the week in between

The bees had a festive time.

And so did we.

Requisite annual monkey pull-apart bread photo.

Chris and I got, finally, our own stockings. Handmade by Lulu.

Daddy got guitar picks.

Mama got yarn.

Some of the best gifts were old ones.

For a long time, Lulu has wanted an old typewriter. Chris found this one in the shed of his grandparents’ home, after his grandmother died. He cleaned it up, although it still needs some repair work.

How she thanked us.

A while back I asked my parents about a picnic basket they had when I was a kid, that had belonged to my grandmother. They made like they’d given it away, but look what I got on Christmas Day:

My mom can’t quite believe I’m so excited about such a battered old thing. But it’s an authentic Hawkeye Refrigerator! It’s lined in metal! It has a compartment for ice! (Or, these days, freezer packs.) No more cruddy plastic cooler for Park Day lunches!

The best gifts, I think, are the unconventional ones.

Yes, he got Christmas presents. But not long after the gift-opening, this is what I found him doing. Playing with the typewriter box.

This week I’ve been listening to Vespertine by Björk. I have never listened to Björk, just as I have never used an umlaut on this blog. But the album is perfectly quiet and otherworldly for this out-of-time week, this verging on a new year.

Hope your week is peaceful and thought-provoking.