-savvy enough to advise me on pointed-toes shoes or skirt-lengths.
In fairly quick order, we sorted into piles clothes to share with others, clothes to sell to a second-hand store or those that need repair before wearing. We discussed ideas to reorganize my closet and, the big bonus, we emptied two boxes from the basement. The elimination of boxes from basement storage is a project that has lasted six years thus far. Every collapsed box helps.
Among the clothes that I will try to sell are numerous pairs of pants. When I exercised due diligence by trying them on before putting them away, I discovered more than half of my skirts and pants no longer fit. At first, I was appalled. My weight is less than last year, but my clothes don’t fit? Panic! Then it struck me; my new hips! Out came the tape measure and sure enough, I boast an extra two inches on my once nonexistent hips.
Silver Lining: I will have to replace some of my clothes due to my prostheses. Hmmm. A legitimate reason to shop.
While we were rooting through storage bins, I decided to pull out the winter coats and hats and mittens for the family. It took a bit of extra time and hauling, but it is satisfying to open the mudroom door and see the rows of boots, the boxes of gloves, hats and scarves. Coats in all sizes and colors hang at the ready for the first cold snap.
Silver Lining: I am fortunate enough to have clothes warm enough to serve in this climate. I know my children will be well-equipped this winter, and I will still have enough to share with those less fortunate than we are.
As the cold, bone-chilling days of winter come closer with each revolution of the earth, I watch the days grow shorter. Sunrises bring light but less warmth. I turn to nesting to give me a sense of control over the impeding change in season. I will be ready for whatever winter delivers.
Silver lining: I have flannel sheets for my bed and plans to travel to the tropics at the beginning of the new year.
Day 34

I'm Being followed by a Moon Shadow

For all of my adult life, Cat Steven’s song, I’m Being Followed by a Moon Shadow, has played in my head based on a lunar schedule. As the moon waxes, I hear a barely audible humming. The humming builds to a crescendo and I am likely to break into verse when the moon has risen full and bright overhead.
The moon was full last night. Its shadows were cast by the sun’s reflected light on its dark face. Elongated shadows danced on the ground as the wind bent the trees. Over time, I have read up on the moon because it fascinates me as it has fascinated mankind through out the ages. For instance, when trying to discern if the moon is waxing or waning, the following nuemonic device is helpful..

L-E-ft hand curve = D-E-creasing
R-I-ght hand curve = I-ncreasing
Using the curve of the the hand from pointer finger to thumb, if the Moon’s crescent fits the curve of the L-E-ft hand, than it is D-E-creasing. If the crescent fits the R-I-ght hand, then it is -I-ncreasing.

My mother would use the phrase “once in a blue moon,” frequently. When I finally looked it up, I was surprised to learn that a blue moon occurs every 2 1/2 years; it is the
phrase used to describe the second of two full moons in the same month. The lunar cycle is 27.3217 days and, as a result, a blue moon is the result of a reliable mathematical probability.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac was kept in my my parents’ bathroom when I was growing up. I would love to read about the many kinds of moons and how to use them to manage the seasonality of nature. It has always been my aspiration to right a novella consisting of twelve chapters that would correspond with our many moons:
Full Wolf Moon
Full Snow Moon
Full Worm Moon.
Full Pink Moon
Full Flower Moon
Full Strawberry Moon
Full Buck Moon
Full Sturgeon
Full Harvest Moon
Full Hunter’s Moon
Full Beaver Moon
Full Long Nights Moon

I have yet to write the novella, but I can claim a first-hand knowledge, an intimate viewing of all twelve moons. Under their pale light, I have danced, cried, prayed and loved. The moons have served as silent witness to the days of my life.
Mother Goose memorialized the special allure the moon has for boys and girls everywhere.
Boys and girls, come out to play.
The moon doth shine as bright as day!
Leave your supper and leave your sleep,
And come with your playfellows into the street.
Come with a whistle,
Come with a call,
Come with a good will, or not at all.

Lest the moon hide its face with snow or rain or fog or clouds, I can be assured that another full moon will bring light to illuminate our dark nights.