I won’t even try the new year, new me thing because 2026 started in a classic truly madly ordinary traditional way.
Should I start with the dogs rolling on a massive poo to welcome the new year? I actually haven’t seen them rolling, and I didn’t see the big mountain of poo, but the smell and the colour they had on them when back were unequivocal, and by the amount of brown substance they were carrying on their fur, just freshly washed a few days earlier, must have been massive. I thought horse poo in the beginning, but when the following day they had the very same encounter again and with the very same results, (except their coats were only freshly washed the day before this time) I decided it must have been either the product of a Grisley bear, an entire herd of horses after a rough new years eve party, or Vecna’s last despicable action on our world ( and believe me: It was despicably nasty).
The new year was also welcomed by a heavy drop in temperature and so instead of a white Christmas, we had a white(ish) new year. Delightful to see if only our radiators would not stop working right right on the first day of a forecasted week if mnus temperatures. And our plumber is away……
Who was not away instead and came as promised on the second day of the new year was the satellite man. We can now finally watch all the TV channels without interruptions or glitches. And if we stick to the first floor of the house or the bathrooms upstairs, we can do it in the comfort of a warm room too.
Till the plumber comes, hopefully tomorrow, we only use the bedrooms strictly to sleep and we make sure the journey into the bed and under the cover is as quick as humanly possible.
Because my side of the bed is closer to the ensuite’s door, I tried to practice a routine to jump from the bathroom straight into the bed. It didn’t work. My legs are too short, and my athletic skills are definitely the same crap ones as last year exactly like my clumsiness and the only thing I obtained was to trip and break a mirror.
Now, I am “scaramantic” but not at all superstitious, ( a difference only known to Italians probably) but I must admit that, if the last couple of days’ happenings had followed a different timeframe, even if the mirror was a small one, I would have wondered though!
But as it didn’t, and I am still as optimistic as last year, I can only smile at this bumpy start of the new year believing it can only improve😉
P.S
A little business disclosure now: Due to the holidays break the January edition of reading with Ortensia will be out on the second Friday of the month and so will be slightly delayed the monthly newsletters too.
Sorry, I skipped the weekly post last week but the Christmas frenzy caught up with me, and we all know that trying to fight it is a lost battle. Still, I have the feeling of having wrestled with time and a schedule I couldn’t possibly follow and accomplish for the last two and a half weeks.
Now, don’t get me wrong I love Christmas, even the frantic schedule that comes with it because, let’s face it, it’s a jolly stress we put ourselves under. The problem is that the more you do and the longer that freaking to-do list seems to get, when it should actually be the other way around, right?
So here I am, three days away from Christmas still with a few tasks undone and the one million dollar question to answer: where did the time go? Surely not to partying out! , Sadly enough, in fact, this year I managed to get nearly at Christmas without a proper festive night out.
I could still enjoy a night in though. I know a sort of sad consolation price really, but as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. And so last Friday after dropping the rest of my household to their separate festive engagement, none of which requiring my presence but only my driving service, I went back home to my own carefully planned festive night.
From outside the window I already saw that Ada the gremlins had in my absence decided to feast with the decorative pinecones on the leaving room coffetable; what I haven’t realised it was that she also decided to discard them ( after having processed them) on my antique Persian rug. The smell as soon as I stepped inside gave her away though, while I confess I had some kind of thought yo give her away too, just in a more literal way!
By the time I cleaned up the mess, got rid of the smell, and had a bite to eat, I was finally able to step into the shower but quickly jumped out as daughter number two texted to be collected. Shortly after the traveling husband texted me too, asking for a lift… And again. … and again when not receiving a prompt immediate answer. “ ever heard of not texting and driving?”
Equally annoyed with my husband and Siri, who had a bad night and couldn’t get my accent, I resorted to vocal messages only to receive more texts saying he couldn’t hear a word because of the noise in the pub. “Ever consider going out for a minute?”Obviously not!
6 back and forth drives later I had them all safe and sound at home and I could finally go feet up and have that glass of wine, except it was not the right time anymore and neither I was in the right mood. A hot chamomile tea had to do.
P.S
Disclaimer. There might be some typos/ writing horrors in the above post as I did not have time to properly go over it….. Just appreciate the effort😜
-Good day to you all, and welcome to the last chat among bloggers of this year.
Being December, the last month of the year, is a time to reflect on what has been and plan what will come. And then it is the months that bring us Christmas that, whether celebrated religiously or in a more pagan way, are still a special time of year, bringing us all together and, ideally, all a bit nicer.
For all these reasons, I wanted the guest of this month to be a special one, and so it is my pleasure to introduce you to Gerry Palermo from .…..https://deacongerrypalermo.blog/
As usual, now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the chat.
O- Good day, Gerry, and thank you for joining me today. I know you are forbidden by your family to say too much about your private life, so just introduce yourself with what you can reveal.
G- Yes, my family doesn’t allow me to discuss them at all. Anyway, not much to say, I’m the average guy with family and friends. Recently, a grandpa. Now that is cool. Literally, this is all they allow me to reveal.
O- I have been following your blog for a while now, and I can say, you are not so average to me. To start with, in fact, you are a deacon, which is also why I wanted you to close the round of interviews. No more appropriate guest for the season. So, now, the question comes naturally: What brought you to become a deacon?
G- You really have the space for THAT answer? LOL. A Nun specifically asked me not to be ordained. She felt, in our work together, that I could do more good as a layman dedicated to Social Justice than as a deacon in the Church. The priest who paid for my ordination told me afterwards he regretted ordaining me as I was a disappointment to him. God had other plans. It taught me early that vocation is God’s work, not people’s expectations. On the other hand, the priest who first encouraged me and remains a friend to this day told me recently, I am the reason he has hope in his own ordination. I have happily disappointed so many and pleased so few! I have so many good stories pre- and post-call to the diaconate. Here is what I want you to know, and it’s a bit of a goosebump moment. On April 12, 1963, a local newspaper, Newsday, republished the encyclical Pacem in Terris. I remember reading the encyclical in its entirety, moved to tears and praying. I was five and a half. Pretty sure I glossed over some words (ha!), but the sheer weightiness of love in pain came through loud and clear as the times we lived then. Peace on Earth, men of good will – my personal credo.
O- What a story! And how come you started blogging?
G- I was at a deacon seminar, and the deacon presenting urged us to consider having an online presence as a matter of ministry outreach. I took him up on it, April 23, 2017, as it was the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday. Slow start, but eventually just about daily now. Over 2,200 posts and about 200 short stories, teaching programs, prayers, podcasts, etc., on spiritual topics.
O- How do you find the WordPress community? I am deeply moved by the genius of the bloggers in the WordPress community. I follow 89 of the blogs. They are from a variety of different cultural, political, and religious traditions. The marvellous creativity of expression, character of traditions, and the novelty of ideas shared within the WP community are uplifting for me. Quoting Mark Twain, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts”. Bloggers help me travel the world!
O- That’s nice!!! But you are quite active on other socials too, like IG and Threads. What’s your opinion and relationship with socials?
G- Yes, very much active. I use IG for photo essays, Snapchat for quick photo sharing, and Threads for general and political awareness of what people are talking about and saying regarding their lives and things that matter to them. I left Twitter (X) due to the toxicity (too reactive and invoked reactivity in me). Facebook seems to be required by family and friends, so I joined long ago, quit for a while, then rejoined lately after people calmed down and stopped ranting. Here, too, I enjoy following family, friends, and familiar strangers in the shared diary of their lives. I bless them all and always pray for those seeking prayer. https://www.threads.com/@gerard.palermo
O- Wow, that’s far more than I thought. You are like a frizzy teenager. Fair play to you for keeping up with all those platforms.
Now, something more personal, but do not worry, not involving your family.
What is faith to you?
G- If I may, I am going to not use specific catholic definitions, which, while wonderful, are not personal, per se. Faith is a shared space of trust. The Divine Love trusts me to ‘become’ using the gifts he gave me as a reflection of our relationship and His Divine Nature becoming in me. I, in turn, trust the Divine Love to aid me on this journey of love. I am 100% certain that the Divine Love is moved to help me be his image and act just like him. I like him and want to be like him.
O- Faith and modern life, to your eye, what can you tell us?
G- I think we complicate things too much. I sure could answer with good habit tips and bad habit-breaking tips. In the end, though, it really is about deciding to serve the human family as family in whatever way suits your personality, skills, and resources.
O- If I say Christmas, what is the first thing you think of? What does this time of the year represent for you as a man and as a deacon?
G- I had a wonderful childhood. Overall, I have the very fondest memories about growing up. All holidays were made special by Mom and Dad. Christmas to me is family, sharing, gifts, food, and Church (yes, church was the foundation stone, but not #1 in my thoughts – sorry, I was just a kid). As a man, HOPE. Christmas is about hope for humankind. As a deacon, LOVE. Can anyone actually look at a newborn baby and not be moved with love? As a citizen, CHARITY. I link citizen and charity as the social -shareable far and wide – dimensions of hope and love. Charity is evidence of hope. Charity is evidence of love.
O- Let’s go for something a bit more trivial now: Tea or coffee?
G- Coffee.
O- Red wine, white wine, or beer?
G- Stout. Then red wine.
O- Sweet or savoury?
G- Sweet tooth wins!
O- I knew you were my kind of person! Now, three things you are grateful for, every day.
G- So many things boiled down to three. Relationships, family, and friends are #1. Health is #2. And #3 ministry(truth be told, #3 is #1, but that is a socially unacceptable response). I am never more alive than when doing good. I wish I were more #3.
O- That’s very honest of you and interesting. Any special message for the new year or to end the old year more gracefully?
G- I say, end the year with Gratitude and Restitution. Pick a gift you’ve received and offer thanks. Pick a wrong you’ve done, make it right. Begin the New Year in Awe. You are an awesome reflection of the Divine Person. The entirety of the world, galaxy, and distant stars is your garden, play in it with awe. I am in Awe of the things the Lord has done in the Cosmos and even down to the very breath we take. For your readers: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord be kind to you and grant you peace. So be it! Amen!
O- That was lovely, Gerry. Thank you so much and for this beautiful chat. May your Christmas be filled with joy and love, and so much so the year ahead.
Well, this is it, as I said in the beginning, it was the last chat of the year, and I am sure you agree with me that it couldn’t be more special.
Thank you all for sharing some of your precious time with my guests and I. I hope to see you all back in the new year for more chats.
Good thing when I wished you all a happy new year and said the blog would come back over the weekend I didn’t specify which weekend.
Normally, on the first post of the new year, I would fill you in about my Christmas (mis)adventures but at this stage, nearly three weeks later, it doesn’t really feel right.
So, just to feed your curiosity, I would simply mention that after spending months carefully planning a day-trip day trip with my parents, while over for the holidays, it still managed to result in a disaster. The traffic was atrocious and it took us hours to get to our destination which was a great disappointment. The view, on the other end, from up there was breathtaking…we have been told, because of course we managed to pick the foggiest day of the year.
Weather-wise the New Year’s celebrations were not any luckier but I could be damned if I let the heavy wind and the torrential rain ruin the family traditions of going into town for a stroll and hot chocolate and then dinner. Not this year of all years when, finally, it was back to the four of us in high spirits with no teenage rebellions or hormonal tantrums.
Now that the Christmas recap has been done, let’s get to the most important part of the winter break and the reason for my late posting: Ada
Ada is an 8-week-old Gordon setter who unexpectedly joined us on the 3rd of January .
She was not planned at least not by me and came very unexpectedly, at least to me.
Yes, you got it right, this time it was all on the travelling husband even if , even afterstacking the boot of the car with blankets, towels, puppy training pads and a basket, he maintained that we were only driving three hours each way only to look at her.
Well, we looked at her, she looked us, and the travelling husband obsession for the little one was immediately evident but, still the ultimate decision was mine, I was told: “Because you know, the sacrifice will be mostly yours than mine once I am back to work…..”
That very same evening Ada spent her first night in her new home; the very same next day the travelling husband went back to work and I realised what he meant!!!!!!!!!!!
