Imagine

Silent monks

Thanksgiving's arriving late this year has put me off my game. We've a number of holiday traditions to squeeze into smaller space, so I need to catch up. Today's replay is becoming one of my holiday favorites. You've watched, Burl Ives Rudolph one hundred times, another airing of the Silent Monks on a cold, St. Nicholas morn will do us all a world of good.




Even after a dozen airings it's still pretty funny.

Toad

From Martha To Ernest

Mislaid during our moves, the stars aligned in time to help me locate my stash of John Julius Norwich's Christmas Crackers in time for the holidays, and while I do not believe in coincidences, a day after visiting Nancy Gellhorn's St. Louis neighborhood I came across this snippet of a letter Martha wrote to Ernest, reprinted in the 2011 edition Christmas Cracker.


28 June 1943

Ernest:
I wish we could stop it all now, the prestige, the possessions, the position, the knowledge, the victory: and that we could by a miracle return together under the arch at Milan, with you so brash in your motor cycle side car and I badly dressed, fierce, loving, standing in the street waiting for your picture to be taken.  My god, how I wish it.  I would give every single thing there now is to be young and poor with you.  As poor as there was to be, and the days hard but always with that shine on them that came of not being sure, of hoping, of believing in fact in just the things we now so richly have.
                                                                                      Martha


I bet many agree with Martha's sentiments. The early struggle, the belief in yourself and your partner's future, is often more fun than having arrived.

Toad

Last night of Chanukah

Shalom

geeks of doom photo

Since I hadn't visited Chuck in a while I knew that you hadn't either.  As busy a he is writing, directing, and producing several of the nation's most popular sitcoms, he still find time most weeks to publish a vanity card laying out what's on his mind at the end of most of his shows.  Mostly we can't read that fast so we ignore them but they are often worth looking back on.  We left off somewhere around 400, 408 could easily be skipped. The complete archives may be found here. 

CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS, #400

I've been told that if you change your mind, you change the world - or at least the way you experience it. Let's take a moment to examine that. The presumption is, if you thought the world was a hostile, ugly place filled with awful people doing awful things, that is what you'd see. Your mind would naturally seek out confirmation for its preconceived ideas (e.g., if you're intent on buying a red car, as you go about your day you'll see lots of red cars). If, however, you were able to sincerely change your mind and see that we are all God in drag, that we are the conscious aspects of a perfect universe which had to create us so we could bear witness and stand in awe before its loving magnificence, then that is the soul-shaking reality you'd be greeted with each and every moment of each and every day. In other words, it is entirely our choice as to what kind of world we live in. With a simple decision, we can suffer in the darkness or play in the light. We can be angry, frightened and enslaved, or loving, joyous and free.

I know. It's a toughie.

Enjoy your visit.

Toad

chanukah 7

Shalom

Bryant and May

Mystery readers are a strange lot. The rules for writing mystery novels were codified in 1928 since then few successful writers have veered from the path. We become possessive of "our" sleuth, his locale, methods and idiosyncrasies. It's one of the few genres that never age, readers re-read each novel over and over.

I'll let you in on my favorite series, the Byrant and May Peculiar Crimes Unit novels by Christopher Fowler.

The Peculiar Crimes Unit, a London Metropolitan Police detachment, was established during the Second World War to handle especially sensitive or heinous crimes. Bryant and May, the lead detectives, were young men then, fighting above their weight, using whatever methods were available to ensure justice was served.

In subsequent novels, the team aged, but their mission did not.  Bryant and May are called whenever an especially sensitive case, one to hot for the Met, comes calling.

If you enjoy a good murder mystery, especially one with local lure, filled with arcania give Fowler's works a go.  You won't be disappointed.

Toad

Sixth night of Chanukah

Shalom

Whence Tuesday?

Most ancient societies created a calendar.  Organizing future events was nearly impossible without one.  When the king called up his wise men and ordered up a calendar its creators had 2 obstacles to overcome.  First, you have to decide how and what to measure.  The smart guys decided that measuring lunar months was easy, visible and the choice was defendable.  Before too long they realized that no matter how simple it was it didn't jive with the solar reality.  The first guys were then fired and smarter solar calendar makers were hired in their stead.  Eventually, throughout the Mediterranean a variation on a single theme emerged.

So now you have a calendar, and over time a seven day week became standardized, what should we call the days of the weeks?  The Greeks named their 7 day week, the days of the gods, after the sun, moon, and the 5 visible planets.  The planets were named for their principal gods.  The Greek weekdays then became the day of:  The Sun, the moon, Ares, Hermes, Zeus, Aphrodite, Chronus.

The Romans found this a splendid idea and copied since their pantheon was similar.  Their weekdays were named for the sun, moon, Mars, Mercury, Jove, Venus and Saturn.

After the sack of Rome, Germanic tribes substituted their gods for the Roman deities. The week then became the sun day, moon day, Tiu, Woden, Thor, Fria and Saturn.  Converting the Germanic names into middle and then modern English gives us the days we know so well.

It seems odd to me that sometime during the centuries the popes ruled the world one of them didn't substitute the pagan deity day names.  I wonder why not.

Toad

chanukah 5

Xmas vrs. Chanukah from Feld Thoughts

Now, if anyone asks you what the difference is between Xmas and Chanukah, you will know what and how to answer!

1. Xmas is one day, same day every year, December 25.

Jews also love December 25th. It's another paid day off work. We go to movies and out for Chinese food and Israeli dancing. Chanukah is 8 days. It starts the evening of the 24th of Kislev, whenever that falls. No one is ever sure.

Jews never know until a non-Jewish friend asks when Chanukah starts, forcing us to consult a calendar so we don't look like idiots. We all have the same calendar, provided free with a donation from the World Jewish Congress, the kosher butcher, or the local Sinai Memorial Chapel (especially in Florida) or other Jewish funeral home.

2. Christmas is a major holiday.

Chanukah is a minor holiday with the same theme as most Jewish holidays. They tried to kill us, we survived, let's eat.

3. Christians get wonderful presents such as jewelry, perfume, stereos...

Jews get practical presents such as underwear, socks, or the collected works of the Rambam, which looks impressive on the bookshelf.

4. There is only one way to spell Christmas.

No one can decide how to spell Chanukah, Chanukkah, Chanukka, Channukah, Hanukah, Hannukah, etc, so even if you are an illiterate klutz you can't go wrong.

5. Christmas is a time of great pressure for husbands and boyfriends. Their partners expect special gifts.

Jewish men are relieved of that burden. No one expects a diamond ring on Chanukah.

6. Christmas brings enormous electric bills.

Candles are used for Chanukah. Not only are we spared enormous electric bills, but we get to feel good about not contributing to the energy crisis.

7. Christmas carols are beautiful...Silent Night, Come All Ye Faithful....

Chanukah songs are about dreidels made from clay or having a party and dancing the hora. Of course, we are secretly pleased that many of the beautiful carols were composed and written by our tribal brethren. And don't Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond sing them beautifully?

8. A home preparing for Christmas smells wonderful from sweet smell of cookies and cakes baking.

A home preparing for Chanukah smells of oil, potatoes, and onions. Jews burn their eyes and cut their hands grating potatoes and onions for latkes on Chanukah. Another reminder of our suffering through the ages. Unless of course you are in Israel where they celebrate by eating inedible cherry donuts call sufganiot.

9. Parents deliver presents to their children during Christmas.

Jewish parents have no qualms about withholding a gift on any of the eight nights.

10. The players in the Christmas story have easy to pronounce names such as Mary and Joseph.

The players in the Chanukah story are Antiochus, Judah Maccabee, and Matta-whatever. No one can spell it or pronounce it. On the plus side, we can tell our friends anything and they believe we are wonderfully versed in our history.

11. In recent years, Christmas has become more and more commercialized.

We save money on Chanukah, less gifts to buy, less to return, less junk to deal with, easier to sleep with.

Better to stick with Chanukah!

Shalom

chanukah 4

The Dedication
 Now the Maccabees returned to Jerusalem to liberate it. They entered the Temple and cleared it of the idols placed there by the Syrian vandals. Judah and his followers built a new altar, which he dedicated on the twenty-fifth of the month of Kislev, in the year 3622.  Since the golden Menorah had been stolen by the Syrians, the Maccabees now made one of cheaper metal. When they wanted to light it, they found only a small cruse of pure olive oil bearing the seal of the High Priest Yochanan. It was sufficient to light only for one day. By a miracle of G-d, it continued to burn for eight days, till new oil was made available. That miracle proved that G-d had again taken His people under His protection. In memory of this, our sages appointed these eight days for annual thanksgiving and for lighting candles. 

Shalom

twain and churchill birthday

For 1000 years Scotland has observed the feast of St. Andrew,the patron saint of Scotland. Celebrations kick off Scotland's winter festival season, which includes the winter solstice, Hogmany (1 January) and Burns Day (25 January).

The Celts didn't simply sprout up in Scotland, they were pushed there. Ancient Celts emerged from Eastern Europe and made their way westward over time, fighting the entire way. The remnants of Celtic pagan rituals (mostly mating rites) are still practiced in honor of St. Andrew, probably not seriously, in many parts of Eastern Europe.

In Romania, the intercession of St. Andrew, the patron saint of travelers is invoked to ward off wolves, which are able to speak to humans on this day. Those hearing wolves speak soon die. Romanian girls who light their Easter candle over a fountain on this night will see the face of their future husband (or perhaps talking wolf) in the water below.

In some areas in Austria, young women would drink wine and then perform a spell, called Saint Andrew's prayer, while nude and kicking a straw bed. This was supposed to magically attract the future husband...(especially if her windowshade was open and she announced her intentions on Facebook. I suspect this works, although straw beds are not as plentiful as they once were.)

Divinations of a future spouse using molten wax or metal to depict the facial features or occupation or shoe size are likely as not to be successful on St. Andrew's day in Germany, Slovakia, Poland and parts of the Czech Republic.

If any of these rites are practiced by your family please let us know. We'd love to hear more.


Also on this day, once again we honor the joint celebrations of the birth of Sam Clemens and Winston Churchill. We have covered that territory earlier


Toad

chanukah 3

Shalom

chanukah 2

First Blessing over the lighting of the candle...
Blessed are you O L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us through His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah lights.

Second Blessing in remembrance of the miracles...
Blessed are you O L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who brought miracles for our ancestors, in those days at this time {of year}.

Shalom

Thanksgiving Mirth

Happy Thanksgiving from our home to yours.
Toad and Mrs. T

Happy Chanukah

First Blessing over the lighting of the candle...
Blessed are you O L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us through His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah lights.


Shalom
from our home to yours

TR

Today would be Teddy Roosevelt's birthday. The greatest showman of Roosevelt's time was Mark Twain. Twain hated TR, and took any available opportunity to rail against the president.

"Our people have adored this showy charlatan as perhaps no impostor of his brood has been adored since the Golden Calf, so it is to be expected that the Nation will want him back again after he is done hunting other wild animals heroically in Africa, with the safeguard and advertising equipment of a park of artillery and a brass band."
- Letter written 3/6/1908 (reprinted in The New York Times 5/31/1912)

Roosevelt in turn hated Twain, his tactic was to pose as the man of action versus the lounging critic.  Their "battles" served them each very well.

I've been reading Philip McFarland's "Mark Twain and the Colonel: Samuel L. Clemens, Theodore Roosevelt and the Arrival of the a New Century" 

The book is a dual biography of Twain and TR, filled with anecdotes and a long look back at the US's rise in the early 20th century from an agrarian backwater to international powerhouse.  I'm finding the book inconsistent.  The author does not take sides in the TR/Twain battle and tells his story well .  Where he fails is in trying too hard to make facts, dates and his story fit.

Toad

Nordstrom's

Nordstrom's Holiday gift to mankind

Sweater, Men's, Wool

Are you a dog walker living in an area where Jack Frost nips at your nose, or is there one on your holiday gift list? If so have I a suggestion.

Each morning I am awoken by my 4 legged friends at precisely the same time and taken for a walk. Lately, the mornings have been cool (read cold and windy) so I've worn several light layers to keep warm and still have mobility. Nothing I tried worked well on windy days.

Perhaps you've seen the J. Peterman winter/holiday catalog. Tucked near the back is item 1149 U.S. Navy Sweater.  "Our navy sweater is made by the same company that supplies the U.S. Navy. 100% Navy wool, mothproofed. Ribbed Cuffs, jersey body, cover stitched seams, low (2.25 inch) turtleneck Rugged, warm, close fitting...)color: midnight black $69

The Navy knows from keeping the wind out.

I fell in love instantly and knew once again the military had come to a civilians rescue, but I was too cheap to pop for Peterman's tariff. A military item ought to be at an Army surplus store shouldn't it? Turns out sweater, men's, wool was harder to find than I expected. Once I learned to ask the right questions the answer appeared. The Navy Deck Sweater is available at Army Navy Sales. $30. and is just as Peterman says it is.

Comes in the original Department of Defense Supply bag. I realize it's hard to get excited over another black mock turtle sweater, but this is the bees knees.  Buy it large you're likely to shrink it.

Toad

More Odds and Ends

Those who remember that fateful weekend will recall that John John's father was buried on his son's 3rd birthday.  That had got to carry some long term psychic cost.

II. Holiday Table Decorates?

A thousand variations on this theme exist, but its simple and fun especially if you have kids, or kid like adults. I stole Giada's variation, and our best bites photo.

Double stuff Oreos, peanut butter cups, malted milk balls, and indian corn, a tube of squirt on icing

III. Home Library

#1 son has opened a free library on his street. I'm too much a book hoarder to do it myself, but I applaud his effort.  He was encouraged when a dad and his son walking by took Tom Sawyer.

IV. Even the Food Channel

This screen shot is from the Food Network program Restaurant Divided expresses my sentiment exactly.  If you are new to this planet and don't know from ADG he may be found at Maxminimus

Toad