What are you hoping to find under the tree this year?

Wreath-TapestryBird

Blankets. Chai tea and movies. Books. Winter-themed items. This time of year is nice when I'm prepared. Pajamas and slippers. It's been soooo cold!

The house is looking more spacious. Just a few large, cozy pieces of furniture and throw blankets for us and the cats. And winter mugs. I'm going to be reading stacks of books this year. I was browsing the local bookseller's store last night. I found a lot of great non-fiction. Yoga calendars. Travel books.

One magazine author was talking about getting gifts from people for whom she hasn't reciprocated. She said she considers that part of the ebb and flow of holidays from year to year. What a great thought. I think ebb and flow will be a theme for us this year. We don't need a lot of stuff. And to put together a good travel package so we can go anywhere and be comfortable.

**ps I apologize for any spelling errors today, or any other goofy behavior. My thoughts are obscured by pain. Nice to be among friends, though.

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Green-tea-shaded

Oh my, it seems like this bone-dry air has brought back my sinus infection. Sorry I've not been around much to comment. Being that it's Solstice and time for reflection, I decided to start my new years resolution list early in order to de-stress.

I resolve to adopt a more Buddhist philosophy. I want to make life easier on myself by spending more time with smart people and ignoring extremists. I'm beginning to wake up to the value of the international community.

Check out this comment by my Malaysian neighbor mfn:

It seems like quite a number of the skeptics of climate change are coming from the North America, .. Probably they are not experiencing the bad weather, the rising temperature, the rising sea level, and the extinction of species and habitats.

That may have been the reason why european countries are advancing in eco-communalism (not communism) and slowly moving away from the extreme capitalist beliefs. They want to be independent and sovereign like the US too, by focusing on saving the environment instead of sending people to war.

I'm all for it. My mom travelled to Paris a few weeks ago and she loved it. People are much more open to dialogue and often our friends overseas spend their time searching for the truth, not preaching their version of it.

I'm looking for peace in my life and I think a good cup of tea with a well-balanced person is a good start. I resolve to look to our international neighbors to guide me towards a more globally saavy and mindful attitude. And maybe then I can get rid of this headache (with that and a Netti pot)..  :) 

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Almond blossoms

It's been freezing cold, I went running at the Lake today and it's already covered in ice. Lovely, though. Downed conifer limbs, blue jays singing.

Now I'm drinking my third hot beverage (hot chocolate) and hoping to hear back from employers. Oh, did I mention, the school hasn't sent me my diploma yet? But the Registrar confirmed that I'm officially graduated. I'm not celebrating until I get the diploma in hand.

We've been consuming good movies and hot cider for Solstice. No fancy celebrations this year, til we get to my sister's. SyFy channel has 2 great holiday specials. One is a remake of Alice in Wonderland. We haven't seen it yet. The other is a really dark, modern remake of Wizard of Oz.

The second one is called Tin Man and I never thought I'd say this, but Alan Cumming is adorable as the Scarecrow. The plot is completely different and you wouldn't even recognize the characters from the original. I love, love love creative remakes, or just simple, creative films. They're in low supply these days.

Alan Cumming and Zooey Deschanel in Tin Man

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Mmmm

This is so adorable, I wish I had seen this a month ago! These are alternative Christmas trees from Treehugger. The photo at the end of this post is a ladder. No extra purchases, no tree cut down. Someone remind me of this a year from now.

We have a norfolk pine. I like the idea of a living holiday tree - but after Solstice we can't plant it because it's an invasive species. I'm not crazy about tree farms because it creates a monoculture where a diverse forest could otherwise be. Then there's all the energy used to mulch them (again monoculture). These Treehugger ideas are genius. Oh well, I did a few things right this holiday. Hmm, let's see....(tries to alleviate guilt)...

1. I'm using newspapers and paper bags for gift wrapping. Decor on top includes ribbons from last year's gifts, dried leaves, stamps and beads. I'll post photos.

2. Saved glass milk jugs to fill with candy, instead of elaborate, plastic wrapped truffle boxes

3. Used rechargeable candles instead of wax ones (I suppose the ecological benefit of this is debatable, but at least our house won't burn down)!

4. Collected fallen branch pines for wreaths, instead of buying material (at my Lake I saw many people doing the same, dragging huge branches behind them and one woman even had an armful of toxic berries - how fun)!

5. Shopped locally and all in one town so we didn't have to drive far.

It's a decent start, anyway! Feel free to share your ideas for the holiday too. And check out this Christmas tree!

Ladder-tree_rect540

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Solstice

I'm looking forward to spending Winter Solstice at my sister's house, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We talked about moving again and we're actually considering some places close to the border that are nice.

I was talking to my friend Rosie about my article idea; she mentioned that I should start with a variety of topics to start with. One idea I had was showing how products get from the ecosystem to our homes.

We wake up to our Starbucks Costa Rican Coffee; you get to learn about the colorful tropical birds that use the rainforest canopy there; the vines that hang high above the farmers as they tend to their crop.

I know a few authors up North and I think it's a much quieter place. There's nothing like a quiet study, with umber bookshelves and a skylight covered with snow on a cold winter day. Rosie has big picture windows in her house where she can watch the furry squirrels play in the snow.

We need the perfect mix of a serene town but still a good central place where there's bookstores and events. Many of those towns are more enlightened too. Less politics and more community involvement. They appreciate author events and science because it gets them out of the snowbound house.

Sitting around and talking to other authors about ecology while sipping spiced hot chocoloate. Hmmmm.....

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Garden lantern

The World Wildlife Fund has a lovely site where you can send a lantern to Copenhagen to show your support for the environment! It's free and it only takes about ten seconds. You get to choose the color and shape of the lantern!

It's just in time for the caribou - the trend in colder climates of snow melting and re-freezing means that they can't reach their primary food, lichen under the thick layer of ice. Hopefully we can reverse the trend.

I've had some great conversations with my Vox buddies about the concept of scientific consensus. There seems to be this mythology that Consensus among scientists means bullying around anyone who disagrees with their theories. First and foremost, it's important to understand that theories are proven explanations of natural phenomenon; unlike a hypothesis, which is an unproven statement.

Consensus is not formed by a gaggle of secretive researchers. It's not about hiding data or being snobby. Consensus is a synthesis of the data. There has been no single mind-blowing study that proves global warming theory all by itself. Each scientist presents their humble piece of data to contribute to the larger puzzle. As an example, these 3 articles:

Coral bleaching, ocean warming and ocean acidification

Cyclone activity in the North Atlantic

More increases in cyclone activity

These articles discuss global warming in the context of coral bleaching, ocean warming and acidification, and cyclone activity. They have no connection to East Anglia or Climategate. Notice in the Methods section: each article has dozens of references to data which is prone to error.

Each article mentions the pitfalls and shortcomings of the study. This assures that the data gleaned from each study can be filtered out and only the good parts used: to make a small contribuiton to the larger picture of global warming. This synthesis of the data forms the consensus within the scientific community.

Please give the articles at least a scan, if you're interested in understanding how this global warming theory has been formed, in part. Most exciting for me, the general public is bandying about words like "ice coring" and "tree ring data". After the holidays I'm hoping to post some fun stuff about how the research is conducted and the complexities of synthesizing the data.

.

Saving the planet: Protests in Copenhagen over climate action

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Winter berries

I enjoy reading about native peoples and semi-domesticated fauna. The Sami people of northern Europe still  herd reindeer for meat, milk and transportation. It's a tough nomadic lifestyle and I for one probably couldn't tolerate it. But it would be nice to try, as long as the reindeer were treated fairly. Nature-based religions and shamanism are still pracitced by some Sami people.

Some of my Vox neighbors and I were having a discussion over human's role in the environment. It seems only fitting with the Copenhagen talks beginning. What is our role on the planet now that we're in so deep? Are humans more important than animals? In what direction should we be heading?

If everyone suddenly agreed to do anything to get Earth back to a normal state, we should return to a semi-village lifestyle. Local purchases only. A focus on trains and bicycles. Simple living. I think it sounds quite nice, actually! We shouldn't be motivated only when humans are in trouble. All animals, including humans, share Earth's resources. Habitat protection should be our first priority, followed by ending pollution. 

We are destryoing the planet. People think I defend "helpless" animals. Not true - my motivation is due to respect for the balance these creatures bring the planet. As David points out, koalas, birds and snakes evolved for millions of years on this planet before we came along. I put them first, humans second.  

The Sami people sew their own clothing and find their own food. They believe that material posessions should have a purpouse - otherwise we shouldn't own them. When I watch the Sami walking with their reindeer transporters, carrying their simple possesions across the snow covered hils, I know it's a better life.

Sami

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What's your favorite thing about the holidays? Least favorite?

Wreath-TapestryBird

Going out in the snow and then coming home to cozy hot chocolate and a fireplace. Well, we don't have one but one day we might. I also love making gifts by hand. And the challenge of an eco holiday. It makes me focus on what's important

We seem to have a running theme for the holiday. Spaces, cooking, reusing. I'm almost done sorting the attic. I'm hoping that by the time we move to a new home, we'll have 5-10 containers of belongings each, not including furniture. Isn't that enough??

A few gifts we're giving involve repairing stuff. In the meantime we have no idea what we're doing for Winter Solstice. Sometimes our region has chocoalte tastings. I bought a few cookbooks. Sharing food and gifts is a nice part of the holiday. I like the colorful lights too. Fire is an important symbol of the season.

I'm trying to picture our new home next year. I hope we can be hosts for once. We'd invite our guests to watch the birds flitter around the conifers. And have hot cider waiting by the fireplace when we come inside. We'll have bird wreaths and nuts for the squirrels so we can watch them from the picture window.

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Drongo cuckoo

I just discovered the most wonderful thing!

When I go to collect my mail these days, nothing makes me grumpier than the fact that 3/4 of it is junk mail. My important information is crammed in loads of junk mail and fliers. Many of these scoundrels now try to make car sale offers look like official business.

Now I'm happy because I'm going to read about 41pounds.org. According to this group, Americans get 41 pounds of junk mail every year (that's 100 million trees cut down, kids). This organization says they can stop 89 to 90 percent of junk mail.

I'll need to do a followup post on this, because I haven't read every detail. I want to make sure it's legit before I go hog-wild recommending it. The nice thing is it's only $8.20 per year! It takes about 8 weeks before it goes into effect.

 And get this - 41 Pounds will donate 1/3 of your payment to an environmental group. They have a list that you get to choose from. So far I like Save the Frogs!, Habitat for Humanity and Los Angeles Audubon.

41 Pounds.org

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Mug

I've acquired some awesome new neighbors since last Winter Solstice. I want you all to stick around, so I feel I should give you a warning. I have a reindeer obsession. Yes, every year I become a wide-eyed freak over the critters.

I'm not much of an ungulate person. I mostly study small carnivores, ground dwellers and birds. Beginning December 1st, I run around stores blindly grabbing every reindeer ornament and throw pillow in sight (I eventually calm down and put them back before the store clerks call Security).

Blame my old college friend for making me watch Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, I guess. She watched it every year and yes, she used to cry during the movie. I love the Island of Misfit Toys and King Moonracer as much as anyone, but.....

I don't usually distinguish between caribou (wild ungulates) and reindeer (domesticated caribou) although I think reindeer are a bit cuter and fuzzier with their decorative blankets. I hope I don't bore everyone with my reindeer and caribou rants.

Greenpeace Finland's Reindeer page

WHITE REINDEER CC

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