January 6 is Twelfth Night, the end of the Christmas season for those who follow that particular traditional calendar. In rural England, women went back to their regular work, which included spinning, of course, on January 7, sometimes known as Rock Day (an old word for distaff is rok).
So welcome to Rock Day, when we begin our work again. I’ve taken the time between New Year’s and Rock Day "off" this year to sort papers and organize the office and generally clear the decks for another year of work. (Also to deal with the broken car and other impediments.) It’s tempting to launch right back into the piles of tasks that await, and that’s my usual practice. But at this start of 2008 I’ve canceled my normal compulsions and let myself start more slowly.
It seems like a good time to revisit my message and request from December 19, asking folks to send cheerful notes for Priscilla Gibson-Roberts after the start of the year, which it now is. A few people couldn’t wait and I’ve already sent her a slim packet as a teaser. She’s doing better, and the plans for changing her living situation within the next year are proceeding even more smoothly than expected. Yet those shifts won’t take place until summer and there’s winter and cold and slush between now and then.
The e-mail address through which I’m coordinating these messages is nomad at nomad-press dot com. If you’d like to send a handwritten message or card, drop a note to that e-mail and I can give you a physical address. I’ll repeat that she doesn’t need "stuff"—just good thoughts, whether by e-mail, post, or simply holding her kindly in your mind.
I wonder if the improvement in her situation since mid-December may be in part because more of us are thinking about her? Whatever works is good! And a bit of randomness can open new doors. Thus the quirky links in this post. . . .
I do believe all the random thoughts in someone’s directions do a heap of good…I’ve been feeling truly loved during my weirdo illness the last month or two. I’ve enjoyed your comments on my blog lately, and I’ve been thinking about you–(and Priscilla!) but only had the time today to check all your recent posts and see your adventures. (poor car…but yes, it did really save someone. We had an accident like this, too. We were in England. The car stopped an old man’s farm truck skidding on our hill. Lucky man. Our car, while “totalled”, still runs. Good all round.)
The professor says to mention–assuming it was you that bought the Glimakra from School Products?–that lucky for us, it just wouldn’t have fit in our carry ons or our luggage. Funny, but he’s right!