OCR Text |
Show i11 wwui'Jiuwjwji'jmmAMiuiJWUBiunL in Jf deUfcpj (EE .J'tSS By CAROL LEMON J ahead, their long legs covering twice the groundas mine. Now and then we'd hear a muffled rustle as a resident of the mountain warily watched us pass by. It was easy to think of Holy things that night. It was beautiful peaceful peace-ful and calm. Everything was natural and simple, just the way'it must have been that first Christmas eve so long ago. As I was splitting some firewood for the fireplace the other night, my fingers and toes tingled in the near zero weather. My nose resembled a bright red Christmas light, I am sure, but in spite of the cold my heart was warm and light. As I gave a piece of oak a good whack ( which by the way is great for getting rid of frustrations) I was surprised sur-prised at the exuberant pop as it easily split. The frost had penetrated the rough exterior, found and frozen the tender sap -filled interior caused such tension ten-sion and stress, that when my somewhat modified blow opened a slight crack, its heart literally exploded. I've said it before and I'll repeat-firewood repeat-firewood warms you twice, once when you cut it and again when it blazes on the hearth. A few more days and another Christmas will be behind us. As the children grow older Christmas loses some of its appeal for me. Especially when I was informed in-formed that Santa didn't need to deliver any dollies this year. Heavens, how can it be Christmas without dolls? Santa will have to bring just one maybe a little one. We don't have our tree up yet. I told the girls jokingly that maybe this year we'd settle for a Christmas bush. They believed me and seem to think that was OK. We just might do it. Cards are beginning to come in from old and new friends. It makes me a little lit-tle homesick for places , we've been and people we've known. Their families are growing away from home just asmine. Theyhave their troubles and joys just as I do. Somehow it reassures me to hear that they've made through another year - over another hurdle. Iftheycando it so can I, or at least I can try. I believe the Christmas I enjoyed most was our first in our old Oregon home. Somehow it was the way I had always pictured Christmas Christ-mas should be. I've always loved the forest the animal folk who lived there the coyote and black bear were as welcome on the hillside as were the gentle deer and other furred or feathered in - habitants. The first year on the mountain it snowed just to please me I know. The oldtimers said it hadn't snowed on Christmas in years, but I knew the valley was just trying to make us feel at home. There was a full moon that Christmas eve, and it timed its ascent just as we hiked through the few inches of fresh, soft snow, so Terry could refill the birdfeeders and set out new salt licks for the deer. The moon was so bright that we could see the bright red glow of the manzanita berries, and the "dusky purple of the Oregon Grape. Holly decorated the hillside, and the firs and pines were radiant in their snowy dress. Thousands of stars sparkeled from each branch as nature adorned herself for that beautiful, Christmas eve. The girls chattered as they sat atop our shoulders. Lisa still inserting a few Korean words when the right English wouldn't fit. The boys strode |