Christmas At The Country Club, Again

There's a very funny song that a local band, The Trailer Park Troubadours, has recorded, called "It's Christmas At The Trailer Park Again" -- and we've had a good few of those, in the past! But now, with our second winter holiday season in the cottage coming to a close, we are cozy and happy, and not a bit sick, as we were last year at this time.

Our sincere little Douglas fir and its accompanying Advent Wreath with the Christ Candle (see above, taken Christmas Eve) were our main decorations in the parlor; and we needed no outside lights this year, thanks to the major lighting wars our two sets of neighboring houses were carrying on! (Peter's efforts you can see above; Ted & Teresa's display was so huge and covered so much territory in their front garden and on the house that we couldn't capture the whole light-show with our camera.) Suffice to say that NASA probably used our little block as a guide marker for the satellites.

But our front door was adorned with a lovely, fruit-decorated fresh evergreen wreath that Julie bought for us; and candles were lit in the parlor and the little kitchen. We had a festival of lights of our own sort.

Christmas Eve revels brought Julie, Bryan, DannyD and Stef – accompanied by her Highly Touted Jaque – to our door, for a leisurely afternoon of buffet-lunching on black bean soup and tomato-basil bisque, breads and cheeses, and a fabulous pumpkin cheesecake that Julie baked and brought along. Jaque won points in our book by bringing a big basket of meats and sausages for our freezer, a gift from his parents who own the best gourmet butcher shop in this area, the Corralitos Market near Watsonville.

We spent that evening by ourselves, with fire and candles all lit, listening to our CD of Christmas Eve vespers, "A Ceremony of Nine Lessons and Carols," from King's College/Cambridge. (We were too stuffed from the late lunch to eat any dinner!)

On Christmas Day in the morning we drove down to our church in Scotts Valley for Mass; and then we spent a quiet afternoon opening gifts traversed from afar, with a bit of tea and Dresdener Stollen (gift from Leenie) – and had a delicious baked ham dinner and music from our Munich Choir's great "Messiah" recordings.

The time has been quiet since then; we went to an afternoon movie with Julie yesterday ("It's Complicated") and will also have a peaceful and quiet New Year's weekend coming. Two old student friends of mine from UCSB days are driving up from San Jose tomorrow for a visit, but will leave before New Years' Eve skies darken. In the evening we'll share some simple hors d'oeuvres and champagne "a deux" – with our recording of "Die Fledermaus" – and go to bed when it's midnight (in the Rockies, most likely!)

I hope all have had as lovely a holiday season; if you care to share your experiences in the Comments segment below, we'd love to hear about it.

Happy New Year to all, and to all a good 2010! Much joy coming with our Reunion in midsummer, the highlight of our hopes for the next 365 days.

A Musical Education

I have to tell you all about a fantastic evening we had with Julie last night. Some of DannyD's friends are in a "School of Rock" band that started up in the Aptos area when D was still in grade school. Last night they had a gig at a local folk/rock and Mexican restaurant venue up here in Felton – Don Quixote's – as an opening act for their teachers' Irish band, "The Wild Rovers." Julie came up and got us and we drove down to the club, where several of Ju's girlfriends (whose kids all grew up together with Danny) gathered with us. The place was packed (this show has lots of area fans, apparently) – and we found out why!

Pitchers of margaritas and plates of nachos and fajitas were consumed; and as the show started we learned that a grade-school group would be the first of the two opening acts.

The teacher who is the leader of the Rovers and the instigator of all this fun at his school introduced the kids, and these pint-sized 5th and 6th graders (and I swear, some only in third or fourth grade) took the stage by storm. The noise was deafening (Julie had commandeered a big table for our group right down in front) and utterly amazing. The girl-singer, a cute little maid with nut-brown hair and glasses perched on the end of her nose, led the band with an infectious joy and a belting growl worthy of Janis; their bass player, a tiny Hawaiian kid with a peaked cap and a righteous attitude, twanged his pale blue axe mightily; and the audience was roaring approval before the first set barely got started!

Then on came the "older team" – led by Danny's long-time best friend/neighbor, 11-year-old Sean Collins (Irish indeed, he is) – they strode onstage, adjusted the mike heights up, and played another "bringing down the house" set. Young Collins knocked us all out; his father told us he's "had the moves" since he picked up a stick with grooves in it at the age of two and started playing rhythm air guitar along with his older brother's riffs. He's famous in this area and received all due respect and chuffs from his audience last night.

After that ripping start, the kids came down and scoffed up more chips and salsa and then gathered in groups on the floor in front of the stage, or squeezed in with us at our table, and attended a long and wonderful full set by their teachers – full of Gaelic standards amped up a-la-Pogues, with plenty of audience participation on the "Oh, nay, never" choruses, and the rapt attention of every kid in the place, as they gazed up in hero worship at their mentors. One cute young blond girl just couldn't sit still; she was up and doing Irish step-dancing with verve and vigor, over to the side of the room from time to time! Young Collins sat by me and watched every tiny move his guitar teacher made with obvious attention and glee – once in a while turning to me with a grin that said: "Isn't he great?!"

This is education for life, folks; I was just overwhelmed to see it in action. Dave Lambert will know what I am talking about: he's preaching the gospel mightily in his own village, bless him! Yes, musicians are a rowdy lot and can get into a lot of trouble; but in my opinion, their music is capable of saving the best of them, in the long run. Most of these kids will not go on to become the next Clapton or Hendrix (or, I pray, Joplin); but they're learning a lifetime joy that no one can take from them: it will bring happiness to them and to their friends who get to share the love of music with them, over the long years of adult struggle and achievement. They are a favored and happy few; Julie has been very lucky to have an environment such as this in which to bring up her children.

In fact, all of our dear kids grew up in a love of music of all kinds; I see that it has comforted and sustained them and brought them joy over the years. Even when you can't play, you can draw sustenance and great fun from those who do.

God bless all musicians, where ere they may shine; their songs are as sweet as the fruit of the vine!

Having Fun

Well, I must have been having fun: time flew. Actually, I've been having medical tests -- nobody can find nothin' -- to determine the meaning and essence of the arthritic? nerve? muscular? pain that has been plaguing me for a couple of months. We'll get to the bottom of this, some day, I hope.

Meanwhile, Christmas preparations are also gobbling up time – as is probably true for everyone this month. Why did I decide to make baked-gifts this year? Why, why? Oh, I remember: it was those many pleas for Mom's Cookies.

It's been verrry cold up here in the woodsy mountains; and while it's awfully cozy to gather around the woodstove in the evening, once the fire dies down we are most sincerely grateful for the great down-alternative comforter that was our housewarming gift last year. We've had no snow yet, despite threats of same; but the way the winter storms move in one after another, we'll no doubt be graced with white-frosted pines soon.

We pray that everyone is staying warm and well as the cookies get baked, the packages posted, and the house decked with boughs of whatever you've got.

Giving Thanks

What is everyone doing about the Feast?

Visiting The Ol' (Same-Ol') Hometown

I'm constantly amazed at how nothing changes in Santa Barbara, whenever I go back to visit. It seems to me that people there are like the proverbial "fly in amber." I suppose that is because it's a very comfortable place to live; I hope everyone is comfortably happy, as well.

It is a great place to visit, to be sure. I had ten beautiful, sunny days there.

The first part of my sojourn was filled with meeting Leenie's writer friend Sarah Dunant. The two presentations she gave, at La Casa de Maria (for a select group of supporters of the retreat center) and at the UCSB multidisciplinary department (for the faculty and students of religious studies, Italian literature and Renaissance Art history, as well as the general public) were excellent and very well received. Sarah and I had a nice morning together, between the lectures – with a great coffee-chat at a local bakery and a Grand Tour of tourist locations.

After Sarah left, and with John on his way back to Hoboken and Connecticut for visits with family there, I went off to La Casa by myself for a weekend retreat at the luxurious mansion they call the Immaculate Heart Center for Spiritual Renewal.

Renewed in both spirit and body, I went to the All Saints' Day celebration at my beloved Trinity Parish, and had a lunch and serious chat with parish friends. The rest of the three days before John returned to CA, I spent visiting with other good friends in the town, communing with my sister and brother, and catching up on shopping. I also saw my dear doctor about the pains I've been having in my left hip and leg; and in two days she had me sent for a hip x-ray and an MRI at local facilities. The diagnosis of osteoarthritis of hip and leg will be treated with Dr. Parent's firm prescription: "Get up and get moving, girl!" .... I've begun a daily walking program in conjunction with John's already-set schedule; and I'll search for a facility up here in the mountains or in Santa Cruz that offers water aerobics – these are the two best forms of "getting moving" that are recommended for this common form of arthritis.

So when John got back to the Left Coast, we took my sister out to dinner for her birthday; and headed home to our mountains on Friday morning.

It has been a joy to come home again. Our winter-prep chores were finished before we left for this last trip of the year; the logs are piled high for evening fires, all the battening-down is done, the warm-woolies are out of storage and ready for wearing. And it's certainly cool enough here to warrant the use of these!

We are ready to hibernate for the winter now. We welcome visitors (one or two at a time, please – or there are a few hostelries available if you come with a crowd!) We'll be hosting the West Coast family Thanksgiving dinner this year – my sibs are coming up for that week, and the families of Joe and Julie will join us on the holiday. After that we expect to have a very quiet Advent and Christmas, which is just to our taste.

I hope you all are ready for a "long winter's nap" and a great and festive holiday season.

Santa Barbara Again

We are on expedition this week, staying with my sis in Santa Barbara and attending Eileen's friend Sarah Dunant's presentations here for her book, "Sacred Hearts." The weather is showing off for the visiting Londoner; today is clear and sparkling, with views from the mountains to eternity. I just drove Sarah on The Tour, down through East Beach and on back across the Riviera, with a stop for a bakery break in town. More later with photos.

The Rains Came

.... and they are planning to stay for the season, it seems. This morning we woke to showers; so it will be an indoors day. Our deluge last week was a harbinger of a very wet El Nino season, apparently. That is fine, if it doesn't overdo.

We have a lovely at-home week ahead; and next Monday, we will be off for 10 days in Santa Barbara (for me) – and for John, 5 of those days will be in the East, visiting the Lamberts in Hoboken and Stella in CT.

Our first days in Santa Barbara will bring to town author Sarah Dunant, Leenie's good friend, who will be lecturing on her new book, "Sacred Hearts," at La Casa de Maria and the U of C/Santa Barbara's Department of Religious Studies. I was privileged to set these connections up for Sarah, and am very excited about meeting her at last and hearing her presentations.

When John goes East, I will have a weekend retreat at the Casa's guest house; then some time to spend with my sister and brother; and when John returns, a birthday celebration with my little sister – before we return home on November 6th.

Once we're home again, we hope to stay put for the rest of the winter season! We're going to host the West Coast Thanksgiving Dinner this year: siblings are coming up to Boulder Creek too, for that. So we'll settle in with plenty of logs for the wood stove, a larder well stocked with provender, and happy hearts.