House of Yule

There are families of quail that come to my feeder. They make me laugh and give me joy. This My cute 15 year old neighbor calls quail "borbs," Birds that are orbs. Seems fitting. In winter, birds puff their feathers out to create an air cushion that traps heat. It's how, even at our subfreezing temps, birds can thrive. Another Tomte has found his way into paint. This is how I feel about snow, too. They say you paint yourself, so perhaps my true self is a tiny ancient bearded fae who knows the secret language of all the creeping and flying things, rejoices in snow and warm rice pudding with butter. This also seems fitting.

There's a large park in Gothenburg called Slottskogen--The castle forest. It houses many Scandinavian breeds of animals including moose, geese and ducks, seals, sheep and goats. I have no idea what his actual name is, but this is who we called Sir Stinky/Captain Stinks-Alot. The goatiest smelling goat I have ever met. But we were freinds and so here he is being led away from a hearty lunch of the Julbock, the Scandinavian Christmas goat. Goats have been part of the yule time celebrations since forever in Sweden. They've morphed over the years, like most of our traditions. There are seveal theories surrounding the yule goat. The ancient god Thor had a chariot pulled by a set of goats. Another theory is that this practice is based in Indo-European harvest traditions, where the last sheaf of grain bundled during the harvest was thought to contain the spirit of the harvest and was saved for Yule celebrations—many early European customs included harvest gods that looked like go...

Today is Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. The shortest day and the longest night. We keep the fires in the icicle lanterns burning through the night. These long lights were the birth of storytelling. Long before I could tap a button and publish a page, people gathered in the firelight to exchange stories. Every culture on earth has their fireside stories. How we make sense of the world is contained in that heritage. The Raven Story is a Creation Story. A transformation story. "Transformation stories require a really good storyteller." In the 1990s the TV show Northern Exposure featured the Raven Story as part of its Solstice celebration. I think watching this episode is a fantastic way to celebrate this season. From Northern Exposure, Marilyn Whirlwind explains the Raven Story: A long time ago, the raven looked down from the sky and saw that the people of the world were living in darkness. The ball of light was kept hidden by a selfish, old chief. So, the ...

In the US it is National Day of Caroling. What is your favorite carol? The carol In the Bleak Midwinter is probably mine, because it is tranquil. When I returned from living in Australia for a couple years, people commented that I'd come home without an accent. However, when I started singing with a group of Americans, my voice was wholly Australian. It was a strange feeling. I think singing together unites us in ways we don't really understand. It's why there are hymns, carols, love ballads and war songs. We unite in song. When my cats were neutered, they had to wear cones. At the time I was planning the images to correspond with certain days. An angel choir, but with nimbi rather than a halo, and the cats in the corner with their cones trying hard to be like the angels.

It's national day of Hard Candy! This is Lala, keeper of the Candy Cane Forest. He's a very old soul but still has all of his teeth. They rest in a glass by his bed at night. My little cat has taken to him. Can you find him in the paintig?

It is the fourth Sunday of Advent as well as the first day of Hanukkah. I just learned about the celebration of Hanukkah, so I am eager to share. Hanukkah is the Jewish celebration of light. When warriors recaptured the temple in Jerusalem in 164 bce and sought to relight the menorah, they only found enough lamp oil for one day. However the menorah stayed lit for 8 days, until more ceremonial oil was available. The nine candle menorah is ceremonial. There are also 7 candle menorahs but they are representative of the menorah in the old temple and my understanding is they're not ceramonial. The center candle is the 'helper', used to light the other candles. The first candle is placed on the right; each additional candle is placed from right to left. However, they're lit from left to right. The title of my piece: There is Room at My Table refers to my feeling that no matter your religious belief, there is room for you here. There are so many people I love from all ove...