2013 - Amazing April

Early Spring welcome

Sometimes as I publish the last post, I wonder briefly if there will be anything left to say for the next month.  Is it really newsworthy when the obvious happens?  Why is it notable that it snowed in the winter, or was really hot in the summer, that the flowers returned in the Spring, or the leaves were beautiful in the Fall?  Perhaps, the more seasons we have under our belts, the less we take each one for granted and it seems somehow extraordinary as they either live up to our expectations, or don't.  There's always an observation that begs to be made, even though it may sometimes seem like deja vu.  With another Spring's arrival, there is the predictable explosion of green shoots and blooms, an increase in B&B guests, mystery weather from day to day, return of the 2-legged snowbirds resulting in more traffic and a rebirth of businesses which have been shuttered for the winter.  But, the  joy of reporting is always in the details.

Main Street, Chatham display

Easter weekend felt as if someone pulled the plug on the bridge and the world suddenly rushed in like high tide.  The weather cooperated nicely with lots of sunshine and mild temperatures, but by Monday, the Travel Bunnies vanished as quickly as they appeared.  It was the annual wake-up for locals that we would soon not have the roads to ourselves anymore and it was time to remember how to exercise patience.  Last summer I decided to try a new technique for patient waiting to turn onto the main road.  When traffic stretches as far as the eye can see, it seems that the wait will surely be interminable.  But, if you count the seconds you actually sit there, quite often it's much less than you'd guess and 99% of the time is under one minute of your time.  I've made it a challenge to see if the wait will exceed a minute.  So far this Spring, my maximum wait has been 16 seconds.  Piece o'cake!

Brewster's Spring welcome, as far as the eye can see.

April 1st is a special day for us because it's our wedding anniversary.  So, we were already  feeling full of good will towards all during our morning coffee when I picked up the latest 'Ask the Bird Folks' column from the Cape Codder to read aloud, as is our habit.  This week's question was from Paul, in Harwich, concerning a story his cousin Frankie told him about the preponderance of sharks off of Chatham and the gulls who fall victim to them.  Indeed, we read, there are "Gull Sharks" who beach themselves and play dead, waiting to turn the arrival of hungry gulls into a feeding frenzy.  This amazing event happens at the peak of the spring high tide, which was to happen this Monday at 11:30 a.m.  As it was coincidentally only an hour away, we decided to take a drive to Chatham Light with our cameras to witness this freakish show of nature.  It was a little chilly, but a gorgeous day to go to the beach.  We were a little surprised that there weren't more cars in the parking area.  Cape Birders are usually right on top of any unusual siting with their notebooks and impossibly long camera lenses and tripods.  Just as Ron was noting that he didn't see any gulls or sharks anywhere and I was taking my first step onto the sand, I had the "AHA Moment".  We'd been had by the April Fool's Master, Mike O'Connor of the Bird Store in Orleans.  Last year, he concocted a story about the amazing birds everyone would see when the Cape Cod Canal would be drained for routine maintenance, a tale even I didn't believe.  But, he outdid himself this year with the Gull Sharks, or at least took advantage of a couple who hadn't quite finished their morning coffee.          

No sharks, but the beach looked great!

April's also a big month for birthdays, and mine, in particular seems to bring out the world's crazies.  The date's notoriety really picked up in 1775 with the beginning of the Revolutionary War at Lexington, Mass, or as Emerson put it, "the shot heard 'round the world."  Boston celebrates it as Patriot's Day and it was always nice to get my birthday off when I lived there in the 70's.  (They've since moved it to the closest Monday.)  April 19th was relatively quiet until 1993 and the bloody ATF siege on the Branch Dividians at Waco, which then inspired the bombing of the Oklahoma Federal building 2 years later on the same date.  That's not to say nothing else notable happened on April 19th, and if you want to waste an hour, try googling your own birthday and be amazed at what happened while you were eating cake, and who else shares your day.  Ironically, I first heard about this year's Patriot's Day bombing at the Boston Marathon from my sister-in-law in San Diego, who emailed to see if we were all o.k., thinking we might have attended the event.  While I'm fairly certain there's not much I could add to the round-the-clock coverage and commentary we've all already heard, I will say that in regards to sharing my birthday with some pretty horrific events, I'm going to quote my grandfather, as I have so many times before.  "It could always be worse."  If my mother had been in labor a few hours longer, I'd be sharing my birthday with Hitler instead.  As it turned out, both of the couples expected at the B&B that weekend were coming from the Boston area and were stuck in a city-wide lock down. Couple #1 made it a little later than scheduled, but Couple #2 had planned to rent a car and found it impossible to do with the continuing bedlam.  They were forced to cancel the first night, but didn't give up, even spending time stuck in an elevator before getting their rental car, and finally made it late the following afternoon.  We decided to honor their perseverance and the spirit of our old home town by refunding their money and giving them the nights free.
  

For a town known for its lack of commercialism, it's pretty big news in Eastham to have two new restaurants opening.  Karoo Kafe boasts a South African menu with a welcoming nod to vegetarians and gluten-intolerant tummies, too.  I can personally attest to the spicy deliciousness of the Curried Lamb Stew and Ron's Peri Peri Shrimp, both over Turmeric Rice.  We split something called Malva pudding, which is a toffee flavored bread pudding with vanilla ice cream on top.  Oaxaca (pronounced Wa-hock-a) is a Mexican Grill that is planning to open in May.  And, on April 9th, Ben & Jerry's in N. Eastham dished up 6,469 cones on Free Cone Day, about 1500 more than last year.    

Big doin's in the garden

The former owners of our property had quite the green thumbs and left us with wonderful fruit and ornamental trees and lots of lovely Spring bulbs.  Sadly, I've had to abandon the raised bed garden because it's now too shaded to support a proper veggie garden.  It's just my luck that there's a very skilled carpenter in the house who's willing to  create a new one on the sunnier side where I've planted a flower garden and the old garden space will be claimed to expand the garden shed.      

Our peach tree in bloom - out with the old,  in with the new,

As the new year began, the call went out for Eastham business people with trucks to participate in the Touch-A-Truck fundraiser to benefit the Eastham Committee on Early Childhood's after school program.  On Sunday, April 7th, kids were invited to the Wellfleet Drive-In Theater to talk to people about their vehicles and their jobs.  The Eastham Police Union sponsors this event, and what a great idea!

Spring calm as the gardens awaken  

My readers already know of my fondness for living in Eastham (or as I say, being an East-hamster), but here's how the Cape Cod Travel Guide describes it:  "One of the four original settlements on Cape Cod, Eastham, Massachusetts remains relatively undiscovered.  There is no formal Main Street or identifiable town center here - though visitors are drawn here by the National Seashore's Headquarters at the Salt Pond Visitors Center and by the dune-backed expanses of Coast Guard Beach and Nauset Light Beach on the open Atlantic Ocean.  The Cape's oldest remaining windmill, the historical society's museum and the Swift-Daley House bear witness to the town's antiquity, along with First Encounter Beach along Cape Cod Bay, where Myles Standish and his Pilgrim scouting party first met the Nauset Indians in 1620. 

Our visitors this month came from the Boston area, Delaware, Vermont, Washington State, Northern England, Switzerland and The Netherlands.

2013 - Frosty February

 Hydrangea memories; beautiful even in winter

By now I think it's been well established that winter has not become obsolete, yet.  There's been anywhere from a dusting of snow to drifts of three feet on the ground all month and ice fisherman have even been spotted on the ponds again.  As soon as the last storm's deposit gets dirty, there's a fresh cover to tidy things up.  Meanwhile, Eastham's Wild Care Center is caring for many of the avian victims that found themselves beached or wandering around in parking lots after Snowstorm #2, which apparently did not rate a name from the Weather Channel this time.  Their current patients include a peregrine falcon and two Atlantic puffins, which is a rare occurrence in this neighborhood.  Our Governor Duval has raised the suggestion of comparing the cost of burying power lines vs. the cost of restoring power from an increasing number of "super-storms", and it's becoming a popular subject in the papers.  In fact, so many residents on the Cape have lost power this winter, there was a cooking column in the Cape Codder about how to cook a roast in your fireplace.  All through New England, towns are lamenting the depletion of their snow plowing funds, but if one looks in the gardens during the brief thaws, daffodil shoots are fearlessly peeking through and waiting for their cue to take their marks on center stage.  It's an annual hurry-up-and-wait process and a little reminder that nothing is forever, including a frosty February.  

Late night deer party outside the bedroom window.

Just as it happened for us last winter right after the holidays, early birds are avidly booking summer vacations.  If this month is any indication for us, it's going to be another busy year.  It's the first time we've ever had to turn anyone away in February for a date in July because it was already full.  WeNeed aVacation.com is also expressing cautious optimism for the 2013 rental season, confirming that early bookings for vacation rental homes on the Cape and Islands is up over 16% over the same period last year.  Our beaches may have been rearranged a little since last summer, but that's just part of Mother Nature's best show on earth. 

Wind tracks in the snow

When I first met our fisherman friend, Ray, I quickly found out that one of his favorite ways to entertain himself was to see if he could convince us to believe a totally bogus story that he'd made up.  So sometimes it's difficult to tell when he's telling the truth, like the day before he was leaving to visit his daughter in Germany and he got a friend to call us to say that his boat sank and he needed a hand.  We were sure he was just pulling another fast one, but it actually did turn out to be true.  And, I thought it was just another fish tale when he told us that his favorite meal was cod cheeks.  Yeah, sure, Ray, you love to eat fish faces.  Well, I can now sheepishly confirm that we've since been treated to cod cheeks and that they do exist and are indeed delicious.  And, so are fish napes, but unless you're a fisherman, or know one, you'll probably never see them.  It's not worth it to the fish markets to pay a cutter for the time it takes to cut out those parts so they're usually thrown away with the heads. Once again, lucky us, and sorry for doubting you, Ray.

That's Ray on the right when bass fishing was at its peak in the '80's

I've recently become aware of a wonderful health care opportunity in our area called Community Acupuncture.  It's not a new concept, but this particular office in the town of Dennis was only the fourth one to open in this country.  As the name suggests, treatment is done on several clients at once in a common room, as it was first done in China, and advertising is done only by word of mouth, allowing the practitioner to charge much more affordable sliding scale rates.  Because of that factor, I decided to try it as an alternative to a cortisone shot for a recent shoulder injury.  The experience has been totally pleasant and impressive and seems to have really jump-started the healing process.  Click on the following link if you'd like to read an informative story by the Cape Cod Times about acupuncture and Diana's clinic: 

 http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/LIFE/801100301

From the Cape Cod Times - Diana DiGioia 

One of the amusements for me living in this neck of the woods is the unmistakable regional accent that turns words like 'party' into 'potty'.  Though the ear gets used to the Northern inflections, a particularly thick, northern patois still reminds me that I'm not in Virginia anymore.  Everyone's heard "pahk the cah in Hahvud Yahd", but I'm starting a collection dubbed 'Yankee Doodlisms'.  Some samples:

fenda-benda:  when two cars get in a little accident 

oystuh-crackas:  the tiny, round crunchy things you get when you order chowdah

winta-weathuh:  ice and snow  

You get the idea. 

Keeping cozy

If February's not your favorite month, congratulations on weathering another one and if blizzards are not your idea of fun, you're over the hump.   

2013 - It's a Blizz-icane, it's a Snow-nado, it's NEMO!

February 8-9, 2013

Meteorologists, which is a title we allow weathermen when their predictions have been spot on, called the Blizzard of 2013 pretty accurately.  It was spawned by two lesser storms that met for a tryst over New England and begat a super-storm unofficially named by the Weather Channel as Nemo.  

BEFORE - Sideways slush at Fort Hill 

It teased Cape Cod all of Friday with increasingly wet snow showers which turned into a couple of inches of ice until a colder front blasted through late at night with hurricane force winds and white-out snow.  

...and stand on your head?

It continued to snow and blow all through the following day bringing an accumulation of between three inches and three feet depending on what part  of the drift you were measuring.  

The show included wind-whipped snow-cyclones whirling along open expanses and thunder snow with winds that literally shivered our timbers, sent anything not secured flying and gobbled up big portions of our beaches.  

Hang on, Claudia!

With great advance warning, we were all able to take precautions and settle in to ride it out, honoring the 24-hour no-driving ban, a first in my experience.  

The rose bushes outside our kitchen window are always a popular port in a storm.

75% of the Cape lost power, but we're convinced that because we now have an automatic generator, our neighborhood was spared loss of power through sheer irony.  Even so, we can't do anything about losing cable, so we take our television and internet break along with everyone else and watch our bird channel.  

Suet saves the day

How does one spend a Super-Storm Saturday?  Although the winds made visibility and going very far an impossibility, playing in the snow and shooting pictures is always a must for me.  Ron preferred to nest with the cats and a book. 

Love those bluebirds

 One of our precautions was to fill all the bird feeders and we've certainly earned their gratitude in great numbers. 

 Following snow time, it seemed a good day to make some kitchen magic with leftovers from the fridge and the kale and potatoes our neighbor dropped by.  A little of this and that soon made a delicious pot of soup.  Then, more snow time, digging a path to the gate and through the drift that buried it and trying out some boots which sadly failed the waterproof test and cut my walk short.  

Tunnel to freedom

A hot shower and then a hot latte, provided by my Super-hot hubby, finished the afternoon as we thumbed through the Cape Codder Weekly news that had just made it to the mailbox before Nemo did.  Evening brought quieting winds, although the snow continued to swirl with the last bit of energy left.

Sunday lived up to its name and we were wakened by the blinding brightness only full sun on snow can create.  Cats fed.  Birds fed.  Lattes consumed.  Then back to shoveling the car out so we can check on the beaches.  

AFTER - Nauset Light Beach

We'd already heard that the steps to the beach at Nauset Light had been washed away for the second time in two years and an old peat bog had been uncovered at Coast Guard Beach.  

Shades of the past unearthed on Coast Guard Beach

A trip up Fort Hill provided a view of the waves breaking beyond the outer dunes that seem much clearer than before suggesting either less dunes, higher waves, or possibly both?  A few more storms and we may have our harbor again.  

AFTER-a little less dune, a lot more view on Fort Hill

The First Encounter Beach parking lot on the Bay was inundated with sand, debris and lumber that was said to be from some former beach houses in Plymouth which were remodeled by the high tide.  But even in February, there is ALWAYS someone on the water.

What storm?

We haven't heard of anything that came close to the devastation that the Jersey Coast suffered months ago and except for the people last to get their power, I think the overall feeling is that we've successfully weathered another one.  The Parks Department has promised to restore the beaches before tourist season, but will let them be for the time being in case any more tough guy storms decide to visit.

Thanks for all the emails and phone calls.  We're safe and expecting full house in the B&B this weekend . 

a frozen neighbor with a green mohawk

2013 - January Blues

Snow-o'clock on the sun dial

Observations on the season:

Did you notice how desperately fast your email spam folder fills up around the holidays?  As if any of those items would make an appropriate gift for anyone...And, did you also spot how quickly the Christmas decorations got dumped onto the reduced aisle to make way for Valentine's Day?  There hasn't been a "Grace Period" between holidays for quite some time.  It leads me to think that the advertising industry has gotten too lazy to promote business without a hackneyed holiday theme.  Perhaps I've been watching too many episodes of Mad Men, but I'm craving just a little more creativity than that.  And since much of the money spent on advertising goes into Superbowl commercials, it's not likely that they'll get my attention there either since our Patriots blew their chances for that last week.  As our defensive linebacker Vince Wilfork humbly stated, "The best team won tonight."   Simple as that.            

Frosty Fort Hill approach

O.K., so why would a self-confessed winter-lover entitle the first entry of the year January Blues?  I'm referring, not to the mood, but to the gorgeous, deep colors of the ocean and varied palate of the winter skies.  Though nature has seemed confused about the seasons, winter weather finally arrived barely in time for the solstice.  So much for the roses still blooming and the hummingbirds looking for their feeders (honestly!), it's time for sub-freezing temperatures, icy ponds and snow.  A two-inch white blanket tucked in the old year and the winds sang 2012 out.  The ever-ready snow plowers left abstract frozen sculptures in the parking lots and icy patches made walking less of an involuntary action than usual.  

 Final performance

We usually go into hibernation on New Year's Eve, eschewing loud parties and sharing the road with drunken revelers, but we had an incentive to get out this year to see our son perform with his dance group, The Tides, at Chatham's First Night celebration.  Despite coming down with a wicked cold, he put on a big smile and his dancin' feet and treated us all to a fun performance.  We could have stayed for fireworks and many more performances at different venues in town, but the lure of p.j.'s by the fire was too great for us and we rang in the new year in our favorite place with our cats cuddled close and another couple of episodes of a new favorite t.v. series.  

Smilin' Sean in the middle

The B&B hosted couples from Massachusetts and Connecticut over the holidays, and January brought us a Harvard professor who needed some quiet time to finish a book.    We also have a new "frequent flyer" by the name of Bob White, who has taken over the job of cleaning up under the bird feeders.  He's a handsome guy who struts like Mick Jagger and peeps like R2-D2.  Our Sibley Bird Book describes him as a member of the quail family who is often heard, but seldom seen.  Lucky us!

Mr. White

Last Spring, I excitedly reported that our town of Eastham had hired four Alpine goats from a local farm for a pilot program to manage unwanted vegetation without chemicals.  Although the goats performed their job to perfection, munching away locust trees, brambles and poison ivy, the Department of Public Works came to the conclusion that a team of only four goats to manage the whole town is akin to trying to plow the streets with snow blowers instead of plows.  For now, the town has decided that in order for such a program to be a success, the goats would need to be handled by full-time professional farmers rather than the DPW employees.  So, we sadly say goodbye and a heartfelt thank you to Alan, Butt Head, Tag and Momma and hope to see them again someday.

Frozen Mary Chase Salt Marsh

January is also the time when the Development Committee of the Lower Cape Outreach Council starts a new year of fundraising, attempting to work smarter, not harder.  The good news is that we raised a record amount last year, but unfortunately the community need is still so much greater than that.  Having completed a full year as a volunteer, I have a newfound respect for the volunteers who have done this tirelessly for years without letting discouragement get in the way.  Onward.  

Ice on the Cove

I don't know why I was worried about having a real winter.  Our Canadian neighbors have generously shared the jet stream with us this month with three very modest, but gorgeous snowfalls and occasional wind chills in the negative numbers.    

lazy kitchen window snow pictures

Strangely, January has turned out to be a prime wildlife viewing month.  Six deer surprised me at the mailbox last week, flipping their white tails as a comment on my rude intrusion.  Maybe that's who that extra mailbox is for...But, the truly exceptional sighting was the pair of bluebirds who stopped in for a suet break on their travels.  It's the first time I've ever seen a bluebird, and the timing took me quite by surprise.  I do hope that if they can't stick around for awhile, they'll at least make us a regular stop.

Mo' Blues

As January comes to a close, I've already had time to sort through free-shop treasures in the basement, filling the car with things that seemed like a good idea at the time, but couldn't pass the second-look test.  The space regained allowed me to restore my work area to a usable condition, where actual framing projects are getting completed.  I've also been able to dust off the higher level of discipline required to tackle our tax preparation.  A lot of cold, gray days helped with that effort, not that there weren't many distractions that suddenly took precedence, like filling up bird feeders, restocking the porch with kindling and paging through the new bulb catalogs that came in the mail.  I reasoned that since our postman, Ken, was nice enough to come out in the cold to deliver them, I should at least take a few minutes to look through.  With two-thirds of the winter left, I look forward to more winter projects like continuing to transfer old 1970's negatives to computer, printing and framing new photos for the next showing, mulching more of the gardens before shoots pop up and dazzling my willing guinea pig boys with new recipes.  And, even as winter sports enthusiasts don wetsuits and hit Nauset Light Beach with their surfboards, my favorite way to start and end a winter's day is on the couch with Ron, two cats, a steaming latte and the view out of our windows.   

Good night, Eastham

2012 - December - All Mused Out for 2012

Even Jaws gets into the holiday celebrations. 

December has brought occasional frost and some early morning ice in the bird baths, but mostly very Spring-like weather. The feeders are stocked with suet for the winter we keep expecting to come.  Most of the leaves are down and many have simply blown away with the Nor'easter, but they always seem to be replaced by more blowing in from somewhere else.  The winds are back making the new window screens sing eerie tunes.  Buildings sport a variety of fancy decorations.   Benefits for the needy abound with every possible incentive to attend and spend.  Take your choice of music, food, dance, raffles, silent auctions, or just put food or clothing in boxes which are everywhere.  We chose to attend the annual Christmas Cavalcade, organized by our friend, Chandler, who brings together many other talented Cape musicians for a very enjoyable holiday show.  This year, Siobhan Magnus of American Idol fame joined the lineup.  We also spent an evening volunteering at the St. Wenceslas Faire which benefits the Lower Cape Outreach Center.  Either way, working or being entertained, it's all good stuff.

Salt Pond floating Xmas Tree

But, December's greatest significance to us is that it marks our 3rd anniversary of moving here and opening the B&B.  As I think back to that experience, I hope I never have to face a challenge that immense again, even though it was totally worth it.  I used to work with a teacher, who with her husband bicycled from Oregon to Virginia over her summer break.  Once home, whenever times would get tough her mantra was "if I can bike through Kansas, where you pedal all day and the scenery never changes, I can do anything!"  Moving here was our 'Kansas' and we'd do it all over again if we had to.  
[Newer readers can read about that trip at the following links:  North to Eastham and North to Eastham - Part 2.]  As I drive through our little towns, I still remember the feeling of hardly knowing anyone, or knowing where anything was, or how to get anywhere.  I now take pleasure in navigating the scenic shortcuts I've learned and having surprise encounters with new friends as I go about my errands.  It's a wonderful gift to truly feel that you're finally home. The B&B has become an established landmark and welcomes people from all over the globe.  Just as I looked forward to my summer break from my public school job, I now welcome the winter break from summer tourism to kick back to a slower pace, although we're never closed.  This month's guests are traveling from CT, MA & VT.   

Lights on the Eastham Green

Every December, my town of Eastham's Chamber of Commerce puts on an annual Holiday Festival & Toy Drive.  There's always a visit from Santa and goodies to eat, face painting, raffles and trolley rides, balloon twisting, glitter tattoos, pony rides, a craft table, a kids gymnastics demo, pizza and it's ALL FREE, courtesy of donations that make it happen.  This year we had 300 happy kids attending.

The town of Provincetown at the tip of the Cape kicked off the holiday season with an annual event called Lighting the Lobster Pot Tree, sponsored by the family who owns the Lobster Pot Restaurant.  This year the project has grown to cover an entire square and is assembled from 112 lobster pots, 120 giant red bows, 58 buoys and 46 plastic lobsters.  3400 lights and a crane that lowered the top "crown" completed the project.   They really do know how to do festive in P'town!  

Snow's Department Store's annual Train Town display

The hardiest residents in the town of Brewster are planning a Polar Plunge to raise money for needy Cape families during the holiday.  Gee, too bad we don't live in that town...

Main Street, Orleans

The town of Chatham, celebrating its 300th birthday this year has an annual Christmas Stroll with a parade, tree lighting and horse and carriage rides with costumed characters.

Cap'n Ron & Crosswinds

I don't know about you, but when Daylight Savings Time ends, I look for any way to illuminate all that darkness.  Out come the single window candles.  I've become a convert to the cordless ones that turn themselves on and off.  Then the seashell light strands drape the back fence where we park.  Not long after that, back by popular demand, lights go up on the sailboat in the front yard, to the delight of passersby.  It's also time for the little tree that serves as a beacon to mark our front entrance all year to have its tiny white lights refreshed.  One tree leads to another and before you know it, we have many new reasons to be grateful for our new solar panels.  As a winter season lover, light is my celebration.  All that's missing now is snow. 

with assistance from Sean

While musing about the holidays, I always have a little touch of guilt.  (No, not gilt, nor gelt.)  This year I'm coming clean and confessing my past bad karma.  You see, I grew up in a Chanukah home amidst a mostly Santa town who took Jesus's birthday very seriously.  That was in the 50's-60's when it was perfectly correct and expected to celebrate Christmas in school.  Most people had barely heard of Chanukah, much less knew how to pronounce it without spitting.  I was always looked at in disbelief and pity when I had to admit that I never had a Christmas tree nor sat on Santa's lap.  I really didn't understand why Santa couldn't stop at our house, but one year I became determined to at least see him and the reindeer go by.  If he was as jolly as was reported, maybe I could tell my friends that he waved to me on the way to their houses.  On Christmas Eve I was beside myself with excitement about my plan and stayed alert for the sound of jingle bells and kept hopping out of bed to peek out the window long after I'd been tucked in.  My mother, noting that I was still awake longer than usual came in to see what was wrong.  I blurted out the hope that had me quivering with excitement and a troubled look came over her face.  She sat down, drew me onto her lap and encased me in one of those hugs that ended with a big sigh, the one when you knew you weren't going to like what came next.  Then she said in her most conspiratorial tone, "if I tell you a secret, will you promise me that you won't tell any of your friends?"  Now, it's really not so fair to ask that of a six year old who doesn't even know what the secret she's agreeing to is, but not having the opportunity to hear secrets very often, of course I said yes.  It was then that I was crushed to learn that Santa was (shhhh...) only every child's Mom and Dad.  O-M-G, say it isn't so!!  I held out as long as I could, probably less than 24 hours, but in the end spilled the beans.  Martha-Jane was convinced I was wrong because she knew her single mother couldn't possibly afford to buy her any toys.  But, Betty-Lou, after an indignant "Nuh-UHHH!" was pretty miffed at me.  It all blew over and I know they would have found out eventually, but I've always regretted that indiscretion.  You can bet that when Spring came around and I was resentfully eating my matzoh meal birthday cake, there was absolutely no mention of the Easter Bunny to my friends.  

1989-Doug & Dad's tree

And, Chanukah with Cousins

When my son, who celebrated both Dad's Christmas and Mom's Chanukah brought up the subject, I thought about that incident and told him that Santa was magic and you only needed to believe in his spirit to make him real in your heart.  Analytical even at that early age, I knew he wasn't buying that logic, but that he still wanted to believe in something special.  That was the best I could do.  Now, as a self-admitted holiday-curmudgeon, I'm finally at peace adopting the Winter Solstice as my official holiday with lights, a gift or two, warm, crackly fires, delicious foods and an always open door for friends and family.  If that sounds similar at all to your chosen holiday, too, it's because it's reminiscent of the pre-Christian Roman Saturnalia from which so many of holiday traditions were adopted.  The important thing is to create a holiday that has meaning for you and not to be a slave to traditions that don't.  Be open to embracing something new and allow your own magic to happen!                                                                     

Equal Opportunity Lights

Thanks to my sister, nieces and "that guy" for sharing Chanukah with us this year and giving me a good excuse to dig out our Mom's menorah, serve latkes (potato pancakes), buy funny animal hats for everyone and get Ron to recite the Chanukah blessing in Hebrew, or whatever that language was that he was trying to repeat as I whispered in his ear.  To his credit, he didn't spit once.

Let there be lights!

Coincidentally, the Winter Solstice this year falls on the same day the Mayans predicted would be the end of the world, so, Friday the 21st will be a big day for us one way or another.  

Happy holidays to all.