Monday, December 11, 2023

Solstice, Yule, Hanukkah, Xmas, New/Old Year

 El Nino brought snow before Halloween this year.

One day it was fall:

The next day it was snowing!

 

                                                                                    

     The wild turkeys took refuge on top of the neighbor's fence 

      to keep turkey toes from freezing in snow.

                                


Lovely fall leaves dusted with snow:

Christmas Trees with natural flocking 

And then, everything melted back into fall...warm sunny days returned. 

 For a while...then came  December and Hanukkah treats.

We all hollah for challah!

                                                                                    Cranberry Swirl Spice Cake

So, I made Salmon Cakes with Latkes last night for the special Hanukkah movie on Hallmark.

 Which, I must admit, was no Mrs. Maisel. Good to see actual Jewish actors, unlike Maisel. 

But, it was rather, meh...I wound up watching Frozen instead. Love that Sven the reindeer.

..............

I feel that the last of this year, the year before 2024, is something we all are trying to cling to

 before the great threat of Election Year is upon us all. A collective clinging if you will,

 'Everything is still okay...'

...for a while. The opposing team wants to abolish the Affordable Care Act, 

which is all that keeps the old and infirm like myself from dropping

 off the face of this earth. Not that a swift exit would be so bad. At this point,

 I can't afford Medicare or rent or food or anything else. 

 People cling to their own small world view and some cling to conspiracy theories 

that can give them the assurance they need that that is the right thing to do,

 blame others, Them, Out There, for what's wrong with the world.

This seemed to work for the Nazis. For a while.

People who haven't forgotten the horrors of WWII are swiftly exiting the stage. 

Those left here, live in a video game virtual reality where the enemy

 can be zapped off into oblivion, no harm no foul. And assault rifles are necessary

 for them and their family's Protection. And school children slaughtered by those

 possessed are just collateral damage in their private wars. 

Link below for Edward R. Murrow's reporting during the Real War:

Title: A Grim Christmas In London 

Don't worry, it's only 1:50 minutes of your time.

https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/christmas-old-time/cbs_edward_r_murrow_-rZMnYo1S90c/

................................

As for me, here, now...there's a song: Get Me Through December

by Alison Krauss and Natalie McMaster that pretty much says it all: