Welcome! I hope I bring a spot of calm and happiness into these uncertain times. I blog about my photography adventures, flowers, gardening, the importance of chocolate in a well lived life, or anything else on my mind.
On Friday, we got up to 64 degrees in Binghamton, New York. By Saturday morning, it was snowing lightly, the warmth and sun of the previous day already a distant memory.
Our local farmers market is a year round indoor market, and on days like this, people flock there to buy seasonal items. For us, it was eggs and brisket. For others, Christmas cookies and other holiday goods.
For sale were mushrooms...
Potatoes and beets....
and celeriac. Not shown, someone selling local romaine lettuce. Baked goods, honey, and meat rounded out the market.
Across the parking lot, there is a "Taste New York" store that shares space with the headquarters for the local organic farming association.
Perhaps one day soon, the sun will come out again.
So hard to believe that there's only one week left to the year.
I spent some of last night looking at photos taken by people I know who live or work in New York City. Such beauty - decorated store windows, office buildings, and even (yes) ships.
And then, some 180 miles away, there's downtown Binghamton, New York, where I work.
We have our own beauty here, especially on a December 21 day when it is in the 60's and the sun is shining. It was unbelievable and the walk was a pleasure. This just doesn't often happen on the first day of winter.
In a building built in 1904, a local insurance company has held caroling in their lobby for many years now. This year, the caroling by their employees was yesterday. As I entered the packed lobby, this was my view.
More close up. The murals on the walls, I understand, date from the 1980's. And yes, what you see on the staircase is is marble.
Today is the last Skywatch Friday post of the fall and the first of winter.
We have no idea if it is fall or winter. Today, we are supposed to get a
lot of rain, with record highs. Yet, a couple of days ago, it got down
to 14 degrees F (-10C).
There is something magical about the time around sunrise, whenever the sky is clear here in upstate New York. Those days are precious and few, and are celebrated, such as this sunrise yesterday.
I wasn't in time for sunset, and didn't get the best of it.
A few minutes later, the red had faded to yellow (the light in the middle is a streetlight).
But sometimes, when it is almost night in a major city, the sky can be just as fascinating. Not only that, cityscapes can be the most fascinating of all.
Even in New York City, you can get fascinating sky shots. Maybe, especially, in New York City.
These two photos of the Empire State Building in fog were taken by a blogger, Bonnie, who blogs at a blog called Frogma, and I use these photos with her permission. I grew up in New York City but haven't seen Manhattan at night in many years.
I invite you to read the Frogma blog to see different views of New York City that the average tourist would never dream of. Like the post featuring these photos.
Maybe one day I'll see New York City in the holiday dark once again. Until then, I'll enjoy the skies of upstate New York just fine.
Were you fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to be born in the week or two before Christmas?
Not celebrating me
I was. My late mother in law was. My sister in law was. One of my grandfathers was.
It's an interesting experience, having a birthday just before Christmas. You learn, at an early age, that your birthday is going to be swallowed up in the greater festivities. In other words, you learn to share. Your birthday. Attention paid to you. That kind of thing.
One of my managers at work was born on the fourth of July (our Independence Day). She was in elementary school before she realized that the parades and the fireworks on July 4th were not meant to celebrate her birthday.
A near-Christmas child learns early that most people get presents on their birthday and on Christmas. We - well, we are lucky if we even get noticed. Not quite the same situation as the person in the last paragraph, but it's similar in some ways.
Even born and raised in a Jewish household, I was not immune from the Great Christmas Takeover. (Also, back when I was young, Hanukkah was not the "major" holiday it is now.)
In a way, when I married into my (Christian) spouse's family and became related to two people in the same boat (so to speak) as I was in, I met other fellow sufferers. We'd been there, done (or not done) that. We always made sure we gave each other separate presents and cards for both occasions.
We learned to live with it, the three of us. Maybe even, a bit (a little bit?) enjoy it?
Do you or another family member share a near-birthday or birthday with Christmas?
I was cleaning out photos on my camera and came across these three running posters.
I don't run, but don't these posters make it sound like fun? (VINES is a local organization that supports urban farms and community gardens in less advantaged areas of Binghamton, New York, and nearby communities.)
For Lyme Disease awareness.
Party!
It sounds like fun but I wouldn't want to do the training - just the partying.
It is fascinating how we differ in our perceptions, due to the differing way our senses work. I am revisiting a post from December 19, 2010, one that has (no pun intended) aged well.
I was reminded the other day about how my spouse finds the smell of
paperwhites very pleasant while I find it very unpleasant. The owner of
a Bed and Breakfast we stayed in back in 2010 told me about the fact
that some people find that the herb cilantro tastes like soap.
Neither my spouse nor I find that cilantro tastes like soap but again,
we have two reactions to the smell. My husband rarely uses cilantro in
his food preparation because he can't stand the odor. On the other
hand, I have no problem with it. (I do find the taste somewhat complex,
but the first time I tried it it smelled to me like dirty socks would
taste, if you were crazy enough to eat one. It did eventually grow on
me.)
So what else do my spouse and I differ on, as far as food taste?
1. The taste of broccoli rabe, a staple of my spouse's childhood (I'm of a totally
different ethnic group) is heavenly to spouse, but I can't stand it. To
me it is so bitter I just can't eat it. Even when it is prepared in a way
that reduces the bitterness, I still taste it. I'm not the only one;
one of my spouses' cousins actually "feel guilty" about disliking her
ethnic staple.
2. Strong, mold-type cheeses such as bleu cheese and Gorgonzola:
again, I find these so bitter I can't stand them. My spouse loves
them. His autistic brother can be persuaded to eat veggies if you sprinkle blue cheese on them. Go figure.
When I had an aunt living in Iowa, we made trips a couple of times to the Maytag Dairy Farms
near Newton, Iowa just so spouse could buy their blue cheese. This was
before their blue cheese became a "foodie classic". But it is no
classic cheese for me.
I grew up with smoked fish. It was an ethnic staple for me. I work with someone who can't even stand the thought of smoked fish.
There is one other classic reaction to food that I should mention, which
is the smell of people's "pee" after eating certain foods. The classic
food causing that is asparagus, but there are some other foods that
cause pee to smell unpleasant and/or strong. I'm told that asparagus
affects everyone's pee, but not everyone can smell it. Fortunately,
because both of us love asparagus, neither of us smell it.
Since foods are chemical in nature, should any of this be surprising?
It's Monday and it's a special day for me for several reasons - among them, it's time for Music Moves Me!
Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? We are bloggers (and perhaps also musical elves) who blog about music
each Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most
welcome to join! (Music Posts Only on this music train, please!) First,
there isXmasDolly, Her co-conductors are: ♥Callie of JAmerican Spice♥, and ♥StacyofStacy Uncorked♥ Also, co-conducting is ♥Cathy from Curious as a Cathy♥ . And finally, there's me.
We all need a good laugh (or chuckle) from time to time, and I'm adding in a couple of my favorite Christmas rock tunes.
I was introduced to my first selection by Cathy at Curious As a Cathy, one of our co-elves and I have to admit that I enjoyed it so much, I played it several times. I hope you enjoy it, too.
Straight No Chaser and The Twelve Days of Christmas (sort of.....)
The Waitresses and Christmas Wrapping, a favorite of mine from the 1980's.
Father Christmas - The Kinks.
From my childhood (1958, to be exact) Augie Rios and Donde Esta Santa Claus.
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. How can I resist? He's as charming as an eel! I wouldn't touch him with a 39 1/2 foot pole! The Ultimate putdown song! I LOVE the half hour cartoon (thank you, Dr. Seuss!)
And finally, since I gotta be offensive every once in a while (you can skip this one if you want, but I happen to be a fan of Bob Rivers) is Bob Rivers and Walking Round in Women's Underwear, from 1993. (No, I decided against Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire).
So, that's a wrap - a Christmas wrap, and I hope I brought a smile to you today. I have to admit to you, my reader, that this has been a difficult time for myself and my family, but I hope I bring a few minutes of joy to you.
We think we are so safe in our homes, but history teaches us that situation can change in seconds. Hatred of certain minorities, including Jews, is on the rise in our country. We can always learn from history, but we also have to heed its lessons.
On that day, December 17, 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Order 11,
which ordered all Jews living in parts of three states under Federal
military control to vacate their homes and leave those states within 24
hours. It is a sad, and not well known, incident of the United States
Civil War.
The history of why Grant issued this order can be read at the links
above, but to summarize, some Jewish merchants (and Christian merchants
also) were engaged in the sale of black market cotton, which benefited
the Confederacy.
This is the order:
"The Jews, as a class violating every regulation of trade established
by the Treasury Department and also department orders, are hereby
expelled from the Department [of the Tennessee] within twenty-four hours
from the receipt of this order.
Post commanders will see to it that all of this class of people be
furnished passes and required to leave, and any one returning after such
notification will be arrested and held in confinement until an
opportunity occurs of sending them out as prisoners, unless furnished
with permit from headquarters.
No passes will be given these people to visit headquarters for the purpose of making personal application of trade permits."
The order affected Jews living in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, and
Mississippi. And there was no appeal. Some Jews living in Holly
Springs, Mississippi ended up walking 40 miles to Memphis, Tennessee.
What happened next? Newspapers all over the country (thanks to the
Associated Press) took up the cause of the displaced Jews. Others felt
it was a correct decision. Some Jews decided to visit Lincoln in person
to plead their cause. Quoting from the Sun Sentinel article above:
"A Jewish merchant from Paducah named Cesar Kaskel traveled to Washington
on a mission to have the order overturned. Upon arrival he was able to
arrange through an Ohio congressman a meeting with the president."
When Lincoln hard about the order, he immediately countermanded it.
Please keep in mind that during this period, Lincoln was getting ready
to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which would free slaves in
states in active rebellion against the United States - while meanwhile,
General Grant was expelling another minority from their homes.
And what about Grant? He repented this order both publically and
privately, but it followed him for the rest of his life. As students of
history know, after the War ended, General Grant ran for President in
1868. General Order 11 was a campaign issue. In his defense, Grant (after the fact, of course) said:
"I have no prejudice against sect or race, but want each individual
to be judged by his own merit. Orders No. 11 does not sustain this
statement, I admit, but then I do not sustain that order. It never would
have been issued if it had not been telegraphed the moment it was
penned, and without reflection."
Could Jews vote for Grant? They could, and they did. Grant won the election.
History teaches us many things. With the recent shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue and other hate crimes of the past several years, this 1862 chapter of our history still has
relevance to us today.
Welcome (I think) to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day in my zone 5b garden near Binghamton, New York.
December has been a strange month, as have so many recent months. On Black Friday (November 23) it got down to four above zero. We've had snow, enough to totally jam everything up.
Snow is usual for us in November and December, but now, we have temperatures in the low 40's and everything has melted.
Because of personal events in the last month, I haven't been able to care for my plants as I normally would, and today's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day will be sparse.
My Thanksgiving Cactus, though, have exploded into bloom.
Another plant.
I did buy an African Violet to cheer me up. Now, if I can only remember to water it. I've already lost several houseplants in the past couple of months.
I almost forgot. My amaryllis plant is blooming. Well, almost.
Outside? After it's gotten down to four above zero (-15.5 C) already this fall? Well, actually, now that the snow has melted, this has been revealed - buds on my early blooming Lenten Rose. Enough times it is caught by a January cold wave, but maybe not this year.
"I'm going to be different" said the tree as I walked past it on a rare sunny December day. "Different is beautiful."
"Most trees either turn colors and shed their leaves when the first traces of winter are felt.", the tree told me. "Other trees, the evergreens, stay green all winter.
But me, my leaves will turn brown and I will keep them for a while. No bare branches for me. I'm not afraid to be brown. I'm not afraid to stand out, to be different.
In 2015, I blogged about the fact that for the first time in many, many years, we would not be having Christmas
with relatives in Yonkers, New York. Earlier that year, due to health and other
issues, we had to move my mother in law up here, and about 150 more
miles (approximately 241 km) away from those relatives. And, as my readers know, my mother in law passed away the day after Thanksgiving.
One of the relatives down there will be 107 years old early next year. She lived with her son, who took care of her.
Yesterday, the son, who was in his early 70's, died suddenly. We had last seen him at my mother in law's funeral.
Now, he's gone, too.
And at the funeral home, I spoke to one of my husband's cousins, who had cared for her recently deceased husband (dementia) for years, and wrecked her health in the process.
I know so many people who have lost loved ones in the last two or three weeks. A co worker lost her father. An acquaintance of many years lost his elderly aunt (he helped take care of her), while trying to raise three young children as a single father.
The path of a caregiver is a hard one. The caregiver doesn't take care of him or herself, sometimes with tragic results.
Recently, our office of aging reached out to me because I had been unable to attend a "focus group" on what caregivers in our community need. I really need to answer that email. But, instead of answering their questions directly, perhaps I should just describe what is happening around me.
It scares me, thinking about who else might not survive this winter.
Next: Scammers (one man's experience with scammers trying to trick him). After reading this post, you may never trust anyone again.
What depths are some of our fellow humans capable of sinking to, preying on the elderly and other vulnerable populations (among other crimes against our own species)? We've been warned, with the recent death of my mother in law, about
scammers who will try to send us bills "she owes" or try other tricks to
benefit from our loss.
We were told about obituaries that gave out "too much information" - but identity thieves love them.
It's not just the old "burglarize the house of loved ones while they are at the funeral" but outright identity theft. One of the first things we had to do after getting home from the funeral was contact credit bureaus to make sure her credit was frozen and she was marked as "deceased".
Do you need to fill your car's gas tank? A skimmer may steal your credit or debit card information.
My late mother in law was scammed at least once in her life (by a "driveway repairman") and saw through an IRS scam several years ago only because they insisted on her paying "the IRS" with Rite-Aid gift cards. The "IRS agent" knew enough about her late husband to scare her.
I work with someone who witnessed a family member trying to deal with the "grandson" scam - it was so realistic. Turns out the scammers have ways of finding out personal information. That is what happened with my mother in law and the "IRS" - they had personal information on my father in law, who (at that time) had been dead over 10 years.
If you think you are smart, and it can't happen to you - well, it can. I received a scam call from someone pretending to be from my insurance company shortly after my spouse was injured in an accident (perhaps I should blog about that one day). Fortunately, I decided to check into the phone call (it was a message left on my machine) with the insurance company, using their normal customer service number - and their reaction was pretty interesting, too.
Back to the blogger who asked "what happened to kindness" - she now tries to look out for acts of kindness in her everyday life.
Maybe that is what we need to do, too - if not out of self defense, then something enabling us to reconnect with our fellow human beings.
Welcome! It's Monday and time for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? We are bloggers (and perhaps also musical elves) who blog about music
each Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most
welcome to join! (Music Posts Only on this music train, please!) First,
there isXmasDolly, Her co-conductors are: ♥Callie of JAmerican Spice♥, and ♥StacyofStacy Uncorked♥ Also, co-conducting is ♥Cathy from Curious as a Cathy♥ . And finally, there's me.
What follows has become one of my favorite seasonal blog posts, which I update a little each year.
Why do Christians in the United States dream of a White Christmas? Why is it so important that snow is on the ground?
Some may argue that these are NOT Christmas songs, but rather songs
about what I would now call the "secular Christmas". True, these are not
hymns. But it is true that the American celebration of Christmas
incorporates many aspects of non-religious symbolism - this ground has
been covered by other writers.
I consider them Christmas songs. I think, in particular, few would
argue that "I'll be Home for Christmas" isn't one of the most heartfelt
Christmas songs every written.
(Note, I have not done any of this research myself. I am not a musician
or a music expert, just someone who likes to listen to well written
music. So if I end up spreading wrong information, I apologize. I did
try more than one source, but - as you well know- you can't trust
everything you read on the Internet.)
1. White Christmas: Irving Berlin
lived to 101, married a Catholic woman back when that type of
intermarriage was extremely scandalous (to both families) and defined
Christmas for entire generations of American Christians. (Incidentally,
he also wrote "Easter Parade" and "God Bless America".)
The next time
you wonder if you will be having a white Christmas, and if you can't
figure out exactly why that should be so important, well....blame Bing
Crosby and Irving Berlin. This is the original version from 1942.
This song was originally intended for Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. This cover is sung by Dean Martin.
3. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire): The Nat
King Cole version is one of my favorite songs, ever. This brings back
so many memories of the holiday season in the late 60's in midtown
Manhattan and the vendors who would sell roasted chestnuts. The
fragrance carried for blocks.
For this song, we thank the Jewish songwriters Robert Wells and Mel Torme. The song was actually written in 1944 but this recording is from 1961.
4. I chose Andy Williams' cover of Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!, which was written during a 1945 summer heat wave in Chicago by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne. (Cahn's birth last name was Cohen and Jule Styne's birth name was Julius Stein).
5. I'll be Home for Christmas. As an almost-history major in college,
this song makes me think of my aunts and uncles who served during World
War II.
This song dates from 1943 (World War II), written by Walter Kent (who was Jewish) and Kim Gannon, and was originally sung by Bing Crosby, but I chose a later version from 1957 as covered by Elvis Presley.
5. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Ralph Blaine and Hugh
Martin, has been featured in a number of movies over the years. This
comes from the 1942 movie "Meet Me in St. Louis" and is sung by Judy
Garland.
Last but not least, something I picked up in my research: remember Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? It would seem
that Johnny Marks, the author of that song (and also "Rockin' Round the
Christmas Tree" and "A Holly Jolly Christmas") was Jewish.
So here we are with "Rockin' Round the Christmas Tree" as sung by Brenda Lee.
And "A Holly Jolly Christmas", sung by Burl Ives, from the classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer TV special that is still shown.
Think of the themes of these songs: Missing your home. Childhood
nostalgia. Enjoying a season of lights and happiness. The different
child (or reindeer), scorned by others, who becomes the best of all.
These are universal themes, and this is why these songs, I think, are so
appealing, no matter who wrote them. I also find it interesting that so many of these songs were written in the 1940's.
Join me next week for more holiday magic at #MusicMovesMe.
We just commemorated the 77th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese armed forces, which resulted in the entry of our country into World War II.
But what also happened is that thousands of United States citizens of Japanese descent were rounded up and sent to interment camps all over the country. One of these was a hastily constructed camp at Heart Mountain, near Cody, Wyoming.
One of the detainees was a young man by the name of Norman Mineta. He had been, back in California before he became a civilian prisoner of war, a Cub Scout. His parents had wanted to become United States citizens before the war, but had been prevented from doing so.
The young of this camp were sent to school within the camp and permitted various activities to keep them occupied. One of these was the formation of a Boy Scout troop and Norman Mineta joined. The troop tried to engage nearby Wyoming troops in their activities, but all the troops rejected their overtures. These boys were the enemy, after all.
Or were they?
Only one troop accepted the overtures of the Japanese interment camp's troop, and came to visit In that troop was a young Boy Scout by the name of Alan Simpson.
Alan Simpson and Norman Mineta became good friends. And the 12 year old Simpson, who returned to a warm home after his visit to the internment camp, realized an injustice was being done.
The two boys didn't see each other again for some 35 years.
When they met again, it was thousands of miles away, in Congress, where Senator Alan Simpson (Republican) made his second acquaintance with Congressman Norman Mineta (Democrat). Eventually, Mineta would join the Cabinets of two Presidents. Their friendship has lasted to this day.
Simpson, now 87, gave one of the eulogies at the recent funeral of former President George H.W. Bush, under whom Mineta served as Secretary of Transportation.
I'm embarrassed (well, just a little). I promised you this recipe in my recent post for Lazy Applesauce. Here's the background story:
Last month, my sister in law traveled from her home to say goodbye to her dying mother. While she stayed with us, she helped me make an apple crisp. There were peels and cores left over from her efforts, and I decided not (for once) to throw them away or compost them.
Recently, my spouse had gotten a book out of the library called "Cooking with Scraps: Turn Your Peels, Cores, Rinds, and Stems into Delicious Meals". The author is Lindsay-Jean Hard. This is very much a modern cookbook, yet celebrates the old time virtues of "waste not, want not."
My sister in law is a firm believer in this concept, and decided, after helping with the crisp, that she wanted to do something with the peels and cores. She had browsed the book and had an idea.
So here's the problem - I can't remember exactly what she did - because, true confession time, I had a stomach bug. So all I can do is "sort of" tell you what she did. (I could have asked her, yes, but that would have been too easy.)
My sister in law took the peels and scraps of five large apples, and cooked them with some sugar. (Spouse thinks it was about a cup - it was less than what the recipe called for.)
They were strained out. The syrup was then cooked some more to reduce.
The finished (and delicious) syrup. Cinnamon and/or cloves would be a nice additional touch.
I went ahead and found this recipe online - I hope it produces a similar result.
Incidentally, I browsed the "Cooking with Scraps" book and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves to cook and loves the concept of reducing food waste.
There are several Kilmer properties in Binghamton, but this one has special meaning. If you are ever in our area in December, do visit. Admission is free to the Hanukkah House museum, although a donation to our local food pantry would be most welcome.
Every year I pay tribute to Roberta King, who was murdered in a mass shooting at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, New York on April 3, 2009. She was a collector of dolls and dollhouses that represented Jewish life, and her family generously allows the Hanukkah House museum (open for a month each year in Binghamton, New York) to display some of her dollhouses and dolls.
When someone passes on, what remains are the memories.
A room.
This museum is in what used to be a mansion belonging to a patent medicine maker who became quite wealthy.
Memories of the past.
Join Esha and Natasha each Wednesday for #WordlessWednesday.
Apples will get me into the kitchen, a place which rarely feels my footsteps.
On a cool fall day, what better thing is there than to make applesauce? Especially when Hanukkah is drawing near. And now that it is here, you need applesauce more than ever, right?
Since I am a lazy cook, here is a recipe for lazy applesauce.
You need several pounds of cooking apples. But they don't have to be
cooking apples. I've used Gala and even Honeycrisp.
Be aware, some apples
will produce a grainy applesauce. Macouns and MacIntosh will make a
nice, smooth sauce. I like mine a little chunky. Cortlands and Pippins, if you can get them, will make a chunkier sauce. The harder the apple flesh, the
grainier. Tartness is a personal preference.
So: take your favorite apples. Wash them.
Core the apples. Cut into pieces, perhaps 8 pieces per apple. Peeling
is optional. Put the apples in a pot. Add about 3/4 of a cup of water, or,
if you have it, apple juice or apple cider. If you want sugar, use
brown sugar.
Cook the apples under medium low heat until they are ready to be mashed
with an apple masher, perhaps 25 minutes. Add cinnamon or cloves to
taste. Let the aroma float through your house. Savor the aroma. It's
time for comfort food. Puree it if you like. I don't. I'm lazy.
Some people add butter. I do not.
One thing I've done in recent years is add raspberries to the sauce. We weren't able to pick raspberries last year, but had the chance to pick raspberries last year and still had some in the freezer.
If you do, just be sure to strain all those small seeds out.
My Mom used to make applesauce with cinnamon candies, which dyed the
sauce red. It's a wonderful memory for me. In turn, I made applesauce
with my young son, years ago. He's graduated to peppery hot sauce now.
He even grows his own jalapeños for it.
Serve your applesauce, fragrant with the scents of autumn, warm. Or
cold. Serve with potato pancakes (as spouse did on the first day of applesauce). Or, just eat
it as is.
One final thought - remember those cores and peels (if you peeled your apples?) You don't want to throw them out. On Saturday, I plan to give you a recipe that will use them.
Welcome! It's Monday and time for another episode of Music Moves Me!
Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? We are bloggers (and perhaps also musical elves) who blog about music
each Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most
welcome to join! (Music Posts Only on this music train, please!) First,
there isXmasDolly, Her co-conductors are: ♥Callie of JAmerican Spice♥, and ♥StacyofStacy Uncorked♥ Also, co-conducting is ♥Cathy from Curious as a Cathy♥ . And finally, there's me.
Every other week we have a theme,
and on alternate weeks, we can blog about any music we wish. But December is different. Normally, in the month of December, the Music Moves Me participants concentrate on Christmas music. But today, I am going to take a different track. (Track...get it?...I guess anyone who remembers 8 track tapes does.)
Actually,
three tracks. Because today is the first full day of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights of my people.
My first song is a parody of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. The a capella group Six13 and their new release "Bohemian Chanukah" helped to brighten this season for me. The history is a little "off", but that can be forgiven - after all, it's a parody song, not a history textbook.
My second choice is a song by Peter, Paul and Mary called Light One Candle. This performance is from 1986, and I feel this song transcends Hanukkah and has meaning for us all.
Switching this holiday music to its second track, I am inspired today by a Civil War era Longfellow poem that was made into a Christmas music classic. Bing Crosby with "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". This song has a painful but inspirational history behind it.
The poem the song is based on is "Christmas Bells",
written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His son Charles had been
seriously wounded in a Civil War skirmish in late November of 1863. This
poem is the anguished result.
The last two verses, especially, speak to our country today:
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth," I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
The rest of this post is on my third track, which features some music that can help us recover from loss, because this holiday season can be so hard on those of us who have experienced recent loss.
Let It Be - The Beatles, a classic song from the Beatles.
After 9/11, the Scorpions song Wind of Change somehow called to me, and I listened to it over and over.
The Bad Wolves' cover of Zombie, a song written about another tragic loss - the death of Johnathan Ball and Tim Parry, who were killed in an IRA bombing in 1993. The song was written by Dolores O'Riordan, an Irish musician, singer and songwriter, who performed with The Cranberries. She was supposed to participate in this cover but passed away (at the age of 46) right before the recording session was to have taken place.
Next week, an annual music tradition on my blog.
May all of my readers have a happy holiday season, and to my Jewish readers, a Happy Hanukkah.
While most of us in the United States are preparing for Christmas, the Jewish people of this country celebrate Hanukkah.
In Binghamton, there is a wonderful museum in a historic mansion that
opens for a month every year, this year from November 27 to December 27. Run by volunteers, Hanukkah House is free (but donations to a local food pantry are accepted).
A post from 2010, when I was recovering from a sprained ankle and doing a bit of reading:
As a native of New York City and an almost-history major in college, I am
sometimes astounded by what I never learned in my Bronx school
education.
Until finding a certain book called "Journey into Mohawk Country" by
Messrs. Van den Bogaert and O'Connor, I never knew that a certain
Harmen Mayndertsz van den Bogaert had written a diary of his journey
from New Amsterdam [New York City] to Ft.Orange [Albany] accompanied by
two Dutch and five Maquasen Indians [Mohawk] taking approximately five
weeks, during December of 1634 and January of 1635.
His mission? To
find out why the Mohawk were abandoning their beaver fur trade with the
Dutch in favor of trading with the French.
Until I had traveled in September, 2010 to Stillwater and Ft. Ticonderoga (and
Lake George Village), New York, I had not paid much attention to the history
preceding the French and Indian War. Now, I seem to be running into it
everywhere.
The YA version of this book was actually a graphic novel. But like the
old Classics Illustrated comics, this graphic novel may lead readers to
the original book. For me, it was a good read while I was nursing my
sprained ankle.
This was raw travel. Van den Bogaert and his traveling companions
would not have made it to Ft. Orange had it not been for the hospitality
of the Maquasen and Sinnekens [a general word for Native Americans west
of the Mohawk, but used here to describe the Oneida]. They traded
tools and weapons for the Native hospitality. They slept in longhouses,
tried a couple of times to heal sick Native Americans at their hosts'
request, and unsuccessfully tried to purchase a "tame" bear as a
traveling companion. They feasted on bear, dried salmon, and hare
cooked with chestnuts.
That's true adventure of a type that is hard to come by in the East today.
Thinking that Van den Bogaert wasn't much older than my son was in 2010 when Van den Bogaert made
this journey, I conclude that this type of adventure is denied our young people. I
sometimes wonder if my son would have leapt at the chance to make this
journey. I suspect he would have.
Will I try to tackle the source document? Not sure [and, as of 2018, I haven't]. But I loved the graphic novel.
Thank you, George O'Connor, and the other people involved in adapting this journal to the graphic novel format.
