Trees Get No Respect

A Royal Poinciana tree. Ours was much taller, but this looks like a great place to sit and think...

I have many wonderful early memories of trees... When we were much, much younger, my brother and I lived with our parents in a wonderful old neighborhood, perfect for a young loner like myself since there were no other kids around to torment me and, with only three other houses on our block, we were fairly surrounded by Florida underbrush and tall pine trees, one of which housed a nesting pair of bald eagles - plenty of room to roam and play. There was a giant white pine tree in front of our house where, with a little help from my mother, I would sit and survey my wild kingdom as I feasted on milk and Nabisco Vanilla Wafers. A decades-old Royal Poinciana tree shaded the entire back yard and in the spring would become festooned with giant red flowers. Yes, I have always been in love with trees.

Flowers of the Royal Poinciana tree

So when we got hit by a hurricane this summer, a tree came down in our back yard. This tree was part of a line of trees that sit between our house and the parking lot of an auto repair/gas station. During the summer, the young maples, staunch evergreens and a few deciduous trees leaf out and block the view of at least a dozen cars that are in various stages of being fixed; in the winter, we are forced to gaze on the parked cars and that's when I feel even more grateful to the trees for their gift of green.

Our poor tree after the storm

I've been complaining about the fallen tree still lying there, with several maple saplings crushed beneath it, for four months now. What I wanted was for the large tree to be put out of its misery and cut up into pieces, thereby releasing the maples and allowing them to be put back into the tree line-up. But that would be too ecologically sound. No: Instead, I looked outside last week only to see that someone had come while I was at work and cut them all up and took them all away, leaving a gaping hole that will allow me to see all the pretty cars and trucks behind us all year long. Thanks - no, really, thanks SO much.

The new view of the parking lot next door

This is what happens when you hire people who only know how to cut grass or someone who hacks off tree limbs for a living to do any intelligent landscaping or forestry management. They don't know that hacking up LIVING TREES just because they LOOK dead is idiotic (hey, they're maples - they lose their leaves in winter). Doing this takes away natural cover for wild animals and birds, as well as shade and oxygen, not to mention the fact that the roots soak up excess water, which we get in our back yard in abundance. And so ends another chapter of my new book, "WHY ARE PEOPLE SO STUPID?"

Some of the young maples just this past fall, after the storm

Something like this makes me want to go back to school and become a tree expert, or an arborist, or something! Then maybe I could convince people that we are abusing a very important element of our ecosystem.
 

The poor little stumps of what used to be a row of maple saplings

A couple of years ago, I decided to dig up a very invasive wild rose bush (it grows everywhere up here and, even though it put out sweet little pink flowers, it was annoying to have to cut it back almost daily) and, as I was huffing and puffing, the "yard monkeys" came to mow. One of them came up and, smiling (as if he was amused at my attempts to dig up anything) asked if I needed any help. I just looked at him and asked if he knew what plant I was digging up. He shrugged, and I asked if he knew what any of the plants in the yard were and he said, "Not really." That's when I said, "Then I don't guess I need any help." He smiled again and drove off on his very loud tractor mower (the one that leaves HUGE ruts in the yard each week, since the ground is too waterlogged to support the weight of him on his mechanical steed). Since we do not own our house or the property it sits upon, I can do little to change this lamentable situation.

A view of some trees at my mom's house in Florida, home to lots of wildlife

My mother's house in Florida sits on five acres of sand and scrub, with many tall pine trees and various deciduous trees that continually shed their leaves for new ones and drop copious amounts of inedible acorns every other year (I think those are the "live" oaks?). The dirt road that leads to the house is often impassable, and the people who live out there don't pay too much attention to cultivating fancy lawns or ornamental yards. My mom's property is home to at least one family of quail (or "bob-white") that cautiously emerge from the palmetto and wild blueberry bushes to forage for food; black bears pass through at night, heading to parts unknown; the squirrels are numerous and bold; turkey buzzards slowly float above the tree line looking for a quick meal; and the sandhill cranes fly somewhere overhead, piercing the humid air with their strange, rattling cries as they look for ponds and wetlands, their preferred feeding grounds. 

My mom's back yard in Florida

By not becoming too developed, this area has become, in a way, a wildlife preserve. The wind blowing through the pine needles makes a soft, sighing sound and the trees help block some of the heat from summer's unrelenting sun. Humans living harmoniously with the environment - that's how it should be.

This post has rambled on long enough, but I plan to return to this topic again soon. I have some ideas about how to promote better treatment of trees and I hope to share some of those stories right here.

Looking Up

Empire State Building basking in late-afternoon sunshine

The Empire State Building stands at silent attention on 34th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about this beautiful iconic landmark:

Empire State Building provides perspective for other skyscrapers

The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet (381 meters), and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft (443.2 m) high. Its name is derived from the nickname for New York, the Empire State. It stood as the world's tallest building for 40 years, from its completion in 1931 until construction of the World Trade Center's North Tower was completed in 1972. Following the destruction of the World Trade Center in 2001, the Empire State Building once again became the tallest building in New York. Once the new World Trade Center is completed, it will be demoted to second tallest building in New York. The Empire State Building is designed in the distinctive Art Deco style, and has been named by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The building and its street floor interior are designated landmarks of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and confirmed by the New York City Board of Estimate. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986. In 2007, it was ranked number one on the List of America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA. The building is owned and managed by W&H Properties. The Empire State Building is currently the third tallest skyscraper in the United States (after the Willis Tower and Trump International Hotel and Tower, both in Chicago), and the 15th tallest in the world. It is also the fourth-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas. The Empire State Building is currently undergoing a $550 million renovation, with $120 million spent in an effort to transform the building into a more energy efficient and eco-friendly structure. Receiving a gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating in September 2011, the Empire State Building is the tallest LEED certified building in the United States.

Empire State Building (special effects shot)

For more information, visit the ESB's official web site:

http://www.esbnyc.com

(The Day After) Christmas In New York

A big city must have its big Christmas balls...

So, following the post about purported pickle propaganda, here is a photo essay of our day trip to New York City with our friends who valiantly drove up from North Carolina to spend Christmas with us...

Radio City Music Hall (obviously)

Rockefeller Center's giant Christmas tree

 And, for the finale...

The Empire State Building at night - red, green, blue and silver, surrounded by golden skyscrapers - lovely!

 I have some other cool shots that I will share in the next post, hopefully before or around New Year's Eve...

The Christmas Pickle

The pickles were hung by the chimney with care

Oops - I forgot that I promised to relate the story of the Christmas pickle! From my hasty research, it appears that the tradition of hiding a glass pickle ornament is supposed to go back a few hundred years to Germany, the birthplace of blown-glass Christmas tree ornaments - but it seems few Germans have ever heard of this holiday past-time and it may have originated right here in the U.S. in the 1800s - click on these links to read about the mysterious Christmas pickle! 


http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth11.htm



http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/pickle.shtml

I bought two pickle ornaments this year to give as gifts, and this is what was printed on the package:

"It's Christmas, a time of jingle bells, stockings, presents under the tree and family traditions. Celebrate the holidays with a time-honored German tradition and have fun with your family for years to come! Following an Old World custom, parents waited until Christmas Eve to hide a small pickle ornament on the Christmas tree, tucking it out of sight among the branches. On Christmas morning, the first family member to spot the pickle was rewarded with a special blessing for the coming year and received the first present from under the tree."

in hopes that St. Nickolas soon would make relish!

An article in USA Today disclosed that many Americans are re-inventing Christmas with fewer (or no) gifts, more meaningful exchanges, borrowed Christmas trees, emails instead of Christmas cards - the sky's the limit - and yet, many people are still out there buying stuff (this year's Black Friday broke a few records, I believe). Ah, commercialism! One family drew their Christmas tree on brown craft paper and taped it to a wall; for gifts, they are writing letters to each other and reading them on Christmas morning. Merry Spartan Christmas!

Whatever your holiday traditions may be, enjoy them with family & friends and don't be afraid to invent new ones! Please pass the relish...

Winter Solstice 2011

My faithful little fire pit reaches for the stars

December 21-22 marks the point in the year when days begin to get longer and the nights a little shorter. By the time June rolls around, we'll all be warm and happy again - let's take stock of the old year and plan to make some changes for the better in the year to come.

Be better organized

Be more forgiving

Bring about happiness

Be better prepared to receive good things

Try to accomplish simple goals

Santa checking his list for the 847th time

Enjoy the holidays - if you want to track Santa Claus, go to:

 http://www.noradsanta.org/en/

Happy Holly-daze to one and all!

O Christmas Tree

Our tree this year is the four-foot pre-lit artificial snow-with-berries-and-pine-cones Martha Stewart variety (we had to toss the older, taller tree because it had become too musty and moldy from living in the basement). When I say "pre-lit" I'm talking one string of about 50 white lights, to which I added two strings of multi-colored lights, one of which gently blinks on and off, and a few small ornaments (including a silver glitter star at the top and a glass pickle - more about the Christmas pickle in the next post). 

Bottle-brush tree display

We're all about the trees - I have several tree ornaments hanging from our new tree, as well as a few bottle-brush trees and a metal tree with jingle bells on it, which is festooned with another very short string of multi-colored lights. Beside the new tree is a jar of white branches that I've designated as my husband's Red Sox tree for his special baseball ornaments (a short string of white lights is inside the jar and covered with white tissue paper to soften the glare); on the other side sits a lovely green-red-and-gold cardboard tree that consists of nesting sections in which there is a variety of chocolates and other holiday treats. Trees RULE (especially the real ones)!

A variety pack of aluminum Christmas trees!

I know I've already mentioned it, but... My favorite tree, kept in its original box at my mother's house, has to be my grandparents' aluminum tree that I remember from my childhood. The color wheel no longer functions, but the tree is in remarkably good shape. Here is some trivia about the space-age Christmas tree:

During the 1960s, the aluminum Christmas tree enjoyed its most popular period of usage. As the mid-1960s passed, the aluminum Christmas tree began to fall out of favor, with many thrown away or relegated to basements and attics. The airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965 has been credited with ending the era of the aluminum tree, and by 1967 their time had almost completely passed.

At the height of the aluminum tree's popularity, the trees were sold in the Sears catalog. Sears' sales pitch remarked:

"Whether you decorate with blue or red balls . . . or use the tree without ornaments - this exquisite tree is sure to be the talk of your neighborhood. High luster aluminum gives a dazzling brilliance. Shimmering silvery branches are swirled and tapered to a handsome realistic fullness. It's really durable . . needles are glued and mechanically locked on. Fireproof . . you can use it year after year." - Sears, 1963 Christmas Book

Aluminum Christmas trees have been variously described as futuristic or as cast in a style which evoked the glitter of the space age. A Money magazine article published on the CNN website in 2004 called the design of aluminum Christmas trees "clever". The same article asserted that once the trees overcame their cultural baggage, as icons of bad-taste, that aluminum Christmas trees were actually beautiful decor. The Space Age-feel of the trees made them especially suited to the streamlined home decor of the time period. 

By 1989, it was not uncommon to find aluminum Christmas trees for sale in yard sales or at estate sales being sold for as little as 25 cents In recent years, however, the aluminum Christmas tree has seen a re-emergence in popularity. Collectors began buying and selling the trees, especially on online auction web sites. A rare 7-foot-tall pink aluminum Christmas tree sold on Internet for $3,600 in 2005.

(Thanks, Wikipedia!)

Here's one more Christmas tree...

Dale Wayne: Florida artist uses plastic soda bottles in her art & jewelry

Festival of Trees, Orlando Museum of Art

Same tree, other side - Dale Wayne, artist

Visit Dale Wayne's web site and you will see a link to her blog:

 http://dalewayne.com

You can also find links to Dale Wayne and others who use recycled materials in their art here:

http://inspirationgreen.com

If Wishes Were Fishes...

Taken at Universal Orlando - wish I'd framed it a little better!

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like
everybody else means to fight the hardest battle
which any human being can fight and never stop fighting.” 

~ e. e. cummings

Oh, the places I'll go!

Holiday Musings

Everywhere you look you see holiday decorations and advertising, so I'm trying to remember how it used to be at this time of year, when I was much, much younger...

Up on the rooftop, click-click-click...

My brother and I were usually pretty excited about Christmas when we were kids. Back then, in the '50s, '60s and '70s, Christmas Eve was just another night of watching television, having dinner and trying to stay up all night to catch Santa Claus coming in through the back door - none of our houses in Florida had a fireplace - I always wondered if he was able to shimmy down through the little twirling roof vents, since we had no chimney. When we'd go to visit Meme and Poppie (my mother's parents) they had a small gas fireplace with fake logs. There was always a small plate of cookies and a little glass of milk that they left out on the mantel for Santa. I'm sure I wanted to put out a treat for the reindeer to nibble on.

Not our tree, but could be its twin!

I think we always got a real tree for our living room, but at my grandparents' house there was a lovely, shimmery aluminum tree that was about four feet tall with a floodlight that had a spinning color wheel attached to it with four colors: red, blue, green and yellow (um, I mean gold).  My mother still has the tree - the light stopped working years ago - very retro and collectible these days: I read that one recently sold for $3,600! Here's some info:

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/artifacts/archives/001924.asp

My grandmother was a wonderful cook so there are food smells I associate with being at their place at holiday time. She would cook and bake and we all sat down at the table at the same time. My brother and I were "latchkey kids" and we rarely all sat down to dinner together at home. My mom was usually in charge of dinner but sometimes my dad would make something exotic, like chili or beef stroganoff or crabs. This is before I became mostly vegetarian.

Fond Christmas Greetings

 Sometimes we got the presents we wanted, like a certain toy, but usually we got what our parents and grandparents thought we needed, such as clothes or a purse or a belt. One year I got a small portable reel-to-reel tape recorder (this was just before cassette tapes came out and way before CDs and all things digital). I wore that thing out!

Over the years, I've become more and more disenchanted with holidays like Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas (birthdays also fall into this category). But I remember how the spirit of those festive times used to make me feel and, for that, I'll be forever grateful. 

I'll have more to say about Santa and trees and other holiday trivia in another posting... there's so much lore to explore!

More to come...

What's Wrong With Me?

Old advertisement for a miracle weight-loss plan!

Sad and alone...

Grrrr - it's the Gorgon within!

Could it be the "change of life" known as MENOPAUSE? Hmmm, let's see what Wikipedia has to say...

Skeletal

• Back pain
• Joint pain, Muscle pain
• Osteopenia and the risk of osteoporosis gradually developing over time

Skin/Soft Tissue

• Breast atrophy
• Breast tenderness +/- swelling
• Decreased elasticity of the skin
• Formication (not to be confused with "forn-ication") itching, tingling, burning (a lot!), pins and needles, or sensation of ants crawling on/under the skin
• Skin thinning and becoming drier

Psychological

• Depression and/or anxiety
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Memory loss, and problems with concentration
• Mood disturbance
• Sleep disturbances, poor quality sleep, light sleep, insomnia and sleepiness

Wow. I never bothered to look it up before. Do any of these symptoms apply to me? Yep, every single one. Perhaps there is a disparity of hormonal levels - say, too much testosterone (more aggressive, hostile, argumentative) and not enough estrogen?
So, it appears that my efforts to maintain my inner calm and develop my mantra of cognitive happiness are both fleeting and precious. How would I describe myself these days: as a nihilistic optimist or a toxic psychic vampire? Maybe that's a bit extreme...
Seriously, though, I'm just sorry that those around me end up catching the shrapnel. I will try harder to make some improvements in my behavior in the very near future. Like, right away. As in, tomorrow morning. Maybe more meditation (not to be confused with "medi-cation")? Color therapy? In the meantime, please bear with me.
And here, Your Honors, I rest my case.

A Little Holiday Pep Talk

Feeling sort of "Bah! Humbug" today, although it warmed up a bit and the sun is shining... I'll turn on the pretty lights & music, have a glass of wine & blackberry soda... there, that's better.

Merry... Happy... and to all a good night

Holiday cards? I sent one and that might be it...

Gifts? I'm trying to finish making them...

OK, here's a list of things I'm grateful for... yes, that will probably cheer me up.

Grateful for my very sweet husband... for having a place to live... for having a wonderful life, whether I've lived it well or not... for a loving family and true friends who are far, far away... for finding a reason to laugh...

Some days just don't live up to their potential - I'm sure there will be other days that will... right? Hell, yeah!

Hey, 2012: 

Bring it.

An Autumn Afterthought

A Hasty Haiku by T J B Googins (2011)

Listen to the wind

Leaves applauding as they fall

Autumn's destiny

I'm a little behind in celebrating the recent spate of autumnal "high holy days" such as All Hallow's Eve (Hallowe'en) and All Saint's Day, as well as a couple of obscure yet notable dates, which I will now reveal for your edification (Information courtesy of Patricia Telesco's book "365 Goddess") :

My friend, Mr. Jack O. Lantern

October 31 - Hallowe'en (Goddess: Nicneven; Themes: Protection, Ghosts, Divination, Peace, Winter; Symbols: Pumpkins, Gourds, traditional Hallowe'en fare) "In Scotland, Nicneven is the crone goddess of Samhain, which is the predecessor of modern Hallowe'en festivals. Nicneven governs the realms of magic and witchcraft and represents the imminent onset of winter. In magic and Celtic traditions, this is the new year, a time when the veil between worlds grows thin and spirits can communicate with the living. Follow the usual customs of carving a pumpkin or turnip for protection and to illuminate the way for family spirits to join you in today's celebrations." Well, naturally!

My fire pit busily chasing away negative forces.

According to this book, Samhain was a time when the Druids would rectify matters of dissent, so I wrote down some recent difficulties on a piece of white paper and tossed it into my fire pit as I asked Nicneven to help dissipate these problems. Of course, it will take more than that to fix some things...

Fire pit detail

Moving on to November! The book says wintery months seem to be a time for introspection and that one might use divination tools for foresight and preparation, to seek guidance within and to ask the Goddess for a special spiritual vision to carry us through the last months of the year. I have decided I need to learn to meditate - really meditate - and I want to be more focused and diligent in taking care of my mind, body and spirit. Well, as they say, it is a process...

Yesterday, November 1, was Author's Day - which I did not know even existed - and it is dedicated to the Sumerian goddess Nisaba (Themes: Creativity, Communication, Excellence, Inspiration, Universal Law, Divination, Dreams; Symbols: Pens, Computers, Books, Snakes) "Since 1928, this day has been observed as a time to honor authors who have contributed to American literature and to encourage new writers." Snakes are the goddess' sacred animal and, as it happens, my Chinese horoscope is the Snake, so I suppose this is a giant hint to do more writing! As for honoring important authors, I would have to honor J.R.R. Tolkein, Jane Eyre, Mark Twain, Tom Robbins, and... oh, my - so many, too many... that list is going to be very, very long!

Laughter keeps the ghosts at bay.

Today, November 2, is All Soul's Day, following All Hallows Eve and All Saint's Day. (Goddess: Nephthys;Themes: Death, Ghosts, Rebirth, Devotion; Symbols: Sunset, Hawk, her sacred animal) "Just as Isis embodies life's energies in Egypt, her sister Nephthys is the force of death and reincarnation. Traditionally, Nephthys dwells in tombs, guiding and welcoming spirits into the afterlife. Her name means 'death, which is not eternal,' referencing the Egyptian belief in the soul's rebirth." The book continues: "In early times, children would go 'souling,' collecting small cakes believed to rescue souls from purgatory." (Sure sounds like Hallowe'en to me!) "Oddly enough, Romans announced engagements today (likely as a way of stressing life's continuance). So if you've been thinking of deepening a relationship, or making a commitment to a beloved project, this is one date that might suit the occasion." Now that's a good plan!

 

So - let's gather the firewood, pull down the winter blankets and clothes, stock the pantry, give thanks for what we do have and fix our sights on the things we want in the coming year. Stay warm!

 

Culinary Oddities

Hen of the Woods - Photo: wildmanstevebrill.com

This morning I made myself breakfast (it's a day off - sunny, cool and breezy) and what a lovely breakfast it was! My co-worker (I'll call her "Miss J") has been adventuring into the woods lately, looking for edible mushrooms and, a couple of days ago, she found and took home a bountiful amount of a 'shroom called "hen of the woods" (Grifola frondosa, also known as Maitake or Sheepshead). Not to be confused with the edible "chicken mushroom," these lovely shelf fungi (a pinkish beige tinged with grayish brown) are thick and soft, sort of rubbery to the touch, but let me tell you this about that: Sliced and sauteed in butter along with onions and scrambled into an egg, they are absolutely delicious! I plan to add them to a yummy vegetable soup I am going to make, perhaps tonight...  

Hen of the Woods - Photo: Tom Volk's Fungi

Here's more info about Hen of the Woods:

The clustered, overlapping grayish-brown, lateral spoon- or fan-shaped caps grow 3/4 to 2-3/4 inches wide, arising from short white stalks that branch from the base. The surface of the tiny pores under the caps is whitish. The spores are also white.

The mushroom grows throughout most of the US at the bases of deciduous trees, living or dead, often over and over at the same time every year, in the fall. It’s very common, although easy to overlook due to its camouflage colors.

Hen-of-the-woods (sold in health food stores under its Japanese name, Maitake, to fight cancer and strengthen the immune system) has a deep, rich flavor and chewy texture. The only downside is that it can be a pain to clean unless it’s very fresh. Grit gets ingrained in the dozens of little caps, and you have to cut it away with a paring knife.

Prepare this flavorful fungus any way you like—sautéed, simmered in soups, marinated, baked, or even pickled. It cooks in 15 to 20 minutes. (from Wild Man Steve Brill's web site - see below)

Miss J has been attending mushroom workshops (with, I believe, Wild Man Steve Brill himself), so she knows a thing or two about local mycology (the study of mushrooms). I once gifted her with a very informative coloring book all about mushrooms. So she collected these tasty polypores and carefully sliced and washed each piece, then lovingly dried them all and put equal amounts into three paper bags for me and our two employers. Miss J tells me (and now I have read up on them a little bit) that the mushrooms will grow back even after they have been lifted up out of the ground because there are still many spores that remain in the soil. As always, when dealing with wild edibles, especially mushrooms, double-check the plant's identity to be 100% positive it is not poisonous! Some tasty-looking plants, when touched or ingested, can make a person very unwell...

 

Also, I visited this web page:

http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/nov2006.html

Grifola frondosa is an apt example of a well-documented traditional Chinese medicine. The first record of its use comes from Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Shen Nong's Scripture of Herbal Medicine [cited in Mizuno and Zhuang 1995]), which was compiled between 200 BC and 200 AD. This scripture states that Keisho (one type of medicine made with Grifola frondosa) "has been used frequently for improving spleen and stomach ailments, calming nerves and mind, and treating hemorrhoids" (Mizuno and Zhuang 1995). There are a variety of other Chinese medicines containing Grifola frondosa, ranging from cancer treatment to remedies for palsy, nerve pain, and arthritis. Other described uses of this mushroom include general treatments for immune stimulation and regulation of homeostasis. (Thomas J. Volk, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse)

For information about mushrooms and other wild edible plants (including recipes), visit:

http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

(Spoiler Alert: It even includes a recipe for the very invasive, tastes-like-rhubarb Japanese knotweed!) 

Bon apetit!

A Sign O' The Times?

Zooey Deschanel

 image of Zooey Deschanel courtesy of:

  http://www.wolfgnards.com

 (spoiler alert: this blog is funny, but followers' comments may feature "unsuitable language")

Since I don't seem to be making much money these days, I thought I should make an effort to save a little, so... I cut my own hair! It's not bad, but I definitely wasn't able to "style" it at all - I just trimmed my bangs and a little off the sides (it's uneven but you really can't tell from a few feet away) so I saved $20 ($15 plus tip) 

Tomorrow I will color it (I have plenty of henna waiting to be plastered all over my new "do") and think of other ways to make/save a few more dollars

And so, to celebrate my cleverness, I went out for salad (healthy appetizer) wine and pizza with a friend - and spent $30! (One step forward, two steps back!) I can rationalize that, tho: I will have left-overs for lunch tomorrow

We decided that next time, though, we will share a meal at home with an already-purchased bottle of wine and it will probably cost less than going out (it will be a cozier setting, as well)

SORRY, Angie (hairdresser) and Marco (pizza) - when the economy improves we will happily darken your doors again

Until then, I leave you with this:

    The term bangs, always used in the plural, is, as you know, the fringe of hair usually cut squarely across the forehead.  According to etymology scholar Robert Barnhart, the term is strictly American in origin (the Brits call it fringe) first surfacing in 1878.  It was believed influenced by the adverbial use of bang in the meaning of abruptly, as in hair cut bang off;  some sources offer a relation to earlier bangtailed (1861) of a horse's tail that has been cut horizontally across.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Etymology-Meaning-Words-1474/bangs-fringe.htm

First Day of Fall 2011

Mid-Autumn Festival - Montreal

Mid-Autumn Festival - Viet Nam

 In other news... Jupiter and the Pleiades can be seen rising above the eastern horizon tonight - as you know, I'm partial to the Seven Sisters, so I'll be out there looking (if I can keep the mosquitoes from sucking all my blood, that is)


Happy Autumnal Equinox!

This is from a blog entitled Daily Kos

At 5:05 AM EDT, the Northern Hemisphere passes from Summer into Autumn as the sun passes over the equator heading south to give the Earth's Southern Hemisphere its turn at Summer. 
The Autumnal Equinox is also known as: Alban Elfed, Autumn Equinox, Fall Equinox, Cornucopia, Feast of Avilon, Festival of Dionysus, Harvest Home, Harvest Tide, Mabon, Night of the Hunter, Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Witch's Thanksgiving, and the first day of autumn

Pagans generally call the Autumn Equinox Mabon, though that's a fairly modern name, and some groups dismiss it. Neo-Druidic traditions call it Alban Elfed, and in some circles it's called Meán Fómhair (from the Irish name for September, "Middle of Autumn"). Others simply call it Second Harvest, or Mid-Autumn . . . and there's nothing wrong with just calling it the Autumn Equinox.

For those that observe the Oak King/Holly King duality, Mabon marks the ascendancy of the Holly King. Now he is the more powerful of the two, waxing stronger until he stands at the height of his power at Yule, the Winter Solstice.

For the rest of us, this is the time when the Goddess shifts from Mother to Crone, and it's in this aspect she's celebrated at Mabon rituals. The God grows old and tired, soon to die at the upcoming Samhain. The year is almost done. They move into old age, as they do every year. As the world does. As we all will.

Autumn, as I said, is an ominous season, and the specter of Death always looms large. The coming Winter symbolizes that inevitable turn of the Wheel, and the growing dark and the reaping of the crops are reminders of our journey towards it.

This should make us all the more mindful of what we have, and makes it all the more appropriate that Mabon should be a time of thanksgiving and joy. Gather with family and friends. Celebrate. Share. Feast.

    "Once more the liberal year laughs out O'er richer stores than gems or gold: Once more with harvest song and shout Is nature's boldest triumph told." - John Greenleaf Whittier

Sunrise at Stonehenge

This is from the web site for The Stonehenge Tour Company
 
Each year on the 23rd September Druids and Pagans gather at Stonehenge early in the morning to mark the Spring Equinox and to see the sunrise above the stones.

It's an ad hoc celebration that brings together England's New Age Tribes (neo-druids, neo-pagans, Wiccans) with ordinary families, tourists, travelers - usually about 100 people!
For many, the impulse to arrive at Stonehenge in time for the Solstice and Equinox is a little like all those people drawn to the strange rock in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It's akin to a spiritual experience. Anyone who has witnessed the crowd become silent as the sky begins to brighten can attest to that.

This is the third of the four ‘sky points’ in our Wheel of the Year and it is when the sun does a perfect balancing act in the heavens.

This is the point of the year when once again day and night are equal - 12 hours, as at Ostara, the Spring Equinox. The Latin word for Equinox means 'time of equal days and nights'.
After this celebration the descent into winter brings hours of increasing darkness and chillier temperatures. It is the time of the year when night conquers day.

After the Autumn Equinox the days shorten and nights lengthen. To astrologers this is the date on which the sun enters the sign of Libra, the scales, reflecting appropriately the balanced day and night of the Equinox. This was also the time when the farmers brought in their harvested goods to be weighed and sold.

Here in Wiltshire (as with the rest of rural Britain), it was traditional to drink dandelion and burdock cordials at this time, as these herbs help to cleanse the blood and are a good tonic for the body after its winter hardships.
 
The full moon nearest to the Autumn Equinox is called the Harvest Moon and farmers would harvest their crops by then, as part of the second harvest celebration. Mabon was when livestock would be slaughtered and preserved (salted and smoked) to provide enough food for the winter.

At the South Pole they will be celebrating the first appearance of the sun in six months. However, at the North Pole they will be preparing for six months of darkness.

During Medieval times, the Christian Church replaced Pagan solstices and equinox celebrations with Christianized occasions. The Autumn Equinox celebration was Michaelmas, the feast of the Archangel Michael.

The small group 'non-obtrusive' nature of this tour means you can have a real authentic experience, a great photo opportunity and valuable insight into ancient Britain.

Tonight, even though it's raining, I'm going to get a little fire going in the fire pit out on the back porch - I will burn some dead branches from the tree that fell during the storm... I will throw on some dried herbs (mugwort and the like) and say farewell to Summer... and some other things...

Visit both sites for some interesting information:

http://www.stonehengetours.com

http://www.dailykos.com

Photos: courtesy of Stonehenge Tours and Google Images for mid-autumn celebrations

An Ode To "Nothing Is Wasted On The Writer"

I will never forget the day I was introduced to Crescent Dragonwagon - writer, blogger, animal lover, former restaurant owner and fellow human being - not because it was so unusual but just because it was, for me, a lucky accident. (Please understand: I didn't actually meet her; I suppose I should say that I "discovered" her one day.)

A few years ago, my husband and I were at a bookstore (probably Barnes & Noble) looking for a cookbook containing recipes for South American (specifically Peruvian) meals. One of his sisters was having a milestone birthday (turning 60, as I recall) and the family was planning a surprise dinner that would be comprised of some of her favorite foods. She had married a Peruvian and lived in Peru for 30 years before moving back to New England ten years ago to be near her children and grandchildren.

We weren't having much luck with our quest, but we kept looking, hoping to spot some lone title proclaiming "The Best 100 Recipes of South America, Featuring Peru!" when a little book with an attractive cover caught my eye. It said, simply, "Soup & Bread" and, being someone who loves soup and bread, I picked it up. After looking through it, I put it back thinking, "I'd better see who wrote this because I want to buy it the next time I'm here, or online, or something..." and that's when my jaw dropped. The author's name was Crescent Dragonwagon.

Seriously????

Yes. That is her name. Crescent Dragonwagon. For me, it was love at first sight, if one can indeed love a personal pronoun.

As soon as I got back home I looked her up on the Internet. I also found some pretty good Peruvian recipes online, which I could have done without a trip to the book store, but then I would never have "met" this woman, this writer, this troubadour of life. And although I still haven't bought her book about soup and bread, I am now a huge fan of her writing.

You see, she's written several cookbooks, quite a few children's books and she puts out a wonderfully and thoughtfully written blog called "Nothing Is Wasted On The Writer." This is a blog I would be proud to put my name to, especially if my name was as incredibly inventive as Crescent Dragonwagon. She chose the name for herself, back when she was younger and more rebellious.

On this blog is a FAQ where she addresses such questions as "Is that your real name?" and other marauding mysteries about herself. She comes from good solid writing stock, too: Her mother, Charlotte Zolotow, wrote children's books and her father, Maurice Zolotow, wrote interviews and notable biographies about such celebrities as Marilyn Monroe. She writes about the vagaries of life (mostly hers, which to me is mind-bendingly fascinating and heart-breakingly moving), as well as the wonders of nature, the whimsy of love, the joys of family, the pain of loss, the comfort of food and other seemingly tepid topics, only when SHE writes about them, it's done is such a way that it makes you want to examine your own experiences and write about them with as much openness and honesty and perception as she does.

Just below her blog title is this marvelous header:

"Cooking, eating, living, loving, writing, reading, thinking. Listening, tasting, sniffing. Cozying up to mystery at midlife. I think we're all part of the narrative life tells itself about itself."

One of my goals is to attend "The Whole Enchilada" writing workshop that she hosts every September. The event involves several days and nights of writing, talking, cooking, eating and many other succulent activities, and I really want to be a part of something like that. It costs several hundred dollars, so I really have to start saving up for next year (I've said that before, but this time I mean it) and some day I will be there, laughing and listening and learning how to really write and/or create, as in "learn how to unlock and unleash my muse."

Meanwhile, I'll just keep tapping away at the keyboard and sitting upstairs in my unorganized "studio" trying to figure out what the hell I need to be writing about or creating or doing in my spare time - as if that will ever become vividly apparent to me (as in "apparition" or "epiphany") or come to me in one of those sorts of revelatory "a-ha" moments we can only dream about.

Check out her blog. Live life to the fullest. And wish me luck!

http://crescentdragonwagon.typepad.com/