THE CRUNCH

Yup, it's that time of year and I'm feelin' that time crunch.
   The flower bed and garden have been laid to rest. I caught the mantis egg sac on a broken coneflower stem just as I reached down to toss it in the discard heap. I tied it to our potentilla bush for the winter. I was overjoyed that I found it since it would've gone over the fence and into oblivion.
   For the most part, I've been busy with planning for Advent and now Christmas Eve and post-Christmas, mid-week Advent service and potlucks, weekly sermons, one funeral, confirmation class to teach and prepare communion liturgy, and cleaning house every other week. It seems the harder I work the less I get done.
   I am so not ready for Christmas Eve and so not there.
  I have a family Christmas letter to write and not much to say - I worked all year! Not too thrilling mind you.
  I have gifts to separate, wrap and pack for shipping.
  Christmas cards to write.
  A Dec. newsletter article to write.
  Sigh. And it's only Nov. 9th!
  Oh, and did I mention, getting ready for Thanksgiving and getting all the items needed to cook and the house semi-clean?
   The Crunch is hitting me hard.
   As I am planning ahead post-Christmas, I noticed that Epiphany is really short this year about 5 weeks and Lent begins. I am on that snowball that's racing down a mountain gathering up snow,
getting bigger and picking up speed!