We just arrived in Mendocino last night after a twelve hour drive with the three cats. We were all glad you get out of our cages.

Jeanette and her fiance arrive tomorrow evening. My brother and his partner arrive Thanksgiving morning.

I am not sure I will be posting too much, but I hope to at least be present at some point. Jeanette and I also hope to create our new blog too. Hope everyone in the states has a nice Thanksgiving.

Does this count as tradition?

As we alllll know, later this week most people in America are going to stop what they are doing and cook up a giant bird along with a pile of season-appropriate side dishes. They’ll chatter, drink, and connect themselves to the rest of their national community through parades and sports. Well, some of them will….

Some of us will talk about the “first” Thanksgiving, as though we know anything about what was actually going on. Some of us will pay reverence to atrocities against indigenous populations—hardly something to be thankful for—while some of us will talk about coming together despite differences. Some of us aren’t interested in the talk. Some of us are in it just for the sweet potatoes. Regardless, some of us will get together with whatever family and friends we can find, sit down, and actually take a second to be thankful.

At New Old Traditions we first acknowledge that Thanksgiving is a made-up holiday, and any holiday actually moved by a president to extend the shopping season for the stolen Christmas holiday can hardly be taken too seriously. We are also concerned with Thanksgiving’s questionable political history…and, since it doesn’t seem to have any ties to things we consider fundamental (i.e.: the moon), it’s hard to get all excited about it. And yet, we support the convivial atmosphere and feeling of gratefulness that the holiday encourages. If getting together happens nicely and with an open heart, well, it’s hard not to support it on some level. We’re not cynical here at New Old Traditions, though we might like to read cynical kinds of stuff.

And so, although New Old Traditions will not be holding a feast, this Reveler would like to offer a couple can-do ways of honoring this harvest holiday as a New NEW Tradition, one that can serve as yet another point in the year to take a look around us, and feel the bittersweet beauty and pain of our connections to each other and to the earth.

1. Thanksgiving is a harvest holiday, but who’s harvesting? If you still are, lucky you! Sadly, a lot of us northern urban folk are pretty much reduced to trying to keep our window herbs bushy and not get all leggy from lack of good light. But, why not do something that could maybe lead to future harvesting? It’s not really a good time for a lot of planting, but you could start a lasagna garden, which is a method of making a fertile garden that involves layering compost, paper, and outside things and allowing it to “bake” by letting it just sit there until Spring. So, it’s the opposite of harvesting, but hopefully it will help remind you where the food you’re eating comes from. Then next year, you’ll be all set up to harvest!

not a can

2. Even in this mixed-up modern era, traditional Thanksgiving dishes are still largely seasonal. And yet, the conventional ways of making these dishes involves taking something that is totally available fresh, like cranberries or pumpkin, and using some canned version of them from who-knows-what-time-of year. So, this year make a dish (or two, or three, or all of them) using the fresh version of whatever you need. Usually (as in both cranberries and pumpkin) using the fresh version really only involves one extra pretty hands-off step (boiling cranberries, baking that pumpkin). For ideas on how to do this see here for something simple, here for something fancy, or here for some basic pumpkin knowledge.

3. Learn about other harvest holidays, most of which aren’t this time of year. Pretty much every tradition has got one, and most of them are less made up than this one. As always, wikipedia is a good place to start.

4. Take a walk, and go with others. It doesn’t matter where you live, there’s always a little outdoor space available. Just try it while everyone is sitting around watching the parade. Say, “Does anyone want to go for a walk with me?” Don’t give up right away if no one says “yes.” If you can get just one person to walk around the block with you, it’s a chance to connect in a way you might not be used to.

5. Help. Maybe this means volunteering, which a lot of people do, or maybe it means jumping up to do the dishes (which a lot of people don’t do). Just today say “yes” whenever you think there’s an opportunity to be helpful. Be a fuckin’ saint all day! Tip your cabbie extra, give up your seat on the train, make that final run to the store, set the table, and be thankful that you have the opportunity to give.

Thank you so much for those of you who gave advice on thawing and cooking turkey, because it was badly needed! I was doing some turkey day research and found this site: Diana’s Desserts. There was some great information there and I thought I’d share!

Also, for those of you who saw and acted on my Free Christmas Cards post – good job! I just ordered mine and now they are charging a very small shipping fee (less than $4) but the offer is still good and going strong until November 30th so be sure to check it out and get your Christmas Cards for a steal! You can click on my post link above to to go straight to the site click here for Freebies 4 Mom.

We have had a lot of unnaturally warm weather this November and I have to say that I have been enjoying it.  It’s not winter yet, but the brilliance of October has definitely gone past.  I always feel as if I want to hold onto those brightly colored leaves on the skyline, but when the leaves are down and it’s not really winter yet, there is a certain feeling of expectancy, first of the Thanksgiving holiday to come, and then of the winter.  I have been thinking about that as I do chores and am enjoying even these gray Northeast skies, the clouds and the birds.  It didn’t seem like something I would bother to blog about, but I happened to visit the blog of one of my favorite children’s authors, Cynthia Lord of Brunswick, Maine, and I just had to put a link to her beautiful and simply written thought about November, as well as the other in-between months that come to us in northern climates between the drama of the 4 seasons.  Here it is:  The Concept of November.  Thank you Cynthia!

Week 22 Topic: Adaptation

My picture for this topic.

For more about the One Two Squeeze project or to see other photographer’s interpretation of this theme, visit One Two Squeeze!

  My Husband and I had two hours to ourselves this past weekend.  Sooo……. we went for a drive and came across this great place that we have in our area to see the wonderful site of Christmas display.   Every Year this is one of my favourite visits.   I remember before we were married we went together to Niagara on the Lake, short drive from the Niagara Falls in Ontario.   I always remember the beauty of all the handmade items some stores displayed in their windows.  Believe it or not I even visited Santa……my wish came true that year. Smile……..

 It is wonderful to see, and of course to shop for the small or big budget items you have liked to get for your special Christmas tree for your home:  Santa’s in all kinds of styles, Angels, Birds, Mice, Christmas Balls, Bells, Stars, and Trees.   Red or Yellow Dogwood Branches for your fresh ornaments you have welcoming your Guest and Friends by the Front Door.

 So many choices…and the nice time you have just looking at it and having fun sharing it together.

                                “Never Stop Believing”

In this mixed up fall — August in September, November in October, October in November — you never know when the last day for gardening will occur. Here I was all set (perhaps even a bit eager) to call it quits, and along comes a pleasant weekend, so the jobs I was ready to not do, got done. The last of the pots were emptied and cleaned, the trimmed dogwood branches were taken to the Rice County compost pile (Northfield’s closed Nov. 15),  and I watered all my new plantings one last time.

I even  found an inventive way to get the hose wound up and put away. The hoses we have tend to get twisted, so I undid all the crimps and twists and laid the hose on the driveway (which is slightly angled) to drain. Then, standing in the garage so not too many neighbors would see, I put the hose at my waist and started turning around. Other than having to stop once because I was getting dizzy, the method worked wonderfully — the hose was carefully wound around my middile, it slid off in a neat circle, and it was easy to stow.

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my
whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name,
O Most High.” Psalm 9:1-2

Today I am giving thanks for God, and His wonderful deeds. They are numerous, too numerous and this blog post would be very long if I attempted to write them all down. I will only share a few, but I hope you get the idea.

For salvation in Christ, without His saving me, I would be lost, hopeless and doomed to a life of misery apart from His love and saving Grace.

For God’s Word, which is truly a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It’s guidance and wisdom fill my life with direction and purpose.

For the Cross and the love and awesome power shown there. The victory over Satan, and sin was made concrete when Christ died. God offered up His only Son as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

For God’s amazing grace. Without His grace, I would die in my sins without hope of being forgiven. Because of grace, I am not viewed by God as a sinner, as un holy, or impure. I am viewed as having a righteousness that is not my own (Christ’s in other words) and His favor is showed to me.

For forgiveness, and the fact that because of the kindness of God, I am lead towards repentance every time I sin. It is God’s kindness that brings me to my knees to ask for forgiveness of sins committed.

What’s your Thanksgiving holiday tradition?  Do you watch the Macy’s parade on TV?  Do you bundle up to watch a local football game? Or, if you’re in charge of preparing the Thanksgiving feast, do you even have time to relax at all?

Well!  Here’s a new tradition for you to consider.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast; take your seat in the bleachers at a football game or sit in your easy chair at home and flip the TV channel to the Macy parade. Then, sometime between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., meander over to Mystic Seaport country and celebrate the season’s bounty at the Seamen’s Inne Thanksgiving Grand Buffet. Just think how nice it would be to simply enjoy the food without worrying if the turkey is tender, the mashed potatoes lumpy or the gravy too thick or too thin!

Then, right next door is Mystic Seaport, Yes, even on Thanksgiving Day the Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and….admission is half-price!  True, not all the exhibits will be open, but you can either work up your appetite or walk off the calories you just ate by climbing the staircase up to the Charles W. Morgan whaling ship deck. If that’s too strenuous, than board the L.A. Dunton.  Visit the Buckingham-Hall House and imagine cooking a Thanksgiving feast in that kitchen!  Then, visit the Voyages exhibit where it’s easy to spend a good chunk of time, either before or after your dinner.

Mystic Seaport this time of year has a tranquil charm. The village streets are quiet and the allure of the sea is ever present. It’s a special place for all seasons.

So how about it? Ready to start a new tradition? Then make your reservations for the Thanksgiving Day Grand Buffet at Seamen’s Inne (860.572.5303) and pop over to Mystic Seaport to  enjoy the view along the Mystic River and visit the open exhibits. Don’t forget to tell the exhibit interpreters  you’re thankful for them working on this day of thanks!

We wish you all a happy Thanksgiving!

Blog posted by Trudi Busey.

Club some seals, and other ways to have an authentic Thanksgiving

How to celebrate like the Pilgrims did it. Those awful, awful Pilgrims
By Sean O’Neal November 23, 2009

Excerpted from A.V. Club Milwaukee

America has a proud history of taking its most sacred holidays and allowing shrewd marketing types to distort them beyond all recognition—as with Thanksgiving, when we celebrate the first breaking of bread between Plymouth colonists and the American Indians they eventually drove to near-extinction by stuffing ourselves with deep-fried turduckens and watching college football. But you don’t have to take part in this travesty. Here are some tips for celebrating Thanksgiving exactly like the Pilgrims that will make you a better American than everyone else.

Skip the ham; bring on the swan and seal.
The colonists hadn’t yet butchered any pigs by the autumn of 1621, but they’d slaughtered everything else they could get their hands on. In addition to traditional meats like turkey, venison, and duck, you should also carve up some fat slices of eel, crane, and seal meat. This will also provide some great topics for conversation, like, “Where did you find seals this far inland?” and, “Why is PETA protesting on the lawn?”

…

Serve people according to their social standing.
Before “equality” ruined everything, the best food went to the most important people, while the bootblacks and common whores were left to chew on whatever piece of seal gristle they could scrounge up. Have everyone bring along last year’s tax return and a letter of reference before distributing plates.

Read the entire article here

To a new season.  To a new week (in which, hopefully, I will return to a normal posting schedule).

Isn’t this kale lovely?  I only planted ornamental kale, a choice I might have been regretting by now, when the plants are just bursting with vigor and color and health — except that I do not like the taste of so-called “edible” kale.  It’s probably a question of cooking; collards were the leafy fall vegetable of choice in my childhood bioregion, and so I learned about how to properly prepare these tasty, bitter greens.  But kale was practically unheard of.

Maybe I just haven’t found the right recipe yet.  Does anyone know of a sure-to-wow-them kale recipe?  I might try it with what’s available at the grocery store and have some kale plants that aren’t just for show next year.

Of course, a tiny voice inside is saying that kale from your own garden soil has to be a completely different experience from kale purchased at a national chain store, the poor leaves having been probably grown on a huge farm where the soil has become nothing more than a nutrient-drained sponge awaiting its twice-yearly application of petroleum-derived fertilizer to be able to grow anything at all, and then the harvest having been trucked over a thousand miles before being carried a few more to my kitchen countertop.  Almost all of the other food we grew ourselves this summer was a completely different — and better! — experience than what one could get in a grocery store.  (I say almost because of the zucchini, which were, to my senses, nearly identical.)

But I’d have to know that I can cook it in a way I’d want to eat it before putting seed in the ground next year.  Otherwise, that “edible” kale would basically revert to being ornamental kale — and it might not be as pretty as this one.

I’m a little freaked out… I’m in charge of the turkey this Thanksgiving, and I’ve never cooked one… did I mention it’s a 25-pounder, that’s frozen? As of midnight last night we moved it to the fridge… I wonder how long it takes a turkey to thaw. Should I leave it out on the counter today and then put it back in the fridge tonight? *Shakes head*

Who knows. Anyway if any of you have any turkey tips I’d love to hear them along with any turkey recipes!

I have to admit I’m feeling a lot of pressure, I mean, the turkey is the main part of the meal right? Turkey and the mashed potatoes are my favorite dishes at Thanksgiving along with rolls – yum! What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish? This week I’ll be posting my favorite recipes for yummy holiday food: rolls, pie, and I’ll report on my first turkey-baking adventure.

Photo of the day:

Click on image to order prints or note cards on Redbubble.

Fall fuzziness

Yesterday I had the uncomfortable “pleasure” of sitting in an art class with a born-again Christian. This woman has had a tough life, and I can see that Christianity has become the crutch she needs to hobble through life, and I have no intention of criticising her for that. We do what we do to survive.

I made no mention of the fact that I am pagan. She and another member were talking about Christmas and Jesus. This year I feel so distanced from Christmas both in any religious and commercial sense that I am continually shocked to remember that other people are gearing up for Christmas. It means absolutely nothing to me. I have no happy memories of families gathered round a tree, or of religious admonitions to bring good cheer and “be good”. Other years I might have still enjoyed the decorations and the carols, but this year it leaves me untouched; not in any cold-hearted, depressed way, but more in an “I’ve moved on” kind of way. I am more excited by the prospect of a full or new moon, by seeing the flood down by the river or the way the air seems to turn yellowy brown just before a storm hits.

I’ve been watching people scurry around doing their shopping, clocking up consumerist points to prove they care about the people on their ever-expanding lists. And the rest of the year? So little consistency, so much emotional hypocrisy (and no, pagans are not immune to such hypocrisy – at this time of year you see the residual Christian in many pagans as they scurry around kowtowing to the Jesus of Christmas past).

So, has it just become a social festival? A consumerist fest of gluttony and expenditure? It annoys and saddens me to see people taking out loans “to spread the cost of Christmas”. What’s so compulsive and socially dictatorial about Christmas that you should get in debt for it at all? Ridiculous.

No. Christmas in every sense will pass me by. If I have gifts to give, I give them at any time of the year. If there is food to be eaten, I will eat it when hungry, and if I wish to bask in the affections of my friends, I won’t wait until the adverts on TV tell me it’s time to do so.

Here’s looking to the solstice! To clear nights with sparkling stars. To frost and sleet. To floods and getting soaked walking in the rain. Here’s to mud and puddles, leaves and berries. Warm fires and hot cups of tea. Merry Winter!

©Tattooed Witch 2009

Last December the northeast had a horrific ice storm and the electricity was off for 8 days at my place. I had just moved in and although there was a spot in the basement for a wood stove, I didn’t have one.

So due to the kindness of my landlord and neighbors, I didn’t freeze, but I sure was cold. Inside my house the temp. hovered around 38-40 degrees. In fact one day it “warmed up” enough that I opened the windows because it was warmer outside.

The new fire brick

So I made it my quest to find a wood stove before the next winter arrived.
I also don’t have much money, so a used one was what I hoped for and I ended up with a good size “All Nighter”, but it was missing most of the fire bricks inside.

I was told that it could be run without the bricks, but if the fire was too hot the sides could warp so I got some bricks just to be safe.

A Little Fire

The bricks just set in along the sides and it’s not difficult to do if the bricks are the correct size and if there are not old bricks, broken off and stuck to the sides already! That was my problem.

So someone came out and put them in for me. I don’t know for sure, and information online is hard to find, but a friend bought a new stove and had to burn on a low temp for 40 hours to “cure” the bricks so I will do the same just to be safe.

I just found lots of helpful info at the UNH Cooperative Extension site, so go there if you have questions about heating with a wood stove.

This past week we had a college friend visit us from the States. You had to feel bad for the poor guy – he thought he was coming to The Spring City (as Kunming has managed to market itself), and instead it dropped to freezing temperatures and even SNOWED, for crying out loud.

Snow outside our window

While the temptation was strong to stay bundled in our apartment and drink all afternoon (for warming purposes, of course!), on Saturday we braved the cold with no winter coats and walked up Xishan – the Western Hills – one of Kunming’s beauties and the place that RP proposed, incidentally.

View from the side of Xishan - the Western Hills

Xishan is dotted with temples for thousands of feet up, and is full of little treasures left over from a time when monks went there to pray and meditate. One enterprising holy-man carved winding tunnel in the mountain – and it only took him 14 years!

It was great to get out and be really active in the cold, but man – what a difference a couple months makes. For comparison, below is a photo of me and RP, taken by a friendly Chinese soldier-in-training, just after we got engaged:

Here is the same location not even two months later, with me wearing everything warm I own, namely: a long-sleeved shirt, two sweaters, a jacket, a fleece and a windbreaker:

Nevertheless, if there had been a Friday Love List last week (sorry about that…) Xishan would have been on it. Having a beautiful mountain to climb only a bus ride away from your apartment is a great thing.

Typical Monday.  After a fun weekend, it’s back to the old grind. The only bright spot is that I’m only working three days this week plus it’s thanksgiving this Thursday, my favorite holiday of the year.

As typical as Mondays gets, I look at the calendar and the date stares back at  me — November 23.

Fuck.   As much as I don’t want to remember, it hits me.  A year ago was the first time we met.  And with my mind warping at full speed, I got sucked into a vortex full of memories…. from the awkwardness of that first date, to the easy banter thereafter…. the thrill of the first kiss… the tender unguarded moments…. to the pain and heartbreak of goodbyes.

Stop it. Stop thinking about it. 

 But I can’t. It’s wave after wave after wave.

Places. Things. People. It just brings back too many memories.

Damn.  Just like that, the pain I felt was just as horrible as it was months ago.  I thought it got numbed by time. I was at the point where finally, FINALLY I was moving on.

Then this. Great.

I have to yank myself back to reality. I have to shut my mind because just the thought of it is too much to bear. 

Right now I am hating myself.

Snap out of it! You remember how you were, how low you felt after all was said and done? Do you really want to go back to all of that?

Honestly, for a moment, I almost succumbed. The only thing that’s keeping me from doing it is that I don’t want to give him the satisfaction that there are rare moments when I think of him. Of us.

It’s not one of the great loves that books and poets write about.  But given the right circumstances, I think it has the potential to be one.  You know how they always talk about having the right love at the wrong time? Even Barry Manilow sang one about it. But is there such a thing as having a wrong love at the right time?

Or better yet, the wrong love at the wrong time?

So yeah, I’m ready for this day to be over.

And as typical as Mondays get, I hate Mondays. Always have. Always will.

Tuesday’s another day.

xoxo

I don’t think I could live in a place where there were no distinct changes to the seasons.  For those that work the land or those that live their lives attuned to nature, the seasons present a way of marking your life.  Spring is a time of freshness and renewal.  Summer brings the growing, the caring, long days to wander and explore. Fall is the harvest, the winding down of busy summer, the turning inward and for me has always seemed to be nesting time, tucking in the house for winter.  Winter is the time of rest (though it certainly never feels it), staying inside, finding projects to do in the warmth of home.

I am further amazed at the wonder I find in each of the changing seasons.  Saturday I stood in the back lot and took in the changing landscape. We have been in this place one full year now, one cycle of the seasons. Where I stood last winter and saw naked trees and snow falling, became  green shoots and bursting buds, through the warmth of summer and sunlight streaming through the trees.  Now I find if I stop I smell woodsmoke wafting from the neighbor’s house, hear geese flying overhead, feel the crispness in the air and see the place around me mix in shades of brown.

It’s a wonder to behold.  One I treasure, the miraculousness of this life. That when I tire of the everyday, it will all change and rearrange and present itself in another beautiful arrangement.  A kaleidescope if you will, each turn bringing another deep joyful sigh.

Sometimes I get to do really fun stuff because of work…on Saturday, under blue skies and with no wind, I got to go into Dry Dock One at the Charlestown Navy Yard and learn all about its history.  Not only did we get to go into it, we got to spend about an hour wandering around, taking pictures, looking at fish and crabs, and climbing up and down the edges. It was awesome.

We found really interesting objects inside the dry dock (a skull!! How did that get there? Seems to be a prey and not a predator like I originally thought) and saw lots of numbers around us.

Most of these had fallen off of the walls as the epoxy used to secure them to the surface dried and cracked in the heat and cold. I sooo wanted to take a few home with me.

Then, we went into the Caisson…this is the thing that keeps the water out of the dry dock, and I was inside of it. It is actually very clean inside, which was slightly impressive.  It is also impressive that so little metal is keeping the ocean out of that dry dock.

Next field trip may include the Chain Forge and the Rope Walk…and a trip to Lowell to look at their education program. Sometimes I love my job.

Recycled petals

This fine art print is available for purchase at bbrunophotography

The mansion house where the owner of the Iron Works resided. Built in the 18th century.

These photos mightn’t be what comes to mind if one says Sweden and November, but they were taken a few days ago – during the suns regal visit that lasted one day – but what a day! The photos were taken in an old village with one of the oldest Iron works in Europe; Österbybruk. The mining, iron forging and smithy here goes back as long as the middle of the 15th century. During the 18th and 19th century it was the second biggest iron works in Sweden. A vast deal of this high quality iron was exported to the English industries in Sheffield. This kind of high quality iron could in times of high demand be almost as expensive as gold…

The cockerel on top of the Church of the Iron Works.

The old orangery – still in use during summer time.