advent-ure is out there 2025 holiday letter

dear friends & family near and far,

in place of a tree, i've clipped swathes of bay leaves, rosemary, cedar, and fir to bring the outdoors in.  

i offer this quote from JRR Tolkien, "The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it (love) grows perhaps the greater."

here's some favs from the past year, some with links in case you'd like to explore...

 

new hobby: clay (turns out, i love hand building)

fun place to play:  Hopscotch (Pdx)

favorite podcast: "Death & Birds" by Chloe Hope

podcast i started being a reader on:  "Coffee, Grief & Gratitude"

catharsis:  axe throwing cages

biggest honor: being part of a hospice/caregiving team

delightful discovery:  the UK's poetry pharmacy

awe & wonder factor:  OMSI star party

plant books:  The Light Eaters by Zoe Schlanger and The Overstory by Richard Powers

most commonly-uttered phrase:  "figure it out, Smith"

problem-solving:  group Escape Room

slow habits:  letter writing & baking sourdough

favorite brand to thrift:  Johnny Was

social pleasure:  synchronicity with strangers

wow factor garden volunteer plant from '24:  the expensive & frilly pink sunflower varietal from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co.

art lessons & workshops at my kitchen table:  107

sport:  live NHL 

concert that made me cry in joy:  birthday treat to myself of Mendelssohn's Octet by Chamber Music Northwest at The Reser

games:  I Love Hue color-matching app, cribbage 

new skills:  art gallery installation shows and sales, Coptic bookbinding

combined number of houses & pets watched over:  35 (75 if you count all the chickens)

biggest conundrum:  timing on hen broodiness to raise chicks

poem as a prayer:  "The Peace of Wild Things" by the late Wendell Berry

favorite hour to write poetry:  4 am

relax & reset:  crystal bowl sound baths by Brooke Lyons

houseplant count:  21

still on my list: milk a cow

cheese worth driving to Camas Cheese Shop for:  Wensleydale honey lemon (pairs nicely with Denison's port)

superpower:  turning everyday events into adventures

with love & gratitude for your friendship and looking forward to 2026,

xox

nettie