You are so kind.

You have touched me so kindly, Marti! Thank you for your description of your table (apple blossoms are so quintessentially spring-like). I am caught in a dull, weary time of low enthusiasm and energy, waiting for the slow-acting drugs to make some kind of difference. No one comes over, so no table setting happens. It was like spring itself to read about your breakfast ensemble, reminding me of what I love. I am sorry you had to move...I always find that hugely disruptive, but yay apple trees!!

Thank you Nancy.

Thanks Deb. I'm glad you got to share the snow glee with children.

Thanks Tim...I don't know how strong, graceful or resilient I am but it is kind of you and Marti to say so. The love of my family is always a huge support to me.

Me too, Mom. They are special.

Thank you so much Nancy...I so much appreciate your kind thoughts.

Poor Alyssia. Its so hard to be blindsided when you are responsible for others. Thank you for your prayers Grace.

Thank you Mo. You too.

Oh my, Emmaline sounds like a girl after my own heart! How wonderful to be able to spend time with her setting such a special table. Thank you so much for this story Cynthia!

I've missed you too and will gladly accept all good wishes. Thanks Dee. Isn't it about time for your birthday?

Thank you Liz, I hope for quick results too.

How fun to set a fancy table! I appreciate your kind thoughts Cynthia. Its great to hear from you.

Thank you Hazel...I'll get through in the end. And yes, try to avoid ambulances if at all possible. They are quite remarkably uncomfortable.

Thank you Marti. I have missed you too.

Thank you Hazel...good wishes right back at you. You and Deb got to know Anacortes, Mt. Vernon, etc. after my family had already moved away. In the eighties we were in Ballard and then Woodinville, until finally we were lucky enough to come back here.

The bars have finally faded...only the Brown Lantern and the Anchor Inn are still in action.

Oh right! Scott's was a great bookstore while it lasted. Unfortunately nothing in Mt. Vernon seems to flourish anymore, except the Co-op, long may it wave. When I was in high school Mt. Vernon was way cooler for shopping than Anacortes, but then came the Malls.

Malmo was the nursery appendage to Ernst Hardware. I never saw a stand-alone Malmo, but the stores considered themselves separate. One box of my red ornaments has a Malmo tag. Was Scott's Bookstore in Bellingham? We only rarely went to Bellingham or Seattle when I was growing up in Anacortes. After I moved down south I got to know Pay'n Save, et al. My all time favorite bookstore was/is the University Bookstore. Its not the same now as it was in the seventies, but going there is still a treat. I am also hopeful that the internet will allow the barriers between us to thin, although social medial in general seems to encourage division. I have so enjoyed getting to know people on-line. Since we live in the same area perhaps we can meet when the pandemic recedes.

Those biases were indeed implicit in those long ago days of the fifties when I was a child. It has occurred to me that it is that very gauzy, unselfconscious racist undercurrent (and the confident assumption that this idealized scene represents the actual truth of what happened) that makes this nativity depiction such a nostalgic touchstone for me. It isn't that I support racism, but that its presence evokes those times so clearly. It was the water in which we were swimming. Yes, those vintage price tags are a yearly source of amusement. One of my boxes of red ornaments still has the $1.58 tag on it from Pay'n Save, a long defunct local chain of drugstores. In the Seattle area if you remember Pay'n Save, Ernst or Malmo you practically qualify as a native.

Thanks Mo! You too...have a wonderful Christmas.

I agree with your take on religious symbolism. I am no longer a practicing Catholic and there are no crosses, crucifixes or religious pictures in our home. These days I am looking for the spirit that flows through all things (is that like the Force?) and prefer naturalistic representations of that. Your tapas cloth angels sound lovely and the memories they evoke must be a balm to your heart. The nativity scene works like that for me. One look takes me back to my childhood when Christ's birth was represented everywhere around me at this time of year, even in public places and school. Its idealized, politically incorrect tableau reminds me of those days shining with music, food, presents and light that I looked forward to all year long. The special activities and the delicious anticipation of those long lost days comes back for just a minute on the wings of a cardboard decoration.

Yes, pen pals! It feels like that to me too. Lola may find a playful kitten to be a welcome diversion. When we got our young, large, aggressive dog I was worried that our cat Wiki would be in danger and we never left them alone together at first. However, Wiki took no nonsense and always stood her ground so Logan treated her with care, although he still occasionally gets in her face for fun.

Yes, how lucky are we to have mothers who will read and comment! My mother thoroughly enjoys all the other commenters, as do I. A kitten! How wonderful! What will Lola think?

I was so scared because there was no way I could move the tree. I remember tugging fruitlessly on the top and wondering if I could get back through the woods to get help when Dad crawled out between the branches. The tree had to be cut in half before it would fit in the house. Our unpracticed desert eyes couldn't judge the actual size of the tree next to the giants it grew among.