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Monday, December 19, 2011

Christmas Season and Magic

This is the season of magic, traditions, joy, memories and peace.  There is much to be said that when winter comes we follow a star, or go to the woods to talk with the animals; we reflect on a new year to come and the past year to see if our balance sheet really balances out.  Retirement has changed how I look forward and backward-fixed incomes seem to do that to me.  I have always had a job, a steady pay check and knew that tomorrow would bring a routine or at least as much of a routine that education can provide, but now each day brings different challenges.  Whether it is a doctor's appointment for mom, fixing lunch or doing the laundry there is no routine.  Pat has gone back to work in her field of economic development and although the job is labeled as part time, her hours and her dedication is full time and she is really really happy.  I have looked at some part time work but now have an opportunity to unload trucks and stock shelves at a local store starting at 2:00 a.m.-I am sure that this will bring a routine but can I function with the "day duties" after an early morning start!  But the extra money will be nice!

The Santa Claus carving season has been fun, even though the money brought in was down, several Santa's and decoys found new homes and that is always my goal-everyone needs a good home.  Perhaps after I am gone they will be very valuable!  The carving is always fun and looking for new projects is good; Pat evaluates my new work with a very critical eye, which is good!  Of course I listen to her!

One of the things that I try to do is to be a student of wood;  there are many traditions that must be followed if one is going to be a successful wood worker so I have attached the Legend/Mythology of Wood for your enjoyment plus some pictures of wood spirits!




The mythology is very simple. In what are now referred to as Pagan cultures, those that preceeded Christianity in many of the Western countries today as the Germanic States and the British Isles, Mother Nature was the major diety. She was the creator of life and from her everything both mankind, animals, and nature were born.

In some of the earliest stories Mother Nature is the Sun and her consort was the Moon. She would look upon him with her loving nature and that is why the Moon sometimes is full and bright, reflecting her love. But, being a female spirit she would become moody and jealous because her consort, the Moon, would light the earth with the light that she gave him, his reflected (full moon) light. So she would turn her back to him, scorning him, and therefore with hold her love and light. Which is why the moon becomes dark during an old moon. But he would be patient and he would wait because he loved her so very much. Because of his patience she would soon relent and again smile gloriously upon him.

So it was that Mother Nature wanted to come to earth and enjoy the beautiful world that she had created for us, to walk the fields and forests. But she became lonely. To ease her loneliness her consort also came to earth and he did so by inhabiting the trees of both the meadows and the forests. He stands as the single old apple tree that graces the grass lands giving shade to the cattle and goats. And he stands as the gardian of the forest, the large tree right at the forest margin. And he is the oldest twisted tree deep within the black woods. But one of his favorite trees was the evergreen.

Now it was the humans knew that the evergreen was special for even during the coldest and harshest of winters it remained forever green. Other trees around him suffered the 'small death' of winter, losing their leaves and going bare. The people realized that there must be something very special about the evergreen so the story arose that the Wood Spirit of God that walked the earth during the warm seasons went into the evergreen to live during the winter. There he slept until the warmth of spring returned.

Because the people were frightened that the 'small death' might one day not give way to spring they decided that they would go to the forest and bring into their homes an evergreen. They would tend the evergreen giving it water and protecting it from the deeps snows and harsh winds. Therefore they were protecting the Wood Spirit God. When the time came that the 'small death' of winter should be passing they would return the evergreen to it's place within the forest so that the God would awaken and once again bring spring to the earth.

That's why wood spirits are male. They are the consort to the Goddess - Mother Nature.





Friday, December 2, 2011

Thanksgiving, December and Christmas

Thanksgiving has gone, the kick off of big shopping and now December is here.  Have had a hard time getting stuff started as mom was back in the hospital for a couple of days right before Thanksgiving-had low hemoglobin count and took 3 units of blood to raise count back up.  We had thought that maybe her time was about done but after the latest stay and a good doctor visit we have put all those thoughts aside and now turn back to making Santa Claus and the season joyful!

Had an interesting post from the American Youth Foundation asking "What have you done today to make your community a better place (yes I did paraphrase it) but did make me think about my daily activities since I have retired.  The AYF also has a saying about "at your very best all the time"; how great it would be if we all followed that creed; maybe at this season it could be come our daily thought for the day.  Think how productive we would be and how we would make a difference in the lives of those around us.  OK, done with the philosophical stuff.

Opened up the stored Santa Claus box and found all sorts of things that I had forgotten-took some down to the local art vendor and have been to a couple of craft fairs.

Also found some of the "flat" one dimensional Santa's that I started with several year ago.  The daughters have received a Santa carving, either flat or carved, every Christmas over the past 15(?) years. Check these out, the arms even move!













A new friend from Tuftenboro, NH, saw me carving with pine and gave me a piece of basswood that he had cut from his local forest-I have never worked with a better piece of wood than this piece.  Also read about a new Santa design with the jolly gent looking up at the skies, trying to figure out if the time was right for flying.  Hope you like it.



Also did a new Nativity Scene, one dimensional but have some carving in to separate the colors.  I would probably call it a piece of Folk Art as the characters are pretty funky.  Found the design in an old craft book from a used book store.  For next year also bought a book on how to do a fully carved set-will probably be a "long term" project!



Weather here has been really strange-October snow of 12+" but last month temps in the 60's.  Local ski places are bumming as too warm to make snow.  But most folks feel that a day in the 60's is one less day with cold and snow-let's just hope that spring comes on time.  A good friend told me that over the next 20-30 years that the NE will become more like the NW United States, less snow, more rain and moderate temps so  maybe we are on the way!

Selling some of the  Santa's-most of the bigger ones (6" ) are around $50, smaller ones (4") $35 or so.  Ornaments run $10-$15 depending upon the size (no pictures of them).  Sold the Loon decoy to a good friend who will give it a great home; have a Cardinal in the works too.  Staying busy but still having fun.

Hope that this holiday season is going well for all-let me be among the first to wish you a Merry Christmas.  And much peace in your life.

And don't forget to measure twice and cut once.

PS-Christmas at the Richter's version 2011.