Christmas 2021- Buffalo Plaid and Gnomes!

 

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas, my friends!

Anybody else notice that for Christmas this year it seems that buffalo plaid and gnomes are simply everywhere! I told you in my last post that we bought a new Christmas tree this year but then, I needed a tree skirt to go around it.  After looking at the prices of tree skirts, the buffalo plaid blanket that my son gave me last year for Christmas suddenly became my new tree skirt!  Buffalo plaid, it is not only used in decor but is on pajamas, shirts, jackets...why, it's everywhere! Yet, why it is called buffalo plaid and where did it come from? You know there must be a story behind it!

If you remember, I have written a post about "plaid" and "tartan." In America, we say "plaid" but in the UK, it is called "tartan".  Of course, you should know that the tartan is from Scotland.  Therefore, when those from Scotland came to America, they brought their tartan cloths with them, made into blankets.  The Gaelic word for blanket is "pladjer" and the Native Americans, turned that into "plaid".

Okay then, the man we should thank for the Buffalo Plaid is a Scottish man named Jock McClusky, who was a descendant of "Rob Roy" MacGregor.  (Click on that link to learn more about him.)   Jock McClusky settled in Montana in the late 1800's and he was unusual at that time due to his fair dealings with the Native Americans.  He was most respected by many different tribes.  Jock McClusky would barter with them for buffalo pelts, offering things in exchange but the most coveted by the Native Americans were the blankets, especially with the red and black pattern.  (The Native Americans most appreciated the deep red, considering it to give the owner special powers.  And Jock McClusky, didn't tell them any different!)  There, doesn't that just give you a warm, fuzzy feeling for Christmas! The story of how the native people were treated here in America is very often a very sad thing but I think the story of the buffalo plaid is a good one and so now, when you see this familiar red and black pattern, you will smile and think, oh, that's nice to see, especially at this time of year.

"Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown.... that is a book that I read years ago and I highly recommend it.  OH, and one more..."Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed The World" by Jack Weatherford.  If you read one or both of these books, you will thank me!

Gnomes? Why are they so popular this year? I have no idea! Trends always amuse me!  I have read that gnomes are supposed to bring you luck and let's face it, after 2020 and 2021, we can use all the good luck we can get, right?  

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Last year, I heard this hymn "The Shepherd's Carol" for the first time.  It was from Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College, Cambridge.  I loved it so much.  I have it here for you.

The Shepherd's Carol by Bob Chillcott

 

We stood on the hills, Lady,

Our day's work done, watching the frosted meadows

that winter had won.

The evening was calm, Lady,

The air so still.

Silence more lovely than music

folded the hill.

There was a star, Lady

shone in the night.

Larger than Venus it was

And bright, so bright

Oh, a voice from the sky, Lady

It seemed to us then

Telling of God being born 

in the world of men.

And so we have come, Lady,

our day's work done.

Our Love, our hopes, ourselves

We give to your son.

                    Merry Christmas to you all.  Peace and Joy! 

White or Bright?

 

Our Christmas tree! Do you like it with white lights or with colored lights? I only have to push a button and it will go from one to the other! (I can push another button and they will flash from white to colored but I don't like flashing lights on a Christmas tree, so that's not going to happen!) My ornaments on this tree are mostly snowflakes and stars and some little crocheted circles that I made myself along with some things that my son made as a child. (Can you spot "Joseph's Coat of Many Colors" along with "Jacob's ladder"?)  Now, the crocheted circles are ones that I made this year. I was going to try to make little round ornaments, but I really didn't have much time, so I thought I would just crochet just enough and leave the back "open" so to speak. (After all, you only see the front!) Here's the thing though, when I turned my little white crocheted circles around, they looked very much like TOILET BOWLS! HA!) It made me laugh!  

Here is the circle ornament on the tree...

And here is me an old lady turning it around for you...

Now, I am sure you must be saying, "Why don't you just keep going and close it up and then it wouldn't be like a toilet bowl?" Well, I suppose I could but then, it wouldn't be funny, would it? I think I like looking at it, all sweet and round from the front and then, I turn it around and it looks like a gleaming white toilet!  I am easily amused!

Okay then, tell me if you like the white lights or the colored lights?

 Richard prefers the colored and I like the white. When I am home first, I turn on the colored lights for him.  When he is home first, the turns the white lights on for me! Honestly, I like them both but the white is just very calming to me with all the white crocheted pieces on the tree....

Stay tuned, my next post will JUST as fascinating, I promise! LOL!!!

These three little trees are real ones on our front steps. They look really good when it is very dark.  Hey! Kinda like me! HA HA!

And just to let you know that I am still noticing things in nature...on my way home from work today, I looked up in the sky and saw a black vulture flying over and his (her?) wings were perfectly in front of the moon. A black vulture has wings with white tips and that bright white was the same white as the moon... See, I enjoy color but a very bright white is beautiful too.

December "Purple Snowflakes"

 

December! It's time for me to show you the song that they have this year for the December films on TCM.  The song that they have used is "Purple Snowflakes".  You will never guess who wrote it! You don't have to guess, you know I will tell you!  It is by Marvin Gaye! There, isn't that a funny thing for me to learn after I have been going on and on about Motown? It was not only sung by Marvin Gaye but he wrote the song as well!

Here is the video from TCM. (TCM- Turner Classic Movies.)

Of course, the lyric that comes to my mind is from the wonderful song "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas" sung by Burl Ives..."I don't know if there'll be snow but have a cup of cheer".  We sometimes have snow here in Georgia but honestly, I would just as soon see it in photos or hear about it in a song!

Anyway, "Purple Snowflakes" is such a lovely song, don't you think so too?  Marvin Gaye is one of those that we lost at a young age, just 44 years old.  Still, I am grateful for all the songs that he left with us.

Hope you are all doing well during this month of December!

Our backyard in Feb. 2014!

November (How Sweet It Is)

 

 What a lovely late Autumn we have been having in Georgia! The leaves are rapidly falling now but they have been spectacular all through November...

What a pleasure to walk along under the trees and to look up and now and then and see the leaves with the sun shining upon them, truly gorgeous.  Now, I have not been able to go on as many walks as I would have liked but I have truly admired the trees along my drive to work and also those planted in the parking lot at my job.  The reds and golds of late Autumn are simply breathtaking.

It is always the fourth Thursday in November when we celebrate Thanksgiving here in America.  It was a lovely day. Richard and I watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special on TV and I loved how it was pointed out by the wonderful Charles Schultz that America is the only country that has a national holiday that is set aside simply for giving thanks.  

November is also the month of our son's birthday! Happy Birthday to C.!  He shares a birthday with Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown.  Remember me telling y'all about the great documentary about Motown, "Hitsville: The Making of Motown"?  My son watched it and he has been on a quest to read all the books he can find about Motown and of course listen to the great music. Songwriter that he is, he recognizes the true gift of songwriters! He brought a book for me to read, one that he really enjoyed.  "How Sweet It Is" by Lamont Dozier.  You might recognize the name from the songwriting team from Motown, "Holland -Dozier - Holland".  (Lamont Dozier writing with the Holland brothers, Eddie and Brian.)  Now, I have not had time to finish the book yet but it is a fantastic book! He even gives his counsel on the art of songwriting. (A nice touch, each time that he offers his advice, the words on the pages are in a bolder print.)

What song for this post? Of course, it has to be Motown! Not just one song but a medley from The Four Tops from The Ed Sullivan Show.  Be sure to listen to the very end! 

  Does anyone remember how Don Cornelius always ended "Soul Train"?

"Wishing you love, peace and...SOUL!"

Wishing the same to you all!

Graeme Edge "Late Lament"

 

Graeme Edge was one of the original founders of The Moody Blues and he passed away this week at the age of 80. It was my pleasure to see the Moody Blues in concert several times in my life! (Once, we went to see them with our son when he was very young and I used my blue eye pencil to write "Moody Blues" on his little cheek, like from the hippie days of the 70's! I'm glad I did too because we met a couple from Alabama who noticed this and we got to talking with them. We kept in touch and they were able to get us tickets to see the Moody Blues when they toured in Birmingham, Alabama!)

So, you see my whole family are big fans of the Moody Blues and we are sad that we have now lost the drummer, Graeme Edge. And we were equally saddened to learn of the passing of Ray Thomas, the marvelous flute player in 2018.  

Graeme Edge was not only the drummer for The Moody Blues but also, he wrote many of the poems that are recited along with the songs. ("Cold hearted orb that rules the night, removes the colors from our sight. Red is gray and yellow white but we decide which is right and which is an illusion".) It was Mike Pinder who recited the poem "Late Lament" on the album but in concerts, Graeme Edge read his own words on stage and it is his voice that I well remember.

As you all know, I am fascinated by music and those who bring it to us! Graeme Edge's mother was a classically trained pianist who played the piano for silent films. And he also had a grandfather and great grandfather who performed in Music Halls. (If you are American like me, you might not really understand the Music Halls in England...I only know of them because of my husband and from following Chas & Dave for many years!) The Music Halls began in Victorian times in London and oh here, I have a link for you... The Great British Music Hall - Historic UK (historic-uk.com)

You know I think it is well worth reading!

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My Cosmos flowers that I planted from seed didn't begin to bloom until mid October and they are still blooming! Wish me luck, we are expected to have a killing frost on Sunday night.  If I put a giant garbage can over them and wrap a towel around the bottom of the garbage can, will that save them? How about if I put my tomato wire cages over them and then put a plastic sheet over that? Not sure...I hope I can just keep them going a bit longer, they are blooming like crazy!  I don't want the cold hearted orb that rules the nights to take away these colors from my sight! 

Atlanta Braves- World Series CHAMPIONS!

 YES!

The Atlanta Braves won the 6th game of the World Series beating the Houston Astros 7-0.  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  YAY!

Even if you care nothing at all about sports, you must love a good story of a team going from last to first place, of a group of men who believe in themselves and in each other.  It is a good story.

If you didn't read my last post, then please go back and read that link to the piece written by Joc Pederson!

At the closing credits of the game last night, one of the announcers said that they overcame all the obstacles that came their way...and isn't that something that we can all take to heart?

Ozzie Albies stole a base during one of the games and because of the offer from Taco Bell, "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco"...you can go tomorrow in the USA (Nov. 4th) and get a free taco! Not only that, it looks like they will also give away a baseball card too.  It is the baseball card that I hope I can get!

Ah, Atlanta Braves baseball.  For all the times of attending games with my Dad as a child, of attending games with my son as he was growing up, of explaining the game to my English husband (who now knows it better than I do!) and to the memory of watching games with my Dad over the phone, I thank you.

I planted Cosmos from seed but they waited until October to bloom and they are still blooming.  Reach for the sun!

The Atlanta Braves In the World Series!

 

October!

 That means time for the World Series in America! And wonder of wonders, the ATLANTA BRAVES won the National League which means they are now playing the Houston Astros who won in the American League.  The Braves beat the Astros last night in the first game of the series and they are about to begin the second game tonight just as I am typing this post. Whoever wins the best out of seven games will be the winner.  (So, stay with me, folks in the rest of the world who know nothing about baseball...it is the National League vs. the American League and it is called the WORLD Series although there are no other countries involved from the world, that is just what it is! HA!)  Oh you must excuse me, it is quite the exciting thing for the Braves to be in the World Series and we are all quite giddy with excitement!  Even if you don't like sports, you like a nice story about underdogs coming from behind, don't you? Sure you do! There was a most wonderful piece written by one of the Braves, Joc Pederson and I have a link for you and I do hope that you will read it!

Atlanta by Joc Pederson | The Players' Tribune (theplayerstribune.com)

There, click on that above!  Yes, there is harsh language but I still like it!  Joc Pederson began to wear a strand of pearls over his uniform and there was much speculation as to why he did this. (What was the meaning behind it, etc, etc.)  After reading his article, it makes me wonder, if he did it just for the sheer fun of it! Also, after the Braves beat the highly respected and hallowed Los Angeles Dodgers (who won the World Series last year), the closing pitcher said in an interview after the game that he believed they won because they just all loved each other and it came across in the way they played.  They came out with a Braves shirt that I really like...it shows the giant "A" on a shirt (which stands for Atlanta, of course) but the shirt says this:  "Just A Little Love".  

Now, speaking of pitchers...Charlie Morton, the pitcher for the Atlanta Braves in the game last night was hit by a ball in the 2nd inning but he stayed in the game and struck out batters but was taken out in the 3rd inning after it was determined that he had broken his leg! Talk about a tough pitcher! (If you read the article by Joc Pederson, I think he would agree with me!)

"When I follow at my pleasure"...that is a phrase that comes to my mind about sports and in baseball in particular...if you remember, I loved watching the Braves play on TV and I would "watch" them with my Dad, as we would talk on the phone. How he would have loved this year!  I have not been able to follow them as closely as I would like. Their games can go on quite late and I have to be up early for work!  So, one of my first questions in the morning..." Did the Braves win?"  I drive my husband crazy, I am sure!  (One can always record a game and watch the highlights, so therefore, "I follow at my pleasure.")

I do wonder if that phrase came to my mind because our son went to an outdoor viewing location that was showing the Braves game on a giant screen.  It was way out in the country and my husband asked him if he also noticed the stars.  His answer? "Yes, and they were lovely." 

"Mortal as I am, I know that I am born for a day. But when I follow at my pleasure the multitude of the stars in their circular course, my feet no longer touch the earth."  Ptolemy

Let's hear it for that kind of JOY...no matter where you find it! In the stars, in sports, wherever!

Oh! And if you are wondering if I can find any connection to England from watching the Braves, the answer is "yes!". The pitcher I was telling you about who said they all loved each other? That was Tyler Matzek and he looks very much like one of the actors from "EastEnders"!  (The one who plays Ben Mitchell!)  

A moon photo from last October!  Not the stars but the moon is nice too!