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Frodo the Wonder Corgi and his human took a little jog on Tacoma’s Hilltop over to Wright Park to check out the snow.
This is what we found…
It was a winter wonderland of kids sledding and building snowmen.
Stay tuned tomorrow; it’s only going to get better.
~L
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Last night, a group of friends came over to celebrate Solstice.
These friends were from a wide variety of backgrounds: Unitarian, First Nations, Eclectic, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic, Wiccan, and those just seeking; all of us drawn together by the season.
We gathered around the bonfire in my back yard to celebrate the shared theme of the season: Light, Love and Hope.
We burned what we wanted to leave behind in the dark, and offered up what we wanted to bring with us into the light.
We passed the light, sang a rousing rendition of “Here come’s the Sun” and set our hopes and dreams afloat on a Wish Lantern.
After that, we went back into the house where I cooked up my infamous once a year, Solstice only treats, Crab Rangoons and stuffed mushrooms. (which were devoured in short order)
We had music (guitar and song), food, drink, friendship and a wonderful start to the season of light.
I posted video of the observance (even edited down, it’s long, so you might want to get a snack or beverage)
Tonight after doggie class, I need to get my fire stuff together and head over to another solstice observance and spin some fire! (in sub freezing temps, so much fun!)
How wonderful is it, that so many traditions gather at this sacred time of year to celebrate Life, Love and Hope?
~L
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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!
~L
Mood: Here Comes the Sun!!! 
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Yesterday was the last sunny day forecast for Grit City for a while, so as soon as I got home from work I hit the yard.
What I WANTED to do was sit on my sunny front porch with a tasty beverage and enjoy the view of the park across the street.
Seriously, who wouldn’t want to sit and enjoy the beautiful day we had today?
My daffodils want to bloom oh so badly.
and my tulips are coming up as well
Instead of sitting there enjoying the glorious afternoon, I sucked it up and got to work.
The first thing I did was fire up the chain saw to FINALLY take care of my Yule tree. Tomorrow is yard waste pickup and the last few yard pickup days, it’s been snowy or rainy or otherwise unsuitable for being outside cutting up a tree.
*note for those who don’t live in Tacoma, there is no Christmas tree pickup here (unless you pay the Boy Scouts) if we want the city to pick them up and mulch them, we have to cut them up in pieces small enough to fit in our yard waste containers.
I was cursing the cheap consumer grade saw I settled for (I got spoiled by big, burly professional saws when I worked for the Forest Service) as I was trying to start it. Then I noticed that the switch was set to “off”. UGH!
Once I got it started, I made short work out of the tree.
The tree filled one yard waste container completely and the other partially. I filled the rest of the 2nd container with some other various tree and plant bits from the yard.
After this was done, I had another project. My greenhouse shelves arrived.
They were easy to put together and fit perfectly. They aren’t up against the plexiglass; there is plenty of room to walk around and I have room for my tomato containers when I move them into the greenhouse in the fall.
and yes, there was MORE (although this was an inside job)
My “jump start” grow light arrived today (this was a package that UPS claimed was delayed by severe weather/natural disaster in Seattle, when if fact, it arrived well ahead of schedule and they put it on the wrong truck)
This is a GREAT setup. The light fixture can be raised and lowered according to the size and light needs of the plants. Several of the little mini greenhouses and/or bigger plants will fit underneath. I’m going to order another.
My potting bench (which will arrive on Saturday when it’s snowing, raining or both so I’ll build it in the basement) will go just outside the greenhouse.
Since it’s supposed to start raining this afternoon/evening and through the foreseeable future (and maybe some snow), this will be the last gardening post for a while (until something blooms, germinates, arrives in the mail or gets planted 
~L
Mood: Tired 
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Just because there have been some rain, snow and ice free days, and the sun stays up long enough for me to have some daylight to start prepping the yard for spring after work, does not mean I can even think about planting yet right? Oh not true. In addition to bare root roses, berries, fruit trees and fall flowering bulbs, I can start growing things.
Indoors.
I’m in full on spring mode (yes, we have sub freezing temperatures (right now as a matter of fact) and some snow in the forecast) which means I’ve got the itch, BAD and have to scratch it.
I get this way every spring (OK, I get this way every winter when bare roots plants and fall flowering bulbs fill the nurseries) It’s an illness really. I have got to dig in the dirt and plant things.
Fairly high on the list of “best things evah” are the little Jiffy 7 seed starter/mini greenhouse sets; they come with 12 peat pellets included and it’s easy to get refills for later plantings or subsequent plantings (see the refill bag next to the kit)
Yes, you can start plants in egg cartons or other re-purposed items and cover with plastic, but these are super slick, cheap (you can find them for $2.50 each) are just the right size to set on a window sill (the larger “mini” greenhouses are more difficult to place and rotate) and last forever if you take care of them-buy them once, treat them well and store for use the next year.
An advantage to using peat pellets is that you don’t disturb the roots when you transplant a peat pellet; you just bury the whole thing so you can get away with transplanting things that normally don’t like to be transplanted because their roots are delicate. If the plant starts to get too big too soon to plant, just plant the peat pellet in potting soil in a larger peat pot and you’re good to go for a few more days/weeks without disturbing the roots.
These are super easy to use and not messy. Just add about 1 ¾ cups of warm water to the pellets and in about a minute they puff right up and are ready to plant.
Since I buy these once, treat them well and reuse them, I label what I’ve planted with sharpie on scotch tape (interestingly enough that’s the way I mark wine glasses for folks at large parties I put the name of what I planted, how many are there, and the date I planted. It’s easy to remove the tape and re label for subsequent plantings. You can then put the scotch tape on a plant marker or popsicle stick which will go with the plants.
My heirloom veggie seeds haven’t arrived yet (soon, my precious soon…) and not everything should be started quite this early, but I do have some flower seeds I just had to plant.
I started some lavender (not all my plants out front survived our deep freeze) and some fabulous poppies that a friend sent me.
She sent me three different kinds, but the ones I chose to plant first are “Drama Queen” I planted them just because I love the name.
When I looked them up on line, I knew I made the correct choice; these are truly stunning.
I planted six pellets with lavender and six with poppy, set the lid on to hold in warmth and moisture, and put them near a window to germinate. It just doesn’t get any easier than that (the big bulb you see is a Red Lion Amaryllis I got for Christmas, I also have some paper white narcissus that my friend Anna gave me growing next to it.
I will put them under grow lights in the basement once they’re sprouted and have leaves.
In a few weeks when it’s a bit warmer out, I’ll move them out to the greenhouse.
My grow light should be delivered today. It should have been here yesterday. UPS used the excuse “extreme weather/natural disaster” for the delay AFTER it arrived here in Seattle (which probably has the least severe weather anywhere right now) and got put on a truck and driven THROUGH Tacoma down to Hermiston Oregon, then back up THROUGH Tacoma again to Redmond. Now it’s back in Tacoma on a truck for delivery.
My greenhouse shelves should also be arriving today (unless of course something weird happens with them)
Spring.
Bring it!
~L
Mood: Excited
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Today, I had a cubic yard (that’s 27 cubic foot bags worth) of TAGRO delivered.
For those who aren’t aware of what TAGRO is, it’s an EPA award winning product made from bio solids from our waste treatment plant.
The thought of using human poop creeps some of the less “earthy” among us out, because they don’t understand the composting process (the “composting/cooking” occurs at a temperature that kills all pathogens. It’s also pasteurized.
Another concern that some have is that it might contain metals. We have several superfind sites here and most of our soil is contaminated by copper, chromium arsenic and lead from the Asarco Smelter. It contains way less metals than our soil does; as a matter of fact, it contains less metals than most commercial products. (*luckily, we have pretty much the cleanest soil in Tacoma up here on the hilltop due to the elevation and winds, but I still prefer raised beds)
To me, it’s the ultimate in recycling. I eat the food, my waste goes down the pipes and it comes back to help produce more food.
It’s FREE if you go pick it up and shovel it yourself and it’s only $8 a cubic yard (that’s 27 cubic feet) if you have it loaded into your truck or delivered (it’s only $15 to have it delivered in Tacoma)
You can also get the potting soil (slightly more expensive per cubic yard). If you don’t want an insane amount of the soil, you can get it in one cubic foot bags at Gardensphere, Portland Ave Nursery or Gray Lumber (just down the Street on the Ave… YAY!)
I was fighting the weather (it had been violently windy all night/morning and thunderstorms were threatening to pound me and turn my pile into wet mush.
The first thing I did was top dress my blueberries that run along the North fence.
Then I finally hacked out all the old corn stalk stubs from the bed I grow my corn in (amazing 7 foot corn stalks which were bigger and better than the commercial growers had this year thanks to the TAGRO) and top dressed it.
*there are tree bits all over the yard from last night’s wind storm.
Then I topped off all the other garden beds. Some weren’t all the way full and others had been filled with lesser quality potting soil as I’d already used up all my TAGRO before putting in the second set of smaller beds.
I had to work around some herbs and berries that survived the winter so as not to smother them.
I found one of my artichokes resprouting.
and the Egyptian Walking Onions my neighbor Steve gave me are doing well.
After taking care of the beds, I top dressed my grapes and fruit trees.
My last chore for the day involved a run to Gray Lumber for a few bags of TAGRO potting soil to fill containers. (I didn’t need a full cubic yard)
I like to grow my tomatoes (ordered some heirlooms today) in containers is so that I can put them in the greenhouse around the time of first frost to extend the growing season well into November. (they’re also easier to manage when not in a bed crawling all over everything else)
As you can see, I moved a LOT of poop…
It didn’t start to rain until I was done and in the house.
Over the next few days, I’ll need to weed, relocate some strawberries and spread some more bark around the garden beds, planters and on top of the raspberry beds.
My potting bench and shelves for the greenhouse are on their way, as are several heirloom/non GMO/organic seed catalogs (ordered some from Urban Farm today) a grow light and some little jiffy peat pot mini greenhouses to start seeds in.
I had a pretty awesome garden last year, even though I didn’t get started until mid-late June due to not moving into the house until the very end of May.
I am SO excited that I’m able to start from seed this year; I’ll have so much more variety (and no damn Monsanto seeds)
My trees and berries will have been in the ground building fabulous root systems for a full year (I did get apples, cherries, raspberries and blueberries last year) and it’s going to be GORGEOUS when it all blooms (three apple, three cherry, one plum, one pear and one peach as well as the Hawthorn tree which should be healthier and happier this year)
Now I think I need some dinner, advil and a soak in the hot tub.
~L
Mood: Tired
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I was super excited to host my first Hilltop Solstice instead of having it at someone else’s house or trying to cram people in that tiny apartment as I had to do for the last several years.
This was truly the best solstice ever, entirely because of the wonderful friends and neighbors who came to celebrate (32 people showed up, OMG that’s awesome)
I drug the fire pit out of the basement and set up the Yule log on the lower branches cut from the tree.
Of course, a huge log, even when surround by combustibles can benefit from the liberal application of tiki torch oil (citronella and cedar oil type).
And away we go…
It took several tries to get the first candle lit.
Once we got the light from the Yule log (comprised of a log gifted to me my by friend and neighbor Jim, a bit of last year’s yule log, a cutting of the base and some branches from this year’s tree, the piece of the pear tree that blew down in the wind storm a few weeks ago, holly, bay laurel, lavender, sage, mugwort, hawthorn berries and roses from my yard and ashes from the 13 indigenous grandmothers) we carried the “solstice light” inside the house.
I did the annual reading talking about why solstice is a sacred time for so many world traditions and the commonality they all share.
We then “passed the light” candle to candle around the circle (or rather an amoeba shaped circle that encompassed two rooms) while “The Christians and the Pagans” CD played. (singing, badly is not only allowed, but encouraged)
When all the candles were lit we raised them to symbolize the return of the light and the light we hope to bring into the world in the coming season.
Then while the CD played, we sang a joyful rendition of “Here Comes the Sun” and went back into party mode.
I made my traditional solstice Crab Rangoons and stuffed mushrooms
It was a fight to even get them out of the kitchen an on to the table. I was getting mugged trying to get out of the kitchen.
(although out of foucus, this picture cracks me up… I’m yelling “HOT” and Patricia looks worried that rangoons will fly)
I LOVE Z’s eyes in this picture.
The rest of the photos are available by clicking here
Or as a slideshow by making with the clicky clicky here if it doesn’t embed properly in our reader/browser
Here comes the sun baby… here comes the sun (and it’s gonna be allright
~L
Mood: Exhausted, but in a good way 
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Happy Winter Solstice (to those in the Northern Hemisphere; happy Summer Solstice to our friends South of the equator)
I typed this up last night, but wanted to post it today, the day of the actual event which is 3:38 PM Pacific Standard Time. (11:38 PM GMT).
This is the darkest dark of winter. This is IT! The days will slowly get longer again.
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 (in my new home… YAY!!!) to celebrate the solstice. There will be food, drink and friendship. We will do our annual observance. I will have to burn the Yule log in the firepit outside, but that’s OK. (note to self, drag fire pit out of the basement before company arrives).
I will carry the light inside so that it can be passed to everyone in the circle. And then there will be more fun, food and drink.
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 over eight hours, the world is reborn again and will be filled with exciting possibilities!
~L
Mood: Here Comes the Sun!!!
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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.
Rebirth, miracles, light, love, peace, giving, sharing, etc…
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.
~L
Mood: Wondering WTF is wrong with people?
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For those who live here, none of this is news, but we’re in the middle of a deep freeze (with an added bonus of snow/ice storm and high winds knocking out power)
I’ll write up a more detailed report of stuff in general later (I’m working from home today) but wanted to let folks who have been seeing the news coverage know that I’m one of the lucky ones.
A group of us did the “Let it Snow” bike ride on Sunday. It was snowing (we sang “Let it Snow” at the tops of our lungs for most of the ride) and we cut the ride a bit short so as not to be caught out (especially not across the bridge) when it started to stick. That was a good call as it was sticking when I finally got home from the HUB.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the “Snopocalypse PreFunk Ride” – Here we are on the one non-snowy portion of the ride on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
The rest of the photos are available by clicking here
Sunday was a snowy night… Here’s what we woke up to
I woke up Monday morning (normally I have Mondays off, but I wanted to work Monday and take Wednesday off instead for Thanksgiving prep work) and even though I “could” have put the truck and four wheel drive and gotten down the hill, that little voice inside my head (that I always regret not listening to) said, “Oh HELL no.”
I logged into work from home and said that due to the wet snow in the ice and the steepness of the hills I have to come down to get to the train station or freeway, I would wait until conditions improved to try to come in.
Improve they did NOT.
This bus accident happened on the hill I would have had to drive down
and then the “Interstate incidents” started. One by one interstates and highways became blocked by disabled semis and spun out cars. This went on all morning, and only got worse in the evening.
Buses crashed (over 200 metro buses were disabled last night), even the trains were affected. Interstates closed down completely as people abandoned their disabled/out of gas vehicles for fear of freezing to death in the single digit (with wind chill) temperatures. Some people spent TEN hours stuck in stuck in their cards on I-5, some even had to spend the night in their cars. They were out this morning checking cars for people who might not have gotten out last night.
Of course, all the abandoned cars make it difficult for snow plows and sand/salt trucks to get around and do their jobs.
The unfortunate combination of an Arctic Blast with sustained temperatures in the teens (negative temps with wind chill) wet snow and ice was bad enough, but then another wind storm blew in. Puget Sound Energy reported 66,000 without power, Tacoma power had 9,200 and there were numerous outages reported by Peninsula and Seattle Light companies as well.
Last night was a very dangerous night to be without power and an alternate heat source.
I am one of the lucky ones. I have a freestanding gas fireplace (SO glad I put it in this summer before I needed it) gas hot water and a gas stove to cook on.
I have insulated the pipes, keep heat on in the basement, and am making sure the faucets are dripping a bit in case they do freeze so they won’t burst.
All my trees stayed upright although I’m worried about some of the smaller ones just breaking off and my bay laurel is making very disturbing creaking noises because it’s frozen. If that one comes down (not too likely) it could take my roof off the back of the house and kill the grape arbor and green house.
I kept hearing something shatter and hit the window last night. I finally realized that it was icicles breaking off the eves of the roof.
It’s not going to get above freezing for several days, and it’s supposed to be 13 degrees tonight in Tacoma. I may have to bring the chickens (who were NOT amused one bit by their first snow fall) into the basement to avoid frostbite on their combs and wattles and I’m spending a lot of time going back and forth to replace their frozen water with fresh water.
The hummingbirds are keeping me busy rotating frozen feeders with thawed ones. Apparently I’m the only one in the neighborhood doing so because there is a major feeding frenzy going on out there right now. Those poor little guys and girls need all the energy they can get to over winter here, especially in a year like this.
For anyone not from here that wonders why a relatively small amount of snow (compared to other places) causes such gridlock…
It’s the ice baby… the snow here is super wet and sits on top of a layer of ice.
Here’s a video taken last night in Seattle (I give a solid score of “10” to the white car doin gthe loop de loops, and I’m so glad the bus didn’t flip over like ours in Tacoma did.
If the video doesn’t imbed in your browser or reader, you can view it by making with the clicky clicky here
Yeah, it’s going to be interesting for a few more days.
Hopefully it will thaw so that I can make my trip to Norpoint and Seattle Thanksgiving morning.
I don’t plan on being a statistic (one man died on I-5 in Tacoma last night), on the news or in a YouTube video for my foolish choice to travel.
~L
Mood: Cold 
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