by Marja-Leena 
at 5:00 pm Sunday, December 21st, 2008
It’s almost midnight on winter solstice day and it’s been snowing almost steadily for 24 hours and it is still coming down. What an incredibly beautiful winter wonderland it is out there. The night is bright with a pinkish glow to the sky, an other worldly effect from the reflection of city and Christmas lights up into the snow packed cloud cover. It is quiet… stille nacht.
by Marja-Leena 
At [10:04 a.m. Pacific Time] on Sunday Dec. 21, 2008, the northern hemisphere begins its tilt back toward the sun, marking the winter solstice* in this part of the world and slowly leading to longer days.
This may be the first day of winter but winter’s been here for a while and hard: Old Man Winter hammers Canada, coast-to-coast*.
In much of this modern world of ours, we’ve lost our close connection to the earth and sun, to the movement of light and dark in that ever repeating cycle of the seasons, as well as the deep ancient fears and hopes tied to that. We’re reminded of that when we have power outages and have no heat in our homes. What will our future be like when we have permanent scarcities of oil and natural gas and electricity?
We remain cosy at home so far while it continues to snow here and we prepare for the arrival of family for Christmas. Our thoughts and wishes for safe journeys are with them and all travellers! Tonight we may light a fire and candles to mark the winter solstice. May all my readers be warm and looking forward to the holidays however you may celebrate them.
Related posts:
to light, 2007
the longest night, 2006, with Newgrange
happy winter solstice, 2005
and 2004
* expired link removed
by Marja-Leena 
Well, more snow came down on Wednesday and it has stayed. Here, in the usually balmiest corner of Canada, we are experiencing zub-sero temperatures. Instead of the rain quickly washing it all away as usual there’s lots more snow forecast for Sunday and some days after. Can it be that we will have a white Christmas, the rarest of events in Vancouver?! I do remember one very snowy Christmas in the 70’s…
As one who grew up in Winnipeg and lived a few years in northeast British Columbia, I chuckled over Stephen Hume’s essay: Cold? This isn’t cold. I’ll tell you what cold is*.
While ice makes for treacherous roads, its beauty is delighting me around home especially on the sloping glass of the solarium beyond our kitchen window. This morning the sunrise was glorious through it! I’m thinking of Wirkkala’s ice glass all over again.
And, while I was out later this morning, Erika discovered unusual icicles and captured beautiful photographs of them – go have a look!
Oh, and I almost forgot… you must see Lucy’s gorgeous frost and ice photos!
*link has expired, sadly
by Marja-Leena 
decorated the tree this evening
another glass ornament fell to pieces
first decorations from our first Christmas
becoming fewer each year
by Marja-Leena 
Though many areas around Metro Vancouver received a lot of snow on the weekend, our little microclimate prevented us from getting more than a dusting and even that was blown away by the high winds. Funny how the weather can be so different a few blocks apart. This week it is continuing below freezing and getting even colder with clear skies giving us sunshine and moonlight. We have a chance at having a rare white Christmas – here’s hoping! So many parts of North America are having exceptionally cold weather, so we hope everyone is able to stay warm and safe.
Snow means snowflakes, like paper snowflakes. Erika has covered many windows in our house with her gorgeous paper creations, the above is a negative photoshopped version I made of one of them. I wished to scan some for better results but did not want to disturb them, but have a look at the ones Erika posted.
And of course, snow also means real snowflakes or snowcrystals. Enjoy!
During this cold snap, I particularly love the phrase that Plutarch recently used: secret ministry of frost, which comes from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem Frost at Midnight.
Tuesday morning: Talk about localized weather behaviour and 10 more days of cold weather plus a snow storm coming on the weekend*! I should be careful what I wish for. A likely white Christmas but possibly challenging travel for everyone including our family.
*expired link has been removed
by Marja-Leena 
First snow at sea level arrived this morning, beautiful, mesmerizing thick fluffy flakes falling for two or three hours but still too wet to build up very much, then quickly washed away by rain. The local mountains have been getting quite a bit over the last while and will be opening this weekend to skiers and snowboarders. Down here we may be getting more snow this evening along with high winds, hopefully not like the storms of winter 2006-07. With very cold (as low as -9C) and clear days and nights ahead, it would feel so Christmas-y if we had some snow stay with us.
by Marja-Leena 
I rarely do memes any more but this looked like fun.
The rules are simple: bold the things you’ve done.
* NOTE: Edited Dec.2013 to use stars instead because Bold does not work in WordPress)
Explanations are optional. Fun is guaranteed.
1. Started my own blog – (surprise!)*
2. Slept under the stars * (tried for about an hour but could not sleep)
3. Played in a band * (does piano accompaniment for a quartet count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower*
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world *(Legoland in Denmark count?)
8. Climbed a mountain * (on trails)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (played piano solo though)
11. Bungee jumped (never never!)
12. Visited Paris (maybe next year) (*did it in 2009!)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (can’t remember, but I have seen many on the prairies)
14. Taught myself an art from scratch*
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning* (bad shrimp at a lunch counter)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables*
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (see #12*)
20. Slept on an overnight train* (the last time was from Frankfurt to Prague, and back – a rickety, shaky old train it was, so not much sleep actually!)
21. Had a pillow fight* (with my brother)
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill* (on a bad “time of the month”)
24. Built a snow fort*
25. Held a lamb*
26. Gone skinny dipping* (love it after sauna!)
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (does a vaporetto count?)
29. Seen a total eclipse*
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset*
31. Hit a home run* (when I was a kid)
32. Been on a cruise* (Helsinki to St. Petersburg, Russia)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person* (the Canadian side)
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors* (in Finland)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language* (does English immersion at the age of five count?)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied*
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person*
39. Gone rock climbing* (not the extreme kind)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David* (I cried)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant*
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight*
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted* (sketched only)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person* (wow!)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (*see # 12)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain*
53. Played in the mud*
54. Gone to a drive-in theater*
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (being an artist count?)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia* (see # 32)
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching* (on the west coast of Vancouver Island)
63. Got flowers for no reason*
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (no way!)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy* (my children’s)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar* (what’s so special about it?)
72. Pieced a quilt* (a jacket, vest and pillow covers)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job* (had a job disappear under me)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone* (twice)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle* (terrified, with a Finnish cousin)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican* (the museum only, amazing!)
82. Bought a brand new car* (my first was an orange 1970 VW Beetle)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper* (a few times)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (unless fish count)
88. Had chickenpox*
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (define famous)
92. Joined a book club (I’m not a joiner)
93. Lost a loved one* (several)
94. Had a baby* (three times)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee*
First found at Finnish blogger Anniina’s Mischievous Muse, then seen at Pica’s place.
UPDATES: Kate of Wombat’s World and Wandering Coyote have done this too!
And here is Black Pete’s
by Marja-Leena 
washing hands
soap dish needs cleaning
lovingly made by a local potter
first an object of desire, then a gift
then utilitarian, everyday-ish
cracked
yet still worthy of admiration
just look and see
by Marja-Leena 
Go fetch yourself a cup of your favourite brew, sit down and watch this gorgeous 16 minute video on Tapio Wirkkala, in English and some Finnish. Virtual Finland* presents him as “a father figure of Finnish applied art who merged form and function in a dialogue between thought, hand, eye and material.” He is an amazing artist whose name and work, to me, is synonymous with Finland.
I’m proud to own a few pieces of his, such as some Tapio glasses and Ultima Thule (ice) bowls. I’m also particularly fond of the name Tapio (pronounced TUP-e-o), the name of my brother and the name of a pagan Finnish god of the forest. As you will see in this video, that name was significant for Wirkkala as well, who found nature especially in Finnish Lapland was a profound source of inspiration as well as solace and strength.
There’s more about Tapio Wirkkala elsewhere in Virtual Finland*, at Finnish Design and at Wikipedia.
Added Dec.6th: Today is Finland’s 91st Independence Day! I will place two candles in the window and light them at dusk. Hyvää itsenäisyyspäivää to Finland and my Finnish readers!
*Sadly, the Virtual Finland site no longer exists so links have been removed.
by Marja-Leena 
This beauty is from my indoor collection of plants, a zygocactus I think.
Taking advantage of a spot of sunshine this afternoon, I wandered about outside in my garden, clipping red berried branches, fragrant cedar and shiny green ivy tendrils into a large wicker basket. These I then tucked into the winter wreath on the front door and into several large pots nearby as protection for the winter pansies that I’d planted earlier this fall. The last of the cedar branches went into the wooden reindeer’s basket back, topped with pine cones. He now stands and greets everyone just inside the front door with his red nose and shiny red ribbon.
Simple and satisfying.