You can be counted on to say it right--thanks! Enjoy the quiet and the dark--maybe there will be clear skies through which to look at lots of stars. Good luck with the final slog toward publiction--we are all awaiting the book!
Secular amen to all of this, Chris. Thank you for capturing it all so succinctly, with such heart. Happy Solstice to you and bless the donkey for protesting.
“Finally, If you think my feelings about what the Israeli government is doing makes me an anti-Semite, then please comment accordingly: there are about 10,000 readers here who need to know how dumb you are.”
What a milestone...turning in the manuscript for typesetting. whew.
That photo of the empty and frosted nest...it's going to stick with me, I think, and maybe encourage me to go wander around the woods by the house until I find one like it. Somehow the image holds the despair of the times, but also a little room for hope that life might move back in eventually.
Blessings for a Solstice of peace and harmony. May we all see the cracks and begin to put our voices out through them so that change can be a reality. Thank you for the voice of reason, and truth that stirs in me a desire to participate more fully in the change making processes.
Don't know what I would do without the beauty in the natural world which itself is not without its terrors. The sorrow of war and terrorism continues as does the timeless longing for peace. Winter days and nights as the solstice approaches have their gifts of peace.
The New Year will bring Becoming Little Shell to the world. Good to know you have nearly finished all that needs to be done before it is published.
This reminded me of a Christmas when I was young, maybe six or seven. The church had a new, young minister after the previous minister of many years semi-retired rather than be moved as the Methodist church liked to do. He was very unconventional- and unpopular with the rather staid congregation. I remember he replaced the ministerial robes with burlap sack, though the semi-retired guy still wore the traditional ones. Anyway, he was set on live animals for the yearly Christmas reenactment. I was around for a lot of the practices because my dad was playing Joseph. He also insisted on a real baby. Did I mention this was indoors? The practices went ok and as a young kid I loved petting the animals. However, no one thought to practice with a full sanctuary or sing while the animals were inside. So predictably (now to my adult brain) it was a disaster. The donkeys and sheep balked at a crowded sanctuary (I think our church probably held 600 people). I know they made it at least part way in. I remember the singing of the hymn starting and all the sudden animals are vocally objecting, the baby is wailing, and all chaos ensued. As I kid I thought this was hilarious, but then I was a butterfly in a blue dance costume with wings and a magic wand (I think it was an angel but to me I was a butterfly with a magic wand) and all the chaos gave me freedom to just butterfly about as I wanted rather than standing still. I don’t think that minister as around a lot longer. (Note: I have no idea how accurate this story is, I was seven. This is the way I remember it. I would guess an adult would tell her rather different story.)
Here are three long-winded bumper stickers for your holiday contemplation... "There has never been a time in history when the people who banned books were the good guys." (...and...) "There have always been two contradictory American ideals: to be the occasion of maximum violence... and to remain absolutely innocent." (...and...) "The air is saturated with statements that are neither true nor false but merely credible."
Love this all. And not only was Custer a white oppressor, he was also a terrible military man. I wouldn't name anything after someone so interested in self-aggrandizement (hello flowing blond locks).
Totally on board with your take on all this. I'm so looking forward to reading Becoming Little Shell. I've heard the proofing stages are grueling because it's the same material over and over. Hope it goes well and the Yellowstone interlude is the refresh you need!
You can be counted on to say it right--thanks! Enjoy the quiet and the dark--maybe there will be clear skies through which to look at lots of stars. Good luck with the final slog toward publiction--we are all awaiting the book!
Secular amen to all of this, Chris. Thank you for capturing it all so succinctly, with such heart. Happy Solstice to you and bless the donkey for protesting.
All of this. ❤️ Happiest of winter solstices.
“Finally, If you think my feelings about what the Israeli government is doing makes me an anti-Semite, then please comment accordingly: there are about 10,000 readers here who need to know how dumb you are.”
Great stuff. ❤️
Very well said. Thank you for the reminder that writing is activism. Wishing you a peaceful solstice.
What a milestone...turning in the manuscript for typesetting. whew.
That photo of the empty and frosted nest...it's going to stick with me, I think, and maybe encourage me to go wander around the woods by the house until I find one like it. Somehow the image holds the despair of the times, but also a little room for hope that life might move back in eventually.
The donkey made me laugh. As long as we're sharing the planet with such wise beings, there's hope.
Miigwech Chris!
Blessings for a Solstice of peace and harmony. May we all see the cracks and begin to put our voices out through them so that change can be a reality. Thank you for the voice of reason, and truth that stirs in me a desire to participate more fully in the change making processes.
Anti-Zionism is not anti semitism,Biden could end this carnage with one phone call to bibs…m.helling
Don't know what I would do without the beauty in the natural world which itself is not without its terrors. The sorrow of war and terrorism continues as does the timeless longing for peace. Winter days and nights as the solstice approaches have their gifts of peace.
The New Year will bring Becoming Little Shell to the world. Good to know you have nearly finished all that needs to be done before it is published.
So well said as always. Enjoy the solitude, the madness will be here when you return 🙏
This reminded me of a Christmas when I was young, maybe six or seven. The church had a new, young minister after the previous minister of many years semi-retired rather than be moved as the Methodist church liked to do. He was very unconventional- and unpopular with the rather staid congregation. I remember he replaced the ministerial robes with burlap sack, though the semi-retired guy still wore the traditional ones. Anyway, he was set on live animals for the yearly Christmas reenactment. I was around for a lot of the practices because my dad was playing Joseph. He also insisted on a real baby. Did I mention this was indoors? The practices went ok and as a young kid I loved petting the animals. However, no one thought to practice with a full sanctuary or sing while the animals were inside. So predictably (now to my adult brain) it was a disaster. The donkeys and sheep balked at a crowded sanctuary (I think our church probably held 600 people). I know they made it at least part way in. I remember the singing of the hymn starting and all the sudden animals are vocally objecting, the baby is wailing, and all chaos ensued. As I kid I thought this was hilarious, but then I was a butterfly in a blue dance costume with wings and a magic wand (I think it was an angel but to me I was a butterfly with a magic wand) and all the chaos gave me freedom to just butterfly about as I wanted rather than standing still. I don’t think that minister as around a lot longer. (Note: I have no idea how accurate this story is, I was seven. This is the way I remember it. I would guess an adult would tell her rather different story.)
Here are three long-winded bumper stickers for your holiday contemplation... "There has never been a time in history when the people who banned books were the good guys." (...and...) "There have always been two contradictory American ideals: to be the occasion of maximum violence... and to remain absolutely innocent." (...and...) "The air is saturated with statements that are neither true nor false but merely credible."
Love this all. And not only was Custer a white oppressor, he was also a terrible military man. I wouldn't name anything after someone so interested in self-aggrandizement (hello flowing blond locks).
Totally on board with your take on all this. I'm so looking forward to reading Becoming Little Shell. I've heard the proofing stages are grueling because it's the same material over and over. Hope it goes well and the Yellowstone interlude is the refresh you need!
I cheered! Shocked to learn there is a place called Custer county.