Little Holiday Videos

/

A Quick Peek Into The Season

Christmas baking and decorations make this holiday season a busy one. There's little time for writing, however, here are a couple of videos taken with our iPhone.

Going To The Tree Farm

Traveling to a Christmas tree farm in Woodland, California this year, we picked out our tree. You can cut down your own if you're feeling like an ambitious woodsman. Pre-cut trees are kept fresh in buckets of water. The workers will take off an inch from the trunk for those of us who don't own a saw. 

One of our favorite Christmas tree species is the Noble Fir. After picking out a humble 6-foot tree, we took the tag to the workers and requested shaking and netting. Shaking it removes loose needles and dirt and a net can help get it home.

A sense of humor is needed when the farm is crowded with holiday shoppers. Tree farm personnel demonstrated their funny-bone with the bottom line of this sign for the tree nets. Just kidding, of course!

Dramatic Winter Skies

Winter skies like to dance at this time of year and I captured some traveling clouds with the time-lapse feature on my smartphone. Music was then needed. The song I Wonder as I Wander evokes seasonal skies and is sung with layers of harmony by The King's Singers.

I had to giggle when I noted that I wandered in my neighborhood and I wondered if there were more Christmas decorations than usual, or had I not noticed them before? I included their photos in the video to connect with the song's lyrics.

 
“I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die
To save lowly people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

When Jesus was born it was in a cow’s stall
With shepherds and wise men and angels and all
The blessings of Christmas from heaven did fall
And the weary world woke to the Savior’s call.”
 

Our Creativity

It's okay if our creative process is not a professional production. The joy is in the creating.

With so many professional examples around us, it can be intimidating to pursue our own attempts. Remember when it was simply fun to create and we didn't worry about the outcome?

Wishing you a holiday season filled with wonder as you wander and may the new year be a source of joyful discovery.

 

Winter Solstice Poem

/
“Mother of Air, Goddess of the limitless skies.
She is Owl Woman and will carry you through the long dark nights of winter dreaming.
The sun is reborn at winter solstice and days gradually lengthen.
A time of hope and anticipation.”
— Owl Woman artwork by Wendy Andrew

Winter Solstice Still

Still.
A slow breath, inhale.
Hold in the stillness of winter.
Even the Light becomes still in winter,
outer senses barely perceive it.
Embers of light smolder within our chest.
Our hearts, hollowed out,
make room for greater light.
A slow breath, exhale.
Flames leap to life.
Darkness is once again vanquished.

–Leslie Anneliese

From Darkness To Light

At the Solstice, the darkness of winter exerts its power and stakes its claim as the longest night of the year.

Yet, in the next breath, the darkness turns and starts a steady march to the shortest night of the year in summer.

Cycles of our lives. Our days. Our moments.

Hold on to the light. Spring is coming.

May your heart shine bright with peace and joy even in the darkness.

May your Winter Solstice be filled with expanding light, both within and without.

 

Autumn Colors

/

The Colors Of Fall

Fall has its own set of colors that fill our senses along with the smell of cool air and the sight of falling leaves.

It is a season that inspires us to turn within ourselves as we prepare for the darkness of winter and the task of keeping the flame burning bright.  We tender the light so that we may make it through the dark, long nights and find our way back into the growing light of spring.

Color Therapy In Our Clothes

Colors of autumn tend to be red, yellow and gold, orange and brown. Warm colors that wrap around us and comfort us during the cooler days and nights.  I find the colors of fall begin to exert their influence on me as the temperatures fall.

When I lived in Germany, where cool temperatures in fall are prominent, I noticed my blue sweaters didn't feel right in October. I had an urge to wrap myself in the rich colors of the earth as I moved through grey days and cold nights. It was as if I needed to apply color therapy to my clothes, so I could settle into my autumnal surroundings.

When I lived in Northern California, I was impatient for the cooler temperatures of fall which come much later in the year than in Germany. It's not until mid-November that the trees start to show their reds and yellows and mornings have that familiar chill.

Color In Fashion

It used to be that fashion etiquette dictated when we could wear certain colors. For example, white was not to be worn before Easter or after Labor Day. Pastels were not appropriate for fall or winter.

Nowadays, those restrictions seem to have disappeared into archaic dictates of the past. But perhaps there was some deeper meaning? Or was it simply a fashion style?

“Designers want me to dress like Spring, in billowy things.
I don’t feel like Spring.
I feel like a warm, red Autumn.”
— Marilyn Monroe
 

Do you find you sometimes need to shift the colors you are wearing based on the season?

Holiday Colors

The holidays of fall have their own colors. Halloween emphasizes the colors orange and black and this is seen in the many pumpkins and gourds. 

Thanksgiving colors are rich with the red of cranberries, the orange of pumpkin pies, the brown finish on our rolls and turkey skins and the yellow of our butternut squash.

Traditional colors for Christmas are the ripe red of holly berries and the primary green of our Christmas trees. 

As we move through the seasons, take a moment to notice if the colors have an affect on you.

What Is Your Favorite Color?

I used to say I have a favorite color. Now, I've come to realize that my color preferences change throughout the year, depending on the season. 

Do you have favorite shades and hues that reflect the season you're in?

 

The Witch At Night She Comes

/

 

The Witch

The witch, the witch,
At night she comes.
Shut out your light
Or she'll taste your thumb.

She'll smell it first,
She'll lick it next,
Then she'll decide
That you're the best.

She'll take you away
On her wicked broom,
She'll fly you around
The weird, weird moon.

She'll take you away
To her home,
And start fixin' – the chrome.

You'll try to stop her
But never win!
For she's got her mind
Set on you for din' ...


by Leslie Anneliese, age 10

Halloween And Witches

The Witch is a poem for Halloween written as a child from a long time ago.

Settling down in front of the black and white keyboard of our piano as a little girl, I would play spooky minor chords while chanting these “scary” words.

Everyone kindly feigned fright and due alarm at this story that predicted one’s demise by becoming a witch's dinner!

I wonder now how I learned that witches eat children for dinner. It's a theme also found in the Disney movie Hocus Pocus. I have a fun blog post about that movie entitled Hocus Pocus Halloween.

Apparently, there's an archetype in our society where witches are wicked and we worry about being consumed for dinner like in the story of Hansel and Gretel.

Even Shakespeare includes a cautionary tale about witches in Macbeth:

“Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

Cool it with a baboon’s blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.”
 
“We see the evil queen carrying her basket of poisoned apples to innocent Snow White.
We see the Wicked Witch of the West flying on her broomstick, with her winged monkeys, chasing Dorothy and her friends.
We see the squinty-eyed old woman of Hansel and Gretel heating up her black oven, preparing to eat the candy-fattened children.”
— Selene Grace Silver

Perhaps the notion that everything seems to be food for something else lurks beneath our awareness and is expressed in these stories.

Yet, stories of good witches are also to be found with the television show Bewitched and there is a good witch in The Wizard of Oz. The theatrical play Wicked also takes a look at our witches in the land of Oz from another perspective.

 

Hocus Pocus Halloween

/

Magic And Halloween

Halloween draws near. It's time to bask in the spells of magic and make the hair stand up on the back of your neck.

Getting in the mood for Halloween demands a viewing of the movie Hocus Pocus. It has become a Halloween tradition. It’s time to curl up with warm drinks and popcorn in front of the wide screen to watch this classic movie.

Hocus Pocus

Disney's 1993 movie, Hocus Pocus, is a light-hearted show the whole family can enjoy. True to Disney style, there's just enough play on words to keep the adults entertained too.

Get ready for magic and time travel.

“Hocus Pocus revolves around the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of witches, played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, who are resurrected inadvertently, 300 years after their deaths, on the eve of Halloween in 1993.

Hanged as witches those many years past, they live up to their reputations and wreak havoc across Salem. Only a teenage boy (Omri Katz), his girlfriend (Vinessa Shaw), his little sister (Thora Birch) and a talking cat (Sean Murray) are able to stop them. ”

I Put A Spell On You

In Hocus Pocus the witches cast a magic spell over the entire town. 

However, apparently a magical spell was also cast so the movie wouldn't disappear into obscurity. The film has developed a loyal cult following.

“Critics tore apart the horror comedy, but it then went on to establish a cult audience thanks to its release on home video. ”

Who says magic's not real?

The Sanderson Sisters – Three Witches

“Bette Midler as Winifred “Winnie” Sanderson, the buck-toothed leader of the Sanderson sisters. She is the eldest and the wickedest of the sisters, as well as the most intelligent. She has a great knowledge of dark magic. Her robes are green.

Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson, the second witch sister. Often complimenting and comforting her domineering older sister Winnie, she likes to eat children. Her powers are smelling children. Her color is red.

Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson, the youngest and most beautiful witch sister; she also is ditzy and vague. Her powers are mesmerism (by singing a siren song), which she uses to lure children to feed upon their life force. Her somewhat revealing robes are purple.”
— Wikipedia

Wicked And Delightful

Listen to the resonant ring of Winifred's voice, "SISTAHS !!!" as she calls to her beloved sisters. They are bonded in a coven as sisters and witches, even if she does call them idiots at one point.

The three sister-witches are a goofy bunch (after all, it's a horror comedy) and while they’re pretty silly, their magic is certainly wicked enough. Sucking the life out of young children qualifies, don't you think?

Sarah's Enchanted Song

As the witches fly on their broomsticks, Winifred calls forth to Sarah:

“Use thy voice, Sarah,
Fill the sky!
Bring the little brats to die!
Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha...”

Sarah sings a melodious song as she weaves a thread of magic to lure the children of the town to the witches' lair. Perched on her flying broomstick, Sarah coos her lullaby into the night sky. Her dulcet tones melt onto the children, mesmerizing them into obedience.

“Come, Little Children, I’ll take thee away
Into a land of enchantment
Come, Little Children, the time’s come to play
Here in my garden of magic...”

Come Little Children

Sarah sings only one verse of the song, but its haunting melody enchanted people near and far.

Who is the author of the song's lyrics?

Some claim it was written by Edgar Allen Poe; that is simply not true. To add to the confusion, more verses were tacked on to create a longer version of the song.

It's our good fortune that author D. Melhoff launched an inquiry into the matter. Leaving no stone unturned, Melhoff's research on the topic provides the most satisfactory answers.

The first verse was written by Brock Walsh for the Disney movie Hocus Pocus and the music was composed by James Horner.

The origin of the added verses remains shrouded in mystery. Perhaps that's how it should be when you're dealing with a song that leads to the supernatural.

You can read all the circuitous details found by D. Melhoff in the post entitled: Who Really Wrote the Poem "Come Little Children"?

The singer, Erutan, also performs a full version of the song. She created a YouTube video with images from the movie Pan's Labyrinth as a cover.

Happy Halloween.

 

Northern California Pirate Festival

/

A Pirate Festival Calls Our Name

Arrgggh, me matey, 'tis time to weigh anchor and sail into Vallejo, California.

We be joining a motley crew of pirates, swashbucklers and buccaneers. There be officers of the Royal Navy who claim to keep order 'round here and barmaids to keep us all happy with a bit of brew. We be going back in time to the high seas of piracy.

It's the Northern California Pirate Festival.

Northern California Pirate Festival

Arrgggh, me pirate matey, 'tis time fer a pirate gathering in the port of Vallejo.

Aye, ye be hearin' right. This gathering celebrates all things pirate and is an annual event in June.

This festival purports to be the largest pirate celebration in the country and 2015 marked their 9th year. Like any festival of this nature, there are food booths, shops and wares, music and entertainment and just plain relaxing. Here's my own little video.

Vallejo is an ideal venue for this event. Participants, excuse me, pirates benefit from the bay breeze that blows off the water. It cools many a pirate's brow as he lifts his tricorner hat. 

Join The Pirate Fun

If you're a fun-loving pirate who likes a good sword fight and to say argghhh, this is the place to be. You'll only feel out of place if you don't have anything of a pirate-nature hanging off of you.

Costume shops in town sell an inexpensive packaged pirate outfit like the one I bought some time back. I saw my outfit walking around on children and dads of all sizes. In this first picture you'll see me in the packaged costume. (The extras such as hat, belt, pistol and belaying pin are additional purchases.)

The downside of a mass-produced, lower-cost outfit is synthetic polyester material. Not particularly healthy to wear and it certainly doesn't breathe when you're baking under a Californian summer sun.

Prepare Ye To Don Pirate's Clothing

You arrived without a pirate outfit? Fear not. There are vendors on the premises happy to deck you out in period clothing, albeit for a pretty farthing. 

Thanks to the plethora of vendors and booths, I updated my pirate outfit this year with a 100% cotton shirt and a gorgeous Hunter's vest. I also exchanged imitation gauntlets for leather ones.

While some complain that shopping makes the event too commercial, I find it convenient and helpful. I can't imagine it's easy to find high quality gauntlets at our local Target. 

Pirates And History

We're not talking only pirates here. The time period is the 1700s. Let's not forget those who chased after the pirates too. Members of the British Royal Navy delight us with their handsome uniforms; ladies of pleasure welcome one and all.

Costumes For Everyone

Speaking of ladies of pleasure: one thing you have to prepare yourself for is the sight of "heaving bosoms" as they are called in period writing. Some may think this is great, others not so much. Many costumes are historically accurate, including the bosom lifting corsets and laces. 

The Beginning Of My Pirate Tales

How did I even get involved in pirate fun? Check out this post Talk Like A Pirate Day where I detail the beginning of my slide into the life of a pirate. It all started innocently enough when I worked at a hospital that celebrated this illustrious day.

You may be asking what does a Pirate Festival and a meditator have in common? It's all about taking the light with you wherever you go and whatever you do.

As I say in another post, "Aye, even a pirate can meditate."

It is all about harmless fun and dancing and learning about this period of history.

Set Sails For Adventure

For those who share the love (or at least the idea) of the sea and swashbuckling, the Pirate Festival is like coming home, settling in where you belong amongst your mates.

Slip back in time and sharpen up yer sword skills.

We Sail At Dawn

Arrrgggh, me fine salty dog, will ye be joinin' me and me mateys as we stroll the fine decks of our mighty, glorious ships?

What say ye?

Permission to board is granted.

Set sails for adventure!

Food For The Fourth Of July

/

America Celebrates Its Birthday

The Fourth of July is just around the corner. Holiday displays in the supermarkets are set up to tantalize shoppers with outdoor foods and drinks.

Isn't this a gorgeous American Flag Pie created by King Arthur Flour? I dream of creating it one day. It may remain a forever dream, but in the meantime, it's nice to see.

If you're willing to tackle this pie adventure, here is the recipe for the American Flag Pie, made with strawberries/rhubarb and blueberries.

Time To Start Your Grills

Fourth of July in America.

Start your grills. Friends and family gather 'round for picnics and barbecues.

Grilled corn on-the-cob (with barbecue or herb butter), sizzling hamburgers and hot dogs are all de rigueur. Dedicated meat-eaters splurge on tri-tip beef. Vegetarians don't have to feel left out. Tofu burgers make a fine alternative.

Everything can go on the grill, not just meat. Vegetables and fruits also grill up pretty. A fun television show from The Food Network features recipes by Bobby Flay, the acclaimed grill master.

How about grilled peaches with cinnamon sugar butter? Sounds delicious, doesn't it? Click on the link for the recipe.

Summer picnic food on the menu:

Baked beans
Juicy watermelon
Chips and dip
Finger sandwiches
Fruit salads, and
Everyone's version of their famous potato salad

The Great Mayonnaise Debate

Family feuds have started over potato salad. Dill or sweet pickles? What brand of mayonnaise do you use?

People stand firmly entrenched in their mayonnaise camps:

1) Best Foods (west of the Rockies) or Hellmann's (east of the Rockies) – same company, same mayo, different name per regional distribution. 

2) Duke's mayonnaise has Southern roots and is also found in some states further north.

3) Kraft mayonnaise has a nationwide distribution.

4) Dare I mention Miracle Whip? Some argue that it's not even mayonnaise, but Miracle Whip has a strong, if not beleaguered, following. Take a look at this Tumblr account that proclaims in a joking manner, Miracle Whip and Proud Of It. Miracle Whip was created in 1933 by Kraft as a less expensive alternative to mayonnaise.

Rest assured, never the twain shall meet. Each brand has a dedicated cult following.

 

Here's a fun tongue-in-cheek story for your amusement.

The Family Mayonnaise Incident

We are a Best Foods mayonnaise family. In our corner of Washington state, that's our mayo. For decades we remained true blue to Best Foods.

Recently, my sister returned home from an 18-month job assignment in Tennessee. She was living south of the Mason-Dixon Line and Duke's is the mayo of the South. She divulged that she had tried, and liked, Duke's mayonnaise.

To make matters worse, she had the audacity to bring jars of Duke's mayo home with her. Even her husband was perplexed when he saw the alien mayo jars in her bags.

Oh, the shock. This was akin to heresy. My own sister, cheating on Best Foods. She admitted feeling a little guilty about it. 

After her heartfelt confession, we welcomed her back into the fold. She was home again in familiar territory and surrounded by Best Foods. Let bygones be bygones.

And then, our nephew ordered a big jar of Duke's mayonnaise from Amazon and sent it to my sister as a birthday present.

The saga continues...

 

Summer Activities For The Fourth

The Fourth of July is dedicated to picnics and summer fun, such as swimming, boating, hiking, and, not to be forgotten, naps in a hammock. It's a holiday, so some healthy relaxation is included on the menu. Reading a book in a hammock rates high on my list.

 

patriotic cookies recipe

 

Happy Birthday – USA

Does all this food talk make you hungry?

I know I'm ready to treat myself to potato salad and other picnic delights.

Let's raise a fork and a patriotic spiral cookie in honor of the United States of America.

I'll see you at the picnic.