Welcome night owls and early birds around the world!
The Cafe is serving…late night snacks, toddies, and early bird coffee!
I’ll sit with you for a while and watch the city lights for a while.
On this longest night of 2005 it’s nice to share the lights with friends!
The Yule Candle is lit to burn through the night and bring the return of the light of the Sun.
How are you spending this night?
…enjoying the 65-degree weather in Los Angeles.
We are about 45ish and rainy here in the SF Bay Area!
A quiet, family evening reflecting on this past year.
We are hoping this darkest night of the year will bring light and truth to this country. Never has a year felt so dark…
Happy Yule SallyCat. I went out for dinner with a close friend and we toasted the solstice and decided what we were going to let go. (He’s a guy, but the goddess won’t care will she?) Nice posts all day.
Tonight is one of the nights of the God – the rebirth of the Sun in the cycle of the year. The next night will be Beltane.
My path believes that the Goddess and God must be both together and separate as well. Yin and Yang if you will. One is born of the other and the other provides the life giving seed. All are welcome – men and women.
Thank you being part of this wonderful day!
The Goddess and God will both be pleased!
out at a restaurant that agreed to accommodate Puget4’s super low fat requirement.
It’s not only Solstice–the family shop finished all it could accomplish for customers before Holidays®. There will be considerable snoozing and recovering over the next few days.
We’ll have Mom-Holidays® tomorrow night because she leaves Friday for my brother’s house a day’s travel away, and then on home to warm warm Florida. Then Puget4 & the Twa Totos and I will all have Holidays® Saturday night.
We’re all enjoying the return of mist, damp smelling pines and 50 degree weather yesterday as Cleveland was registering around 2F.
Now back to my glistening can of Milwaukee’s Best.
Congrats on finishing the customer Holiday orders!
It sounds like you two are deserving of that considerable rest and recovery!
What kind of restaurant can do super low fat? We fight with going out because of low carb / low fat diet medical requirements for Mr.Cat
if they could help out. This is a nonchain restaurant in the $20-30 / meal price range. They grill veggies and agreed to steam hers.
I cant’ do bread and I’m backing off all the light carbos.
This isn’t easy to do but hell, America’s never going to be easy to do for the rest of our lives either, so what’s one more struggle? I can eat something I want right now or I can have 6 hours of feeling good like I want afterwards, and have the energy and clarity to help fix the world or at least resist destroying it.
Not such a tough choice.
I’m off to sleep away part of this longest night. I’ll check back in with a plethora of 4’s with my morning coffee.
Anyone hanging around tonight keep the coffee pot fresh, the tea hot, and the beer and wine cold!
Blessed Be
About to go to bed shortly — need to get up early for grocery shopping so I can spend tomorrow baking, cleaning and other domestic type activities.
Was out this evening in the rain and tweaked one of my ankles with a slight slip on wet tile…hopefully will respond to a night of rest and OTC painkillers.
Gooserock — hope FloridaMom has safe travels homeward; sounds like she had a delightful (if chilly) visit. 🙂
SallyCat — when I was in Weight Watchers, one of the leaders talked about opening the mouth for other reasons than to eat…meaning, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want. I’ve had to do that for years, because of severe allergies to raw tomatoes (of all things); they either have to be well cooked and/or processed before I can eat them. Like, I can have pasta sauce that’s out of a jar, but fresh pasta sauce can sometimes pose a problem, that sort of thing. I’ve also learned to ask for substitutions — like if I’m having a grilled chicken sandwich, I’ll have it plain and get mustard on the side instead of mayo, and I’ll ask for fruit instead of French fries. There’s a chain of restaurants down here in the South Bay (Flames Coffee Shop) that actually offers fresh fruit as a side order choice with their sandwiches, as well as side salad, cottage cheese, etc. I like places that give lots of choices. 🙂 Depending on the restaurant, they can adjust the items (like grilling fish or seafood instead of pan-frying); they want return visits, after all, and word of mouth is often the best advertising. You could even call ahead and find out how flexible a place is; the in-laws eliminated one pizza place when they found out they don’t offer soy mozzarella as an option, unlike their favorite place (they have to watch their consumption of cow’s milk dairy products…they can have it in small amounts, but not a whole lot at a time).
Okay, time to turn in…have a great long night, everyone…
Yo nightowls…one last pass then the rack monster gets me
Be cool…later
Peace
Happy Solstice SallyCat and BooFriends all. This is a very special day for me because my daughter was born on the morning after the longest night of the year, 14 years ago tomorrow. We went to a play tonight and now, to bed. Sweet dreams, everybody.
My son was born on the l7th of December. It only seemed like the longest night of the year. 🙂
Happy birthday to your child!
and to yours (just a little late but I like to celebrate all week!)
Can spring be far behind?
Looking forward to my deep hibernation months of January and February…doing things inside the house…then Spring!
Good morning Andi!
I really do like winter (except when it gets really cold). I like having distinctly different seasons; it’s one thing that keeps me from considering living in the northwest (that and the woods).
Trivia time — the “cascade” in this picture includes the the litte dropoff in the close-up shot from yesterday morning.
I used to cling to the thought that if I could make it through the longest night of the year things would get better and the days would get longer and spring would be here before I knew it. The trouble is that in northern Ohio spring doesn’t really come until well into April and the one minute of added daylight each day was imperceptible to me. January and February were traditionally spent crying and eating and sleeping.
Now that I am living in a sunnier climate it is alot better, but I still fight off depression in the winter months.
Good morning, everyone! It’s sunny and cold here but there is a big warmup in store for the weekend with temps in the 60’s and lots of blue skies.
It’s been really nice having my daughter home from school. It seems like we have turned a corner in our relationship and are really enjoying each others’ company without alot of the hormonally-charged misunderstandings and hurt feelings.
I’m glad you are enjoying having your daughter home. My sister and her daughter got really close in a totally different way when my niece reached her 20’s and which has grown through her 30’s. They are still mother and daughter but there is a level of intimacy and understanding in their relationship that is wonderful. I wish the same for you.
On your depression, have you ever looked into Seasonal Affective Disorder?
I do have SAD, but it’s just a hike in my normal low-grade depression that I’ve had my whole life. And when, in the 80’s, I spent the entire decade either pregnant or breastfeeding, I also had post-partum depression thrown in.
But I’m extremely sensitive to drugs and can’t take anti-depressants because the side effects aren’t worth it. I’ve been wrestling with the idea of trying again because the past few months have been scary for me, feeling like a full-blown depression is waiting in the wings.
My home remedies of exercise, fresh air, nice music, laying off junk food, and meditating keep me going most of the time but seem rather ineffective lately.
There are light therapy treatments for SAD that you might want to check out. Even though you struggle with depression all the time, having a such an extended period where it is exacerbated must make that overall battle so much harder.
I’m sure that all that turmoil you’ve had lately has been making it really hard on you. Any time you’d like to just vent, you can just send me an email and say all those things you can’t say out loud at home. I’m a firm believer that sometimes you just have to say the unsayable or the words just burrow through your brain.
You take care of yourself because if you don’t, I’m coming after you (my phrasing might be a little off here but you get the idea).
Do not invite me to vent via email. This is a part of me that I don’t discuss with very many people because I view it kinda like the nose of the camel under the tent flap. First it’s just the nose and suddenly the whole camel is inside the tent. I feel like it is too big and too ugly to foist on anyone else. I don’t want to be the one no one wants to be around…like Debbie Downer. 🙂
On the upside, it has helped me develop a grand sense of humor.
to vent to me and you don’t have to worry about how I’ll handle it — I am so thick-skinned that nurses always have a hard time getting blood from me.
And even more, don’t worry that I’ll judge you. That’s the whole point of having someone you can toss these words out to — having someone to whom you feel you can safely say things. I won’t judge because my only job is to listen. In fact, I won’t offer any advice unless specifically asked.
Thanks, Andi.
is that all you need to do is to get together with me and Indy and we will combine to make an irresistible force that will blow away righties, obnoxious SUV’s, and all our problems.
Woooo HOOOO! Bring it on!
While you try your natural and herbal remedies, consider talking to a pro about possible advances and workarounds that may have occurred since the last time you tried. I do not have experience with them, but I have heard that some of the new ones do not have such bad side effects.
And Science has proven that chocolate does have anti-depressant properties. The best kind is from Switzerland, very dark, and the Lindt company has just come out with an 85% cocoa bar, an upgrade from the previous 70%.
The medical term in them is phyto-enzymes in Chocolate and potatoes IIRC (too early here to research!)
Who knew that candy bar or potatoes really did make me feel better – not just a perceived comfort food!
This explains why I crave chocolate and potatoes. But most women do.
I have tried Zoloft, Lexapro and most recently Wellbutrin. But after just 1/2 pill I was on the couch for the day with nausea, dizziness, difficulty swallowing, tremors, etc. Scared me to death.
Um, can I recommend a good yoga class on a regular basis? The different asanas actually stimulate the hormonal centers of the body in a way that might help. (Backbends of various types are especially good for fighting off winter depression). And no, you don’t have to be able to tie yourself in a pretzel to enjoy the benefits of yoga!
Walking outdoors on a regular basis also works well for me.
My doctor wanted me on Prozac for a while and I said absolutely no way. After I researched St. Johnswort I discussed it with my doc. She was very open to the option.
So…I’m on a non-prescription dosage of St.Johnswort emotional support from Vitanica – as needed. When I need a boost I drink St. Johnswort tea. It’s a seratonin blocker like most anti-depressants without any side effects for me.
Check with your doc if an alternative med might work for you as well.
Thanks, Sally. Over the years I have tried St. John’s wort and also Sam-e. I notice some improvement with SJW after a month or so but also lots of heartburn. I think it’s because they’re these big gel-coated capsules filled with powdered SJW and they always seem to get stuck on the way down and dissolve right there!
The Vitanica products are designed for women by women doctors. They are out of Oregon…I’ve used three of their products over the past 10 years for menopause and moodiness. Whole Foods sells their product locally for me.
http://www.vitanica.com
Some lovely Sumatran coffee for wake up!
Good morning all….thanks for the fun…I’m looking forward to today’s Cafe’ host…
Good Morning Everyone!!
I slept in a bit & am puttering around before leaving for breakfast at my parents house.
get your butt in gear — you’ve got to be there at 8:30 (my mother would start calling to see where I am at about 7:58 and then call every 10 minutes or so just to check).
I’m lucky in one way — they live exactly 3 miles from me. Just pretty much straight down my street.
I’m unlucky in another way. Mom had a head cold & I get every cold that floats past my nose. So.
Thanks, SallyCat. Good morning to all. I’m exhausted this AM. Too much stress at this time of year on top of existing obligations. But enough of that. I’ll seve myself a black coffee, extra caffeine.