~
Sometimes when we least expect it, something amazing and profound hits us out of the blue, more often than not, it comes from a source that we least expect.
I am one of “those people” who prefers to use the words “Happy Holidays” to greet people during the winter holiday season in order to respect and acknowledge the fact that the season is shared by many faiths and traditions. It’s not a “war on Christmas”, it’s merely being inclusive and respectful.
I am not a Christian, but I do celebrate Christmas as a holiday of shared seasonal traditions. I celebrate it as a season of light, hope and ideally, peace on earth. To me, rebirth and renewal is a universal concept.
On Christmas morning, I walked to my neighborhood corner market to pick up something for a celebration that I was going to attend later in the day. The weather was beautiful, the air was crisp and clean, and I was still enjoying fond memories of a celebration with good friends the night before.
As I looked out on to the deep blue waters of Commencement Bay, I also contemplated all the stress and depression that many people feel at this time of year, and how truly sad that is. I thought of all the pressure that our society puts on people to be happy and have the “perfect” holiday, and how many end up disappointed and frustrated. I thought of those who have lost loved ones, and for whom this time of year brings only painful memories of loss.; and as I watched a homeless man digging in the trash, I thought sadly of those who don’t even have a home and a hot meal. It seemed so wrong to me that a season that is supposed to be about happiness and joy brings stress, depression and sadness to so many. I was feeling pretty darn jaded.
I was distracted from my train of thought when I stopped to chat with a friend from work at the little coffee shop on the corner, and was then greeted by familiar faces and smiles at our little neighborhood market. I made my purchases and began my walk back home, my mind drifting back to the sadness I was thinking about earlier..
And then, I heard it on the air.
At first it was faint and distant; then it began go gain strength and seemed to be coming from all around me.
Music, bells, magic.
I live in an old, historic neighborhood where most of the buildings are at least 100 years old. It contains several beautiful old churches.
Resounding across the waters of Commencement Bay, the castle that is now Stadium High School and the old brick buildings filled with history, was “Gloria, In Excelious Deo…” coming from real bells in an old church (I don’t know which one) that has an organ controlling the bells. Next I heard, “Joy to the World” and was reminded that this indeed is a season of hope for many traditions.
I stopped walking and just stood there to listen, appreciate the world around me and experience something that was very powerful. It was then that I noticed other people stopped on the streets, also mesmerized by the magical sounds. They came out of their businesses and homes to sit on the stoops and listen, some even pulled their cars to the side of the road and turned off their engines. Everyone, regardless of their religious upbringing, traditions or even current life circumstances was smiling in shared joy for the beauty in the air surrounding us. Most of us did not know nor had even seen each other before that moment; yet we felt an undeniable connection of the spirit.
For one brief moment, the world stood still, filled with peace, love and joy.
It doesn’t matter which church, religion, tradition or building that joyful sound came from. There are certain messages in this world that are universal.
If only we could all share more moments like the one I experienced Christmas morning in a tiny Tacoma neighborhood.
Today is the day in which everyone claims to be “Irish” for a day. (Oh, did you know that St Patrick is believed to have been of Welsh descent?)
It’s a day where many of the self proclaimed Irish go out and drink too much and often behave like idiots. Much like New Year’s Eve, St Patrick’s Day is often considered “amateur night” due to the sheer volume of drunken idiots out getting their party on.
Like New Years Eve, it’s certainly not a night I’d be out on the road risking my life driving with the idiots, especially not on a night when I have things to do the next day.
And then there’s the big debate (OK, it’s a big debate in some circles) as to if the alleged “snakes” that St Patrick supposedly drove out of Ireland really refers to the serpent symbol favored by the druids as he helped (forcibly) covert the country to Christianity.
I know many good pagan folk that boycott the holiday because face it, driving the earth centered religion out of the land isn’t a very nice thing to do so why “celebrate” it? (Hmmm, sounds a bit like US Thanksgiving doesn’t it?)
I know many peace loving people of Irish descent who wear red to protest the blood shed by religious war in Ireland and do not participate in the activities.
I know other people who wear Orange on the day in support of Irish Protestants.
It’s not only a holiday in which people often over indulge, but it is one that has some serious social, political and religious issues attached to it.
I’m becoming a fan of the term “Irish Day” rather than “St Patrick’s Day”. Although I am of Irish descent (and Scots and Welsh among others) I am not Catholic (nor Christian) and the only “saint” I have any relationship with is Brigid who was a Goddess long before she was canonized, and her flame is still tended in Kildare Ireland. (Interestingly enough, by nuns)
I wear green, not to choose a “side” but because I don’t necessarily want to be pinched. (oh, and I’ve been told it looks good with my hair color) and because, hey why not appreciate it for the Americanized celebration it is.
I often run in the Tacoma and (bigger and crazier) Seattle St Paddy’s Day races, which are about community and tradition (and good healthy fun/earning one’s beer) and attend Celtic festivals in Seattle and Tacoma.
I’m going to celebrate “Irish Day” and let everyone else celebrate (or not) as they see fit. (much like I celebrate US Thanksgiving as a day to give thanks and share with friends rather than pretend that atrocities were not committed against the first nations people)
I enjoy Celtic music and a Guinness as much as anyone. Two years ago, I walked to my neighborhood pub to listened to some music, drank a Guinness (no sitting, it was standing room only), realized that it was too loud/noisy/crowded to talk to anyone or get another beer without waiting for an hour, went home early (did I mention that 5:00 AM wakeup call?) and and watched “The Secret of Roan Inish”
For the last two years, I decided to forgo the crowds and am instead hosting a small gathering of local friends & neighbors to drink Draught Guinness (the fun kind in the can with the C02 cartridge that looks so pretty in the glass) eat home cooked pulled pork (way tastier and healthier than corned beef) some live music and perhaps we will also watch “The Secret of Roan Inish”, a truly charming Irish tale.
I hope everyone enjoys this day and that they do so responsibly; please don’t drink and drive and risk your life or the life of some innocent person on the road.
~
Happy Winter Solstice (to those in the Northern Hemisphere; happy Summer Solstice to our friends South of the equator)
It’s only Solstice today for those of us in the US Central Time Zone and West. It will be at 9:30 PM tonight West Coast Time and it is 5:30 AM GMT/UTC).
The days will slowly get longer again. For those of us in the far dark, frozen North, this is a big BIG deal!
Winter Solstice is the promise of new life; we really won’t notice the days getting longer until closer to Candlemas/Brigid/Ground Hog’s Day.
Tonight I will gather with a group of friends to celebrate the solstice. There will be food, drink and friendship as part of our annual observance. (the cool thing is, the event will occur while we are gathered
We will burn the Yule log (log from my friend Patricia’s yard, a bit of last year’s tree, boughs from this year’s tree and herbs from my garden) in the fire pit outside and pass the light from that fire to a circle of friends, we will put our wishes for the new season into a wish lantern and then we’ll return inside for more food, fun and drink.
It doesn’t matter what religion you are or aren’t. It doesn’t matter what you believe. The Solstice is an astronomical event that draws everyone together at this time of year to celebrate light, love and hope.
Each year, I love to post the Northern Exposure video to the story Raven Steals the Light being told (I’ve used it for the children’s story at Solstice rituals in years past)
It is a traditional story from the Northwest Coast and Alaska.
I like this Northern Exposure version.
Not everyone knows this, but the town of ‘Cicily Alaska” is about an hour and a half from where I live, and is in fact Roslyn Washington (yes, I’ve been to The Brick)
and here’s another wonderful story of light in a magical part of the world (the Great Pacific Northwest)…
And of course, my traditional Solstice post/greeting…
On this night, around 3,000 years BC, a very special event unfolds at a place we now call Newgrange. A group gathers around a large circular stone structure. A drumbeat resounds across the mist-shrouded hills of ancient Ireland, bump bump… bump bump… bump bump…; The heartbeat of mother earth. The scent of incense mingles with moss, moist earth and the burning torches. All gaze hopefully towards the eastern horizon. After what seems like an eternity, it happens, the rising sun begins its ascent. Once again all attention is turned to the structure with great anticipation. Suddenly an intense shaft of light pierces the innermost chamber of the structure, illuminating a stone basin adorned with carvings of spirals, eyes, solar disks, and other sacred symbols. A joyful sound rises from the crowd, who then begin to dance ecstatically. For the darkest darkness of winter has passed, and the light has returned. Soon: the hills will be covered in fresh green grasses and wildflowers, trees will bloom and set fruit, animals will give birth, the songs of birds will fill the skies. The cycle of life will continue. The world, once again, has been reborn.
Tonight we celebrate an event, which predates our modern religious celebrations, an event as old as time its self. Just as events like this were observed at Newgrange Ireland, we find similar ancient architectural wonders based on solstices and equinoxes all across Europe, Asia, The Americas, Indonesia and the Middle East. Thousands of years ago, these monolithic structures were built and elaborate ceremonies held, out of reverence for the cycle of life, and perhaps the fear that without human intervention, the sun would not return.
At the winter solstice, the tilt of the earth on its axis, is such that our hemisphere is leaning farthest away from the sun, our days are shortest and the sun is at the lowest arc in the sky. For thousands of years, our ancestors honored the cycles of life: solstices, equinoxes, harvests and plantings. The winter solstice is perhaps the most sacred of these celebrations. So sacred in fact, that modern religious observations all over the world take place on or near the time of the solstice. Solstice observance is not a celebration that excludes or dismisses any other religious celebration; rather it is the common bond of many modern and not so modern religions.
The time of the winter solstice represents death and rebirth, just as corn stalks wither and die in the fields in the fall, so does the symbolic god give his body to nourish the earth, only to be reborn of the goddess again on this darkest night. The original divine birth. Is it any wonder then: that the Christian church chose this sacred time of the year to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Hebrew people to celebrate the Festival of Lights, or Native Americans and other aboriginal peoples to celebrate their sacred events?
Solstice is not only a time to celebrate the retreat of darkness and the return of the light, but it is a time to look inward, at the darkness within ourselves and to embrace it. For without darkness, there would be no light. Without challenge, there would be no triumph. It is a time to celebrate the death of old habits, thought patterns, and difficulties, a time to celebrate a spiritual renewal. The darkness gives us all a chance to embrace and work through our own darkness, so that like the earth, we may also be renewed.
L. Lisa Lawrence
Copyright 1998
Here’s our observance from 2007 (the video is just too much fun!)
Here are the songs from the video, my favorite Winter Solstice songs…
“The Christians and the Pagans” by Dar Williams
Amber called her uncle, said, “We’re up here for the holiday,
Jane and I were having Solstice, now we need a place to stay.”
And her Christ-loving uncle watched his wife hang Mary on a tree,
He watched his son hang candy canes all made with red dye number three.
He told his niece, “It’s Christmas eve, I know our life is not your style,”
She said, “Christmas is like Solstice, and we miss you and it’s been a while.”
So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said,
Sending hope for peace on earth to all their gods and goddesses.
The food was great, the tree plugged in, the meal had gone without a hitch,
Till Timmy turned to Amber and said, “Is it true that you’re a witch?”
His mom jumped up and said, “The pies are burning,” and she hit the kitchen,
And it was Jane who spoke, she said, “It’s true, you’re cousin’s not a Christian,
But we love trees, we love the snow, the friends we have, the world we share,
And you find magic from your God, and we find magic everywhere.”
So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
And where does magic come from , I think magic’s in the learning,
‘Cause now when Christians sit with Pagans only pumpkin pies are burning.
When Amber tried to do the dishes, her aunt said, “Really, no, don’t bother.”
Amber’s uncle saw how Amber looked like Tim and like her father.
He thought about his brother, how they hadn’t spoken in a year,
He thought he’d call him up and say, “It’s Christmas and your daughter’s here.”
He thought of fathers, sons and brothers, saw his own son tug his sleeve,
Saying, “Can I be a Pagan?” Dad said, “We’ll discuss it when they leave.”
So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table,
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able,
Lighting trees in darkness, learning new ways from the old,
And making sense of history and drawing warmth out of the cold…
And of course, the required Solstice tune…
“Here comes the sun” by the Beatles
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it’s all right
Little darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it’s all right
Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
and I say it’s all right
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes…
Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,
and I say it’s all right
It’s all right…
In a little under thirteen hours, the world is reborn again and will be filled with exciting possibilities!
~
An old woman is knocked to the ground and trampled as a crowd races past; one person turns to help her and is swept away in the mob, only to be injured himself. Two other men begin to beat and kick each other; soon the violence escalates into what has been described as a “small riot” as the pain and suffering of the injured seems fade away into a surreal sea of bodies.
Are people fleeing an attack? Is this a natural disaster? Are people starving and fighting for survival for themselves and their families? What crisis could possibly make human beings behave this way towards each other?
Sadly, the answer is greed.
This disgusting display did not happen in a third world country or a disaster zone. It happened in the affluent community of South Hill Washington where all people could think of was their own need for material things at the expense of the health and safety of others and even their own dignity.
Sadly, this scenario played out over and over again all across this “great’ country of ours, as people left their homes and families in the cold, dark wee hours of the morning in order to beat others to holiday sales and deals, resorting to violence when they deemed it necessary.
The Tacoma News Tribune decided to print an editorial about how stores should do a better job of stocking their shelves in order to prevent this from occurring.
Are the stores taking advantage of people’s most base instincts? Yes. Do they contribute to the problem because all they care about is sucking people in to spend money on other things? Yes.
But the fault lies with society and the never ending need that many feel to drive a bigger SUV, have a bigger TV screen and to show the neighbors how successful they are all the while driving themselves deeper into credit card debt. Yeah, it’s great for the ten minutes while the presents are ripped open, and people get “everything that they wanted”, only to be let down later, when the weeks (Oh wait, MONTHS, this started before Halloween this year) of anticipation and build up fade away with nothing of substance or resembling the intended holiday (s) left.
What ever happened to gathering with family and friends to share the joy of whatever holiday or tradition one celebrates and actually thinking about what the holiday means? Does greed and a mob mentality celebrate any of the miracles of the season? Does it celebrate the lamps that burned for eight days which is celebrated at Hanukkah or the return of the light at Solstice? Can anyone say that this has anything to do with the birth of one tradition’s Messiah at Christmas or the reclaiming of another groups heritage at Kwanzaa? No. This new “tradition” is as far from the sacredness of any of these celebrations as anything could possibly be.
No amount of product availability, rain checks or security is going to change the underlying problem of greed and complete disregard for anything other than instant gratification.
Even worse, the greed of the big box retailers is getting even worse, as they are not forcing employees to work on Thanksgiving day (the most popular holiday in our country to spend with friends/family/loved ones) by moving their sales up to midnight.
In addition to obvious greed and mob mentality, some single mothers have to tell their children that they can’t be home to celebrate thanksgiving with them because if they want to keep a roof over their heads, they have to go to work. People may miss out on the last Thanksgiving in which their parents or grandparents will be alive.
I find this disregard for the families of underpaid, over stressed employees even more disgusting than the mob mentality its self.
I am happy to say that rather than engaging in this disgusting display, I shared a day with many friends, (who will be receiving home made gifts), decorating a tree with hand cut snowflakes each visitor made with love and wrote wonderful messages on, sharing food, hospitality and spending another day being thankful for what we do have. Many of us also spend this day gathering clothing, blankets and food for those who have less. Yes, it is possible to be thankful more than one day a year and to give back to our community.
Don’t get me wrong, although I do make almost all of the gifts I give, I will purchase a small gift or two for those closest to me, something that will make them smile and that will decorate their home, help them enjoy one of their favorite hobbies, or keep them warm in the winter. They will be modest, purchased from retailers who care for their employees and contribute to their communities, and I will most certainly not behave like an animal in order to get them. I will also not give my business to a retailer who is forcing their employees to miss time with their families.
I pity those who are part of the Black Friday mob. They don’t realize it, but they are the ones missing out.
~
The 2012 “Celebrating the Pacific Northwest” Calendar is now available for pre-order at a discounted rate of only $18. Shipping anywhere in the US or Canada is an additional $5.
~
Valentine’s day always brings out an interesting mix of emotions, responses and often dysfunction among people.
First there are the couples spending their first valentine’s day together who are super mushy and sometimes downright obnoxious about it. (personally, I think it’s kind of cute)
There are couples who’ve been together a while and who genuinely enjoy celebrating the holiday and doing nice things for each other.
Then there are the overachieving couples who want to outdo everyone else (these would be the same people who have the big ass SUVs in the driveway and the biggest flat screen TV in the neighborhood) and celebrate “love” with pretentious displays of extravagant gifts (better if delivered to work to make everyone else jealous) and reservations at the finest restaurants which they had to bribe their way into a year in advance. They will brag to everyone they know (in person and on social media) about how great and expensive their gifts and dinner were. These, are the “competitors”.
Next, are couples who have been together for a long time for whom it’s no longer a big deal, but they may give a card or cook a nice dinner.
Some, pride themselves on being different. A couple of years ago, my then boyfriend and I went on a backpacking trip out to the coast. As we sat next to the driftwood fire, grilling seafood and veggies and toasting with a glass of wine as the sun set, we giggled and felt a bit sorry for those who were fighting the crowds for dinner reservations.
Some couples “refuse to be told” how and when they should celebrate their love and refuse to participate on principle. It’s just a “damn Hallmark holiday after all.” (this is really a drag when only one person in the relationship feels this way and the other would really like a token of love and respect, even a small one)
It’s all (well except for the last bit) quite amusing to watch.
What is less amusing to watch, is the reaction many single people have to Valentine’s Day.
“Bitter… Party of One…”
Some rant and rave against “the machine” while others declare it “Singles Awareness Day”. Uh, let me tell you something, we’re all well aware that you’re single, you’ve been whining about it for a week.
Seriously folks, Valentine’s Day is NOT an attack on you if you are not in a relationship.
Is it a Hallmark holiday? A contrived, cheesy effort to get people to spend their money?
Oh heck yes.
But then again, so are holidays that used to be sacred traditions.
This year, I was single for the holiday. Not for lack of suitors (there have been a few, just none who I found acceptable) by choice. I have no desperate need to find someone, anyone in order to feel “loved” on this (or any other) day.
But that doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy the holiday.
I love those silly, chalky, hard as a rock heart shaped candies with silly sayings on them. (including the most recent addition of “Tweet Me”).
I love buying the first red ripe strawberries of the season from Tacoma Boys and dipping them in a decadent home made chocolate ganache to be served with cocktail shrimp and champagne. I love buying bunches of early season tulips.
But more important, I love an excuse to celebrate.
And what better to celebrate that LOVE?
Romantic love is only one type of love. There are many more that can be celebrated.
Love for family, friends, pets, nature, your version of divinity/spirit, your favorite activity, your community, neighborhood, LIFE…
The most important love of all to celebrate is love (and respect) for yourself. Seriously, how do you expect someone else to love you and treat you right if you don’t love yourself?
This means knowing that you are worthy of love and that’s it’s OK to be single.
It means knowing that you do not need to settle for a crappy relationship with someone who doesn’t respect you and that you don’t need to rush out and find some loser to date so that you’re not “alone” on the holiday.
My holiday? I spent two days visiting friends, sharing gifties and perhaps eating a bit too much chocolate and drinking quite a bit of wine.
That evening, I invited some of my lovely friends over to shower them with love and the aforementioned chocolate dipped strawberries, shrimp and champagne. Everyone left with some fresh cut tulips. (everyone deserves flowers)
It was a wonderful evening filled with friendship, laughter and love.
My sincere wish is that everyone found some form of love to honor.
It’s not too late to love your self by taking advantage of 75% off sales on chocolate
~
Once again, a season of light, hope and ideally peace; the time of the winter solstice when many traditions celebrate rebirth and light has sadly turned into a battleground.
Well funded political groups (who are tax exempt because they are “churches”) demanding that retailers (don’t even get me started on the mixing of religion and retail) say “Merry Christmas” and that “Jesus is THE reason for the season” despite the fact that this time of year is sacred to many religions and traditions while atheist groups decry and dispute religion at all, sometimes going so far as to post some seriously obnoxious billboards and displays.
As one who says “Happy Holidays” in order to include people who celebrate all traditions at this time of year, and who is adamantly against any “state sponsored” or “official” religion; I find this completely over the top.
Promoting tolerance and diversity is one thing (one thing I adamantly support), but denouncing and insulting religion, any religion, is another thing entirely.
Yes, there are those who would yell from the tallest rooftop that “Jesus is the Reason for the Season”. (Yes, December 25th is “Christmas” and I’m happy to respect, honor and celebrate that, but it’s not the reason for the entire season)
I hate to break it to you narrow minded zealots, the the tilt of the earth on its axis is the reason for the season.
Sorry folks, the celebration of the birth of Jesus was moved to the time of Winter Solstice in order to assimilate the ongoing pagan tradition of honoring the rebirth of the God to the Goddess at the time of Winter Solstice.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
Just as there is nothing wrong with the celebration of the story of the Maccabees and the miracle of the lamp oil that burned for 8 days in the Jewish tradition sharing this time of year.
Just as there is nothing wrong with the celebration of tradition, honor and heritage at Kwanza also sharing this time of year.
My point is; that there is a celestial event (that my friends is science and can not be denied) that occurs on or around the 21 day mark in December, the Winter Solstice.
The solstices its self, is a cause for celebration. It is the return of the light, the promise of spring. It is the world ready to be reborn again.
The Winter Solstice is when many world traditions choose to celebrate a common theme.
So why in the heck must it always degrade into a battle that casts a dark nasty pallor on the season for all of us?
When I attended public school in the 60s and 70s, we celebrated Christmas, Hanukah, and Solstice; and learned about many other world traditions.
We learned that it was a shared season.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people could put away the petty bickering and instead, learned to celebrate a season of rebirth, light and love?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if just for a few weeks, people could learn from and appreciate what we have in common rather than dwelling on and fearing the differences?
It could happen…
We could all do our own little part to make it happen.
Imagine what a difference, such a simple concept could make in this world.
I’m hoping to be too busy to post anything but a few cell phone photos today; so I’m sending my greetings now.
I’m crossing my fingers that last night’s snow which fell on ice which will be covered in freezing rain for a bit melts so that I can go to dinner #1 in Seattle at noon; I decided against trying to drive to the Turkey Trot this morning. In any event, I will make dinner # 2 easily (no hills, no interstate)
Tomorrow, I will be hosting my “Day After Thanksgiving Fesast/Holiday Kickoff/Open House/Anti Black Friday Protest event and I expect many wonderful people to show up. (if you don’t have an invite and want one, please let me know)
I have a LOT to be thankful for this year.
I have a wonderful warm cozy home in a neighborhood I love (da Hilltop baby) with a fabulous garden, greenhouse, orchard, and chickens who give me fresh healthy eggs
*bonus thanks, my pipes did not freeze, no more trees came down, my fence, roof and landscaping is intact and the chickens survived the 13 degree night with no frostbite to their combs or wattles during this record breaking deep freeze, snow and windstorm.
I have wonderful friends and chosen family. I am beyond blessed
I have a challenging (day) job with great benefits and a wonderful 2nd job as a writer and photographer; truly the best of both words.
I am healthy.
I have nothing but wonderful things to look forward to
So here are my Thanksgiving offerings, both of which are classics in their own way.
It is the first of three harvest festivals which celebrates the early harvests, berries, wheat and barley (which means BEER… Yay beer). It is also celebrated as Lammas or “loaf mass” after the wheat harvest.
Lughnasadh is not only a harvest feast in honor of Lugh of the Tuatha De Danan’s foster mother, Tailltiu, but also games (as part of the funeral celebration) It is also believed in some circles that the games (also believed to be the precursor to modern Olympic games) represent the battle between Lugh and Balor.
No matter which version one observes, it celebrates the harvest and involves food (often baked bread) and physical activity.
It occurs between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox
Although I don’t hold to a modern calendar for such things (come on people, our ancestors didn’t have them it was about the sun, moon, stars, plants and animals…) I ended up observing Lughnasadh yesterday despite it being the “assigned” modern calendar day.
I started out by waking up and baking, not bread (didn’t get my starter reactivated in time for actual bread) but scones.
Yummy tasty sconey goodness with blueberries. Quite fitting for Lughnasadh if you ask me.
After that, was the “games” portion of the day, my best friend and I went for a five mile waddle (I couldn’t really call what I did after three months off training a “run”) out at Chambers Creek. I forgot how steep those nasty swtichbacks are. I only managed to run 2/3 of the way up before I had to stop and walk.
After a quick break for some liquid refreshment, another friend of ours came over for a shorter walk (he’s recovering from foot surgery) and we wandered over to the Chambers Creek Labyrinth.
After the run, the walk and the socializing, I needed to do something.
After it was just Molly and myself, without ritual or pontification, I burned the letters and legal documents in her fire pit. The ashes were not scattered, they were not used for anything. They were stirred down to nothing, which is what I intend for them to be from now on.
Just before the burning, I plucked a tiny oak, still partially in it’s acorn out of some dry bark alongside the road. It would not have survived there. I carefully put it in a pot to bring home.
It is a Garry Oak, the only oak that is native to Western Washington or British Columbia. They don’t like to be transplanted because they send down very long tap roots; but since this one has a tiny tap root, was still partially in the acorn, and the weather is cool and moist, I am hoping for the best (just to be safe, I gave it a nice drink of vitamin b-12)
My neighbors Jim and Tony gifted me with a small Rowan (Mountain Ash) tree which I planted in the back.
The addition of these trees along with my Hawthorne that was already here gives me “Oak, Ash & Thorn”. As an added bonus, I already had Holly and Bay Laurel (Myrtlewood) on the property. I have the sacred Celtic Tree thing covered
The day ended with an interesting sunset created by the smoke from the fires in British Columbia (the smoke also gave me a killer sinus headache and caused me to miss roller skating that night)
this photo was taken by Jitvanzoo and appears on the KOMO news website
This morning was the “big day” for the back porch.
I went to Home Depot, measurements in hand to purchase screen doors.
Nothing in this old house is “standard” and I can’t buy a stock screen door. Getting one custom made is shockingly expensive.
I opted to just screen off the back porch with a retractable screen.
Now I can keep the back door open in the afternoon to bring in cool air from the cool side of the house and can sit out on the screened porch any time I like.
There is plenty of summer and indian summer left. I plan on enjoying this for a long time before winter hits.
BadKitty is somewhat curious but not overly excited about the new expanse of her domain.
