Hassells in the Highlands

The First has come and gone. Kathryn is the first child and the first visitor to visit us in Scotland.  She arrived on Dec 9 and I just watched her board the plane to return home.  (written on Dec 21 - this was a delayed posting) Home. They say 'home' is where your heart is. Kathryn and I just talked about this last night.  Home used to be where my parents lived and where I grew up. Or at least where we lived together. But my parents moved from Las Vegas to Pennsylvania about 30 years ago.  And then they lived in a house that was not my home. And they lived in a town that I had not lived in. So, home changed. First day - Loch Ness Now my home is where Mike is.  And yet at the same time, home is also where my actual house is – where my ‘stuff’ is – where my kids’ baby pictures are hanging on the walls - where my long-time friends are. And yet again, home is now also our flat in Thurso.  Thurso is home no...

"It's coming on Christmas. They're cutting down trees." Do you know which movie that's a quote from?   It's a quote from my favorite movie, "You've Got Mail."  Meg Ryan's character, Kathleen Kelly, is reminiscing about her mother while she's decorating a Christmas tree in her book store window.  " It's coming on Christmas, they're cutting down trees. Do you know that Joni Mitchell song? "I wish I had a river I could skate away on?" It's such a sad song, and not really about Christmas at all, but I was thinking about it tonight as I was decorating my Christmas tree and unwrapping funky ornaments made of Popsicle sticks, and missing my mother so much I almost couldn't breathe." That is my all-time favorite movie. I have probably seen it a hundred times and even listened to the directors' comments through the whole thing. I can quote many parts of it, and often do, as it runs in the backgrou...