Christmas Past

Washington Irving's description of Christmas Eve:

"Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated, This bird of dawning singeth all night long; And then, they say, no spirit dares stir abroad, The nights are wholesome--then no planets strike, No fairy takes, no witch hath power to charm, So hallow'd and so gracious is the time."

The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent, Washington Irving, 1819

Beautiful Video Suggesting a Simpler Life: Get Back

Lincoln has posted the following video by Eliot Rausch in which the director encourages all of us to get back to our relationships by putting down our phones and technology and relating to each other.  Enjoy.

http://vimeo.com/64641161

SIMPLICITY

I have been reading about simplicity lately.  It seems that all of the high-tech complications with which we have filled our lives are not all that healthy for us.  In the end the best things for us are those things which God has provided -- fresh air, fresh food and fresh living.  But what does that mean exactly?

The best form of living is to simply live -- to know and be known, to love and be loved, to hear and be heard, to celebrate and be celebrated -- to experience the simple elements of a sterling life.  The best food we consume are vegetables which are no more enhanced or complicated than they were thousands of years ago.  The best air is unpolluted fresh air as crisp and clean as it was when Christ walked the earth.  The further we inundate our lives with technological advancement, the more disconnected we become from the beautiful experiences that make us human.

So does that mean that we should plunge ourselves into ultra minimalist living by throwing out our computers, cars and air conditioners?   Heavans NO!    Instead we need a greater focus on a concept of elegant simplicity.  We need to incorporate technological advancements seamlessly into our lives so that  instead of altering our environment, and ourselves, the technology does its job without interfering with our ability to be human.  And we are seeing improvements in that area.  People are being encouraged to get out in nature, even if nature is the street on which you live.   Human experience is found in the butterflies and fire ants,  the elegant dog and the smelly skunk,  the squirrels and the rats.  

We are finding that meditation connects us to ourselves in simplistic ways: a walk at lunch time around the block brings experience to our minds; and gazing at a sunset is not just for hopeless dreamers but a clear sign of a fully connected soul.

As I type on my computer, I am feeling fully human knowing that my life experience isn't found in the silicone microchip or HD screen, but instead it is found in embracing all that makes us human -- happiness, glee, beauty, pain and suffering.  Indeed, the entire spectrum of the soul is necessary to bring fullness to our lives.

I encourage all to find their way to live a life of elegant simplicity, it will truly be a sterling experience.

LEATHER TANNING -- HOW THE ELEGANCE IS MADE

I recently purchased a pair of shoes from Alden of New England. I got the Norwegian Split Toe in calfskin leather.  They are by far the most expensive pair of shoes I have ever owned  ($570 including tax).  One reason that Alden shoes are so expensive is that they are made from excellent construction with the finest leather.  The leather comes from the Chicago based Tanner, Horween.  (www.horween.com).  When you look at pictures from a tannery like the one above you come to understand that the elegant leather on your feet, your watch and your car come from less than elegant beginnings.  It is truly a sausage making type operation.  But quality leather is an essential, yet costly, part of sterling products.  My car's seats are wrapped in leather from the Scottish tanner Bridge of Weir. (http://www.bowleather.co.uk).

I have learned that the best leather available is known as Shell Cordovan.  Shell Cordovan comes from the tail end of a horse and is apparently the smoothest and best leather available.  Since horses cannot be slaughtered for hides, the only Shell Cordovan available comes from horses who have died of old age, illness etc....  One horse will produce only a single pair of Shell Cordovan shoes.  Consequently, the shoes are very expensive.  I chose to pass on the Shell Cordovan's this time, given the $635 price tag.  But maybe next time.

In the mean time I will be enjoying this wonderful purchase:

HARVEST TIME

Harvest time occurs around the autumnal equinox. Between the vernal equinox in March and the Autumnal equinox in September, the Sun spends more time illuminating the day in the northern hemisphere and therefore the days between March and September are longer than the nights.  It is during this season that crops grow and become ready for harvest.  Typically around September 22 or so the Sun focuses its rays on the equator of the earth so that days and nights are relatively equal.  Soon thereafter harvest begins in the North as the nights grow longer and days grow shorter.  The first full moon after the autumnal equinox has become known as the Harvest Moon.  Perhaps the Harvest Moon got its name because that particular full moon helped to illuminate the fields as farmers worked long days into the night to bring in the harvest.

In our modern society with powered lights in the fields and harvest performed mostly by workers driving combine type machines, the Harvest Moon seems largely irrelevant.  Indeed, harvest time is relatively unimportant to our diets, as crops grown around the world are imported so that every day of the year is a celebration of the bounty of the world’s harvest at our local grocery stores.  

Nevertheless, even though thriving on global agriculture, harvest time is still celebrated in our urbanized world. This month there will be county fairs and harvest festivals across America. I notice that a great many Anglican churches in England and a few Episcopal churches in America will be celebrating their Harvest Communions this Sunday October 14. 

Alice Waters, the famous chef from Berkley, California, has created a revival of celebrating the bounty of the local harvest.  Now chefs and restaurants across America have menus that feature locally harvested, seasonal, fresh picked fruits and vegetables. 

As the days grow cold in the distant north they find themselves with freeze warnings in South Bristol, Me. Autumn, harvest time, is short there with winter following quickly on its heels. Here in New Orleans we are experiencing the crisp weather of cool fronts. And for us in the American South its festival time.

AUTUMN COLOR

 

The Autumn Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1833)

Go, sit upon the lofty hill, And turn your eyes around, Where waving woods and waters wild Do hymn an autumn sound. The summer sun is faint on them — The summer flowers depart — Sit still — as all transform’d to stone, Except your musing heart. How there you sat in summer-time, May yet be in your mind; And how you heard the green woods sing Beneath the freshening wind. Though the same wind now blows around, You would its blast recall; For every breath that stirs the trees, Doth cause a leaf to fall. Oh! like that wind, is all the mirth That flesh and dust impart: We cannot bear its visitings, When change is on the heart. Gay words and jests may make us smile, When Sorrow is asleep; But other things must make us smile, When Sorrow bids us weep! The dearest hands that clasp our hands, —Their presence may be o’er; The dearest voice that meets our ear, That tone may come no more! Youth fades; and then, the joys of youth, Which once refresh’d our mind, Shall come — as, on those sighing woods, The chilling autumn wind. Hear not the wind — view not the woods; Look out o’er vale and hill — In spring, the sky encircled them — The sky is round them still. Come autumn’s scathe — come winter’s cold — Come change — and human fate! Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound, Can ne’er be desolate.

GOLDEN LABS

Yellow Labrador Retrievers are one of America's favorite pets, and the above Lab is certainly our favorite pet.  A beautiful animal, full of love and charm, yet even in his playfullness he can strike a stately pose. The first registered Yellow Lab in America was signed up in 1929 by the American Kennel Club.  Several thousand if not millions of Yellow Labs have been registered since, but for our money the above AKC registered Lab is one in a million. 

Our dog is a British Labrador.  While we are not sure what the British designation means it apparently at least means a gorgeous dog with a wonderful disposition.  Not just man's best friend, but in the modern lingo, Man's Best Friend Forever (BFF).  This breed has a wonderful history and is one of America's favorite dogs for a reason.  So here is to the Yellow Lab, may fun and playfullness reign forever in the life of this wonderful animal.

Check out the history of the Labrador Retriever at http://www.lorkenfarms.com/labrador%20Retriever%20history.htm.