Over a Candle

Winter arrived this morning (about 3 hours ago). That’s the official start, anyway. Those who live in my area who’ve already had to shovel nearly a foot of snow just last weekend, are probably under the impression that winter has already been here.

But today is my holiday. When I say “happy holidays,” I mean, at least in part, today, the Solstice. The mark of a new season. A time for indoors, companionship. A time to slow down and reflect. To renew those human connections that can get lost in the faster pace of the warmer seasons.

This is the season of the thinker. Spring, summer, and fall are times of action. Things to be done. And the weather to do them in. Winter, though, is the time to wonder. It is a time to empty out the past, and make plans for the future.

It is dark, and cold, and perhaps lonely, if you don’t know how to listen to the wind. But it creates space in the year for us to gather our thoughts, and ourselves. To reflect about what has been, and to dream about what might be.

For those that don’t like this season, because of the dark, the cold, the loneliness… I’m sorry. I wish you cheer and family and friends. I know what it is to be anxious for the new season to begin, to put this one behind. But take at least a moment to stop, and think about what this season affords us. It is a necessary respite from our hectic lives.

Stay warm. Curl up with a blanket, some hot chocolate, and a good book, or maybe a loved one. And spend a little time just being. ‘Tis the season.

The day began slowly. It was just that kind of day. A lazy Saturday with no immediate pressures to do anything, to be anywhere. I don’t have a stack of papers to grade this weekend. So I slept in a little.

I knew that Breadsmith was having it’s blueberry pie bread today, so that was my motivation to finally get into the shower. Ronni did yoga while I ran to Breadsmith. In addition to the pie bread, and our usual loaves of sourdough and 100% whole wheat, I picked up a loaf of their Mediterranean Herb bread (a very tasty white bread flavored with dill and onion) and then headed home.

Ronni and I broke our fast by breaking bread (literally). Then she was off to shower and clean the house. So Shamatha and I sat on the couch. I had my tea and Leibniz (reading it for class). Shamatha had his lap. We sat there, reading and dozing, and half paying attention the Ohio State – Michigan game (which was too lopsided to be very interesting).

I had Enya playing in the background, sipping my Tea of Good Tidings (from Republic of Tea), and looking out the window at a grey and chilly day. And all seemed right with the world.

Never able to sit and take it easy for too long, especially as I began to think about all the things I have to do this week (grading I’ll be getting on Monday, course notes for the last week or two of class, coming up with a Kobolds Ate My Baby adventure for ScorchCon, baking cookies, and on and on), I got up to hang Christmas lights. It’s too early to turn them on, but I wanted to get them up before I got too busy with other things.

So I struggled with new strings of lights (that are all crimped up in the wrong shapes and tangled by the packaging). I quickly realized I needed another string. So it was off to Target. I was in and out as quick as could be, and home working on the lights once more. But I had put up the first string the wrong way. It was simple enough to turn it around and finish hanging the other two strings.

It’s not a fancy display. But I have to have Christmas lights. It just doesn’t look right without them. Struggle or not, cold or not, it feels good to have them up. And if that is the hardest thing I have to do the rest of this year, I won’t complain.

Lights hung, it was back inside to warm up, and listen to bit more of Enya. Tomorrow will be the big grocery trip for cookie ingredients and materials for our traditional Thanksgiving of vegetarian shepherd’s pie. It may be a lot of time in the kitchen, but like hanging the lights, it puts me into the right frame of mind for the season.

And warm cups of tea don’t hurt, either.

Now I could just do with a bit of snow.

And a nap with a cat curled up on my lap.

Earlier this week I got a notice from an online retailer that Enya has a new album out. So this morning I downloaded And Winter Came and have been listening to it much of the day. It seemed like a natural purchase for me, since it is clearly a winter album (based on the title of the album and several tracks).

Earlier this year, I posted about listening to Enya’s first album during my freshman year of college. That album still haunts me. I mention it because I hear echoes of that album here in her latest effort.

Certainly the first, eponymous track is a ethereal opening to And Winter Came. Indeed, it sounds like it could have come straight from that first album. Slow and haunting, a quiet, largely instrumental work, with wordless vocals layered into the music. And while the second song, “The Journey of Angels,” has a more standard set of lyrics than her earliest work, it also maintains that otherworldliness that I expect from Enya.

But this is not simply a rehash of old efforts. While the ethereal quality to the music is maintained throughout, there is a joy and liveliness here evident in a number of the tracks. “White is in the Winter Night” is actually catchy, with a simple and earnest rhythm to it. This is true for several other songs as well, with “Trains and winter rains” and “My My Time Flies” as worthy of particular attention.

Her version of the traditional “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is somber and beautiful, exactly how I love to hear the song performed. And I appreciate the inclusion of “Oiche chiuin” (“silent night”), even though she released the track on an EP years ago. It belongs amongst these songs.

Those are the only two traditional tracks on this album for the season. But many of the songs clearly draw inspiration from other traditional carols. For example, “The journey of the Angels” seems drawn from “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” though a much quieter version. And “One Toy Soldier” seems to be inspired from “The Little Drummer Boy.” But these are new songs, that stand on their own, and not simply new versions of old songs.

This is a really pretty album. And it’s just the sort of thing I would hope for from Enya in a winter album. If you like this season at all, and you have ever liked any of Enya’s music, this is a wonderful album, perfectly timed.

I think I’ve talked about this before… Rickie Lee Jones, for me, summons winter. Her music always makes me think about the season.

This started nineteen years ago. Her album Flying Cowboys came out. And I would sit up, all night, doing homework, with VH-1 on in the background. “Satellites” would play ever so often. And I fell in love with that song.

I bought the album (well, the tape, at the time), and listened to it that entire winter. One of the characters that has populated several pieces of my fiction comes from that song. And that was the year that I was first introduced to runes. The little girl in the video for the song is carrying around a runestone of Mannaz, “The Self.”

Since winter seems trying to settle in now, I am listening to a lot of Rickie Lee Jones lately. I’m hoping to embed the video below. (The YouTube video won’t embed, so I’m hoping this other site works. If not, you can click on the YouTube link at the bottom to go watch the video and listen to the song.)

Enjoy winter!

“Satellites” on YouTube

The embedding for the other site didn’t work. I hate to send you off-site to watch the video. But it’s only four minutes, and it’s such a good song, that it’s worth the quick visit to YouTube if you have the time.

It is snowing. Right now. As I type this. I’ve been sitting here for hours (with a brief interlude for a shower) watching the snow fall.

I took a couple of pictures when I first got up because I wasn’t sure how long it would last.

Despite all the stress at work… Despite all the nail-biting I’ve been doing while following the election… Despite everything, I feel at peace this morning. There is snow on the ground.

This won’t be a major snow storm (at least, as it appears right now), but more snow has piled up since I took those pictures. It isn’t sticking to the paved surfaces, but that’s okay. I’m not looking for a foot of snow today. It’ just encouraging to see it, finally. To know that winter is coming.

I’ll probably wind up listening to Rickie Lee Jones all day.

I know that many people think I’m crazy for how much I like winter. And I’m okay with that. I don’t begrudge others their seasonal preferences. I just know I’m glad winter is getting closer.