The end is nigh. End of the calendar year, of course. The end of civilization is already under way. Soon, the end of life on this rotating rock will be the topic du jour. But, enough of the doomsaying! What about the winter holidays!?!
The Solstice is getting closer, a time to thank the Goddess for the gift of light. It's dark and dreary here lately what with the short days and the incessant rain. I'm not actually complaining about the rain. We need every drop of it, and we need snow on the mountains. I learned a new word, a Scottish word, that perfectly describes the weather here: dreich. Cold, dark, rainy and dreary. Scotland and the Pacific Northwest have some things in common. Lol.
Here are the pleasant updates, pleasant for me anyway.
I finished the writing challenge. National Novel Writing Month asks participants to write 50,000 words during the month of November. It's the tenth year I have done so! This year's effort was a fantasy story involving a cadre of Nature deities defeating Eris and her nephews in their attempt to break open the radioactive storage containers at the Hanford nuclear site and poison the mighty Columbia river and everything around it. In my stories, the good guys always win. (Really, the good gals, since the majority of my characters are female. A writer's prerogative, and a lesbian prerogative.)
Here's the really big news:
The Kid is pregnant! She is having a girl in early May! I am happy because she is happy. I mean, yes, it will be fun, and gift giving holidays will be super fun. There is an element of existential dread here, though. If she had never reproduced, I would only have her to worry about. Now I will have to worry about a future generation. Can one worry from beyond the grave? I'm not sure, but I'll attempt to let you all know at some indefinite time in the (hopefully) distant future. I have always, always cared about the planet, but now I have to care about it for infinity. That's exhausting! Oh, well, in the immediate time frame we have something fun to look forward to. So, there's that.
Cheers, women! I hope your December is full of happiness and health, and a blessed return of the Light.
