Oh, the days blur by in the blink of an eye! My brother and sister-in-law arrive tomorrow. The house has been dusted, vacuumed, and mopped. Menus are planned. Presents have steadily appeared under the tree, with a few more yet to arrive. What remains is to bake cookies (snowballs, cut-outs with frosting) and relax for the few days before Christmas. Tomorrow is the solstice, and I will light candles to celebrate.

Two good people have sent me stacks of unused postcards so far. Thank you! I have found two projects for postcards. One is PostCrossing; you register yourself, and you request addresses to send postcards to. It randomly picks names from all over the world. I’ve sent one to Germany and another to Portugal. Hopefully my name will be selected soon! The other site is PostcardX. It’s incredibly simple to use, but I hesitate. It’s completely insecure. By this I mean that if I list my name and address and create a profile there, it can be edited by anyone — yes, anyone. Apparently the occasional troll or miscreant will tamper with the information; I read the group messages and learned this. I would prefer to have a log-in process so I can have some control over my profile, but apparently the person who founded the site doesn’t see this as a necessity. I may send postcards to participants but not list myself.

The other evening we rented a couple of movies. One was Husband’s pick, and I was ambivalent at first. I was pleasantly surprised by Mr. and Mrs. Smith. It was a lark to watch, ridiculous and mischievous, and it made me laugh. It was a bit of pointless fun, and I enjoyed every minute. The other movie I marveled at: March of the Penguins. Wow. Emperor penguins are resilient, stoic, and majestic. And their offspring are adorable. It was funny and heartbreaking at moments. I enjoyed watching the additional commentary on the DVD, about the making of the movie and the moviemakers reflections on the experience.

I recently read The Joy of Letting Women Down, by Natalie d’Arbeloff. (I bought my copy! You should too! It’s worth it.) This book is a snappy, smart “how-to book” for beings known as the Worshipped Male, or for men who would like to become a Worshipped Male. It’s also useful for anyone wanting to know why women fall for womanizers and how such a man operates. The illustrations poke fun at and complement the text and carry the unmistakable style that is Natalie’s. As I read and chuckled, it felt as though Mephistopheles might be whispering the advice in my ear. The counsel on how to treat women as disposable playthings, delivered in a sprightly manner and tone, was as unsettling as it was witty. Knowing this book was created by a woman gave the humor a subtle bitter edge that I enjoyed. I highly recommend another of Natalie’s creations, currently available online: Augustine Interviews God. It’s thought-provoking, tender, and original. It could only be these things — just like Natalie.

And since it is (almost) Solstice, I opened my gift from my novelist friend (as she instructed). I was deeply pleased to get The Knitting Sutra: Craft as a Spiritual Practice. I look forward to savoring this.

Well, all my hard labor scrubbing and tidying has readied me for a long winter’s nap. Thus I will oblige my tired body and write again later.