Stormy Night

Stormy Night
Originally uploaded by ctb57.

The wind was howling and the snow flying. It's hard to believe that we're on the way to summer!

Winter Shadow

Winter Shadow
Originally uploaded by ctb57.

Marshmallow-topped shrubs

Marshmallow-topped shrubs
Originally uploaded by ctb57.

The Holly Myths

"The holly berry that shines so red
Once was white as wheaten bread."

-traditional

The holly we know, Ilex aquifolium (English Holly) is the largest and brightest in winter with evergreen leaves and bright red berries. Because of its evergreen leaves, it has always been associated with winter magic. Throughout Europe, it was believed to repel evil a belief that lingers yet today. For many of us, the sight of a holly tree or bush is enlightening. Many will bring a holly wreath into our homes during Yule or Christmastime because it makes a great place for the faeries to play. The wreaths also await the arrival of the winter elf king Santa. While some consider it unlucky to leave the holly wreaths up past Twelfth Night and burn the wreath on New Year’s Eve, others believe that keeping a sprig from a wreath used as decoration in a church will bring luck throughout the year.

It’s known that the Celts believed the Holly King ruled winter and death while the Oak King ruled summer and life. If we look at the 2 trees it seems the holly is at its peak during Yule standing out with its red berries and dark, shiny leaves while the oak stands naked and bare, but the opposite is true. With the onset of Yule, holly is on the decline and oak is on the rise, and on summer solstice oak is in its splendor while the holly is hidden by all the other forest foliage.

There’s also the tale of Mother Holly and her mischievous cat. According to this lore, the cat is blamed for bad weather because he gets into Mother Holly's things and finally eats her corn. When she learns of his troublemaking, she doesn’t punish him because the corn he ate caused his tummy to rumble like thunder which makes her content..

Then there’s my holly story.

Every year there’s a place I look forward to passiing by. It’s a house in town with a beautiful holly tree in the front corner of the yard. This tree is probably 20 feet tall and is a perfectly groomed cone. I love its blackish-green evergreen leaves and bright red, jewel-like berries that pop out. It’s especially lovely when frosted with snow, or at night when the hundreds of white lights that adorn it are lit.

Each year I always swore to get a photo of this magnificent tree. And, this was to be, the year (pay attention to the 'was to be.') I’ve learning to master my digi cam and have had luck getting lots of good shots which you can see at Flickr.com by looking under ctb57. So, yesterday was the day. There was about 6 inches of fresh snow, and it was a perfect evening to make my shots. Imagine my shock, dismay and displeasure when I arrived at my destination only to find this magnificent holly replaced by a $49.99 white-lit Walmart pine. Bah humbug!

XMas 6.0

The Grinch
Originally uploaded by ctb57.

(With a nod to Steve Earle)

Hey Saint Nick, when the
hell did you become so fat
and so inflated?

If not for hot air blowing
up your ass, you'd be as limp

as an old man's dick.
Mere caricature that you
are, adorning the

yards of homes, schools and town halls.
Xmas version six-point-oh.

It's the Amerikan way.

Copyright Cher Cunningham, 2003

Bah Humbug . . .

. . . not really, but I have to share a funny XMas story. In the main Housing/Residential Life Office are 3 co-workers: The Director of Housing (DH), The Director of Residential Life (DRL) and, my best friend, Peggy, the Secretarial Assistant or whatever they call her position now days. Yesterday, I sent over a couple of gifts, 1 for the DRL who had given me something last week and one for Peggy. Peggy and I were to do lunch today (still did), but I sent the gifts yesterday just in case the Uni closed today due to weather. Anyway, I did not send a gift over for the DH simply because she has never exchanged gifts with me in the 14+ years we have worked together. These gifts weren't much, mind you, just some home-made things from my kitchen (Emeril's Essence and Roasted Mixed Nuts With Rosemary). As the DH was leaving the office yesterday afternoon, she saw the gifts sitting on the counter and stopped to see what they were and who they were for. I had wrapped the jars in a cellophane wrap and tied it up with wired ribbon. Hand-made tags finished the gifts. Well, she went ballistic (I was told this by Peggy today) whose exact words were, "She [the DH] threw as good as fit as either Luke or Grant could". Luke and Grant are Peggy's grandsons. The DH was screaming about how rude it was because there were 3 of them working in the office, and I only brought gifts over for 2 of them. She then finished with, "Well, Cher can just kiss my ass!" before storming out. How freakin' funny is that? This from the woman who has never exchanged gifts with me ... I used to give her gifts. I remember the last XMas gift she received from me. It was a very nice bottle of wine from a little winery in Jamestown, TN for which I never received even a "thank you." THAT was the last gift she ever got from me. Please don't think that I'm all about giving and receiving gitts - far from it. I love to give gifts that match my friends and family and don't mind if I don't get any back. That's not what this season is all about. It's not about how much I spend or don't spend; it's about caring enough about the person I am giving the gift to to take the time to make the gift fit. My joy comes from the giving. However, I'm also not one to continue giving things that go unappreciated. But, back to the DH, she is one of the most unhappy people I have ever seen. She doesn't love herself and is incapable of loving others or allowing others to even like her. I class her and some others I work with as vampires as they constantly suck the positive energy right out of others daily. Anyway, I'm certainly glad that I'm no longer stuck in that office with all the negatives.

I finally made it to the PO today. I haven't been in over a week, and just as I figured, there was a yellow "package too large for box" card in my PO box. So, I get out the bit of mail that's in the box and separate the bills, XMas cards, etc. from the junk mail before going in to pick up the rest of my mail. Of course, once I picked it up, the sorting began all over again. Anyway, I got home and began opening the cards. I received several this year - from MY college Hall Director (hard to believe it's going on 20+ years since those days), family, friends and a home-made one from a long-lost cousin. I received a photo card from another cousin of her 5 y/o daughter with Santa. What a cutie Annamarie is, and it's hard to believe she's already 5. What was written on the card started me thinking. The card read:

"We "BELIEVE" . . . Do You?" and was followed by In Christ and then their names.

Why is believe in quotes? Am I not capable of understanding in who or what they believe? I'm not condemning, just wondering. Yes, kids, I do believe, but not in the same way or religion as you. I'm convinced we believe in the same thing - we just do it in different manners. I've seen you stare at the pentacle I wear around my neck just as you wear your cross/crucifix. I'd love to talk with you about it, but you never ask, and I never prosetylize. Oh, well.

Looking out the window, I see the snow's begun again. It's warm and toasty in my apartment, and it's beginning to smell like XMas. I've got a Creamy Nutmeg candle (a gift from my Assistant Coordinator) on the candle warmer and a loaf of Cranberry Orange Bread in the oven baking. Funny how scents can evoke such pleasant memories. Right now, I'm thinking of mom and the many loaves of banana nut bread she baked for XMas gifts. I remember how yummy the house smelled and the Saran wrap and then shiny aluminum foil she wrapped each loaf in after they had cooled and helping her pick the bows to stick on each one. I remember hulling, cracking, shelling, and then picking out the black walnuts that came from our trees in the back yard. I didn't realize the value of those nuts at the time - I just remember how good they made the bread. We didn't have a lot of money, so mom made lots of baked goods to share. That's why I like doing the same now I guess. I remember when my younger sister (she was always the naughty one while I was the good one) ruined every loaf that mom baked that XMas by running her finger down the cracked top of each to scoop out the warm gooey center. Was my mom EVER furious. However, it became a good story to tell and laugh about over the years.

That's what this season is about - remembrances of happy times, of not so happy times, of life. All the best to those who read this blog of mine.

Blessed Be,
Cher

Oh, and if anyone's interested, here's the recipe for Cranberry Orange Bread. I've made several changes to make it fit my life that are listed at the bottom of the recipe:

Cranberry Orange Bread

2 cups, sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 beaten egg
1 tsp grated orange peel
3/4 cup orange juice
2 T salad oil
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Oven 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and soda. Combine egg, grated orange peel, orange juice, and salad oil. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just till moistened.

Bake in greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or till done. Remove from pan; cool. Wrap; store overnight before cutting.

MY CHANGES:

1. I use whole wheat pastry flour.
   
2. I omit the sugar.
   
3. I substitute dried lemon peel for the grated orange peel and add it with the dry ingredients.
   
4. Since I use whole grain flour, I add about a cup of applesauce to the liquid ingredients. Today I used home-made cranberry applesauce left over from last night's supper.
   
5. I add the following spices:
   
   
   • 1 tsp cinnamon
     
   • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
     
   • 1/2 tsp allspice
     
   • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
     
   
   
6. I also added 1 tsp maple flavoring.
   
7. I used pecans and upped the amount to 1 cup.
   

The recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book.

Enjoy!

Winter Solstice

STANDINGSTILLSUN2
Originally uploaded by ctb57.

Here it is another Yule, and the close of another year. I sit here this evening awaiting a snowfall modern-day soothsayers are predicting. However, persimmon seeds fortold this earlier in the fall with their spoon-laden seeds. For those unaware of persimmon lore, old-timers will tell you that if you cut open persimmon seeds you will find images of knife, fork or spoon shapes within the endosperm; an abundance of spoons means a winter of snow.

Have you ever wondered how a snowflake grows? I recently came upon a little book called strangely enough, "The Little Book of Snowflakes," by Kenneth Libbrecht. Mr. Libbrecht is from southern California of all places and loves capturing these frosty crystals on film. The book is filled with all sorts of lovely flakes, quotes and information about how snowflakes become the works of art they are. A visit to his site, Snowcrystals will introduce you to the magical world of snowflakes where you can even watch a snowflake grow. So, on this longest night of the year, I await all 10 inches of the soft stuff.

This is a special night for those of us who have chosen the Pagan path, and it's not all that different from Christmas which will be celebrated by many in a few days hence. Both celebrate the virgin birth of a god, in a cave, during the darkest time of the year. A renewal. This night I will spend reflecting on the year that has past. I will honor my mother who passed from this life last year. The sun pauses on this day; it stands still. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere it marks the beginning of the journey toward summer.

Standing-still-sun

Yule marks the day earth's
jack-tilted hemisphere leans
the furthest from the sun.
Daylight, for some, is six
hours long; the sun is at
its lowest arc in the sky.
With the celebration of Yule
comes the rebirth of the sun.
Candles, evergreens, feasting
and generosity echo a past
older than imaginable.

Copyright Cher Cunningham, 2002

A Blessed Yule to all.