This is my Solstice post.

Hi everybody.

How are you?

I am doing my best to have a calm and peaceful week in spite of all the things going on around us. Yesterday was a day off from work, so I went on a Solstice walk with Daph, took a nap, and read a book. And Kev and Daph cooked dinner, which was a real treat.

Goose Creek.

Pillow basalt.

People who are not me doing the cooking 💓

Delicious stir fry with lo mein noodles.

I was tasked with teaching a wreath-making class at work in spite of having no experience making wreaths. I spent a lot of time with various crafty women on YouTube and then went into the front yard at the visitor center to practice. This was one of my favorite hours I've ever spent at work. I highly recommend this activity. Everything smells good, and it's easy to just get into a groove and block out everything else around you.  

This is my sample. We stuck it on the door at work. It is wild and imperfect and I love it.

The class went well and the visitors seemed to have a good time. I gave a few instructions, put on the Vince Guaraldi Pandora station, and let everyone get creative. Every wreath was different. They seemed to match the personalities of their makers. It was fun. I'd do it again.

I didn't have time to make a wreath during the class, but I made a little solstice ornament for my front door with some of the leftovers.

I also dried some orange slices. I took most of them to the class for people to use for embellishments, but I kept a few. I'll probably just hang them on our tree. But next year I'm going to make more and string them up. I might not even wait until next Christmas. I might just make a New Year's garland. Because why not?

To round out all of the crunchiness around here, I've been baking bread in my Dutch oven. I think I'm just about ready for a move to a cottage in the woods if that suddenly becomes necessary. My childhood dream-come-true. Some sort of cross between The Secret Garden and The Boxcar Children. But with indoor plumbing.

There have been some beautiful sunrises and sunsets this week.

Today is my last day of work until after the New Year. I'm lucky to have a job that I'm going to miss. 

I hope you are all doing OK. If you have time, I challenge you to go foraging for evergreens and pinecones and dried up things in your garden, get a wreath form and some floral wire at Michaels, watch a YouTube instruction video, dry out some orange slices, bake some bread, put on some Vince Guaraldi music, and make a wreath. Or take a nap. Or read. Or do something else that makes you feel calm and peaceful. Whatever that is. For at least an hour, just chill. It will make you feel at least a little bit better for at least a little while. Let me know if you do it. 

Happy Solstice.

Onward.