This weekend, David and I watched Pan’s Labyrinth, a perfectly charming movie about magic, reality, and a little girl’s need for meaning and relevance in a world turned upside down by World War II. I was fetched by the acting, and the message and its ability to hold both the little girl’s needs and the presentation of magic as completely real was dynamic, both in message and as a viewer.
There is icy snow falling in Blacksburg as I work, and I realized that I’m getting into the winter mood of late. Time to break out the hot chocolate, cashmere and candy canes, because for me, holiday time is all about being cozy: books, movies, popcorn (to eat and to string), yummy smells, and relaxing laughter.
The boys are spending Thanksgiving with Phillip, and David and I are going to Charlie & Barbara's, along with Michael and Alison, for the annual feast. We are probably taking an antipasto board, with cheeses and olives and carrots and crackers for munching before the feast is set. I'm nearly in teh mood for the smell of a fir tree in teh house, and have already started lighting candles and wishing for the smell of a wood-burning fireplace in the house.
The cottage David and I stayed in a couple weekends ago had a wood-burning fireplace, complete with a store of wood and a stone chimney. Halfway through the weekend, I was looking at the fire, and noticed that the center stone above the mantle is in the shape of the state of West Virginia. I looked at David and said "I discovered West Virginia," and it has for some unknown reason, stayed with us.
