Christmas 2006

A few shots of our Christmas this year.

Giving Thanks

It is the day after Christmas. I am reminded again this morning about giving thanks. Oh yeah, giving thanks isn't just for Thanksgiving and before meals. A friend posted this G.K. Chesterton quote in her blog 2 weeks ago, but I happened to read it this AM. It hit me as timely as I realized once again, after yesterday, that there is juts so much to give thanks for.

You say grace before meals.
All right.
But I say grace before the play and the opera,
And grace before the concert and the pantomime,
And grace before I open a book,
And grace before sketching, painting,
Swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing;
And grace before I dip the pen in the ink.

G.K. Chesterton as cited in Frederick Buechner's Speak What We Feel (Not What We Ought To Say),

Merry Christmas to All!

Here is our family Christmas photo, taken this Fall at Dunrobin Castle in Scotland, where we did not travel this year. Have a wonderful Christmas all! Click on image to enlarge.

Demonic Peacekeepers????????

Sorry to disturb you readers again. I confess -- I've been perusing the pages of the Eternal Forces again (link in previous blog). I know it was bad of me -- I promise I will stop. Yes, I know, it is too vile, especially for this Blessed Season. Allow me one last observation, I promise this will be the last (at least for today?)... it is straight from the pages of Left Behind Games. These are the game's battle lines: The Tribulation Force verses the AntiChrist's Global Community Peacekeepers. Yup, you read that right..The Peacekeepers are the demonic AntiChrist's team. My heart is racing... my mind is spinning. Ok..I gotta check out here... before I go off the deep end....

Breath, Calm, Peace.....

Are These People Mentally Ill or What?

I am really disturbed. Nelley just raised my awareness of a new video game for the season..a "Christian" game where the bad guys are the Anti-Christ and non-believers, who are targets of "conversion" by the good guys -- the "Christians." It is called "Eternal Forces" and is inspired by the wonderfully theologically sound (ha!) book series Left Behind through "Left Behind Games", which is owned by Tyndale House Publishing. This btw is considered a family friendly game by Focus on the Family's Plugged In which raised some concerns but they concluded:

........ Eternal Forces is the kind of game that Mom and Dad can actually play with Junior—and use to raise some interesting questions along the way. Production company Left Behind Games is pushing it as an evangelism tool for teens, and I can see that, too. You certainly don't have to be an eschatologically minded seminarian to appreciate it.

Seminarians???? I would say most seminarians would be (or should be) appalled!

And oh yeah.... the Antichrist is a Romanian named Nicolae Carpathia, secretary-general of the United Nations and a People magazine "Sexiest Man Alive." And GET THIS BIGOTRY...... those with Muslims names cannot be on the good side ??!!

"Players can choose to join the Antichrist's team, but of course they can never win on Carpathia's side. The enemy team includes fictional rock stars and folks with Muslim-sounding names, while the righteous include gospel singers, missionaries, healers and medics. Every character comes with a life story.

When asked about the Arab and Muslim-sounding names, Frichner said the game does not endorse prejudice. But "Muslims are not believers in Jesus Christ" -- and thus can't be on Christ's side in the game.
"That is so obvious," he said."

WHAT ????????????????

If my description hasn't been enough to freak you out, you can see the complete article by the SF Chronicle

or find a more "balanced" perspective in the lovely review by FOF's "Plugged In."

Or if you are really ready for high blood pressure you can go directly to the horse's mouth at Left Behind Games. While you are there, leave them some constructive feedback by clicking on their Contact Us link... I did.

... if that's not enough for you, then you can rush out and buy it at many Walmarts.... what a surprise.

Personally, I think the game designers likely qualify for a mental illness diagnosis. I think I'll go now and read my DSM IV to see which ones apply.

and oh....I almost forgot...... May the Peace of the season fill your hearts.

It's an Unusual Christmas at Sweetside

Unusual I know, but true. The color theme at Sweetside this Christmas is... drum roll please........ orange. As some of you know (or have seen in pics) the Sweetside dining room is done in 2 shades of... well... yes... orange -- terra cotta and creamy pumpkin to be exact. While the tree is in the bay window in the living room, which is light green, the 2 rooms are open to each other, so my burgundy and pink theme of the past just didn't seem like it was going to jive. Then, while visiting a local Christmas shop this week with Pam, I saw a tree in done orange tones and knew I had hit upon an unusual solution. So, using some things from the past and adding some new, this year's tree is orange and light green with birds and butterflies, ribbons, silk flowers in colors ranging from parchment to amber/orange, glass balls in light green, white and orange and more. The top is a floral arrangement of silk poinsettas. Waa-La! Sweetside - a new house, a new style tree. Now it's official --- the Christmas season has arrived at Sweetside.

Bethlehem Star - Advent is Here

Somehow it always springs upon me and catches me a bit off guard, the Advent season that is. I am usually recovering from Thanksgiving and beginning to think about Christmas and impending Winter when I realize that a few days of Advent have already passed me by. It also seems that each year I think, too late, that I wish I had done more to really enter into the season, to embrace the mystery of it, to experience the fullness and the peacefulness of it, in the midst of all the other, not so peaceful, aspects of the season. So, when friend of mine jotted down an Advent related URL for me, as we passed in Collective Copies, I decided to follow up on it. I have checked it out and hope to utilize the daily readings that have been so thoughtfully and creatively put together. I know others of you will enjoy it too. So, as you surf the web each day, I encourage you to take a few minutes each day to surf on over to the Bethlehem Star, click on the week, and as you read, may you enter into the experience of first century Bethlehem, hearing the very real challenges presented that first Advent and which remain very real to us still.

Jess's Furniture in Vermont Gallery!

Today Baird and I went to Brattleboro to see something cool with our own eyes. Yes, we ate great food and went to cool shops but we went ot see Jess's art work in a gallery! As of yesterday, Dec 1, 2006 three pieces of Jess's recycled art furniture are now in an awesome gallery in the very artsy town of Brattleboro VT.

To get an idea of her work check out the web page, BandJGreene, that she designed for her and Ben's work. The little table pictured here is similar to 2 of the pieces in the gallery. The third piece there is a recycled, painted and decorated stereo speaker tuned into a cabinet.

The gallery is called Gallery in the Words. It has 3 floors of awesome work and was featured in the Boston Globe. Woohoo! Congrats to Jess!

Shnitzle

Here is Shnitzle at semester's end (with a surrogate professor enactment).
Disclaimer: You must read Overspray to fully understand this post.

Some Good News in the World

It is a bit hard on this Monday morning to find a bit of good news on the vast web news sources but having been to the famed Trevi Fountain in Rome and thrown the requisite coin over my left shoulder, I found this BBC piece interesting. In summary, coins thrown into Rome's Trevi Fountain by tourists are to be used to finance a free food project for the city's poor. The money collected, which amounts to $4,000 a day, will be used to provide basic food, through a special free super market, for the poor of Rome.

Mi Momma

Mi Momma came today, as did my sister and brother, and sister-in-law. We, all eight of us, had lunch. That would be Mom, Linda, Hank, Lynn, Jess, Aaron, Baird and myself. Ben came later on. What did we eat? Home made clam chowder, zucchini pie, and Jess made apple crisp which we devoured with ice cream. mmmm......

Sweetside Thanksgiving 2006

What a wonderful day. Warm house with fire (rain outside), delicious food prepared by many hands and many friends who joined the family. All combined to make it fabulous day.

Thanksgiving Prep

Today:
We're getting ready for Thanksgiving Day 2006. Our first holiday celebration at Sweetside; we're expecting 12 for dinner. WooHoo!
I've been playing with flowers, cooking and baking - along with some cleaning, of course. Baird's finishing up the range hood. I finished the slate back splash yesterday. Check it out!

Happy Birthday Bairdissimo

Today is Baird's day....

What A Weekend

The past few days have seemed like a big weekend. Shelley & Dieter arrived Weds eve and stayed until Fri AM. Baird and I worked on house stuff Saturday and Sunday getting the dishwasher and disposal hooked back up (yipee!) and getting more tile work done on the stove back splash. It should be done for Thanksgiving. Then, Sunday eve Shelley, Dieter returned and joined Jess, Ben, Aaron, Baird and me to celebrate Baird's BD (2 days early). We grilled steaks and had other yummy food, topped off with a very special gingerbread cake called Aunt Lizzy's Dark Cake. Now the gang's gone and it is time to nestle into that warm bed.

The Winter Watch

From The Farmers Almanac

November 2006
1st-3rd. Clearing, colder. 4th-7th. Unsettled. 8th-11th. Pleasant. 12th-15th. Major East Coast storm! Heavy showers, with a few thunderstorms. Gale-force winds Mid-Atlantic Coast. Snow possible New England. 16th-19th. Windy, cold. 20th-23rd. Unsettled, with some wet snow or rain. Bundle up and bring an umbrella if you’re attending the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. 24th-27th. Fair, then very unsettled, with squalls. 28th-30th. Clearing, colder.

December 2006
1st-3rd. Fair for New England. Showers for Mid-Atlantic States. 4th-7th. Turning colder. 8th-11th. Big storm moves to New England. North of the storm track, heavy snow, with 6 to 12" possible. South of the storm track, heavy rains. 12th-15th. Cold, with a few showers, flurries. 16th-19th. Unsettled in New England. Showers in Mid-Atlantic States, followed by clearing. 20th-23rd. Increasing clouds. 24th-27th. Stormy, then fair and colder. 28th-31st. Fair and cold, becoming milder.

Escape to Sanity?

In response to Shnitzle's blog, Overspray and my comment there. Mmmmm.....

sniffling & snuffling

that's me... thank goodness for a low key day.

Too Many Changes to Count

WOW! So many changes in the state and country this week. Deval Patrick won! Lots of us are going to be counting on him!

The Dems took control of the House and the Senate, Rumsfeld resigned and Gates will take over.

Hard to imagine what things will be like on Capitol Hill come February 07. I do hope that somehow they will be able to work put a productive and sane solution to the quagmire in iraq and will deal with iran and No Korea in more promising ways in the yea rot come. It did bother me today tho to hear that El Qaeda released a tape gloating and boasting that Rumsfeld has been chased out of Iraq. Our democracy and the logic behind changes here, the voice of the "people" etc is hard to grasp for people who have never known a system where changes can happen thru things like votes, I guess. It juts bugs me that the working of our system seem to empower them in disturbing ways.

Then & Now

I suppose once a few more things are wrapped up here at Sweetside I will have many house related posts of Then & Now... but today I am thinking about Merci the kitty. Back in late July I brought her home with me from Chattanooga. She had been abandoned at the home of Baird's sister and family, was living under their deck and being incessantly dive bombed by a mocking bird. She was was pretty helpless but was NOT to be taken in per order of their landlady. So, my niece Hannah and I got her into a tiny little kennel and she flew home with me :-)

She was absolutely adorable even as a lost kitty: very cuddly with huge green eyes outlined in yellow. I was sure one of a few of my cat loving friends would want her but for a variety of reasons none could take her, so she is (of course) now a part of our family. Back then I posted a picture of her on her first day here. Thought I would post a few now, 3 months later. She and the other cats (as well as out beagle) all get along well. As you can see, she has about doubled in size. She was pretty well starving when she arrived here. Though used to scavenging, she adjusted very well to "Dave's All natural cat food, it's simply the best." Yes, she eats well. She actually looks like she is the offspring of Arthur and Surely (our Maine Coons). She has the big, big Maine Coon ears with the long hairs sticking out of them, long whiskers, outlined eyes and the people oriented chatty personality. She looks a lot like Surely, as you'll see in the pictures, but has a bit more of Arthur's gray, than Surely's red and Art's green eyes (Surely's are golden).
Here are a variety of shots of them:

Merci and Surely. Isn't it amazing how much they look alike?















Arthur's cute face :-)















Baby Merci, July 2006















and now, Merci stretched across the same chair, November 2006

Roof, Cats and Old Friends

That about sums up today. It started with Ben and Brett working some more on the roof while Baird and I loaded refuse from a few different house projects into his van for 3 dump runs.

Later, as the sun poured through the living-room bay window, the cats sunbathed and had a friendly sibling spat over who was going to get the biggest sunny spot. King Arthur won, over the young upstart, Merci while Surely looked on, too cool for such silliness.

Mid-afternoon, Baird and I headed over to Stephentown, NY to visit my childhood friend Nancy and her husband Tim at their get-away cabin in the woods. Back home at 10:30...ahhhh...what a good day it was. Now for a warm bed........

Arrival of the Hood

It's here and is in process of being installed -- our Sirius professional stainless steel range hood, as required by the inspector for our awesome Craig's List deal professional grade 5 burner Miele gas range. That's one "interesting" thing about some of the great deals on Craig's List... something like the required hood costs 2X the item you originally got the deal on. Oh well... I love it... it's superbly awesome.

Anyway, Ben and Brett have been working on installing it and will complete their part of the install tomorrow. Once they are done I will install slate on the cement board/walls, under and around hood like the rest of the back splash and counters. Yipee!!
Only the built-in refrigerator installation is left to go on the kitchen project.

October 31 Revelation

The revelation of the evening is that no kids trick-or-treat on Lessey Street. I find that sad.....

Deval Was at UMass Today

Deval Patrick is about to become our new governor. The election is one week away but I am calling the race today :-) I am not out on a limb in this declaration; he has not been considered the underdog, ever since he swept the state in the primary, shocking almost everyone. However, it is very unusual for Mass to have a Democrat as governor. We tend to have a Republican Governor and a Democratic controlled House and nothing much gets done. So, this will be a big victory in that sense.

I was able to go hear Deval today. I think he represents the hope we all need and the determination we need to make some major headway in this state. Many other state officials were there and many students or course. It was great to see so many interested and responsive students. That alone makes me hopeful.

Deval came to Massachusetts from inner city Chicago as part of the ABC (A Better Chance) program. The Amherst ABC kids were there today...sitting on the stage with the officials!

One part of Deval's web page says:

I can still remember when I first came to Massachusetts. I wasn’t a lawyer then. I wasn’t a business leader or a senior government official. I wasn’t a father or a husband and goodness knows I wasn’t a candidate for governor. I was a 14-year-old boy, starting a new life that was as different from anything I'd experienced in Chicago as I could possibly imagine. And I was scared.

But my grandmother had a saying that fortified me: “Hope for the best – and work for it.”

Hope for the best – and work for it.

That’s what I did. I hoped for the best – I learned how not to accept what is right in front of me, what someone else said were my limits. I learned how to imagine a better life and a better way. And I worked for it.

I learned to listen to common sense and wisdom, to be true to my core values, and to ignore those who called me naïve or told me to accept something less.Standing on the brink of an uncertain future, with all the challenges our state faces today, I hope for the best and am prepared to work for it.

And that is why I am running and why I'm asking you to help me become your next governor. I want you to see what’s possible in Massachusetts – and to help me work for it.

Nacho Libre and All

Last night was the opening night at the Sweetside Viewing Room (aka our place). Nacho Libre (just released on DVD) was the feature flick, accompanied by nahcos of course. Having not seen it before, I thoroughly enjoyed the show. Even those who has seen it enjoyed it, as well as the DVD version extras, out-takes and all.

Fall at Sweetside

Amherst College dorm and property, atop the knoll, across the street from our house, shown at sunset. Not a bad view, eh? And our Sweetside Garden (my south side, main garden) here seen as it stands, 5 months since inception and mostly put to bed for Winter. More progress, such as steps and water feature, to be made come Spring '07.

Hot Ticket: Obama & Lamott

Now wouldn't that be quite the Democratic ticket?? Ha Ha Ha Ha!

Just finished reading Anne Lamott's: Plan B. Great read: refreshing and challenging and funny...OMG sooo funny. I am also more than half way thru Obama's new book; The Audacity of Hope. The first half is a framework, his explanation of government, what he sees, etc. Interesting and necessary to really understanding where and why he says what he does in the rest of the book. I am now into the second half where he talks more about his actual ideas. It is interesting to have so much of an inside glimpse into the mind and thinking of a potential presidential candidate. Memoirs afterwards are common, but a person laying their cards on the table before even announcing a run, now that is refreshing. I think in part this book is his fleece. How it is received by, the Party and by the America public may very well influence his decision. It will be interesting to watch this unfold.

A couple of enticing glimpses for you:
Obama in his chapter called "Values" is talking about authenticity and empathy. Regarding empathy he says:
That is what empathy does. It calls us all to task... the oppressed and the oppressor, the conservative and the liberal. No one is exempt from the call to find common ground. Of course , in the end, mutual understanding isn't enough. After all, talk is cheap; like any value, empathy must be acted upon. (p.68)

and,
from Lamott:

In the chapter "Loving Your President" she wrestles with the idea of loving one's enemies as related to Bush, whose policies deeply disturb her, leading her to obsess about the war and the condition of the world. She writes: But Jesus kept harping on forgiveness and loving one's enemies, so I decided to try. Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess about everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breath at all or to pay attention, stomp away to brood when people annoy us, and then eat a big bag of Hershey's Kisses in bed? (p224)
later she writes.....
When you give up on hope, when it is not pinned wriggling onto a shiny image or expectation, it may float forth and open like those fluted Japanese blossoms, flimsy and spastic, bright and warm. This almost always seems to happen in community with family, related by blood, or chosen; at church, for me; at peace marches. (p238)

October 21, 2006 in Pictures

Another busy weekend with some fun tossed in.

Barack's Got a New Book

Shortly after the Democratic Convention 2years, ago I went out and bought Barack's first book. which is sort of an auto-biography. I couldn't believe his keynote address at the convention. "Who IS this guy?" I found myself asking along with thousands of other people. Now he is a possible presidential candidate and has a new book: The Audacity Of Hope. I love the title and I bet I'm gonna love the book too. I am listening to him now on Larry King Live. He said he got the title (and underlying thrust) of the book from a sermon delivered by his pastor, Jeremiah Wright Jr. 18 years ago. Rev Wright has been the pastor of Trinity UCC in Chicago for over 30 years and the church's motto since the 70's, is "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian."

I am hoping and yes, praying too, that he runs for President (he is being heavily recruited but has not announced yet) and that he wins. One never knows exactly what will happen with any particular person once they are elected but from my lowly seat in this land, I think he is our last (best) hope ~ Barak : US as Obe Wan Kenobi : The Empire :-)