Tuesday, January 29, 2013

janus


The past few very cold days have kept me close to the hearth I have had no desire to venture from the it's  warmth, in fact I would like to curl up under my well loved and well worn out quilt and hibernate until the real Spring thaw arrives. the wood pile and the coal bin have been my world.  Beyond my threshold the world was a very inhospitable place, as it often is at this time of year.  I watched the moon rise each night,  and wondered what our ancestors must have thought  when the Moon
after Yule came round and
the water froze in the   bucket, even inside the     house.                                                                        ~~unknown

After a few days of sub zero weather, a chill develops along the walls of  an old house like ours, much befitting the Ice Moon, moon of the Terrible as the Sioux called it, or the very apt Lakota name "The Moon of Frost in the Teepee"
and putting to rest any romantic notions one might have about the winters of old.   
I recall reading about quilts, "Remember Me" was the name.  It talked about "Kivvers" as near as I can recall the spelling which were quilts made of what ever fabric could be found, even worn out fabric was stitched together, to make something totally practical, meant only to shield a person from the cold.
Children were often huddled in the bed under these "kivver's" , and so probably were the adults whenever possible.   Hibernation of sorts, and truly hibernation sounds good about now. 


Outside the world appears dormant, and  perhaps we too are meant become dormant and turn inward.  Gathering the thoughts, images and actions of the past months  and years and like the farmer who, sitting at the kitchen table on a frigid night. sorts through his saved seeds choosing those that will be productive and those that will be composted.    think of the coming spring, knowing that under the snow  and the bitter cold that comes with the lenghtening days the earth is not completely dormant, there are stirrings, if you look closely the buds have begun to swell, and you have to look very closely.  


The Romans  named the month January  after the god Janus who was  god of beginnings and transitions whose two faces, one looking to the future and one to the past  was often depicted on  gates and doorways.   If one goes out  under the the light of a January moon, reflecting brilliantly off the snow cover, into the very still and very cold air, they might be lucky enough to hear the mating calls of owls.   



                                                                                        ~~Amanda Grow









YUM!, guest blogger on making Naan....something I am new to and still working on

  Naan is tasty!   I wanted to make some, and from there on out, wellllllllllll, it's been a learning experience!   And I don't give...