Category Archives: Holidays

Cooking, Faith and Spirituality, Family, Holidays, Jefferson County, Our Land and Home, Shadow Mountain, Third Phase

The Year of Two Thanksgivings

November 28, 2015 Charles Leave a comment

Samhain Thanksgiving Moon

Grandson Gabe walked in the door and asked two important questions right away: Grandpop, what’s the password for your wi-fi? This was followed quickly by a pulled down t-shirt. See my new port! It was on his right side, had a small yellow butterfly valve in place temporarily and looked good. The end of a week long saga of hospital, surgery, recovery. That’s what he and his parents did on Thanksgiving day, Thursday.

So, we had a Thanksgiving brunch today: prime rib roast, popovers, squash from Jon and Jen’s garden, a rice dish from Barb, then pecan pie and homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

It was one of those children at the table holiday meals where the kids could hardly wait to get away. God, I remember that feeling. Stuck with the old people talking about grown up stuff. Boring. Really boring. I’m dying here. Let me go, please let me go.

Barb (Jen’s mother) recounted the story of her husband, Henry, and his family’s escape from Romania in 1964. Her father-in-law, mother-in-law and 16 year old Henry plus some other family members got ransomed by a group specializing in getting Jews out from behind the Iron Curtain. Henry’s parents wanted to go Israel. They got a flight to Vienna, then Genoa where they were told it would be six months before they could get papers for Israel.

Henry’s father knew there was a large Romanian Jewish community in Buffalo, New York, so they went there instead. Barb grew up in Buffalo. The rest of the story is Jen, Karen and Andy.

These are the long tendrils that any Thanksgiving meal sends out, connections weak and strong to ancestors who suffered, who triumphed, who slogged out their life and in that way allowed the people around this table to come together.

I’m grateful for each one in that great cloud of past lives who preceded this Saturday Thanksgiving on Black Mountain Drive. Yes, even those we don’t like so much. Without them, we wouldn’t have eaten this meal as a family today.

Oh. And the dogs got the four rib bones with plenty of meat on them. I’m grateful, too, for the doggy ancestors who brought this current pack of ours into existence.

Commentary on Religion, Faith and Spirituality, Family, Friends, Great Wheel, Holidays, Reimagine. Reconstruct. Reenchant., Weather +Climate

Black

November 28, 2015 Charles Leave a comment

Samhain Thanksgiving Moon

At 4:30 this morning the Thanksgiving moon hung to the north of Shadow Mountain, obscuring Orion and most of the stars. Luna was the first light polluter. The lodgepoles glisten faintly, the snow on their branches catching a bit of the moonlight. It’s quiet, too, a Saturday on a holiday weekend, so few cars on Black Mountain Drive.

Black Friday has been on my mind. Maybe yours, too. This morning I contrasted the peaceful moments I have looking up at the night sky with those, who at the same time of day, waited in line in the cold for the chance to save big on some item or another.

It’s an easy target, Black Friday. The crazed shoppers banging carts to get there or there or there, first. The notion of a “holiday” devoted to retailers finally easing out of the red into profitability. The mission creepiness that caused Black Friday to ooze backwards into Thanksgiving Day. Trying to find a connection with the holiday of the incarnation or any of the wonderful celebrations of Holiseason.

Yet. For all the blackness and greed and confused motives Black Friday seems more sad to me than blameworthy. The assumption that somehow, if only I can get it, that cheaper something will heal me or make someone else happy. The frantic desire of parents to find the it toy of the season for their kids. The real underlying issue, the squeeze of the 99% by the 1%. Then twisting that squeeze into a way to wring more money out of the 99% and funnel it to the 1%.

Feels more like desolation, despair. Bordering on hopelessness.

Give me the Thanksgiving moon north of Black Mountain. The forest covered in snow. Orion above the house. And the gifts that are my family, the dogs, my friends, this wild and stony place.

Faith and Spirituality, Family, Health, Holidays, Reimagine. Reconstruct. Reenchant., Shadow Mountain, Third Phase, Weather +Climate

Not the Thanksgiving We Got Ready For

November 27, 2015 Charles Leave a comment

Samhain Thanksgiving Moon

And so, we spent Thanksgiving on Shadow Mountain, watching the snow come down in lazy lines, thinking of Gabe and his second surgical procedure in a week, the roast and the pies and rolls in the freezer. It was downbeat, too quiet for a holiday.

Kate the clinician, a person with a bias for action, stewed. She wanted to do something, fix something, but the snow came down and no roast could be cooked, no salad prepared, no engagement with the medical issues of her only grandson. Impotence, or the feeling of impotence, is a terrible burden because it shrouds the capacity to act with an inability to do so. So many revolutions have been borne. So many political movements.

Later, after Gabe’s delayed procedure was over in the late afternoon, she relaxed. Jon had called and asked us not to come. The snow. The stress of the day. All made sense to me.

The holiday hung in the air like a sneeze not completed. Thankful, of course, for the good outcome with Gabe’s procedure. Thankful for the snow and the flocked lodgepoles, snowy Black Mountain, the dogs running pushing muzzles into the snow, rolling. Thankful that Kate and I were together, playing Bethumped, talking.

I ate too much of the sugar cream pie I made. Really more like a delicious pudding. It didn’t set up. No matter. We had shrimp with Bookbinder’s sauce while we answered questions about word origins, eponyms, general history, homophones and pushed our plastic markers around the board.

It wasn’t the Thanksgiving we had prepared for, but it was the one we had. And it was a good one.

In fact, this year we’ll have two Thanksgivings, yesterday and the delayed meal on Saturday around noon. Now, there’s plenty to do. Gabe’s better. Kate will have tasks to be done. And that prime rib roast. Well, I’m looking forward to that.

Family, Health, Holidays

Canceling Thanksgiving

November 26, 2015 Charles Leave a comment

Samhain Thanksgiving Moon

“Thanksgiving’s canceled,” Kate said when she called me on the intercom. I’d just finished my workout, was in a very different mental place. “Huh?”

“Gabe’s at the hospital. His port’s failed and is leaking into the site of the other port.” Oh.

Grandson Gabe has a port embedded in his upper left chest, its purpose to provide easy access for the regular infusions of clotting factor. His old one failed a week ago and was replaced last Thursday. Hemophilia makes many things complicated.

This new development means surgery today, Thanksgiving. The pies and the breads, the prime rib roast, all into the freezer. We’ll celebrate when Gabe’s better.

Great Wheel, Great Work, Holidays, Our Land and Home, Shadow Mountain

Lights, Power, Holidays!

November 23, 2015 Charles Leave a comment

Samhain Thanksgiving Moon

So many things moving together at this time of year and at this time of our settling in on Shadow Mountain.

The solar panels are now all in place. This was midday today. A final inspection from Jefferson County on Wednesday, then IREA (electrical company) has to come out and install the net meter, maybe three weeks. At that point we can switch on the power.

Hanukkah comes fast after Thanksgiving, so we have two festivals colliding in the rich way of Holiseason, commenting on each other, sharing light.

We’ve also got a few holiday/Holiseason decorations, non-sectarian, ready to go for the Thanksgiving visitors. These two plus the pine cone wreaths and a couple of large red ribbons for the garage will satisfy my longing for direct participation in the season.

The fox, the deer and the pinecone wreaths decorated in Hanukkah colors will go outside tomorrow or Wednesday.

The kitchen remodel, held up by Thanksgiving, gets started next Monday, the 30th. Even the generator seems to have regained its traction and may be actually functional soon. Then, finishing the loft, the downstairs bathroom and an external sprinkler system will be all we have left of the first round of make it our own projects. The boiler is in and working well.

We’re still under a year in the house, December 20th is our anniversary here.

Great Wheel, Holidays

Holiday Fox

November 21, 2015 Charles Leave a comment

Samhain Thanksgiving Moon

Holidays, Our Land and Home, Weather +Climate

Managing the Manor

November 14, 2015 Charles Leave a comment

Samhain Thanksgiving Moon

In bed twelve hours. 4 hours asleep, 4 hours awake, 4 hours asleep. Take what I can get.

Beautiful weather here today and tomorrow. Then, could be storm of the century, or a dusting. Really. Forecast ensembles go from 30″ to barely anything. If it tends toward the higher end, Luke and the Golden Solar guys will have a tougher job on Tuesday. Monday, not so bad, since the snow’s supposed to come at night.

Luke was here yesterday by himself. A young guy, late 20’s or early 30’s, wearing nothing but a Doors t-shirt, (well, he did have pants and shoes on, too) Luke worked on the roof most of the day. He put in the anchors that attach to the roof beams, carpenter, then added brackets and rails. “On Monday, we’ll bring a string level, make everything tight. The panels will go on Tuesday.”

“I thought there’d be, well, more people,” I said. “The other guys are finishing up a 45 degree slope job in Denver. This is 18 and I knew I could do this part by myself. Monday there’ll be four of us.”

So. Solar. Then, the loft has gotten closer and closer in terms of shelving and organization of stuff like file boxes, office and art supplies. Still a ways to go, but getting there.

The whole kitchen got delayed due to Thanksgiving. Won’t start till after now. The timing of the work would have left us with no kitchen for the holiday.

Now, I have to call Stevenson Toyota, see when I can get those Blizzaks back on.

Commentary on Religion, Dogs, Great Wheel, Holidays

Kuku Tihar

November 10, 2015 Charles Leave a comment

Samhain New Thanksgiving Moon

Again, highlighted by a friend, Paul Strickland. Kuku Tihar*. Kuku Tihar occurs during the celebration, in Nepal, of Diwali. (see below) This year Kuku Tihar, the second day of Diwali, falls on November 12th. Tomorrow. How will you celebrate your dog/dogs?

I was struck by the dignity of the dogs in the pictures I found of Kuku Tihar. The respect seems to carry its own profound message and bring out the seriousness of the dog.

*Dogs are especially important to Nepal’s Hindu practitioners. During day two of Tihar, Kukur Tihar, the role of dogs in human life and throughout history is celebrated. In theRigveda, one of Hinduism’s most ancient texts, Samara — the mother of dogs — assists Indra, the ruler of heaven, in retrieving stolen cattle. Hindu tradition holds that a dog is the guardian and messenger of Yama, the lord and judge of the dead. A dog is also said to guard the gates of the afterlife.

At the close of the Mahabharata, the king of righteousness, Yudhishthira, refuses to enter heaven without his devoted dog. The dog is revealed to represent the concept of dharma, the path of righteousness. During Tihar, each day is devoted to a honoring a different concept or entity: crows, dogs, cows, oxen, and fraternal relationships, respectively. On the second day, Kukur Tihar, all dogs are recognized, honored, and worshiped. dogster.com

Holidays, Jefferson County

Holiseason Events

November 7, 2015 Charles Leave a comment

Samhain Moon of the First Snow

Over to Conifer Mountain for a Christmas craft boutique at the Conifer High School. Bespoke soup kits, mountain honey, glass cutting boards with mountain scenes, pine cone wreaths and bowls cut from 2 year dead aspen. Bob, who made the bowls, says, “If you get the wood too soon, it’s all white. If it’s too old, it’s crumbly.” He has, he says, a garage full of aspen trunks neighbors have brought him. In another room Mountain Mama Knits, pottery of various sorts, crystals, Three Hands Traders with handmade leather books and 1790’s wooden portable writing desks, quill pens and powdered ink.

Kate’s on her way to the Episcopal Church for another one. Not me. One leg wobbling shopping event a day for me, thanks.

It’s in the very low 50’s/high 40’s today so the snow has begun to melt. The next few days will be good ones for fire mitigation work. The front has to be finished before the third week of November because the solar panels may go on then. Always Chipper, LLC, will chip our slash and cut down trees I can’t fell.

Feeling that weekend malaise setting in. A powerful urge to stop whatever seems intentional and watch TV. Maybe even go to a holiday craft show?

German safety goggles, knit hat and Honolua hoodie. The perfect fashion statement for Shadow Mountain lumberjacks.

Faith and Spirituality, Family, Friends, Holidays, Reimagine. Reconstruct. Reenchant.

Holiseason

November 6, 2015 Charles Leave a comment

Samhain Moon of the First Snow

Holiseason. Begins on October 31st with Samhain and runs through January 6th, the Feast of Epiphany. This is a time when temperate latitude, northern hemisphere locations go through the darkest months of the year, punctuated with snow and cold. In times before refrigeration, electric lights, central heating, grocery stores this was a time when family and livestock could die. That’s why it begins on a holiday when the veil between the worlds thins.

Over the course of this time comes Thanksgiving, food and family at the center, many holidays of light, brave gestures against the seeming victory of darkness, the Winter Solstice, Saturnalia, New Years and the feast of the epiphany: Hanukkah, Posada, Advent, Deepavali, Christmas, the Winter Solstice, Saturnalia, New Years, Kwanza, the feast of the Three Kings. Special music, distinctive decorations, gift giving, meals with family and friends, times for reflection on the meaning of life and the nature of reality are the norm during Holiseason.

It is, for me, a joyful time. I love the moments of connection, the songs and stories raised in the air, the colorful installations on homes and businesses, the food, but most of all I like the quiet time, time to consider the light and dark in my own life. I love the way humanity, all over the globe, has taken special care for each other in times that were once literally dangerous, risky. I will surf holiseason again this year, riding the pulsing waves of human delight.