Light Is Returning (Charlie Murphy & Jami Sieber)

"Traditionally, the Winter Solstice, December 21, was considered the birth day of the sun, that magnificent point in time when the sun begins its return to the Earth again. In the midst of the longest darkest night, deep in the earth, even the seeds begin to stir with hope.

In times past and present, people gathered around bonfires, lit candles, sang songs of holiness and joy, and danced together to welcome the return of the light and the promise of new life. Homes were decorated with evergreen boughs, the symbol of life everlasting, and great feasts were prepared. We can still do much of this!

Now, more than ever, when so many people are suffering, isolated and alone, and the Earth herself seems in crisis, it is important to honor and celebrate these great shiftings of Earthly cycles. 

✨ We are the light, living stars on Earth reflecting our light back into the darkness. Our task is to remember to turn that light on in our hearts and souls. Let it reflect in who we are and what we do in the world and the possibilities are infinite.✨

This Solstice, join your energies with the thousands of others around the world who are lighting their fires and singing their songs into the darkness. Dance freely, set your intentions, let go, and release all that no longer serves you or humanity. Order your seeds, plan your gardens, dream your future, and never fear, the sun is returning again and a new dawn is on its way.

With love from Vermont,

Rosemary 🌿"

Happy Yule!  I have always appreciated and been in awe of the Winter Solstice, but, unlike many dear friends (M!), I have never actively celebrated it.  With my recent affinity for gardening leading me to Herbalism (what I like to call Kitchen Witchery), I am finding myself drawn to earth-centered beliefs and Pagan rituals.

Do you have a Solstice ritual?  I actually started one this year.  I of course had candles, sage, and the Internet to find blessings and words of wisdom, all accompanied by a mug of Cinnamon Apple Spice Tea, a recent gift from a dear friend... 🍵  As good a time as any to chase away the darkness and to conjure light in these troubled/trying/tragic times, right?

P.S.  If you're paying attention... yes, my blogging routine is Tuesdays and Fridays but, since today is the Winter Solstice, it only made sense to post on the actual day.. 🔥🕯🔥🕯🔥

SONG:  Light Is Returning by Charlie Murphy & Jami Sieber

BOOK:  Winter Solstice: An Essay by Nina MacLaughlin

POEM(S):  

I cannot tell you

how the light comes.

What I know

is that it is more ancient

than imagining.

That it travels

across an astounding expanse

to reach us.

That it loves

searching out

what is hidden

what is lost

what is forgotten

or in peril

or in pain.

That it has a fondness

for the body

for finding its way

toward flesh

for tracing the edges

of form

for shining forth

through the eye,

the hand,

the heart.

I cannot tell you

how the light comes,

but that it does.

That it will.

That it works its way

into the deepest dark

that enfolds you,

though it may seem

long ages in coming

or arrive in a shape

you did not foresee.

And so

may we this day

turn ourselves toward it.

May we lift our faces

to let it find us.

May we bend our bodies

to follow the arc it makes.

May we open

and open more

and open still

to the blessed light

that comes.

   - Jan Richardson 

Spell of the Christmas Cactus by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Something magic

about knowing

it’s the darkest days

that bring on the buds,

the extravagant bloom,

because oh, friend,

how dark it is.

To Know the Dark by Wendell Berry

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.

To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,

and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,

and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

Love the Dark by James Crews

Sometimes it is only the darkness

that can free us. Sunlight might be

streaming in from all sides, yet you

crave the safety of drawn shades,

locked doors, the silenced phone.

Give yourself permission to rest

like the orchid whose bud must stay

shut tight as a chrysalis for days,

curled up and waiting for that final

moment of unfurling, when it opens

pink-veined, white wings of petals

wide to the sky, embracing the light

that comes only after the longest night.

QUOTE(S):  "Darkness deserves gratitude. It is the alleluia point at which we learn to understand that all growth does not take place in the sunlight." ~ Joan Chittister and Rowan Williams

"Reclaim what has been forgotten.  Dance the fire of your longing under the waxing moon of your full presence.  Carry the seeds of your dreams awhile longer in the womb of Nature’s being.  Let the Earth incubate your wild if-onlys in its embryonic embrace as you re-member the self you were so many eons ago when you were forest and moonlight." ~ Edveeje Fairchild

"I danced with my shadows until they became part of my light." ~ Jodi Livon

Saving Grace (The Head and the Heart)

Since 2008, it has been my custom each January 1 (a so-far-15-year tradition) to ascribe to Christine Kane's concept of choosing a Word of the Year to inspire/motivate/give me direction as to the tone/theme of my upcoming 52 weeks/365 days.  In retrospect, some of my previous words/phrases have been Release, Create, Let It Go, Health, Light, Follow-Through, Contentment, Forward, Stretch.

With my recent affinity for gardening leading me to Herbalism (which I am fond of calling Kitchen Witchery), my mind has been both blown and soothed at the same time, if that makes a bit of sense... and I landed on the word SAGE, with its many definitions:

~ Wise:  as of my 68th birthday this past August, I am officially a Crone, you know... 😉

~ Smudging/clearing:  releasing the old/making way for the new

~ Medicinal:  I am not only using this particular herb to infuse my water these days (perfect with a few slices of lemon), but one of my first discoveries a year and a half ago in the garden (endless thanks to Claire!) was butterfly pea flower tea (Clitoria ternatea; yes, that’s its real name!); current clinical studies confirm its ability to calm/de-stress, enhance cognitive functions, and alleviate symptoms of numerous ailments including fever, inflammation, pain, and diabetes, not to mention the magical powers of adding lemon to change its vibrant cobalt-blue color to a gorgeous purple... 🌟

I am now the person who saves glass jars to gather and store, not just shiny trinkets as my Crow Brain was previously fond of, but lemon balm and cranberry hibiscus and holy basil (for tea), calendula, African Blue Basil, the aforementioned butterfly pea flowers, and comfrey (for the Bath Tea I have been making).  [You would be right in envisioning my dining room table perpetually covered in brown paper bags with an assortment of drying leaves!]  I'm even drying seeds of a yellow (Thai) eggplant (from Kathy) and papaya seeds of the dwarf fruit from our Hope Garden to share with volunteers.  

Re: the greenery on my third-floor condo catwalk and balcony, I am getting away from growing ornamentals (other than the sentimental gifts of Reba's peace lily, Linda's plumeria, Brian's desert rose, Judi's mom's iris) and concentrating on plants that are edible and/or useful.

These days I feel like Hamnet's wife (in the best possible way... 🌱🌺🌿)

Manifesto for an Enchanted Life by Sharon Blackie

1. Everything around you is alive: believe it. Tell stories to stones, sing to trees, start conversations with birds. Build relationships. You’ll never be lonely again.

2. To be fully in your body is to be fully alive. Get out of your head and into the world.

3. Look for the wonder wherever you go. Be all your life, as American poet Mary Oliver suggested, 'a bride married to amazement'.

4. Embrace mystery – don’t be afraid of what you don’t know.

5. Cultivate your mythic imagination: the inner and outer landscape of myth.

6. Know your place. Learn to belong, because wherever you go, there you are. There is nowhere else real to be.

7. Cleave to the local and the ethical. Cultivate community spirit, and autonomy.

8. Slow down.

9. Create. Buy handmade. Live folklorically.

10. Don’t have a career: have a life. Find your calling – but, above all, find your meaning in the community of the world.

11. Foster meaningful ritual; make each day a ceremony, or make a ceremony in each day.

12. Cherish otherness, in all its forms; confront in yourself, and explore, the forms of otherness which make you uncomfortable or afraid.

13. Treasure change: it’s the stuff from which lives are forged. Stop looking for the eternal and immutable, and enter the daily dance with the transitory.

SONG:  Saving Grace by The Head and the Heart

BOOK:  The Wild & Weedy Apothecary: An A to Z Book of Herbal Concoctions, Recipes & Remedies, Practical Know-How & Food for the Soul by Doreen Shababy (a Christmas present from my dear friend M)

POEM(S):  Holding the Light by Stuart Kestenbaum

for Kait Rhoads

Gather up whatever is 

glittering in the gutter,

whatever has tumbled 

in the waves or fallen 

in flames out of the sky,

for it’s not only our

hearts that are broken, 

but the heart

of the world as well.

Stitch it back together. 

Make a place where

the day speaks to the night

and the earth speaks to the sky.

Whether we created God

or God created us

it all comes down to this:

In our imperfect world

we are meant to repair

and stitch together 

what beauty there is, stitch it 

with compassion and wire. 

See how everything 

we have made gathers 

the light inside itself

and overflows? A blessing.

Gathering by Nina Bagley  

We are gatherers,

the ones who pick up sticks and stones

and old wasp's nests fallen by the

door of the barn,

walnuts with holes that look like

eyes of owls,

bits of shells not whole but lovely

in their brokeness,

we are the ones who bring home

empty eggs of birds

and place them on a small glass shelf

to keep for what? How long?

It matters not. What matters

Is the gathering,

the pockets filled with remnants

of a day evaporated, the traces of

certain memory, a lingering smell,

a smile that came with the shell.

QUOTE(S):  “Herbalism is based on relationship – relationship between plant and human, plant and planet, human and planet. Using herbs in the healing process means taking part in an ecological cycle.  This offers us the opportunity consciously to be present in the living, vital world of which we are part; to invite wholeness and our world into our lives through awareness of the remedies being used..." ~ Wendell Berry

"A fool thinks how to spend time; a sage how to use it." ~ Leo Tolstoy

"Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there.  It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime." ~ Ray Bradbury

“Plants are a way of life. Using herbs isn’t just about medicine or healing. It’s about breath. Life. About faith, and how to live on this Earth in a more balanced and wholesome way, together. Plants thrive in community. They give out far more than they take in. They are sustainable in every way.” ~ Rosemary Gladstar

Yule (Winter Solstice Song) - (Lisa Thiel)

artist: George Wolfe Plank

Happy Yule!  I have always appreciated and been in awe of the Winter Solstice, but, unlike many dear friends, I have never actively celebrated it.  With my recent affinity for gardening leading me to Herbalism (what I like to call Kitchen Witchery), I am finding myself drawn to earth-centered beliefs and Pagan rituals.

I've been wanting to have My Sweet Babboo (a.k.a. four-year-old grandson Colin) over to view my holiday decorations but, through a series of best-laid-plans-gone-awry, it just hasn't worked out yet... until now, when the plan is for me to pick him up from preschool (which I do a few times a week anyway) this afternoon, bring him to my house for a few hours, and then deliver him home to Sarah... 😍  

I cannot wait to walk him through the house, spotlighting my small lighted tree (similar to the one my Mom made in her ceramics class in the '60s)... my dining room table (with vintage ornaments in a square glass vase)... my "candle tree", with presents underneath... my Santa collection, lovingly acquired over the decades (and which I haven't displayed the last few years)... lighting candles throughout... then putting the Netflix fireplace on my TV screen and turning down the overhead lights, enjoying a snack of hot chocolate and cookies, and talking about our holiday wishes (not just which toys Santa is bringing, but of experiences and love... 💖 )

Maybe I have high expectations for those upcoming few hours but, smart and thoughtful kiddo that he is, I think he will more than live up to them.  And, bonding time with my Snugglebunny:  Priceless!

P.S.  Had to share the below article, as I'm recently enamored with Ms. Renkl's writing and am, in fact, giving her book of essays to various of my special peeps this holiday season... 🎁

Falling a Little Bit in Love with the Dark by Margaret Renkl

Dec. 19, 2022

Ms. Renkl is a contributing [NYT] Opinion writer who covers flora, fauna, politics and culture in the American South.

NASHVILLE — This year the winter solstice arrives on Dec. 21 in the shank of the dark afternoon. Officially the first day of astronomical winter, the solstice is better known as the shortest day of the year. I prefer to think of it as the longest night of the year, for I am making friends with darkness.

For most of my life, I looked forward to the solstice because it signals a shift to longer days. I was never a fan of winter, and earlier sunrises and later sunsets always felt to me like a kind of compensation for the cold. But my heart has been thawing these past years, watching as winter becomes ever more fragile, its cold imperiled by the changing climate, its darkness by our own foolishness and fear.

With the arrival of LED lighting, which costs so little to burn, every house has become an island of illumination, every city a blazing forest fire of artificial light. In my own backyard, it’s hard to enjoy the full moon because so many of our neighbors now leave their lights on all night long. And that’s without the holiday displays, each one bright enough to guide an airplane from the sky and land it safely in the middle of our street.

This resolve to snuff out every shadow of night — I wonder how closely it might be linked to the metaphorical darknesses of our age. Discord, suffering and sorrow are everywhere, all much darker than any winter night, and tilting Earth is not to blame for them. It’s not hard to understand what’s really to blame: Media and political figures alike profit when we are angry or afraid.

Literal darkness is simple by comparison, but people inclined to flood their own yards with light for safety’s sake seem not to know how little safety they’ve provided themselves or what measures of actual safety they have closed off in the attempt. They will never know what dangers might lurk beyond their own little circle of light because they’ve created the very circumstances that prevent their eyes from adjusting to darkness.

This is the flip side of Willy Loman’s lament about the loss of sunlight — “The grass don’t grow anymore, you can’t raise a carrot in the backyard,” he says in “Death of a Salesman.” Willy’s trouble is the proliferation of apartment houses. Ours is the proliferation of LEDs. Willy’s garden languishes, and we can no longer see in the dark.

It has become fashionable in fall for people to decorate their front porches with pumpkins of all colors and sizes. In Middle Tennessee, we don’t get more than a few days of true fall weather anymore, and no one I know grows pumpkins, so these porchscapes, as they are called, are mostly aspirational. Less fall than faux fall. An Instagram season.

But the pumpkins are real, heavy and ripe. Pumpkin season used to run right up to Thanksgiving, but Halloween now marks the end of the porchscapes. Apparently taking their cue from the big-box stores, Americans have decided to hang their Christmas lights on the day after Halloween.

It’s almost always a mistake to feed wildlife, in part because feeding habituates wild creatures to our presence. Animals that are not afraid of us tend to come to a bad end at the hands of people who are afraid of them. But I couldn’t bear to see those perfectly good pumpkins, dozens of them, heading to the landfill, so I mentioned on WhatsApp that I thought our wild neighbors would welcome a pumpkin dinner once the pumpkins were no longer useful as decorations.

My human neighbors responded by bringing me trunkloads of pumpkins. Day after day I would find our front bench piled high, and day after day I would carry the pumpkins out back and tuck them up against the fence around the play yard we built to keep our dog out of the wildlife sanctuary that is the rest of this half acre. Every morning I walk down to look at the impromptu fencescape, delighting in each new sign that a raucous feast has been unfolding in our backyard after dark.

The party has been going on for weeks now. Some of the pumpkins have been rolled across the yard, to what purpose I can’t guess. Some of the first pumpkins to arrive are beginning to rot now, but others are perfectly clean inside, gnawed down to the rind. The hollows fill up with rain, a natural water source for thirsty wildlife.

Many creatures in this part of the world will eat a pumpkin: squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, birds and turtles by day; mice, deer, opossums, skunks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes by night. Heading out to check the mail, I have watched more than one squirrel spring from the center of a giant pumpkin, rocket-launched from deep within, at the sound of my footfall.

But I don’t know who’s been feasting at night. Nearly every potential pumpkin eater in the suburbs has been spotted in this neighborhood during the 27 years we’ve lived here, and it could be any of them. It could be all of them, one after another. It would be so wonderful if it was all of them.

Which beautiful mysteries are out there in the dark, living their hidden lives so near our own unshadowed lives? I could hang our old trail camera on a nearby tree and probably find out, but so far I haven’t even charged the camera batteries. Something is holding me back, and I’m not sure what.

It might be fear. It would be a thrill to discover some rare and elusive creature delighting in these donated pumpkins, but the reverse is also true. What if I peered at all the grainy trail-cam images and found only the solitary opossum who sleeps under our shed? What if the only thing I learned from the camera is that most of my treasured backyard neighbors have been pushed out by all the changes in this changing city?

I know that’s not true, at least not yet. I can see the coyotes and the foxes with my own eyes. I see the skunks and the raccoons. Every morning Rascal heads down into his yard to sniff the pumpkins through the fence, and some mornings he leaps back in alarm at the scent of what must surely be a predator. Even so, I am afraid the day is coming when they will all be gone.

So I am teaching myself to rest in uncertainties, to revel in the secrets of darkness. I welcome the hungry creatures, cold and wild, that find their way in the dark to this unexpected bounty, but I don’t need to know who they are. Let them live out their lives in mystery. Let the cold nights hold them. Let the cold nights hold me, too.

SONG:  Yule (Winter Solstice Song) by Lisa Thiel

BOOK:  A Light in Life:  Meditations on Impermanence by Mary Pipher

POEM:  Celebration by M.E. Hope

 

 There is a reason we save this time

 of the year for celebration,

 this time when we need sun or star or flame

 to take us through the axis tip;

 when we need snowfall and miracle

 and warmth and song to carry us through

 till spring.  There is a reason

 we search the sky, listening for wingbeat,

 verse, the sound of doves hovering

 in the shelter of pine. We look toward

 one another, rather than away,

 pull in toward the hearth

 the sturdy chair, take the arms of one

 so loved, we could not go on

 without them, and in this

 pause, we pull in the world.

 The long winter night fills us:

 a renewal, a radiance, a reason for waking.

QUOTE(S):  "Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, beckons us into the darkness, inviting us into the depths of ourselves and asks us, “What must you let die at this time? What is calling to you to be born? What is your next step?” ~ Wild Woman Magic

"May you find peace in the promise of the solstice night, that each day forward is blessed with more light.  That the cycle of nature, unbroken and true, brings faith to your soul and wellbeing to you.  Rejoice in the darkness, in the silence find rest, and may the days that follow be abundantly blessed." ~ Unknown

“This is the solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight, the year's threshold and unlocking, where the past lets go of and becomes the future; the place of caught breath, the door of a vanished house left ajar.“ ~ Margaret Atwood

“To go in the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find, that the dark, too, blooms and sings, and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.“ ~ Wendell Berry

No Regrets (Friction Farm)

Good morning!  Has it really been two weeks since I last posted?  WTF?!?  It seems to have been a combination of reasons:  due to increased vaccinations (50% now!), things are opening up, which means there are more in-person get-togethers, which means I am out of the house more and not sitting at the laptop as much... also, my mood/attitude is good, but nothing has really jumped out to inspire me, meaning I've had to go mining for a a great song or poem, as opposed to the ones that usually throw themselves in my path, begging "Pick me!  Pick me!".

I'm staying busy... moving more, worrying less, sleeping well, eating healthy, still reading like a MF, addicted to The Handmaid's Tale (I read the book a bazillion years ago, and am so impressed with the Hulu adaptation!), regular phone chats with family and friends, obsessed with watermelon chunks as my late-night snack (ha ha!).

Still watching Jeopardy religiously (last week and this are the Tournament of Champions) and, I'm not going to lie, very glad that the cocky *sshole of quarterfinals fame ("for the kill"?  really?) lost Tuesday night in the semi-finals.  I know that's not very kind; oh f*cking well.

Redeemed my Mother's Day "coupon" with Sarah this past Sunday at Marando Farms; we had a lovely breakfast/brunch at their Twisted Tomato Cafe (their veggie hash is divine!), and then walked the petting zoo with Colin (I used to think goats were cute, but now I believe they're just annoying... 😲 )

Last week and this were: Karen's healing hands massage, taking a friend to a doctor's appointment, a few library pick-ups, my OverReaders Anonymous book club,  Pool Days with Nancy, Zooms with Nancy and Judi, a livestream with Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry (theme was animals), a few pick-ups of Colin from preschool.  Lunch with my son Rob today (since reading Crying in H Mart, I've been craving Korean food), then headed up to my former UU church for a memorial service (tragic series of events).

 

In the meantime, it is indeed Feel Good Friday.  As is tradition, five items below of beauty, interest, and humor to brighten your day/weekend/week.  Enjoy! 

~ Eric Carle, Author of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar,’ Dies at 91:  A self-described “picture writer,” he wrote and illustrated more than 70 books for young children, selling more than 170 million copies.

~ ‘Dear Evan Hansen’: Watch the First Trailer for the Ben Platt Musical Movie:  Universal has released the first trailer for the “Dear Evan Hansen” movie, premiering in theaters on Sept. 24.  Ben Platt returns in his Tony-winning titular role in the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical hit created by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

~ What’s Your Rose, Thorn and Bud?:  This past year, as we’ve had sooooo many dinners as a family, we have started the age-old tradition of rose, thorn, bud. Want to play it? Here’s how it works…  Basically, everyone goes around and shares a rose (a positive thing that happened that day), a thorn (a negative thing that happened that day) and a bud (something they’re looking forward to).

~ Louvre Gets Its First Female Leader in 228 Years:  Laurence des Cars, who will become the president of the world’s most visited museum in September, shares some of her plans in an interview.

~ Spotify Playlist for Daisy Jones & The Six (a novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid): randomhousebooks, 26 songs, 1 hour 47 minutes

NR:  Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert (god help me, this is my third romance novel in as many months.  Who am I, and what have I done with Susan?!?  However, how can one resist this bio?... 💖

"Talia Hibbert is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate.  She writes steamy, diverse romance because she believes that people of marginalised identities need honest and positive representation. Her interests include makeup, junk food, and unnecessary sarcasm."

SONG:  No Regrets by Friction Farm (scroll 1/3 down to album cover of Evidence of Hope, click on album cover, click on arrow to navigate to track 8)

BOOK:  No Regrets Living: 7 Keys to a Life of Wonder and Contentment by Harley A. Rotbart MD

POEM:  Mad Farmer VIII by Wendell Berry

When I rise up

let me rise up joyful

like a bird.

When I fall

let me fall without regret

like a leaf.

QUOTE:  “Let go of who you thought you’d become.  Let go of the need to control.  Let go of the expectations that society has burdened you with.  Let go of disappointments, missed opportunities, and broken hearts.  Because only by letting go will you discover who you are becoming.” ~ Justin Shiels

Beautiful World of Mine (Eliza Gilkyson)

Today is Easter Sunday.  I am not necessarily a proponent of the religious aspect, but I do appreciate the metaphor of rebirth, renewal, and resurrection... a bit odd in that this virus has most of us in hibernation mode, and our Spring may not come until late-summer.

However, rituals are touchstones and our sweet Sarah is embracing the holiday, especially because Colin is at an age to really appreciate.  Yesterday they dyed eggs, she put together an Easter basket for him, and she even made a bunny cake, traditional in our family for decades, beginning with my mom, segueing to me, and now Sarah.  My mom would actually pluck straws from her broom for the whiskers, I used bamboo skewers, and Sarah creatively came up with licorice Twizzlers.  Would have loved to be the proverbial fly on the wall when Colin first saw it!

They, and the boys, will come over about 10 am, and we will do a social distancing egg hunt, followed by bubbles (blowing as well as popping!), playing on the golf course green (which Colin thinks is his own private sandbox), and using sticks to draw in the sandy path.

Not bad for Plan Q...  :-)

P.S.  A few hours after I initially posted.  Our kiddo with his basket of eggs.  HEART!!!

SONG:  Beautiful World of Mine by Eliza Gilkyson

BOOK:  A New Beginning: Celebrating the Spring Equinox by Wendy Pfeffer, Linda Bleck (Illustrator)

POEM:  The Way Wings Should by Rumi

What will
our children do in the morning?
Will they wake with their hearts wanting to play,
the way wings
should?

Will they have dreamed the needed flights and gathered
the strength from the planets that all men and women need to balance
the wonderful charms of
the earth

so that her power and beauty does not make us forget our own?

I know all about the ways of the heart - how it wants to be alive.

Love so needs to love
that it will endure almost anything, even abuse,
just to flicker for a moment. But the sky's mouth is kind,
its song will never hurt you, for I
sing those words.

What will our children do in the morning
if they do not see us
fly?

QUOTE:  "The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope." ~ Wendell Berry

Wilder Than Her (Fred Eaglesmith)

I had the great pleasure of seeing Fred Eaglesmith and his band in a very small coffeehouse this past Monday night... and posted the following review to our local folk list - if Fred and company come anywhere near your town... I strongly urge you to go, go, go!

P.S. I spoke with Kori, Fred's drummer, at the break and requested this song - she kindly passed it on, and he played it mid-way through the second set... :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was first introduced to the music of Fred Eaglesmith way back in 1997, when Dar Williams released an EP which included her cover of Wilder Than Her - I always loved that she felt comfortable enough not to change the gender. Seven years later, Todd Snider covered Alcohol and Pills - when two of my faves spotlight another artist's music in their catalog, you can bet I'm going to pay attention!

I was lucky enough to see Fred and band twice at the amazing Main Street Cafe, before it closed - last night I had a chance to reprise the experience at the Luna Star Cafe. The four-piece group might have been a bit "close" on stage... and their trademark merch table (limited edition vinyl, Fredhead coffee, earrings made out of Fred's old guitar strings... not to mention cowboy hats, CDs and DVDs) might have had to shrink a bit to fit on the piano in the corner... but the lyrics were larger-than-life, the musicianship was overflowing and the sense of privilege at experiencing this legendary group in such an intimate setting was huge...

What Fred and band (Matt Simpson on guitar, banjo and vocals; Kori Heppner on drums; Luke Stackhouse on upright bass and vocals) offer up onstage in their repertoire is exceptional (words front-and-center, exquisite harmonies and tight accompaniment, whether rocking or mellow, bluegrass or bossa nova) - what is unexpected but equally charming is Fred's over-the-top personality. David Engels posted yesterday that Fred will make you laugh - what he also does is make you think. He "afflicted the comfortable", with rant topics ranging from socialized medicine to stashed money in Panamanian bank accounts to corporate bailouts - he regaled us with humorous stories of sex, reincarnation*** and his new brainchild: joke-eoke... :-)

Part poet, part stand-up comic, all Buddhist Canadian cowboy (a koan artist?), Fred and company used the power of language and music last evening to full advantage - thanks to Alexis and Bree and all involved at the Luna Star for opening the Cafe on a normally-closed Monday night to showcase such stellar entertainment... in addition to her delicious food and extensive beer menu!


***My new favorite joke, from memory (ack!):

Once there were two nuns who promised each other that whoever died first would come back to tell the other what heaven was like. One nun died and, about six weeks later, the second nun heard the voice of her friend, and asked about her experience.

“Well, first I get up in the morning and have some vegetarian greens, then I make love, then I eat greens again, then in the afternoon I make love some more. Then I have another meal of natural greens, and make love again in the evening before I go to sleep.”

The second nun was quite surprised at this and asked, “So that is what it's like in heaven?”

The first nun replied, “Who said anything about heaven? I’m a rabbit in Saskatchewan.”

SONG: Wilder Than Her by Fred Eaglesmith

BOOK: Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery by Mark Coleman (introduction by Jack Kornfield)

POEM: The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

QUOTE: "First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others." ~ Thomas A Kempis

The Indescribable Wow (Sam Phillips)

DailyOM
July 29, 2009
An Instant Vacation
Relaxing at Home

Throughout our lives, most of us are led to believe that relaxation is best pursued outside of the home. As a result, we spend months anticipating weeklong vacations, seldom fully appreciating the leisure time we are blessed with on a more regular basis. It is possible, however, to reexperience the same utterly relaxed state you slip into while on holiday within your home’s walls. The feelings of serenity you enjoy during a vacation are a product of your outlook rather than your locale. You give yourself permission to enjoy yourself and unwind while on vacation. Granting yourself the same privilege while at home allows you to experience complete relaxation, even when surrounded by routine.

Our homes can be distracting places as most survival tasks are addressed there. Reviving the tranquility you felt on holiday is as easy as creating an atmosphere that helps you relax. First, divest yourself of the notion that messes must be cleaned up immediately and reaffirm that relaxation is as vital as physical nourishment. Then, set the mood. Music that reminds you of a beloved vacation destination can put you in a vacation mind-set. The exotic flavor of a tropical beverage or the spiciness a favorite ethnic dish can transport you to a more restful mental space. Finally, put aside your projects and commit to doing only what you consider truly pleasurable. Your responsibilities will wait as you put up your feet and revel in peacefulness that comes from within.

If you find it difficult to ignore the temptation to simply fall back into your usual schedule, consider that relaxation should occupy a prominent place on your to-do list. You deserve to take "you time" and to care for yourself, even during life’s busy periods. While you may not always be able to get away from it all, you can still nurture yourself and regain your peace of mind.

It's been an exhausting few days - last week's visitation and funeral seem forever ago, plus I had Sarah here until mid-day Saturday. Sunday found me, Mari and Brad getting together for our first family dinner without mom - I continue to be amazed at how quiet the house is without her oxygen concentrator, her TV in the background and her palpable energy field. She spent all of each and every day at one corner of the couch... her "nook", as we termed it - a few days after her death, I placed a couch pillow, flat, on the empty space, and on top of that a plastic tiara from mom's 70th surprise birthday party. It stayed there to mark her place throughout the visitors, the extended family gathering, the post-funeral-mass get-together - it will remain indefinitely...

On Sunday Mari, Brad and I read aloud a copy of the will - everything will of course be split three ways, although there is not much, understandably, as mom lived on a limited income (retirement and Social Security). Once the house is sold, the proceeds will be 70/30 (the former to the three of us, the latter to her second husband's son and daughter) - there is some money in CDs and IRAs, which will also be thirded. What we thought would be the most difficult has in fact been easiest: the distribution of mom's belongings - Mari and I have spent the last two days going through the house room by room, and comparing it to the inventory I did with mom when I visited last January.

Mari recently divorced and moved into another house in her same neighborhood - money is tight and, although she's done a beautiful job of decorating, there were still three rooms with virtually nothing in them. I don't need furniture and neither does my brother... so it's comforting to know that Mari will turn the downstairs bedroom into an "homage" to mom, complete with mom's childhood bedroom furniture (a lovely maple dresser and nightstand), the Hummel latchhook rug mom crafted and mom and Ralph's framed wedding invitation - Mari will be able to use mom's dining room table and eight chairs and buffet... as well as furnish an upstairs bedroom (sporting a lighthouse wallpaper border) with mom's futon, nightstands and dresser from her and Ralph's bedroom furniture and mom's lighthouse collection (many of which Mari gave to mom over the years)...

I will be bringing home an antique washstand that was my grandmother's (my father's mom), a cherished piece with many memories, as well as a lovely baker's rack to use on the patio and many household items (linens and glassware) - Brad will get mom's wicker patio furniture, her everyday dishes and flatware, the TVs, the painting over the couch, some small appliances and mom's cutting board (which her father, who was in the linoleum business, made). We have all chosen various knick-knacks and religious paraphernalia - next week we will call in the neighbors to see what items they'd like to have to remember mom by, and then we'll donate the rest.

As I'm Executrix of the will, I've also started proceedings with the lawyer, followed up on with the funeral home to find out when we'll receive the death certificates, called the church to thank them again for doing such a beautiful job with the service - our next step is bringing in a realtor to take a look at the house and then put it on the market. A big plus in our situation is that Mari's college sweetheart/current boyfriend is in process of getting a divorce, which should be final in the next few weeks - we've discussed him renting mom's house for at least six months. He will keep the house show-ready for potential buyers... and we will have the mortgage payment/utilities covered as well as someone trustworthy staying there - win/win...

So... with all of this going on, I decided I was taking a day off today - Mari is at Six Flags with Julia and friends, Brad went back to work... and I'm going to enjoy a well-deserved "staycation" (as Mari terms it). There is still much to be done with my business brain (including massive amounts of thank you notes) but, for today, all will be put on hold while I regroup/recoup from the hard-hitting emotional drain of the last week... and the exhaustion of the last two months - as soon as I hit Publish Post, I'm going to soak in a hot bath, curl up with a good book, nap (I slept very poorly last night, unusual for me) and generally nurture myself. It's much-needed and long-overdue - then I can get back to it tomorrow with grace and style and, most importantly, energy...

Speaking of WOW, which was the jumping-off place for this post, I reprint below a paragraph from my eulogy - one week later and I still glance down at my wrist with joy and memory (love you, MOM!)...

Mom was absolutely prepared... physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually – and because she was, it helped all of us to be. Monday, as you can well imagine, was most difficult – Mari, Brad and I spent many hours with Theresa at the church and James at the funeral home, finalizing last-minute details for last night's visitation and today's mass. At the end of a very long day, the three of us headed to the local tattoo parlor in Buford and we each got a memorial inking on our wrist, with the saying “it is what it is”, which was on the bracelet my children had given her for Christmas last year and which she never took off – we also put the date of her passing, 7/19/09, as well as the word mom (which upside-down spells wow, a word she was fond of using after a bad breathing episode). It was a healing and bonding experience for us, as we begin to navigate the journey of life without Connie – what a legacy she left us, which we are passing on to our children, who will in turn pass it on to theirs.

SONG: The Indescribable Wow by Sam Phillips (yeah, I know it's the title of an album not a song!)

BOOK: What A Coincidence!: The wow! factor in synchronicity and what it means in everyday life by Susan M. Watkins

POEM: To My Mother by Wendell Berry

I was your rebellious son,
do you remember? Sometimes
I wonder if you do remember,
so complete has your forgiveness been.

So complete has your forgiveness been
I wonder sometimes if it did not
precede my wrong, and I erred,
safe found, within your love,

prepared ahead of me, the way home,
or my bed at night, so that almost
I should forgive you, who perhaps
foresaw the worst that I might do,

and forgave before I could act,
causing me to smile now, looking back,
to see how paltry was my worst,
compared to your forgiveness of it

already given. And this, then,
is the vision of that Heaven of which
we have heard, where those who love
each other have forgiven each other,

where, for that, the leaves are green,
the light a music in the air,
and all is unentangled,
and all is undismayed.

QUOTE: "We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results." ~ Herman Melville

Blueberry Hill (Fats Domino)

Have you had your RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) of anti-oxidants today? - well... now you have... :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blueberries are good for the heart, study hints
Mon Apr 20, 2009
by Megan Rauscher

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Eating blueberries, as part of a healthy diet, may help ward off several key risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, such as an accumulation of belly fat, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar, according to research reported Sunday at the Experimental Biology conference in New Orleans.

The health benefits of blueberries are thought to be due to their high levels of phytochemicals - naturally occurring antioxidants called anthocyanins found in darkly pigmented fruits and vegetables.

"In the long-term Women's Health Study, it was shown that women who had diets high in anthocyanins had a significantly reduced risk for heart disease," University of Michigan research scientist E. Mitchell Seymour told Reuters Health.

In studies involving overweight rats, Seymour and colleagues looked at the effects of adding freeze-dried blueberry powder to a low-fat and a high-fat diet.

"We looked at things that are relevant to heart disease," Seymour explained, "like total body fat, abdominal fat, blood lipids (fats), and the body's ability to manage blood sugar levels and we found that they were affected by the blueberry."

After 90 days, rats fed the blueberry powder had less abdominal fat and lower levels of cholesterol and harmful triglycerides than control rats that weren't fed any blueberry powder.

Blueberry-fed rats also had improvements in blood sugar levels and in how their bodies used insulin to process sugar for energy - both of which could help keep diabetes at bay.

The benefits of a blueberry-rich diet were more pronounced when combined with the low-fat diet, as compared to the high fat diet, "but the majority of those benefits were still present even in a higher-fat, more typical American diet," Seymour said.

The study was supported by the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.

P.S. SMM here, here and here...

SONG: Blueberry Hill by Fats Domino

BOOK: Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

POEM: Blueberry by Diane Lockward

Deep-blue hue of the body, silvery bloom

on its skin. Undersized runt of a fruit,

like something that failed to thrive, dented top

a fontanel. Lopsided globe. A temperate zone.

Tiny paradox, tart and sweet, homely

but elegant afloat in sugar and cream,

baked in a pie, a cobbler, a muffin.

The power of blue. Number one antioxidant fruit,

bantam-weight champ in the fight against

urinary tract infections, best supporting actor

in a fruit salad. No peeling, coring or cutting.

Lay them out on a counter, strands of blue pearls.

Pop one at a time, like M&M's, into your mouth.

Be a glutton and stuff in a handful, your tongue,

lips, chin dyed blue, as if feasting on indigo.

Fruit of the state of New Jersey.

Favorite fruit of my mother.

Sundays she scooped them into pancake batter,

poured circles onto the hot greased griddle, sizzled

them gold and blue, doused with maple syrup.

This is what I want to remember: my mother

and me, our quilted robes, hair in curlers,

that kitchen, that table,

plates stacked with pancakes, blueberries sparkling

like gemstones, blue stars in a gold sky,

the universe in reverse,

the two of us eating blueberry pancakes.

QUOTE: "I am not bound for any public place, but for ground of my own where I have planted vines and orchard trees, and in the heat of the day climbed up into the healing shadow of the woods. Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet berries in a cup." ~ Wendell Berry

It's the Economy, Stupid (John McCutcheon)

Hey, I have the day off tomorrow! - actually... I have many days ahead of me. I was laid off from my office assistant job today - what a shock (major understatement)...

The economy was given as the reason... and I have no cause to doubt - I was also paid until the end of the month but cleaned out my desk and turned over my key this afternoon when the news was delivered. I'm okay - really...

I sent the following e-mail to my bosses/co-workers, shortly after I got home today:

-----Original Message-----

Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 7:20 PM

Subject: thanks to all...

Hey, B, E and V -

Just wanted to drop a note to thank you all for the opportunity to have worked at _______ for the last 19 months - it was a challenge... and a learning experience... and a pleasure...

I most certainly understand the ripple-effect repercussions of an economic recession - let's hope this election turns things back around to hope and change...

You all know I've been trying to cut back my hours to part-time since last March - Pollyanna that I am, I'm trying to look at this as a blessing in disguise, to free myself up: to deal with many ongoing home projects, to regain focus of my own exercise and nutrition regimen and to finally get these f*cking plumbing issues resolved... :-)

V, it was wonderful getting to know you... and E, I appreciated the chance to know you *better* - B, you will remain one of the special people in my life...

Thanks again to all - take care and stay in touch... <3

Today's song, as you will see when you click the lyrics link below, is inspired by Wendell Berry's Jayber Crow - synchronstically (or... as usual, in my case), I bought the book over a year ago and it's been waiting on my nightstand to be read. If that's not a sign from something greater than myself, I don't know what is - I will begin the novel, among so many other things, tomorrow... <3

SONG: It's the Economy, Stupid by John McCutcheon

BOOK: Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

POEM: Not the loss alone by Gregory Orr

Not the loss alone,

But what comes after.

If it ended completely

At loss, the rest

Wouldn't matter.

But you go on.

And the world also.

And words, words

In a poem or song:

Aren't they a stream

On which your feelings float?

Aren't they also

The banks of that stream

And you yourself the flowing?

QUOTE: "The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time." ~ Abraham Lincoln

Country Comfort (Elton John)

My book club met last night, at my home - I had chosen Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, which I bought over a year ago with a gift certificate a friend gave me for my birthday... and still hadn't gotten around to reading...

It was substantially more detailed than I originally thought... making it a dense yet enjoyable read - I can truly say it was life-changing for me, as I continue my search for healthy living, mind body and spirit. I loved the balance of Kingsolver's lyrical text, her husband Steven's snippets of facts/figures/websites and her daughter Camille's youthfully-infused essays/recipes - daughter Lily couldn't be an official contributor (too young to sign the contract), but her innocent yet practical take on life is woven throughout (don't name animals you're going to eat... :-)

To quote the author: "This is the story of a year in which we made every attempt to feed ourselves animals and vegetables whose provenance we really knew . . . and of how our family was changed by our first year of deliberately eating food produced from the same place where we worked, went to school, loved our neighbors, drank the water, and breathed the air."

The Boston Globe says: "More so than even the best cookbooks, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle makes you want to go out and eat: to cook and garden and think, and to live a passionate and sensate life. My great fear in reviewing this book is that I might make it sound like the treatise of a hokey earth mother and do-gooder, rather than a profound, graceful, and literary work of philosophy and economics, well tempered for our times, and yet timeless."

More reviews here...

NPR interview here (thanks, FM!)...

Since we theme our menu around the monthly book choice, I had asked people to bring dishes of fruits and vegetables, organic or locally-grown, emphasis on fresh - the offerings were a virtual cornucopia of culinary delights: my zucchini casserole, No's pasta salad, S's confetti salad, E's chickpeas and spinach, Na's Green Jade Soup (with quinoa and asparagus), K's key lime pie and J's guacamole... and we feasted in that can't-believe-it's-so-delicious-yet-so-good-for-us kinda way... :-)

Thankfully, everyone else enjoyed the book as well, and our discussion was lively - we talked about ways we can be pro-active about our food choices: buying in-season, organic or locally-grown (within a 100 mile radius, preferably), either through local farmer's markets or food co-ops; planting Victory or container gardens of our own; cooking to maximize nutrients; canning and freezing for future use; buying fair-trade products (coffee, clothing, etc.); composting... and so many other ways to make a difference...

Wonderful evening on so many levels - so glad I finally made the time to read this amazing paean to the miracle of the Circle of Life!

[Added 9/26/08: Can't remember how I stumbled across this blog, but I've been avidly following for close to a year - you don't have to be gluten-free to enjoy her recipes, her passion for fresh food and her melt-in-your-mouth poetic descriptions of living a succulent life...

Also clicked through to this from the newly-renovated Carrie and Danielle site this morning - good timing! ]

P.S. Okay... I got a little carried away with the quotes... :-)

SONG(S): Country Comfort by Elton John

On the lighter side: Carrot Juice is Murder by Arrogant Worms

BOOK(S): Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp

The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution by Alice Waters

Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, And Fair by Carlo Petrini

POEM: The Man Born to Farming by Wendell Berry

The Grower of Trees, the gardener, the man born to farming,

whose hands reach into the ground and sprout

to him the soil is a divine drug. He enters into death

yearly, and comes back rejoicing. He has seen the light lie down

in the dung heap, and rise again in the corn.

His thought passes along the row ends like a mole.

What miraculous seed has he swallowed

That the unending sentence of his love flows out of his mouth

Like a vine clinging in the sunlight, and like water

Descending in the dark?

QUOTE(S): "It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." ~ Lewis Grizzard

"If organic farming is the natural way, shouldn't organic produce just be called "produce" and make the pesticide-laden stuff take the burden of an adjective?" ~ Ymber Delecto

"The greatest delight the fields and woods minister is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me and I to them." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Did you ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can't taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie." ~ Astrid Alauda

"Vegetables are the food of the earth; fruit seems more the food of the heavens." ~ Sepal Felicivant

"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are." ~ Anthelme Brillat-Savarin